main pre env final
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
1/32
Page 1 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF
ANIMALS (PETA)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA), is an animal rights organization based in
Norfolk, Virginia, USA. With two million members
and supporters worldwide, it says it is the We
can use this as an effective instrument of
economic diplomacy, something that was done
years ago by the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru, who used to gift animals, including
elephants, to friendly countries as part of
diplomacy, largest animal rights group in the
world. Ingrid Newkirk is its international
president. Founded in 1980,. It focuses on four
core issues: factory farming, fur farming, animaltesting, and animals in entertainment, and also
campaigns against fishing, the killing of animals
regarded as pests, the keeping of chained
backyard dogs, cock fighting, dog fighting, and
bullfighting. It aims to inform the public through
advertisements, undercover investigations, animal
rescue, and lobbying. Its slogan is "animals are not
ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for
entertainment."
OUSSUDU LAKE
One of the popular places in Puducherry, Oussudu
Lake which was declared a sanctuary last year,
Home to hundreds of migratory birds, the
Oussudu Lake was declared a sanctuary by the
territorial administration during the end of 2008.
The lake measures 390 hectares. Sixty per cent
of it is with Puducherry, while the rest is in
TamilNadu.
COASTAL ZONE DRAFT WILL BE ALLOWED TO
LAPSE
Bringing relief to the fishing community which
feared displacement, the government on Friday
announced that the draft Coastal Management
Zone (CMZ) Notification, 2008 would be allowed
to lapse on July 22. Instead, the existing Coastal
Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991, will be
amended to take into account the challenges
likely to arise from climate change-induced sea
level rise, and the growing pressure of population
on coastal resources.
Prof. Swaminathan drafted the CMZ document in
2005 and now recommended that it be
abandoned as it had failed to address the issues of
fishermen.
The lives and livelihood of nearly 25 per cent of
our population living within 50 km of the
shoreline, as well of the nearly 10 million fisher-
folk, will depend upon the decisions we take now
to develop enforceable regulations for integrated
attention to both ecological and livelihood
security,
WORLD BANK ANNOUNCES TIGER
CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
World Bank initiates a new international Tiger
conservation programme. The partnership with
the Smithsonian Institution is a personal project of
the banks president, Robert Zoellick. The
initiative will seek to strengthen and expand a
patchy system of tiger reserves across the 13
countries, including India, Indonesia, Thailand,
China and Russia, that are home to the worlds
rapidly diminishing tiger population.
Experts believe there are only about 3,500 tigers
left. A century ago they were thought to number
100,000.
But their survival is threatened by the illegal trade
in tiger parts, which are used for traditional
remedies in Asia, and intense pressure on land for
development.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
2/32
Page 2 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
The joint Smithsonian-World Bank conservation
effort will begin by training hundreds of forest
rangers in new anti-poaching techniques at the
Smithsonians centre near Washington, and
strengthen ties between countries where tigers
live. Environmentalists see tiger conservation as
crucial to saving Asias remaining forests. Without
the prestige of the tiger, they argue, it will be
harder to prevent the destruction of forests for
development.
"9 VILLAGES RESISTANCE FORUM"
Indian villagers of the nine settlements near
Alibag in Raigad district of the western state of
Maharashtra stage a protest in Poinad, 130kms
northeast of Mumbai. The "9 Villages Resistance
Forum" (9 Gaon Sangharsh Samiti) is fighting four
proposed thermal power plants which it fears
poses a threat to fertile agricultural land.
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
Glacier National Park is located in the U.S. state of
Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of
Alberta and British Columbia to the North and the
Blackfeet Indian Reservation to the East. Glacier
National Park contains two mountain ranges,
sometimes referred to as the southern extension
of the Canadian Rockies mountain ranges, with
over 130 named lakes, more than 1,100 different
species of vascular plants and hundreds of species
of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem, spread
across 1,584 mi (4,101 km), is the centerpiece of
what has been referred to as the "Crown of the
Continent Ecosystem", a region of protected land
encompassing 16,000 mi (44,000 km).
GREEN POLITICS
Green politics is a political ideology which places a
high importance on environmental goals, and on
achieving these goals through broad-based,
grassroots, participatory democracy. Green
politics is advocated by supporters of the Green
movement, which has been active through Green
parties in many nations since the early 1980s. The
political term Green, a translation of the German
Grn, was coined by die Grnen, the first
successful Green party, formed in the late 1970s.
The term political ecology is sometimes used in
Europe and in academic circles.
Supporters of Green politics, called Greens, share
many ideas with the ecology, conservation,
environmental, feminist, and peace movements.
In addition to democracy and ecological issues,
green politics is concerned with civil liberties,
social justice and nonviolence.
CITES
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also
known as the Washington Convention) is an
international agreement between governments,
drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1973
at a meeting of members of the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its aim is
to ensure that international trade in specimens of
wild animals and plants does not threaten theirsurvival and it accords varying degrees of
protection to more than 33,000 species of animals
and plants.
White pollution, a term used here to describe
the huge consumption and wastage of plastic, is
becoming a growing problem in China. China
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
3/32
Page 3 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
consumes more plastic bags than any other
country, using 37 million barrels of crude oil on
plastic bag production every year. The NDRC said
the ban has now saved between 2.4 million and 3
million tonnes of crude oil, and would also cut
carbon dioxide emissions by up to 9.6 million
tonnes annually.
TIMELINE OF CLIMATE CHANGE HISTORY
1824
French physicist Joseph Fourier is first to describe
a "greenhouse effect" in a paper delivered to
Paris's Acadmie Royale des Sciences.
1861
Irish physicist John Tyndall carries out research on
radiant heat and the absorption of radiation by
gases and vapors including CO2 and H2O. He
shows that carbon dioxide can absorb in the
infrared spectrum, and it can cause a change in
temperature. Tyndall famously declares: "The
solar heat possesses. . . the power of crossing an
atmosphere. But when the heat is absorbed by
the planet, it is so changed in quality that the rays
emanating from the planet cannot get with thesame freedom back into space. Thus the
atmosphere admits of the entrance of the solar
heat, but checks its exit. The result is a tendency
to accumulate heat at the surface of the planet."
1896
Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius first proposes
the idea of a man-made greenhouse effect. He
hypothesizes that the increase in the burning of
coal since the beginning of industrialization could
lead to an increase in atmospheric CO2 and heat
up the earth. Arrhenius was trying to find out why
the earth experienced ice ages. He thought the
prospect of future generations living "under a
milder sky" would be a desirable state of affairs.
1938
British engineer Guy Stewart Callendar compiles
temperature statistics in a variety of regions and
finds that over the previous century the mean
temperature had risen markedly. He alsodiscovers that CO2 levels had risen 10 percent
during the same period. He concludes that CO2
was the most likely reason for the rise in
temperature.
1955
John Hopkins University researcher Gilbert Plass
proves that increased levels of carbon dioxide
could raise atmospheric temperature. By 1959
Plass is boldly predicting that the earth'stemperature would rise more than 3 degrees
Fahrenheit by the end of the century.
In the same year chemist Hans Suess detects the
fossil carbon produced by burning fuels, although
he and Roger Revelle - director of the Scripps
Institute of Oceanography - declare that the
oceans must be absorbing the majority of
atmospheric carbon dioxide, they decide to
conduct further research.
1958
Revelle and Suess employ geochemist Charles
Keeling to continuously monitor CO2 levels in the
atmosphere. After only two years of
measurements in Antarctica an increase is visible.
The graph becomes widely known as the Keeling
Curve and becomes an icon of global warming
debate and continues to chart the year on year
rise in CO2 concentrations to this day.
1970
The first "Earth Day" takes place on April 22nd
across America. Twenty million people participate
in the event organized by Democratic Senator
Gaylord Nelson. It follows and precedes a series of
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
4/32
Page 4 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
U.S. Department for Energy reports highlighting
concern about global warming
1979
The first World Climate Conference is held inGeneva attended by a range of scientists and
leads to the establishment of the World Climate
Program.
1985
Scientists at the World Climate Program
conference at Villach in Austria confidently predict
that increased CO2 concentrations will lead to a
significant rise in the mean surface temperatures
of the earth. A hole in the ozone layer isdiscovered over Antarctica.
1987
Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting
substances(ODS). Officially the hottest year on
record to date. Three years later the 1980s is
confirmed as the hottest decade since records
began.
1988
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) is set up by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and by the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP). The IPCC will
provide reports based on scientific evidence which
reflect existing viewpoints within the scientific
community.
Parts of the Mississippi river are reduced to a
trickle and Yellowstone National Park becomes a
tinderbox. In June, Dr James Hansen of the NASA
Goddard Institute for Space Studies delivers his
famous testimony to the U.S. Senate. Based on
computer models and temperature
measurements he is 99 percent sure that the
[human caused] greenhouse effect has been
detected and it is already changing the climate.
1990
The IPCC delivers its first assessment on the state
of climate change, predicting an increase of 0.3 C
each decade in the 21st century -- greater than
any rise seen over the previous 10,000 years.
1992
The United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development -- better known as the Earth
Summit -- takes place in Rio de Janeiro attended
by 172 countries. It is the first unified effort to getto grips with global warming and leads to
negotiations which result in the Kyoto Protocol.
1995
The hottest year on record. Four years later the
1990s are confirmed as the hottest decade in
1000 years.
The IPCC report for that year states that "the
balance of evidence suggests a discernible humaninfluence on global climate."
1997
The Kyoto Protocol: Industrialized countries agree
to cut their emissions of six key greenhouse gases
by an average of 5.2 percent. Under the terms of
the agreement each country -- except developing
countries -- commits to a reduction by 2008 --
2012 compared to 1990 levels. Notably, the U.S.
Congress vote 95 to 0 against any treaty which
doesn't commit developing countries to
"meaningful" cuts in emissions.
2001
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
5/32
Page 5 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
Newly elected U.S. President George W. Bush
renounces the Kyoto Protocol stating that it will
damage the U.S. economy. The third IPCC report
declares that the evidence of global warming over
the previous 50 years being fueled by human
activities is stronger than ever.
2003
Europe experiences one the hottest summers on
record causing widespread drought claiming the
lives of over 30,000 people.
2005
Following ratification by Russia -- the 19th country
to do so -- in November 2004, the Kyoto Protocolbecomes a legally binding treaty. America and
Australia continue their refusal to sign up claiming
reducing emissions would damage their
economies.
2007
175 countries in total have ratified the Kyoto
Treaty. Under new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,
Australia ratifies the treaty. The IPCC report for a
fourth time states that "warming of the climate is
unequivocal" and that the levels of temperature
and sea rise in the 21st century will depend on the
extent or limit of emissions in the coming
years.Former vice-president Al Gore and the IPCC
jointly win the Nobel Peace Prize for services to
environmentalism.
2008
160 square miles of the Wilkins Shelf breaks away
from the Antarctic coast. Scientists are concerned
that climate change may be happening faster than
previously thought.
Following the Bali talks/roadmap, negotiators
from 180 countries launch formal negotiations
towards a new treaty to mitigate climate change
at the Bangkok Climate Change Talks.
What is Ice Age?
The general term "ice age" or, more precisely,"glacial age" denotes a geological period of long-
term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's
surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion
of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and
alpine glaciers.
An ice age is a natural system. Within a long-term
ice age, individual pulses of extra cold climate are
termed "glaciations". Glaciologically, ice age
implies the presence of extensive ice sheets in the
northern and southern hemispheres; by this
definition we are still in an ice age (because the
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets still exist).
MICRO-ORGANISMS TO HELP MANAGE CITY
WASTE
The decision to use Effective Micro-organisms is
part of the monsoon preparedness work of
Chennai Corporation. This is part of the monsoon
preparedness efforts of the civic body to protect
residents of the localities near the dump yards
from fetid smell, a plague of mosquitoes and flies
and the fear of malaria and other fevers.
Effective Microorganisms is a combination of
various naturally occurring beneficial micro-
organisms mostly found in foods, including
phototrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and
yeast.
These secrete beneficial substances such asvitamins, organic acids, chelated minerals and
antioxidants when they come into contact with
organic matter in the dump yards. The organisms
applied in liquid form to the solid waste would
speed up the process of converting it into
biofertilizer. The odour from the waste can be
managed as it is converted into harmless and
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
6/32
Page 6 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
useful products. Decomposition of waste usually
takes several months, but with the help of these
micro-organisms it will take only four to six
weeks.The micro-organisms would also change
soil micro flora and fauna so that disease-inducing
soil becomes disease-suppressing soil.
GOSAT and ENVISAT satellites.
The Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite
(GOSAT) Project is a joint effort promoted by the
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the
National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES)
and the Ministry of the Environment (MOE).
NIES organized the research team dedicated to
the GOSAT project within its organization in April
2004, and since then has been working for the
research and development with respect to GOSAT
"IBUKI". Launched in 2002, Envisat is the largest
Earth Observation spacecraft ever built. Launched
by European space agency , It carries ten
sophisticated optical and radar instruments to
provide continuous observation and monitoring of
the Earth's land, atmosphere, oceans and ice caps.
Envisat data collectively provide a wealth of
information on the workings of the Earth system,including insights into factors contributing to
climate change.
AHMEDABAD ISRO CENTRE TO MAP HIMALAYAN
REGION
The Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO)
Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad will
undertake mapping and tracing of the Himalayanregion to keep track of the movement of glaciers
and their health. This is to put in place governance
and management of the Himalayan eco-system.
Government recently released a report,
Governance for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem:
Guidelines and Best Practices (G-SHE). The report
will be a key input in the formulation of a National
Mission for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem
under Indias National Action Plan for Climate
Change.
The mission aims to scientifically study theimpact of climate change on Indian Himalaya and
put in place adaptation measures to meet the
growing challenge. The mission will bring together
the efforts of climatologists, glaciologists, other
experts as well as local stakeholders.
The G-SHE report was meant to be a working
document, to provide the basis for new
approaches and practices. The report has been
put in the public domain, including on the Ministry
website. Comments and inputs have been sought
from the State governments, domestic and
international institutions, civil society, local
communities and other stakeholders.
Glaciologists institute
The government decided to set up a National
Institute of Himalayan Glaciologists in Dehra Dun.
It would become Indias main centre of excellence
for monitoring the Himalayan glaciers. India willjoin hands with Bhutan, China and Nepal to study
the health of the glaciers. Government also
announced the setting up of 15 fully automated
weather stations in Jammu and Kashmir,
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and
Arunachal Pradesh to monitor the climate in the
Himalayan region and help authorities in
preparing data and research profile. The first of
these would become operational in a couple of
days at Almora in Uttarakhand.
COPENHAGEN NEGOTIATING TEXT: 200 PAGES
TO SAVE WORLD?
In 2012 the Kyoto Protocol to prevent climate
changes and global warming runs out. To keep the
process on the line there is an urgent need for a
new climate protocol. At the conference in
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
7/32
Page 7 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
Copenhagen 2009 the parties of the UNFCCC meet
for the last time on government level before the
climate agreement need to be renewed.
Therefore the Climate Conference in Copenhagen
is essential for the worlds climate and the Danish
government and UNFCCC is putting hard effort in
making the meeting in Copenhagen a success
ending up with a Copenhagen Protocol to prevent
global warming and climate changes.
The Climate Conference will take place in the
Bella Center.
Governmental representatives from 170 countries
are expected to be in Copenhagen in the days of
the conference accompanied by other
governmental representatives, NGO's, journalists
and others. In total 8000 people are expected to
Copenhagen in the days of the climate meeting.
The draft agreement being discussed ahead of
Decembers crucial Copenhagen summit is long,
confusing and contradictory. It is a blueprint to
save the world
Traditional sticking points
The text includes sections on the traditional
sticking points that have delayed progress on
climate change for a decade or longer:
How much are rich countries willing tocut their greenhouse gas emissions, and
by when?
Will large developing nations such asChina make an effort to put at least a
dent in their levels of pollution?
How much money must flow from thedeveloped world to developing countries
to secure their approval? How much to
compensate for the impact of past
emissions, and how much to prevent
future emissions?
According to U.N. rules, for a new treaty to be
agreed, every country must sign up. The treaty is
designed to follow the Kyoto protocol, the worlds
existing treaty to regulate emissions, the first
phase of which expires in 2012. Because the U.S.
did not ratify Kyoto, the climate talks have been
forced on to parallel tracks, with one set of
negotiations, from which the U.S. is excluded,
debating how the treaty could be extended. This
new text comes from the second track, which lays
out a plan to include all countries in cooperative
action.
The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate
Change has the ultimate objective, set at the Earth
Summit in Rio in 1992, to prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with climate.
ECO TAX FOR VISITING MUSSOORIE
Uttarakhands most picturesque resort Mussoorie
it could literally mean a breath of fresh air. The
Uttarakhand government has decided to
introduce Eco Tax upon entry into the Queen of
Hills with immediate effect, which is a first in thehistory of Mussoorie. It will be in line with the
years old Naini Lake Tax charged from tourists in
Nainital.
The tax Rs 100 for heavy vehicles and Rs 30 for
cars and jeeps will be levied by the Mussoorie
Municipal Board either through its employees or
contracted agents from motorists at Kolhukhet,
Mussoories entry point. The objective of Eco Tax
is to collect revenue for preserving the towns
environment, its heritage, apart from maintainingits sanitation and cleanliness. The money will be
spent on encouraging plantation and educating
tourists against using plastic while in Mussoorie.
BT BRINJAL-INDIAS FIRST GENETICALLY
MODIFIED FOOD CROP
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
8/32
Page 8 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
India's biotechnology regulator Genetic
Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) on
Wednesday gave thumbs up Bt brinjal in the
backdrop of the controversy surrounding GM
crops. GEAC assessed the recommendations of a
special committee that had accumulated data for
over nine years to study the bio-safety of Bt
brinjal. Bt brinjal is the first modified genetically
modified vegetable that has been introduced to
Indians.The experts, however, have raised
concern over the nvironmental implications due
to GM crops.
GM crops are those in which genetic material
(DNA) is altered for some perceived advantage
either to the producer or the consumer. Bt cotton
was the first transgenic crop to be introduced in
the country in 2002. Since then there has been a
lot of controversy surrounding it with experts
debating on its performance and impact on the
environment and health of cattle. India, as a party
to the Convention on Biodiversity and having
ratified the Cartagena Protocol (CP), is committed
to the safe handling of living modified organisms
(LMOs) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The Protocol provides a broad framework onbiosafety especially focusing on trans-boundary
movements of GMOs and also covers seeds that
are meant for intentional release into the
environment, as well as those GMOs that are
intended for food, feed or used in food
processing.
GLOSSARY
Adaptation: Adjustment in natural or human
systems, in response to actual or expectedclimatic stimuli or their effects, which moderates
harm or exploits beneficial opportunities. Various
types of adaptation can be distinguished,
including anticipatory and reactive, autonomous
and planned, public and private.
Adaptation Fund: The Adaptation Fund was
established to finance concrete adaptation
projects and programs in developing countries
that are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Fund is
financed with a share of proceeds from the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) and receives
funds from other sources.
Adaptive capacity: The ability of a system to
adjust to climate change (including climate
variability and extremes) in order to take
advantage of opportunities, moderate potential
damages, or cope with the consequences.
Adaptive management: A systematic process for
continually improving management policies and
practices by learning from the outcomes of
previously employed policies and practices,
through an explicitly experimental approach.
Additionality: In the CDM context this refers to
whether the carbon offsets generated by a project
are backed up by emission reductions additional
to those that otherwise would occur without the
financial and technical incentive of the CDM
mechanism. An activitys emissions as they would
have been in the absence of the CDM project
constitute the baseline against which additionality
is measured. The creation and sale of offsets from
a CDM project lacking additionality may lead to an
increase in emissions to the atmosphere, relative
to the emissions released if the potential pur-
chaser of the offset instead directly reduced their
own emissions at home.
Afforestation: Planting a new forest on land that
has either never or not recently been forested.
Annex I parties: Annex I parties include the
industrial countries that were members of the
OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation
and Development) in 1992, plus countries with
economies in transition (the EIT Parties), including
the Russian Federation, the Baltic states, and
several Central and Eastern European states. They
have committed to limit their greenhouse gas
emissions. Non-Annex-I parties: The group of
primarily developing countries without such
commitments, which instead have acknowledged
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
9/32
Page 9 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
general obligations to formulate and implement
national programs on mitigation and adaptation.
Anthropogenic: Directly caused by human actions.
For example, burning fossil fuels to supply energy
leads to anthropogenic GHG emissions, whereas
natural decay of vegetation leads to non-
anthropogenic emissions.
Assigned amount units (AAUs): The total volume
greenhouse gasesmeasured in tons CO2ethat
each Annex I country is allowed to emit during the
first phase of the Kyoto Protocol.
Bali Action Plan: The two year plan launched at
the 2007 United Nations Climate Change
Conference in Bali, Indonesia to negotiate long-
term cooperative action on climate change
beyond 2010 and to reach an agreed outcome in
Denmark in late 2009. The plan has four pillars:
mitigation, adaptation, finance, and technology.
Biodiversity: Biodiversity is the variety of all forms
of life, including genes, populations, species, and
ecosystems.
Biofuel: A fuel produced from organic matter or
combustible oils produced by plants. Examples of
biofuel include alcohol, black liquor from the
paper-manufacturing process, wood, and soybean
oil. Second-generation biofuels: Products such asethanol and biodiesel derived from woody
material by chemical or biological processes.
Cap and trade: An approach to controlling
pollution emissions that combines market and
regulation. An overall emissions limit (cap) is set
for a specific time period and individual parties
receive permits (either through grant or auction)
giving them the legal right to emit pollution up to
the quantity of permits they hold. Parties are free
to trade emission permits, and there will be gains
from trade if different parties have differentmarginal pollution abatement costs.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS): A process
consisting of separation of CO2 from industrial
and energy-related sources, transport to a storage
location, and long-term isolation from the
atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide (CO2): A naturally occurring gas
that is also a by-product of burning fossil fuels
(fossil carbon deposits such as oil, gas, and coal),
of burning biomass, of land-use changes, and of
several industrial processes. It is the principal
anthropogenic greenhouse gas that affects the
Earths radiative balance. It is the reference gas
against which other greenhouse gases are
measured and therefore has a Global Warming
Potential of 1.
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e): A way of
expressing the quantity of a mixture of different
greenhouse gases. Equal amounts of the different
greenhouse gases produce different contributions
to global warming; for example, an emission of
methane to the atmosphere has about 20 times
the warming effect as the same emission of
carbon dioxide. CO2e expresses the quantity of a
mixture of greenhouse gases in terms of the
quantity of CO2 that would produce the same
amount of warming as would the mixture of
gases. Both emissions (flows) and concentrations
(stocks) of greenhouse gases can be expressed in
CO2e. A quantity of greenhouse gases can also be
expressed in terms of its carbon equivalent, by
multiplying the quantity of CO2e by 12/44.
Carbon fertilization: The enhancement of the
growth of plants as a result of increased
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration.
Depending on their mechanism of photosynthesis,
certain types of plants are more sensitive to
changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration.
Carbon footprint: The amount of carbon
emissions associated with a particular activity or
all the activities of a person or organization. The
carbon footprint can be measured in many ways,
and may include indirect emissions generated in
the whole chain of production of inputs into an
activity.
Carbon intensity: Typically, the amount of
economywide emissions of carbon or CO2e per
unit of GDP, that is, the carbon intensity of GDP.
May also refer to the carbon emitted per dollar of
gross production or dollar of value added by a
given firm or sector. Also used to describe the
amount of carbon emitted per unit of energy or
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
10/32
Page 10 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
fuels consumed, that is, the carbon intensity of
energy, which depends on the energy sources,
fuel mix, and efficiency of technologies. The
carbon intensity of GDP is simply the product of
the economywide average carbon-intensity of
energy and energy-intensity of GDP.
Carbon lock-in: Actions which perpetuate a given
level of carbon emissions. For example, expansion
of roads and highways will tend to lock in carbon
emissions from fossil fuels for decades unless
there are countervailing policies to limit fuel use
or control vehicle use.
Carbon sink: Any process, activity or mechanism
which removes carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. Forests and other vegetation are
considered sinks because they remove carbon
dioxide through photosynthesis.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): A
mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol through
which developed countries may finance
greenhouse-gas emission reduction or removal
projects in developing countries, and thereby
receive credits for doing so which they may apply
towards meeting mandatory limits on their own
emissions. The CDM allows greenhouse gas
emission reduction projects to take place in
countries that are signatories but have no
emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
Climate sensitivity: The change in global mean
surface temperature in response to a doubling of
the atmospheric CO2e concentration. A key
parameter for translating projected emissions into
projections of warming and thus impacts.
Consumptive use of water: Water removed from
available supplies without return to a water
resources system (for example, water used in
manufacturing, agriculture, and food preparation
that is not returned to a stream, river, or water
treatment plant).
Coping capacity: The ability of people,
organizations and systems, using available skills
and resources, to face and manage adverse
conditions, emergencies or disasters. Refers to
short-term capacity in response to an event,
whereas adaptive capacity refers to the long-term
ability to make systematic changes to reduce the
impact of climate change.
Damage function: In the climate change context,
the relation between changes in the climate and
reductions in production or consumption, or
losses of assets (potentially including ecosystems
or human health).
Deadweight loss: A cost that generates no
benefit.
Downscaling: A method that derives local- to
regional-scale (10 to 100 km) information from
larger-scale (200+ km) climate-projection models
or data analyses. Dynamic downscaling uses high
resolution models for a particular region run
within a large-scale global model; statistical down-
scaling uses statistical relationships that link the
large-scale atmospheric variables with local or
regional climate variables. Early warning system:
A mechanism to generate and disseminate timely
and meaningful warning information to enable
individuals, communities and organizations
threatened by a hazard to prepare and to act
appropriately and in sufficient time to reduce the
possibility of harm or loss.
Ecosystem services: The ecosystem processes or
functions that have value to individuals or society,
for example, the provision of food, water
purification, and recreational opportunities.
Evapotranspiration: An important part of the
water cycle, it is the combined process of
evaporation from the Earths surface (from
sources such as the soil and bodies of water) and
transpiration from vegetation (loss of water as
vapor from plants, primarily through their
leaves).Forest degradation: The reduction in
forest biomass through unsustainable harvest or
landuse practices including logging, fire, and other
anthropogenic disturbances.
Geoengineering: Geoengineering is the large-
scale engineering of our environment to combat
or to counteract the effects of climate change.
Proposed measures include injecting particles into
the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight and the
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
11/32
Page 11 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
fertilization of the oceans with iron to increase
uptake of CO2 by algae.
Gini coefficient: A commonly used measure of
inequality of income or wealth distribution,
varying between 0 (perfect equality) and 1.
Green tax: A tax that aims to increase envi-
ronmental quality by taxing actions which harm
the environment.
Greenhouse gas (GHG): Any of the atmospheric
gases that cause climate change by trapping heat
from the sun in Earths atmosphereproducing
the greenhouse effect. The most common
greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone (O3),
and water vapor (H2O).
Integrated assessment: A method of analysis that
combines results and models from the physical,
biological, economic and social sciences, and the
interactions between these components, in a
consistent framework, to project the
consequences of climate change and the policy
responses to it.
Intellectual property rights (IPRs): Legal property
rights over artistic and commercial creations of
the mind, including patents on new technologies,
and the corresponding fields of law.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC): Established in 1988 by the World
Meteorological Organization and the United
Nations Environment Program, the IPCC surveys
worldwide scientific and technical literature and
publishes assessment reports that are widely
recognized as the most credible existing sources
of information on climate change. The IPCC also
prepares methodologies and responds to specific
requests from the subsidiary bodies of the United
Nations Framework Convention on ClimateChange (UNFCCC). The IPCC is independent of the
UNFCCC.
Kyoto Protocol: An agreement under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) that was adopted in 1997 in
Kyoto, Japan, by the parties to the UNFCCC. It
contains legally binding commitments to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries.
Leakage: In the climate change context, the
process whereby emissions outside of a mitigation
project area increase as a result of emission
reduction activities inside the project area, thus
reducing the effectiveness of the project.
Land use, land-use change, and forestry
(LULUCF): A set of activities including human-
induced land use, land-use change, and forestry
activities which lead to both emissions and
removals of greenhouse gases from the
atmosphere. A category used in reporting
greenhouse gas inventories.
Maladaptation: Activities or actions that increase
vulnerability to climate change.
Mitigation: A human intervention to reduce the
emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse
gases.
National Adaptation Programs of Action
(NAPAs): Documents prepared by least developed
countries (LDCs) identifying the activities to
address urgent and immediate needs for adapting
to climate change.
No regrets project: In the climate change context,a project that would generate net social and/or
economic benefits irrespective of whether the
project affects the climate or whether the climate
affects the project.
Polluter pays principle: A principle in envi-
ronmental law whereby the polluter must bear
the cost of the pollution. Thus the polluter is
responsible for the cost of measures to prevent
and control pollution.
Positive feedback: When one variable in a systemtriggers changes in a second variable that in turn
affect the original variable; a positive feedback
intensifies the initial effect, and a negative
feedback reduces the effect.
Precautionary principle: A principle that holds
that, in the absence of scientific certainty that
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
12/32
Page 12 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
serious or irreversible harm would not occur as a
result of an action or policy, the burden of proof
lies with those that favor the action or policy. In
the United Nations Framework on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), it is a provision under Article 3
stipulating that the parties should take
precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent, or
minimize the causes of climate change and
mitigate its adverse effects, and that a lack of full
scientific certainty about possibly serious or
irreversible damages should not be used as a
reason to postpone such measurestaking into
account that policies and measures to deal with
climate change should be cost-effective in order
to ensure global benefits at the lowest possible
cost.
Public good: A good whose consumption is non-
exclusive (so that it is impossible to prevent
anyone from enjoying the benefit) and non-rival
(so that the enjoyment of the benefit by one
individual does not diminish the quantity of
benefits available to others). Climate change
mitigation is an example of a public good as it
would be impossible to prevent any one individual
or state from enjoying the benefit of a stabilized
climate, and the enjoyment of this stabilized
climate by one individual or state would not
diminish the ability of others to benefit from it.
RDD&D: Research, development, demonstration,
and deployment of new methods, technologies,
equipment, and products.
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and
forest Degradation (REDD): REDD refers to a suite
of actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas
emissions from forested land. Financial incentives
for REDD are potentially a part of the policy
response to climate change.
Reforestation: Planting of forests on lands that
were previously forested but that have been
converted to another use.
Resilience: The ability of a social or ecological
system to absorb disturbances while retaining the
same basic structure and ways of functioning, the
capacity for self-organization, and the capacity to
adapt to stress and change.
Risk assessment: A standardized methodology
consisting of risk identification, risk quantification,
risk reduction, and risk mitigation.
Robust decision making: In the face of
uncertainty, choosing not the measure or policy
that would be optimal under the most likely
future world, but the one that would be
acceptable across a range of possible futures. The
process involves evaluating options to minimize
expected regret across a variety of models,
assumptions, and loss functions, rather than to
maximize returns under a unique likely future.
Safety net: Mechanisms that aim to protect
people from the impact of shocks such as flood,
drought, unemployment, illness, or the death of a
households primary income earner.
Sequestration: In the climate context, the process
of removing carbon from the atmosphere and
storing it in reservoirs such as new forests, soil
carbon or underground storage. Biological
sequestration: The removal of CO2 from the
atmosphere and storing it in organic matter
through land-use change, afforestation,
reforestation, carbon storage in landfills, and
practices that enhance soil carbon in agriculture.
Social learning: Social learning is the process by
which people learn new behavior through overt
reinforcement or punishment, or via observing
other social actors in their environment. If people
observe positive, desired outcomes for others
exhibiting a particular behavior, they are more
likely to model, imitate, and adopt the behavior
themselves.
Social norms: Implicit or explicit values, beliefs,
and rules adopted by a group to self-regulate
behavior through peer pressure; the yardstick
individuals use to assess what is acceptable or
unacceptable behavior.
Social protection: The set of public interventions
aimed at supporting the poorer and more
vulnerable members of society, as well as helping
individuals, families, and communities manage
riskfor example, unemployment insurance
programs, income support, and social services.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
13/32
Page 13 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
Solar photovoltaics (PV): The field of technology
and research related to the conversion of sunlight,
including ultra violet radiation, directly into
electricity; the technology applied in the creation
and use of solar cells, which make up solar panels.
SRES scenarios: A set of descriptions or storylines
of possible futures used in climate change related
modeling developed for the IPCC. The scenarios
are used to project future emissions based on
assumptions about changes in population,
technology, and societal development. Four
scenario families comprise the SRES scenario set:
A1, A2, B1 and B2. A1 represents a future world of
very rapid economic growth, global population
that peaks in mid-century and declines thereafter,
and rapid introduction of new and more efficient
technologies. A2 represents a very heterogeneous
world with continuously increasing global
population and regionally oriented economic
growth that is more fragmented and slower than
in other storylines. B1 represents a convergent
world with the same global population as in the
A1 storyline but with rapid changes in economic
structures toward a service and information
economy, reductions in material intensity, and the
introduction of clean and resource-efficient
technologies. Finally, B2 represents a world in
which the emphasis is on local solutions to
economic, social, and environmental
sustainability, with continuously increasing
population (lower than A2) and intermediate
economic development.
Stationarity: The idea that natural systems
fluctuate within an unchanging envelope of
variability, delimited by the range of past
experiences.
Supplementarity: The Kyoto Protocol states that
emissions trading and Joint Implementation
activities are to be supplemental to domestic
policies (e.g. energy taxes, fuel efficiency
standards) taken by developed countries to
reduce their GHG emissions. Under some
proposed definitions of supplementarity,
developed countries could be required to achieve
a given share of their reduction targets
domestically. This is a subject for further
negotiation and clarification by the parties.
Technology transfer: The process of sharing of
skills, knowledge, technologies, and methods of
manufacture to ensure that scientific and
technological developments are accessible to a
wider range of users.
Technology-push: The allocation of R&D
resources motivated largely by inherent scientific
interest, rather than market demand.
Threshold: In the climate change context, the
level above which sudden or rapid change occurs.
Transaction costs: Costs associated with the
exchange of goods or services that are additional
to the monetary cost or price of the good or
service. Examples include search and information
costs or policing and enforcement costs.
Uncertainty: An expression of the degree to which
a value (such as the future state of the climate
system) is unknown. Uncertainty can result from
lack of information or from disagreement about
what is known or even knowable. It may have
many types of sources, from quantifiable errors in
the data to uncertain projections of human
behavior. Uncertainty can therefore be
represented by quantitative measures, for
example, a range of values calculated by various
models, or by qualitative statements, for example,
reflecting expert judgment. However, in
economics, uncertainty refers to Knightian
uncertainty, which is immeasurable. This is in
contrast to risk, wherein the occurrence of certain
events is associated with a knowable probability
distribution.
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC): A convention adopted
in May 1992 with the ultimate objective of the
stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in
the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
dangerous anthropogenic interference with the
climate system.
Virtual water: The amount of water that is
directly or indirectly consumed in the production
of a good or service.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
14/32
Page 14 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
Vulnerability (also climate vulnerability): The
degree to which a system is susceptible to, and
unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate
change, including climate variability and extremes.
Vulnerability is a function of the character,
magnitude, and rate of climate change and
variability to which a system is exposed, as well as
the systems sensitivity and adaptive capacity.
Weather derivatives: Financial instruments to
reduce risk associated with adverse weather
conditions by, for example, providing for
payments associated with a specified weather
event (such as an unusually cool or hot month of
August).
Weather-index insurance: Insurance where the
indemnity (or payout) is based on the realization
of pre-agreed values of an index of a specific
weather parameter, measured over a pre-
specified period of time, at a particular weather
station. The insurance can be structured to
protect against index realizations that are either
so high or so low that they are expected to cause
crop losses. The indemnity is calculated based on
a pre-agreed sum insured per unit of the index
(e.g. US$/millimeter of rainfall).
Win-win-(win): In the Report, this refers to
measures that are beneficial for adaptation and
mitigation (and development).
2020 TARGET FOR CLEAN GANGA MISSION
The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA)
approved an ambitious project to prevent the
discharge of untreated municipal sewage and
industrial effluent into the Ganga by 2020.
An estimated investment of Rs. 15,000 crore over
the next 10 years will be required to create the
necessary treatment and sewerage infrastructure
for the Mission Clean Ganga. The resources will
be provided by the Centre and States over a 10-
year period to be shared suitably after
consultations with the Planning Commission.
REDD OR DEAD?
What is Redd?
Redd Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Degradation would allow countries that
can reduce emissions from deforestation to be
paid for doing so.
Where did the idea come from?
Papua New Guinea and nine other countries
proposed it in 2005 at a U.N. climate meeting. It is
now likely to be one of the cornerstones of any
agreement at the Copenhagen climate conferencein December. It would start in 2013, and could
eventually channel tens of billions of dollars a year
from rich to poor countries.
How would it work?
Countries would have to show from historical
data, satellite imagery and direct measurement of
trees the extent, condition and carbon content
of their forests. Verification, reporting and
monitoring would be done by communities thatdepend on the forests or by independent
organisations. Protected trees would have to be
shown to have been threatened. Who pays?
There are several proposals. Countries could
either be paid by voluntary funding rather
like existing official aid given by one country to
another or cash could be linked to trade in
carbon credits.
Does everyone agree?
No. There are 32 Redd proposals, from countries,
groups of countries and NGOs. The two gaining
most ground are from Brazil. Once a model is
agreed upon, many problems will remain. There is
as yet no agreed way to accurately measure the
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
15/32
Page 15 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
carbon content of different kinds of forests. The
rights of the tens of millions of people who live in
forests could be at risk if carbon companies move
in, valuing the forests more highly than them. And
land ownership is often a difficult issue to resolve
and ownership of trees, even more so.
CONTAMINATED U.S. SHIP PLATINUM IILANDS
ALANG YARD IN CONTROVERSY
The ship-breaking yard at Alang, off the Bhavnagar
coast in Gujarats Saurashtra region, is again in the
thick of a controversy over the move to allow an
allegedly contaminated ship to berth there.
The authorities disagreed that the ship, Platinum
II, was laden with radioactive materials, and
said it carried only some hazardous chemical
paints barred under U.S. norms. Also said the
problem was common in all pre-1980 ships which
contained some asbestos and hazardous chemical
paints. However, the Supreme Court already laid
down guidelines for disposal of the hazardous
substances.
State government authorities, meanwhile, had
little idea of the origin of Platinum II, a U.S.vessel, which environmentalist groups claimed
was renamed after the dead ship SS Oceanic,
which itself was a new name given to the
controversial SS Independence. Banned under
U.S. norms, the ship was believed to have been
lying idle at the Dubai port for more than one and
half years and was moved to Alang without the
knowledge of even State government authorities.
According to Gopal Krishna, convener of the
Indian Platform on Ship-Breaking, an umbrellaorganisation of environmentalists and human
rights activists, the ship contained about 210
tonnes of materials contaminated by
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), highly toxic
substances, and about 200 tonnes of asbestos-
containing materials. State government
authorities, however, claimed that the Alang yard
was equipped to handle much larger quantities of
toxic materials than what Platinum II was
believed to be carrying.
350.org.
350.org is an international environmental
organizationheaded by author Bill McKibben,
Headquarters Berkeley, California, USA with the goal
of cutting atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions to
80% by 2050 from 2006 baseline emissions of 9,180
million tons of carbon.350.org takes its name from
the research of NASA scientist James E. Hansen, who
posited in a 2007 paper that 350 parts-per-million
(ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere is a safe upper limit
to avoid a climate tipping point. The current record
level is 389 ppm of CO2, an almost 40-percent
increase from the pre-industrial revolution level of
278 ppm. In 1988 the Earth's atmosphere surpassed
the 350 ppm mark, while global CO2 emissions per
capita rose.
INDIA, CHINA SIGN MOA ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Reiterating that the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate
Change and the Kyoto Protocol are the
most appropriate framework for
addressing climate change, India and
China signed a Memorandum of
Agreement (MoA) to establish a
partnership in the area for strengthening
dialogue and practical cooperation.
They agreed to set up an India-ChinaWorking Group on Climate Change that
will hold annual meetings alternately in
China and India to exchange views on
important issues concerning international
negotiations and domestic policies and
measures.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
16/32
Page 16 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
Both countries were working closely for afair and equitable outcome at
Copenhagen in keeping with the UNFCCC,
the Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Action
Plan.
BALI ACTION PLAN
After the 2007 United Nations Climate Change
Conference on the island Bali in Indonesia in
December, 2007 the participating nations adopted
the Bali Road Map as a two-year process to
finalizing a binding agreement in 2009 in
Copenhagen. The conference encompassed
meetings of several bodies, including the 13th
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP
13) and the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the
Kyoto Protocol (MOP 3 or CMP 3).
The Bali Road Map includes the Bali Action Plan
(BAP) that was adopted by Decision 1/CP.13 of theCOP-13. It also includes the Ad Hoc Working
Group on Further Commitments for Annex I
Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-
KP)negotiations and their 2009 deadline, the
launch of the Adaptation Fund, the scope and
content of the Article 9 review of the Kyoto
Protocol, as well as decisions on technology
transfer and on reducing emissions from
deforestation.
COPENHAGEN ACCORD
This is the text of the climate accord worked out by President Obama and the leaders of several key nations
in Copenhagen on Dec. 18.
1. We underline that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We emphasise our strong
political will to urgently combat climate change in accordance with the principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. To achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention
to stabilize greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system, we shall, recognizing the scientific view that the
increase in global temperature should be below 2 degrees Celsius, on the basis ofequity and in the context of
sustainable development, enhance our long-term cooperative action to combat climate change. We
recognize the critical impacts of climate change and the potential impacts of response measures on countries
particularly vulnerable to its adverse effects and stress the need to establish a comprehensive adaptation
programme including international support.
2. We agree that deep cuts in global emissions are required according to science, and as documented by the
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report with a view to reduce global emissions so as to hold the increase in global
temperature below 2 degrees Celsius, and take action to meet this objective consistent with science and on
the basis of equity. We should cooperate in achieving the peaking of global and national emissions as soon as
possible, recognizing that the time frame for peaking will be longer in developing countries and bearing in
mind that social and economic development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities ofdeveloping countries and that a low-emission development strategy is indispensable to sustainable
development.
3. Adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change and the potential impacts of response measures is a
challenge faced by all countries. Enhanced action and international cooperation on adaptation is urgently
required to ensure the implementation of the Convention by enabling and supporting the implementation of
adaptation actions aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience in developing countries, especially
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
17/32
Page 17 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
in those that are particularly vulnerable, especially least developed countries, small island developing States
and Africa. We agree that developed countries shall provide adequate, predictable and sustainable financial
resources, technology and capacity-building to support the implementation of adaptation action in
developing countries.
4. Annex I Parties commit to implement individually or jointly the quantified economy-wide emissions targetsfor 2020, to be submitted in the format given in Appendix I by Annex I Parties to the secretariat by 31 January
2010 for compilation in an INF document. Annex I Parties that are Party to the Kyoto Protocol will thereby
further strengthen the emissions reductions initiated by the Kyoto Protocol. Delivery of reductions and
financing by developed countries will be measured, reported and verified in accordance with existing and any
further guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties, and will ensure that accounting of such targets
and finance is rigorous, robust and transparent.
5. Non-Annex I Parties to the Convention will implement mitigation actions, including those to be submitted
to the secretariat by non-Annex I Parties in the format given in Appendix II by 31 January 2010, for
compilation in an INF document, consistent with Article 4.1 and Article 4.7 and in the context of sustainable
development. Least developed countries and small island developing States may undertake actions
voluntarily and on the basis of support. Mitigation actions subsequently taken and envisaged by Non-Annex I
Parties, including national inventory reports, shall be communicated through national communications
consistent with Article 12.1(b) every two years on the basis of guidelines to be adopted by the Conference of
the Parties. Those mitigation actions in national communications or otherwise communicated to the
Secretariat will be added to the list in appendix II. Mitigation actions taken by Non-Annex I Parties will be
subject to their domestic measurement, reporting and verification the result of which will be reported
through their national communications every two years. Non-Annex I Parties will communicate information
on the implementation of their actions through National Communications, with provisions for international
consultations and analysis under clearly defined guidelines that will ensure that national sovereignty is
respected. Nationally appropriate mitigation actions seeking international support will be recorded in aregistry along with relevant technology, finance and capacity building support. Those actions supported will
be added to the list in appendix II. These supported nationally appropriate mitigation actions will be subject
to international measurement, reporting and verification in accordance with guidelines adopted by the
Conference of the Parties.
6. We recognize the crucial role of reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation and the
need to enhance removals of greenhouse gas emission by forests and agree on the need to provide positive
incentives to such actions through the immediate establishment of a mechanism including REDD-plus, to
enable the mobilization of financial resources from developed countries.
7. We decide to pursue various approaches, including opportunities to use markets, to enhance the cost-
effectiveness of, and to promote mitigation actions. Developing countries, especially those with low emitting
economies should be provided incentives to continue to develop on a low emission pathway.
8. Scaled up, new and additional, predictable and adequate funding as well as improved access shall be
provided to developing countries, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, to enable
and support enhanced action on mitigation, including substantial finance to reduce emissions from
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
18/32
Page 18 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
deforestation and forest degradation (REDD-plus), adaptation, technology development and transfer and
capacity-building, for enhanced implementation of the Convention. The collective commitment by developed
countries is to provide new and additional resources, including forestry and investments through
international institutions, approaching USD 30 billion for the period 2010 . 2012 with balanced allocation
between adaptation and mitigation. Funding for adaptation will be prioritized for the most vulnerable
developing countries, such as the least developed countries, small island developing States and Africa. In the
context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation, developed countries commit
to a goal of mobilizing jointly USD 100 billion dollars a year by 2020 to address the needs of developing
countries. This funding will come from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral,
including alternative sources of finance. New multilateral funding for adaptation will be delivered through
effective and efficient fund arrangements, with a governance structure providing for equal representation of
developed and developing countries. A significant portion of such funding should flow through the
Copenhagen Green Climate Fund.
9. To this end, a High Level Panel will be established under the guidance of and accountable to the
Conference of the Parties to study the contribution of the potential sources of revenue, including alternative
sources of finance, towards meeting this goal.
10. We decide that the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund shall be established as an operating entity of the
financial mechanism of the Convention to support projects, programme, policies and other activities in
developing countries related to mitigation including REDD-plus, adaptation, capacity-building, technology
development and transfer.
11. In order to enhance action on development and transfer of technology we decide to establish a
Technology Mechanism to accelerate technology development and transfer in support of action on
adaptation and mitigation that will be guided by a country-driven approach and be based on national
circumstances and priorities.
12. We call for an assessment of the implementation of this Accord to be completed by 2015, including in
light of the Conventions ultimate objective. This would include consideration of strengthening the long-term
goal referencing various matters presented by the science, including in relation to temperature rises of 1.5
degrees Celsius.THE ASIAN BROWN CLOUD
The Asian brown cloud is a layer of air pollution that covers parts of South Asia, namely the northern Indian
Ocean, India, and Pakistan. Viewed from satellite photos, the cloud appears as a giant brown stain hanging in
the air over much of South Asia and the Indian Ocean every year between January and March, possibly alsoduring earlier and later months. The term was coined in reports from the UNEP Indian Ocean Experiment
(INDOEX). In some humidity conditions, it forms haze. It is created by a range of airborne particles and
pollutants from combustion (e.g. woodfires, cars, and factories), biomass burning and industrial processes
with incomplete burning. The cloud is associated with the winter monsoon (November/December to April)
during which there is no rain to wash pollutants from the air.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
19/32
Page 19 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
GREEN INDIA 2047
TERI - The Energy Research Institute launched the GREEN India 2047 project on the Earth Day, 1995. The
purpose of that effort was to assess what India had done to its natural resource wealth in the first 50 years of
Independence. The first phase of this project was completed before Independence Day 1997, and a
presentation made to the then Prime Minister Shri I K Gujral and several of his cabinet colleagues. Subsequent
phases of this work revealed that while India had progressed economically, our record as a society in ensuring
the conservation and proper care of the environment and natural resources had been less than satisfactory. It
was also found that environmental protection is not merely a luxury or the pursuit of a dream in the eyes of
idealistic environmentalists. TERI .New Delhi Director-General noted environmentalist R.K.Pachauri.
FOURTH OF INDIA TURNING INTO DESERT: ISRO
No less than a fourth of Indias geographical area, or 81 million hectares, is undergoing a process ofdesertification, reveals a first-of-its-kind desertification status map of the country created by the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with several scientific institutions across
the country.
A host of reasons are responsible for this phenomenon, including changes in rainfall pattern andover-exploitation of natural resources. The spatial inventory, which uses satellite imagery from an
Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, Resourcesat, also reveals that a third of the countrys area (or
105.48 million hectares) is degraded.
At least eight processes were at work, of which water erosion is the most pronounced (affecting10.21 per cent of the total geographical area), followed by reducing vegetation cover (9.63 per cent)
and wind erosion (5.34 per cent). Together 32.07 per cent of the total geographic area is being
transformed by land degradation.
State-wise, Rajasthan has the largest area (21.77 per cent of the total geographical area) undergoingland degradation, followed by
Jammu and Kashmir (12.79 per cent), Maharashtra (12.66 per cent) and Gujarat (12.72 per cent).
ISROs Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad served as the nodal coordinating organisation forthe study.
The research paper adds that about 15.8 per cent of the countrys geographical area is arid, 37.6 percent semi-arid and 16.5 per cent falls in the dry sub-humid region. Put together, about 228 million
hectares, or 69 per cent of the country constitute dry land.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
20/32
Page 20 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
NATIONAL POLICY ON BIO-FUELS GETS NOD
The Union Cabinet approved the national policy on bio-fuels and its implementation. It also gave its nod for
setting up of a National Bio-fuel Coordination Committee and a Bio-fuel Steering Committee. The new policy
endeavours to facilitate and bring about optimal development and utilisation of indigenous biomass feed
stocks for production of bio-fuels.
The salient features of the new policy include
bio-diesel production will be taken up from non-edible oil seeds in waste/degraded /marginal lands; an indicative target of 20 per cent blending of bio-fuels, both for bio-diesel and bio-ethanol, by 2017
has been proposed;
minimum support price (MSP) for non-edible oil seeds would be announced with periodic revision toprovide fair price to the growers;
minimum purchase price (MPP) for purchase of bio-ethanol and bio-diesel would be announced withperiodic revision;
major thrust will be given to research, development and demonstration with focus on plantations,processing and production of bio-fuels, including second generation bio-fuels and financial
incentives, including subsidies and grants.
If it becomes necessary, a National Bio-fuel Fund could be considered. A National Bio-fuel Coordination Committee, headed by the Prime Minister, will be set up to provide
policy guidance and coordination.
A Bio-fuel Steering Committee, chaired by Cabinet Secretary, will be set up to overseeimplementation of the policy.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been designated as the co-ordinating Ministry forbio-fuel development and utilisation while specific roles have been assigned to other ministries
concerned.
An Indo-U.S. MoU has been signed on bio-fuels with focus on joint R&D, particularly on secondgeneration bio-fuels such as, cellulosic ethanol and algal biodiesel.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
21/32
Page 21 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
CHIKUNGUNYA
Chikungunya (in the Makonde language "that leans downward") virus (CHIKV) is an
insect-borne virus, of the genus Alphavirus, that is transmitted to humans by virus-
carrying Aedes mosquitoes. There have been recent breakouts of CHIKV associated
with severe illness. CHIKV causes an illness with symptoms similar to dengue fever.
CHIKV manifests itself with an acute febrile phase of the illness lasting only two to
five days, followed by a prolonged arthralgic disease that affects the joints of theextremities. The pain associated with CHIKV infection of the joints persists for
weeks or months, or in some cases years.
WHAT'S YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT?
Carbon footprint refers to the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere that we generate directly or indirectly,
Not just vehicle exhausts, almost everything we do or use leaves a carbon footprint
be it the paper we use, the computers we work on, the packaging of our groceries,
or the disposables such as cups, cartons, and plastic bags that are so much a part of
our life. Leave alone the carbon footprint left by the raw materials used in
manufacturing these goods, their manufacturing process consumes fossil-fuel
generated electricity, while the transportation process causes more emissions by way of vehicle exhausts and so
does even the tarred road if one were to take into account the emissions caused by the tar refining process.
A carbon footprint is made up of the sum of two parts, the primary footprint (shown by the green slices of the pie
chart) and the secondary footprint (shown as the yellow slices).
1. The primary footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels including
domestic energy consumption and transportation (e.g. car and plane). We have direct control of these.
2. The secondary footprint is a measure of the indirect CO2 emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use -
those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown. To put A carbon footprint of up to one tonne
per person per year is sustainable globally, but the average city dweller far exceeds this,
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
22/32
Page 22 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
Carbon Trust, an independent carbon foot printing agency, measured the carbon footprint of a popular two-litre
packaged orange drink and found it to be equal to a carbon dioxide emission of 1.7 kg! This came from the
emissions during its processing, packaging and transportation. Using 1KWhr of electricity leaves a 10 kg carbon
footprint. While some energy-saving methods would entail initial investments, even these would pay off over one
to four years through energy savings.
For instance, invest in energy saving CFL bulbs or LED lamps. Replace your old fridge if it is over 15 years old with
an energy-efficient one. Use solar lamps and cookers if possible. And then, there are other things you can do, that
don't cost you a paisa. In fact, you stand to save money in the process. And the planet!
2000-2009: WARMEST DECADE ON RECORD
The past 10 years have been the warmest in recorded history, according to the UK Meteorological(Met) Office.
Figures released at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen show despite 1998 being the warmest yearon record, has been the warmest decade recorded in 160 years.
In a separate announcement, the World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva that 2009 will beone of the 10 warmest individual years recorded. The provisional figure for warming during the year
is 0.44C above the long-term average of 14C.
A third paper released today, from the German research group Germanwatch, showed thatBangladesh, Burma and Honduras were the three countries most affected in the past 20 years by
extremes of climate.
Also in the top ten were Vietnam, Nicaragua, Haiti, India, the Dominican Republic, the Philippinesand China.
Only four developed countries were in the top 20 of countries most prone to weather disaster: Italyat 12, Spain at 14, Portugal at 14 and the U.S. at 18.
The 2003 drought in southern Europe, which led to tens of thousands of deaths and huge insurancelosses, as well as a series of category 5 hurricanes in the U.S. are responsible for these rich countries
being placed so highly in the league table.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
23/32
Page 23 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
FRANCE: CARBON TAX RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Nicolas Sarkozys dreams of putting France on the frontline of the fight againstglobal warming are in disarray, after his flagship carbon tax was ruled
unconstitutional two days before it was due to come into effect.
In an unexpected and embarrassing blow, the court responsible for ensuring thevalidity of French legislation rejected the reform as ineffective and unfair.
It ruled that rather than being the revolutionary measure Mr. Sarkozy promised, thetax would have let off many industrial polluters, while placing a disproportionately
heavy burden on ordinary households.
INDIA SET TO LEAD EFFORT FOR BINDING BIODIVERSITY TREATY
India is set to take the lead in pushing for a single legally binding treaty for access to andbenefit sharing of biological resources at the 10th Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD) to be held at Nagoya, Japan, in October.
The CBD was one of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio deJaneiro.
The convention, while reaffirming the sovereign rights of nations over their biologicalresources, established three main goals.
1. Conservation of biological diversity.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
24/32
Page 24 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
2. sustainable use of its component and3. Fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of generic
resources.
GREEN RATING MUST FOR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
In a landmark decision, the Union government has made it mandatory for all newbuildings of the public sector undertakings and the government to seek new green
rating norms in an effort to ensure energy efficiency and tackle climate change threats.
Under the GRIHA scheme, buildings would be rated by technical expertise from TERI,which is headed by R.K. Pachauri. The aim of a green building design was to minimise
the demand for non-renewable sources and maximise its utilisation.
GRIHAThe national rating system for green buildings in India, GRIHA has been developed and
operationalized by TERI. GRIHA is an acronym for Green Rating for Integrated HabitatAssessment. It was conceived by TERI and developed jointly with the Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy to the Indian Government. It is a green building design
evaluation system and is suitable for all kinds of buildings in different climatic zones of
the country.
TERI
The Energy and Resources Institute, commonly known as TERI (formerly Tata EnergyResearch Institute), established in 1974, is a research institute based in New Delhi
focusing its research activities in the fields of energy, environment and sustainabledevelopment.
TERI is an independent, not-for-profit, research institute focused on energy,environment and sustainable development, devoted to efficient and sustainable use of
natural resources.
The origins of TERI lie in Mithapur, a remote town in Gujarat, where a TATA engineer,Darbari Seth, was concerned about the enormous quantities of energy his factory spent
on desalination. He proposed the idea of a research institute to tackle the depletion of
natural resources and energy scarcity. J. R. D. Tata, chairman of the TATA Group, liked
the idea and accepted the proposal. TERI was setup with a modest corpus of 35 millionrupees. On the invitation of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, TERI registered in
Delhi in 1974 as the Tata Energy Research Institute. As the scope of its activities
widened over a period of time, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in
2003.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
25/32
Page 25 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
The Institute's Director General Rajendra K. Pachauri is also the chairman of the 2007Nobel Prize awarded Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. TERI's Executive
Director is Dr Leena Srivastava.
IPCC EXPRESSES REGRET OVER GLACIER MELTING CONCLUSION
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific
intergovernmental body tasked with evaluating the risk of climate change caused by
human activity. The panel was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), two
organizations of the United Nations. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with
former Vice President of the United States Al Gore.
A paragraph in the 2007 Working Group II report ("Impacts, Adaptation and
Vulnerability"), chapter 10 included a projection that Himalayan glaciers could disappear
by 2035.
Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world (see
Table 10.9) and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by
the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current
rate. Its total area will likely shrink from the present 500,000 to 100,000 km2 by the year
2035 (WWF, 2005).
This projection was not included in the final summary for policymakers. The IPCC has
since acknowledged that the date is incorrect, while reaffirming that the conclusion in
the final summary was robust. They expressed regret for "the poor application of well-
established IPCC procedures in this instance".
MANSAGAR LAKE
Mansagar Lake is a manmade water body, situated between Amber and Jaipur, in JaipurDistrict.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
26/32
Page 26 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
It was formed due to instituting a dam across river Darbhawati between Khilangarh hillsand the hilly ridge on the opposite hill.
Jal Mahal, an architectural monument, is situated in the midst of the lake. Surroundedby hills, it is the home for a variety of migratory and resident birds.
-
8/6/2019 Main Pre Env Final
27/32
Page 27 of32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Manidha Neeyam I.A.S & I.P.S Free Coaching Centre |
CHANG LA PASS
The Changla Pass or Chang La Pass (el. 5,425 m (17,799 ft)) is a high mountain pass in India.The
Changla Pass is on the route to Pangong Lake from Leh. It is named after the nomadic tribes ofthe region Changpa. La in Changla indicates pass. A temple dedicated to Changla Baba has been
created by grateful travellers, invoking the spirit of the pass. The small town of Tangste is the
nearest settlement. The Changla Pass is the main gateway for the Changthang Plateau situated
in the Himalayas. The nomadic tribes of the region are collectively known as the Changpa or
Chang-pa. The Chang La is the third highest motorable vehikel pass in the world.
A REPOSITORY OF SEEDS ON CLIFF TOP OF HIMALAYAS
Nestled 17, 500m high on a clif