General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - May 2019

May 2019

Nov 13, 2019

Incredibly Rare 'Mouse Deer' Spotted in Vietnam After Vanishing For Almost 30 Years

A very rare species of small, deer-like animal thought to be on the verge of extinction has been spotted in the northwestern jungle of Vietnam for the first time in nearly 30 years.Known as the silver-backed chevrotain or mouse deer, a specimen was last recorded in 1990.
The species, Tragulus versicolor, was first described in 1910 based on several animals found near Nha Trang, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

'Climate strike' named Collins' Word of the Year 2019

'Climate strike', a form of protest popularised by the Sweedish teenage activist Greta Thunburg, has been named Collins' Word of the Year 2019. It is formally defined as 'a form of protest in which people absent themselves from education or work in order to join demonstrations demanding action to counter climate change'.
Collins Dictionary's lexicographers monitor the 9.5 billion-word Collins Corpus and create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect an ever-evolving culture and the preoccupations of those who use it.

Nov 11, 2019

Uttarakhand to tag wild elephants with radio collars

Faced with a rising number of reports of wild elephants straying into human habitats, leading to crops being damaged and some deaths, Uttarakhand's Forest department is moving to resolve the conflict — with radio tags.
The state government is tying up with Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to tranquilise about 6-8 elephants and fit GPS-enabled radio collars around their necks starting December 1, 2019. The objective: monitor their movements in real-time and set up an "early warning system" for residents in about 30 villages near the Rajaji National Park, and Shyampur and Rasiyabad forest areas.
A WII team will track the elephants and record their location after every hour. The information will be shared with forest staff and guards, and village volunteer groups through a mobile application.

Greta-Shame to Deter Plastic Use in Offices

Offices are using photos of climate change activist Greta Thunberg to deter employees from using single-use plastics. The trend, dubbed "Greta-shaming," has become especially popular in Israel, where photos of the 16-year-old have been used in workplaces in both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
. The tactic sees employees hang up photos of Thunberg in workplace cafeterias near plastic utensils or single-use coffee cups, in an effort to shame colleagues away from using the items.
One photo sees a picture of the teenager with her hands clasped under her chin placed near a stack of plastic cups while another shows Thunberg placed in front of coffee cups with the caption: "Are you sure?"
In the AP office in Jerusalem, a photo shared by Sommer shows the activist deterring the use of coffee stirrers. The photo quotes Thunberg's September United Nations speech, reading: "How dare you." Israel is the second-biggest per capita consumer of single-use plastic in the world.

Nov 10, 2019

Coonoor gets waste management park

With the help of non-governmental organisations, the Coonoor municipality and the district administration have officially closed the dump yard that had been an eyesore and a major cause of pollution in Ottupattarai in Coonoor.
Instead, the area has now been turned into a waste management facility and park, capable of processing almost the entirety of the town's generated dry waste.
District Collector J. Innocent Divya inaugurated the park.

Nov 09, 2019

7 Killed As Cyclone 'Bulbul' Disrupts Normal Life In Bengal

Cyclone 'Bulbul', which barrelled through the coastal districts of West Bengal before hurtling towards Bangladesh, claimed at least seven lives in different parts of the state.
The severe cyclonic storm, which brought in its wake heavy rain coupled with gale wind uprooted hundreds of trees and snapped cables in the city and its adjoining areas in North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore, bring life to a near-halt.

Nov 08, 2019

Bihar Govt. To Ban Diesel-Run Autorickshaws In Patna From 2021

With air pollution turning severe in Patna over the last few days, the Bihar government decided to ban diesel-run autorickshaws from 2021 in the State capital and its adjoining areas.
Earlier, the government had also declared a ban on all commercial and State-owned vehicles older than 15 years.
The government also decided to launch an intensive drive to conduct pollution tests on private vehicles.

Mexico Mammoths: Human-Built Woolly Mammoth Traps Found In Tultepec

At least 14 woolly mammoth skeletons have been uncovered in Mexico in traps built by humans about 15,000 years ago.
The two pits in Tultepec north of Mexico City are the first mammoth traps to be discovered.
Early hunters may have herded the elephant-sized mammals into the traps using torches and branches.
The recent discovery of more than 800 mammoth bones could change our understanding of how early humans hunted the enormous animals.
Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says more traps could be uncovered in the area north of Mexico City.

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