General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - January 2021

Jan 2021

Sep 21, 2023

Greater One-horned Rhinos Thriving in India, Nepal

According to a new report, the greater one-horned rhino population in India and Nepal continues to grow on the back of strong protection, wildlife crime law enforcement and habitat expansion.
The State of the Rhino Report, 2023, by US-based International Rhino Foundation (IRF) came ahead of World Rhino Day, an annual global celebration of the five rhino species and their conservation on September 22.
According to the report, the two most significant factors causing rhino populations to decline are poaching and habitat loss but climate change is also increasingly impacting many facets of their survival.
Greater one-horned rhinos continue to thrive due to strong protection and enforcement and, though the governments of India and Nepal did not conduct an official census this year, the authorities believe the population is growing, the foundation said.
The Indian state of Assam is home to the largest population of greater-one horned rhinos.

Sep 14, 2023

IIT-Delhi Claim to Have Done India's First Soil Erodibility Mapping

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi claim to have conducted the country's first national-scale mapping of soil erodibility.
Before this, soil erodibility assessments were conducted in specific regions or catchments but a national-scale assessment of soil erodibility was required, according to IIT Delhi officials.
The national-scale mapping of soil erodibility is aimed at highlighting specific areas where the soil is most prone to erosion.

Sep 12, 2023

World's Largest Asteroid Impact Crater Found in Australia

Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) might have found the world's largest asteroid impact crater in Australia. The researchers believe that this site in the town of Deniliquin is evidence of the oldest asteroid impact buried in the world. They also said that this crater could have helped trigger a major glaciation event that killed 85 per cent of the world's species.
The newly-found impact crater is named as Deniliquin structure.
UNSW adjunct professor and asteroid impact researcher, Andrew Glikson believed the crater is 323 miles in diameter, which is nearly double the size of the current record-holding crarter, the Vredefort impact structure in South Africa.

Sep 11, 2023

UN Climate Report Warns of Closing Window to Limit Global Warming

A new report from UN Climate emphasizes the urgency of addressing climate change, stating that the window of opportunity to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is rapidly closing. The report, part of the Global Stocktake (GST) mandated by the Paris Agreement, highlights that while some progress has been made; countries are far from achieving the necessary targets to meet this goal.
The report estimates that, even with current climate actions, global greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 will be approximately 24 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent higher than needed to keep the 1.5-degree target viable. The report underscores deficits in mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and capacity building efforts. The findings will inform the upcoming annual climate change meeting in Dubai.

Sep 08, 2023

Indore Tops Clean Air Survey, Agra and Thane Follow

Indore claimed the top spot in the government's clean air survey, followed by Agra and Thane, the Union Environment Ministry said.
Conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan' ranked cities based on the execution of activities approved under the city action plan and air quality in 131 cities covered under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
In the million-plus population category, Madhya Pradesh's Indore secured the first position, closely pursued by Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and Thane (Maharashtra).
The second category, covering cities with populations ranging from 3 to 10 lakh, witnessed Amravati in Maharashtra clinching the top rank, with Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh and Guntur in Andhra Pradesh following it.
Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh stood out in the third category, featuring cities with populations below 3 lakh, while Kala Amb in the hill state and Angul in Odisha took the second and third place, respectively.
The NCAP stands as a national-level strategy, aiming for a 20 to 30 percent reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2024, with a reference base year of 2017. The programme covers 131 non-attainment cities, which consistently failed to meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015.

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