General Awareness

ENVIRONMENT - January 2022

Jan 2022

Jan 14, 2022

India's Forest, Tree Cover Rose by 2,261 sq km in Last 2 Years

According to the India State of Forest Report-2021, forest and tree cover in the country had increased by 2,261 square kilometres since the last assessment in 2019.
Releasing the report, Environment and Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav said the total forest and tree cover was 80.9 million hectares, which accounted for 24.62% of the geographical area of the country. The report said 17 States and Union Territories had more than 33% of their area under forest cover. Mr. Yadav said the Narendra Modi government's focus was to enrich the forests qualitatively.
Increase in forest cover was observed in open forest followed by very dense forest. Top three states showing increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km) followed by Telangana (632 sq km) and Odisha (537 sq km).

Jan 12, 2022

India's Toxic Air Gets Worse, Pollution in 132 Cities below Standards

India is failing in efforts to improve its toxic air quality, with the number of smog-plagued cities increasing since the launch of a national program to tackle the issue.
A total of 132 cities now have pollution levels deemed below national standards, from 102 cities when the National Clean Air Programme began in 2019, according to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
More than 90% of India's population lives in areas where air quality is below World Health Organization standards, with coal-fired power plants, factories and vehicles among the major sources of pollution. The problem worsens during winter due to the burning of crop stubble by farmers, typically blanketing northern cities, including the capital New Delhi, in a choking smog.

Huge Skeleton of Jurassic Ichthyosaur Unearthed in UK

Paleontologists have unearthed the well-preserved skeleton of the large-bodied predatory ichthyosaur species Temnodontosaurus trigonodon at Rutland Water Nature Reserve in the UK.
Temnodontosaurus trigonodon belongs to an extinct genus of ichthyosaurs from the Early Jurassic epoch.
First described in 1843, this species lived in the deeper areas of the open ocean between 200 and 175 million years ago.
The newly-discovered skeleton of Temnodontosaurus trigonodon is approximately 180 million years old.
At over 10 m (33 feet) long, this is the biggest and most complete skeleton of its kind found to date in the UK.

2021 Earth's Fifth-hottest Year

As per a report by Copernicus Climate Change Service, which is a European Union programme, the year 2021 was the fifth-hottest year on the Earth.
As per report, last seven years have been the warmest on record. 2021 was ranked fifth among those 12-month spans because of continued rise in greenhouse gas emissions.
Scientists warn that, rise in greenhouse gas emissions could propel the Earth to suffering irreversible damage.
Report found that, mean global temperature was between 1.1 to 1.2 degrees Celsius higher in 2021, as compared to pre-industrial levels. The temperature was in the range of 2 to 2.2 degrees.
Scientists note that, average temperature rise surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius could result into permanent damage to the Earth and have huge detrimental environmental impacts.

Jan 08, 2022

Uvariopsis Dicaprio

Uvariopsis dicaprio is a newly identified tree species. It is the first new tree species to be described in 2022. It was discovered in tropical Ebo forest of Cameroon and is native to the region. The tree has been added to the Strange and Spectacular list of plant species. The tree has been classified as critically endangered.
The tree has been named after the Titanic movie fame Leonardo dicaprio. The actor come environmental activist has been taking several measures to conserve Ebo forest. The tree has been named after the actor to boost his campaigns against cutting of trees in the forest.
Cameroon is located in Gulf of Guinea. It is located in west – central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo and Gabon. The coast of Cameroon lies in Bight of Biafra. Bight is a curve in the coastline and is a geographical feature.

Jan 07, 2022

Asian Waterbird Census (AWC)

The Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) is an integral part of International Waterbird Census. The international census is conducted in 143 countries.
The AWC is jointly held by Wetlands International and Bombay Natural History Society. AWC is held in the month of January every year. During the census, the volunteers visit the wetlands and count the waterbirds. The major regions covered under AWC are Southeast Asia, Australasia, East Asian – Australasian Flyway, region between Afghanistan and Japan. It was started in 1987. In 2021, the AWC reported that the overall waterbird population dipped by four times as compared to 2020.

Jan 06, 2022

Chilika Water Bird Status Survey - 2022

The Odisha Wildlife Organization conducted a bird census in the Chilika Lake. The organization was joined by Chilika Development Authority and Bombay Natural History Society.
Chilika is the largest brackish water lake in India, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state. Birds come to the lake to spend their winter. Around 106 personnel were deployed in the survey. This included bird experts from non – governmental organizations and government organisations. The lake was divided into 21 segments to conduct the census.
The 2022 survey witnessed 10,74,173 birds. This included the uncommon and rare Mongolian gull as well. Around 107 water bird species and 76 wetland dependent species were spotted.

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