Environment: Point-Wise Current-Affairs/GS Articles 2020 (Including PIB)- Download PDF
Get top class preparation for competitive exams right from your home: get questions, notes, tests, video lectures and more- for all subjects of your exam.
- Apr 8, 2020
1 Arsenic Contamination: Forms, Uses, Threats, Arsenicosis, Arsenic Levels, Biomarkers [ Science/Technology, Environment/Ecology ]
Arsenic
A chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33 atomic mass of 74.92.
It is a metalloid.
Occurs in many minerals usually in combination with sulfur and metals.
Toxic to almost all life forms.
Naturally present at high levels in the groundwater
… (687 more words) …
- Apr 6, 2020
1 Endemic Diseases Caused by Rats - Plague, Rat Bite, Salmonellosis [ Health, Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
Plague
An infectious disease.
Caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Found usually in found in small mammals and their fleas.
Disease transmission occurs between animals via their fleas and as it is a zoonotic bacteria.
Can also transmit from animals to humans.
A case-fata
… (564 more words) …
2 Lassa Fever [ Health, Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
An acute viral hemorrhagic illness. Also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF). Caused by Lassa virus which is a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. A single-stranded RNA virus. Endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria including othe
… (295 more words) …
- Mar 15, 2020
1 Sustainable Development: Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Recently won the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Awards for “Innovation in Tourism Enterprise”. Mangalajodi is a village along the northern banks of Chilika Lake in Odisha. MET being a community owned is a community managed wildlife conservation venture. It is p
… (234 more words) …
2 Status of Tigers in India, 2018 Report [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
4-years tiger census report. Shows numbers of the big cat have increased across all landscapes. Since 2014 the total number of tigers has risen by 33%. 83 % of the total tigers have been photographed by trap cameras.
Various states and the tiger census growth report
Karnataka 29
… (182 more words) …
3 Minamata Convention and Biodiversity [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury. Approved by the Union Cabinet. Convention on Mercury enabling India to become a Party of the Convention. First Conference of the Parties (CoP) under the Minamata Convention took place in Geneva, Switzerland in 2017. Adopted decision
… (929 more words) …
4 Climate Change-Global Scenario: Green Growth [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Green Growth
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) released a report.
Title- “Green Growth Indicators 2017”.
Highlights-The slow progress in achieving the Green Growth.
Fostering economic growth and development.
Ensuring the natural assets continue to p
… (845 more words) …
- Mar 12, 2020
1 Climate Change-Global Scenario [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Climate Change-Global Scenario
Green Growth
OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) released a report.
Title- “Green Growth Indicators 2017”.
Highlights-The slow progress in achieving the Green Growth.
Fostering economic growth and development.
Ensuring t
… (850 more words) …
2 Deep Ocean Mission and Resource Management: Problem of Ghost Gear-Fishing [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Drawn up of a 5-year plan to explore the deep ocean. Drawn up by the Central government. Exercise coordination- Ministry of Earth Sciences. The blueprint of “Deep Ocean Mission” has been recently unveiled by the MOES. Mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the spac
… (490 more words) …
3 Renewable Energy: Pradhan Mantri JI-Van Yojana and Government Interventions [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Renewable Energy
Pradhan Mantri JI-Van Yojana
- Approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
- “Pradhan Mantri JI-VAN (Jaiv Indhan- Vatavaran Anukool fasal awashesh Nivaran) Yojana.
- Provides financial support to Integrated Bio-ethanol projects using lignocellulosic biomas
… (318 more words) …
4 Dead Zones and Montreal Protocol Assessment [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Dead Zones
The Gulf of Mexico’s annual “dead zone”.
Likely to persist for decades.
Hypoxic zones or Oxygen minimum zones (OMZ) are areas in the ocean of such low oxygen concentration.
Animal life suffocates and dies.
Most marine life either dies if they are mobile such as fis
… (295 more words) …
5 World’s Newest Nation: Bougainville and SDG India Index 2019 [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
World’s Newest Nation: Bougainville
Largest island of Solomon Islands Archipelago.
A huge reserve of minerals especially Copper and Gold.
Bougainville violence began in the late 1980s being triggered by conflict over an enormous opencast copper mine at Panguna.
The mine was a
… (234 more words) …
- Mar 9, 2020
1 Project WASCAL and World Bank Report on Climate Change [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Project WASCAL (West Africa Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land). A regional climate change project. Sponsored by Germany. To combat climate change in West Africa. Is working on more precise rain forecasts for farmers. WASCAL database
Foundation on which our
… (353 more words) …
2 Global Warming and Climate Change and Global Environment Outlook Report-UNEP 11 [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Globe has entered into an Anthropocene era. Humans have begun to impact our environment at the global scale. Variety of Indian bio-diversity would be seriously affected. Populations of more than 40 % of large mammals have declined.
Impacts of Anthropocene Era
Insect biomass has
… (439 more words) …
3 National Clean Air Programme and World Air Quality Report 2018 [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Launched by the Centre. Objective includes comprehensive mitigation actions for prevention, control and abatement of air pollution. Aims to augment the air quality monitoring network across the country. Strengthening the awareness and capacity building activities. City-specific a
… (488 more words) …
4 Air Pollution Report-WHO [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Report released by WHO on air pollution and child health. Sidelines of its first ever global conference on Air Pollution and Health. About 93 % of the world’s children under the age of 15 (1.8 billion children) breathe polluted air every day. Includes 630 million children under 5
… (419 more words) …
- Mar 4, 2020
1 Pollution: Uranium Contamination in Ground Water and Construction and Demolition Waste [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
Widespread uranium contamination in groundwater across India. Demand of an urgent response. Groundwater contamination-Must be probed and mapped. Safe sources need to be identified. Over 30 micrograms per litre (mcg/l) of the heavy metal in parts of north-western, southern and sou
… (351 more words) …
- Feb 19, 2020
1 Invitation to Participate in Tide Turner Plastic Challenge [ Environment/Ecology ]
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) a leading conservation organization ispleased to introduce the, “Tide Turner Plastic Challenge” in partnershipwith UN environment to engage youth in conversation, action and advocacyaround reducing the use of single-use plastic from our day to day
… (151 more words) …
- Feb 12, 2020
1 Air Pollution-Increasing Glaucoma [ IAS Upd. ]
Higher amounts of fine particulate matter. At least 6 % more chances of having glaucoma. Glaucoma, A group of eye conditions. Damages the optic nerve. Caused by an abnormally high pressure in ones eye. Above age 60-Major cause of blindness.
For notes and solved questions with e
… (739 more words) …
- Feb 4, 2020
1 Delhi’s Air Quality [ Health, Environment/Ecology ]
According to weather forecasting agency Skymet in November 2019 Delhi’s air quality reaches mark of 500 with that Delhi becomes the world’s top polluted City. System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded the Air Quality Index at 552 for Delhi on the
… (331 more words) …
- Feb 3, 2020
1 Extraction and Storing of CO2 from Vehicle Exhaust [ Environment/Ecology ]
Researchers from Switzerland find an indigenous method to curb CO2 emissions from commercial vehicles like trucks and buses. 30 % of the total CO2 emissions in Europe coming from the transportation out of which Road going vehicles accounts for 70 % of emission.
… (285 more words) …
2 Typhoon Phanfone [ Environment/Ecology, Disaster Management ]
The Philippines was hitted severely by a typhoon Phanfone which came on December 19,2019 and ended on December 29,2019. Phanfone is the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines in 2019. The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world because it is located in t
… (157 more words) …
- Jan 5, 2020
1 Operation Clean Art [ Environment/Ecology ]
Clean Art is a Pan India operation to crack down the smuggling of mongoose hair. Operation Clean Art is carried out by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau which is a statutory body working under the Ministry of Environment. The mongoose is hunted for their hair to make paintbrushes
… (267 more words) …
- Jan 2, 2020
1 Integrated Coastal Zone Management Program [ Science/Technology, Environment/Ecology ]
The pollution which is created by the humans at the coastal areas making beaches dirty and the oceans are filling with pollution. To address these issues, the integrated coastal zone management program was launched. It is working under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Clima
… (312 more words) …
- Dec 23, 2019
1 Global Bio-India Summit [ Science/Technology, Environment/Ecology, Agriculture/Agro Industries ]
First Global Bio-India Summit-2019 was organized in New Delhi from 21st to 23rd November, 2019. This Summit was organized by the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology and co-organized by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council. Th
… (182 more words) …
- Dec 19, 2019
1 Plastic Waste in Development of Roads [ Health, Environment/Ecology, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Non-Biodegradable plastic waste is one of the biggest threats to the environment and human health. To tackle the challenges of plastic waste the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway converting plastic waste with the Bitumen to build green, all-weather sustainable roads and High
… (264 more words) …
2 Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan [ Health, Environment/Ecology, Govt. Schemes/Projects, Committees/Govt. Bodies ]
Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan is launched under the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to create awareness about drive and cleanliness program in 50 identified beaches. The beaches were identified from 10 coastal States/UTs these are Andhra Pradesh, Ke
… (194 more words) …
- Dec 10, 2019
1 Sambhar Lake [ Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
Sambhar Lake is India’s biggest inland salt water lake and UNESCO world heritage site located at Jaipur district in Rajasthan. It is protected under the Ramsar Convention which has a global recognition to conserve wetlands. It is host to lots of migratory birds mainly Flamingo’s.
… (251 more words) …
2 Mangroves of Sundarbans Wetland [ Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
The mangroves are considered as salt tolerant plants being adaptable to harsh conditions in climatic conditions in coastal regions. Mangroves can withstand higher temperature; higher humidity and can stand strong winds. It provides protection to the coastal communities.
… (183 more words) …
- Dec 9, 2019
1 India’S Noise Regulation Rules [ Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
Noise pollution is the propagation of noise with harmful impacts on the human activity or animal life occurring mainly due to human activities. Ambient noise levels have been increasing from various sources. like industrial activity, loudspeakers, music systems, noise from the ve
… (1008 more words) …
- Dec 2, 2019
1 Single Use Plastics Rise of Plastic Consumption in India [ Environment/Ecology ]
Single Use Plastics or Disposable plastics include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. Some of the examples include plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging. The Prime Minister of India at the S
… (594 more words) …
2 Tiger Conservation in Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam and Andhra Pradesh [ Environment/Ecology ]
The number of tigers in Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh has increased by efforts taken by Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF). Nagarjuna-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is also the largest tiger reserve and it spreads over five districts of Andhra Pradesh
… (441 more words) …
- Nov 28, 2019
1 Wastelands the Land Resource Department [ Environment/Ecology ]
The National Remote Sensing Centre prepared a wasteland Atlas being released by the Land Resource Department. Degraded forests, overgrazed pastures, drought-struck pastures, eroded valleys, hilly slopes, waterlogged marshy lands, barren land etc constitute to Wastelands.
… (423 more words) …
- Nov 25, 2019
1 Rise of Sea Level [ Environment/Ecology, Disaster Management ]
Rise of Sea Level includes increase in the Global emissions which are leading to global warming and climate changes. Increase in the temperature would lead to increase in the volume of seawater and increase in the Global temperature would lead to melting of glaciers both are lead
… (234 more words) …
- Nov 22, 2019
1 Stubble Burning Created Havoc in Delhi [ Environment/Ecology, Agriculture/Agro Industries ]
People in Delhi NCR are facing one of the worst ever spells of air pollutions since the end of Diwali 2019. The burning of stubble in Punjab and Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh cause a lot of air pollution in Northern India and mostly in Delhi NCR. Some of the factors causing
… (542 more words) …
- Nov 15, 2019
1 Snow Leopard Survey [ Environment/Ecology ]
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and natural resources (IUCN) reclassified the snow leopard from endangered to the vulnerable category in the IUCN red list on 14 September 2019. India is planning for the first time to survey on snow leopard population and its ge
… (306 more words) …
- Oct 14, 2019
1 A New Species Cryodrakon Boreas Identified [ Science/Technology, Environment/Ecology ]
A new species named Cryodrakon Boreas has been identified by the Paleontologists in Western Canada. This species is believed to have flown over the heads of dinosaurs. Paleontologists are the person who studies fossil animals and plants. The Cryodrakon boreas has a wingspan of 10
… (262 more words) …
- Sep 26, 2019
1 Ban on Single Use Plastic Materials by the Indian Railways [ Policy/Governance, Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
All regional offices have been asked by the Union Ministry of Railways to ensure complete removal of single-use plastics from all railways stations effective from 2 October 2019. The main aim is to shield the environment from menace of plastic. All plastic material with less than
… (296 more words) …
- Sep 18, 2019
1 Innovation for Clean Air Initiative Launched in Bengaluru [ International Relations/Organizations, Environment/Ecology ]
In a significant development towards Clean Air Initiative, India and UK have together launched a two year joint initiative at Bengaluru (Capital of Karnataka). The main aim is to provide a unique air quality measurement system by integrating satellite and sensor data thereby supp
… (227 more words) …
- Sep 17, 2019
1 Ocean Energy Received Renewable Energy Status [ Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth, Geography ]
The Ocean Energy has now been assigned Renewable Energy status by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Hereafter energy produced using various forms of ocean energy such as tidal, wave and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) will be considered as Renewable En
… (293 more words) …
- Sep 13, 2019
1 Tamil Yeoman Tamil Nadu’S State Butterfly [ Environment/Ecology ]
Butterfly species Tamil yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) has been officially declared as state butterfly of Tamil Nadu. Earlier this species was notified by an order on lines of the State Tree (Palm), Bird (Emerald Dove), Flower (Gloriosa) and Animal (Nilgiri Tahr). Cirrochroa thais is
… (174 more words) …
- Sep 11, 2019
1 New Lizard Species Named After Lord Indra [ Science/Technology, Environment/Ecology ]
A new lizard species has been found in micro raptor stomach and it has been named after Lord Indra. This lizard represents a new species-Indrasaurus Wangi unlike any previously known. Microraptor is a genus of small, four-winged paravian dinosaurs who would normally eat fish, mam
… (291 more words) …
- Sep 9, 2019
1 Decline in Paddle Stubble Burning by 41% (Policies and Governance, Environment) [ Policy/Governance, Environment/Ecology ]
As per the Union Minister there has been a reduction of 41 % in stubble burning cases in UP, Punjab, Haryana in 2018 as compared to 2016. Various government efforts were put in for consideration under Central Sector Scheme (CSS) on ‘Promotion of Agricultural Mechanization for In-
… (389 more words) …
- Sep 6, 2019
1 Depression Over Southeast Arabian Sea & Lakshadweep Area [ Environment/Ecology, Geography ]
A Low pressure zone was created over Southeast Arabian Sea and along the east central regions of the Arabian Sea. This included the adjoining areas of Lakshadweep. Under favourable environmental conditions, it intensified into a depression over the same region in the morning arou
… (575 more words) …
- Aug 24, 2019
1 Steps Being Taken to Control Spread of Fall Army Worm [ Policy/Governance, Environment/Ecology, Down-to-Earth ]
The Department under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is taking several steps to control the spread of Fall Army Worm in the country. The term “armyworm” can be referred to several species with invasive behaviour on a massive scale at larval stage.
… (328 more words) …
- Aug 16, 2019
1 The Volcanic Eruption in Papua New Guinea [ Environment/Ecology, Disaster Management, Geography ]
Papua New Guinea has the most active volcanoes in the South West Pacific. The Ulawun Volcano being one of the world’s most hazardous erupted on 26th June 2019. Earlier in the month of June 2019 two massive volcanic eruptions took place in Papua New Guinea
A massive spewing lava h
… (264 more words) …
Last Updated: