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Subject: Environment

  • Global Climate Risk Index 2021

    India was ranked the seventh worst-hit country in 2019 in the Global Climate Risk Index 2021.

    The report holds much significance for prelims as well as mains. Just for the sake of information, we must be aware of India’s performance.

    Global Climate Risk Index

    • The GCRI is released annually by the environmental think tank and sustainable development lobbyist Germanwatch.
    • It analyses to what extent countries have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves etc.).
    • It pushes for the need to support developing countries in coping with the effects of climate change.

    Highlights of the 2020 year

    Global prospects

    • Mozambique, Zimbabwe and The Bahamas were the worst-affected countries in 2019.
    • While hurricane Dorian ravaged The Bahamas; Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi were affected by the single extreme weather event of cyclone Idai.
    • Japan and Afghanistan were the other countries that fared worse than India on the Index, while South Sudan, Niger and Bolivia fared better in comparison but still made it to the top 10 worst-affected countries.

    The burden of development

    • Eight of the 10 countries most affected between 2000 and 2019 were developing countries with low or lower middle income per capita.
    • Vulnerable people in developing countries suffered most from extreme weather events like storms, floods and heatwaves, whereas the impact of climate change was visible around the globe.
    • Poorer countries are hit hardest because they are more vulnerable to the damaging effects of a hazard and have the lower coping capacity.

    Data about India

    • According to the Index floods caused by heavy rain in 2019 took 1,800 lives across 14 states in India and displaced 1.8 million people.
    • Overall, the intense monsoon season affected 11.8 million people, with the economic damage estimated to be $10 billion (Rs.72,900 crore at $1=INR 72.9).
    • A total of eight tropical cyclones meant that 2019 was one of the most active Northern Indian Ocean cyclone seasons on record. Six of them intensified to become “very severe”.
    • The worst was Cyclone Fani in May 2019 which affected a total of 28 million people, killing nearly 90 people in India and Bangladesh, and causing economic losses of $8.1 billion (Rs.59,066 crore).

  • Places in news: Sundarban Biosphere Reserve

    Indian Sunderbans, which is part of the largest mangrove forest in the world, is home to 428 species of birds, a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) States.

    Sundarban Biosphere Reserve

    • Sundarbans is the largest delta and mangrove forest in the world.
    • The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4,200 sq km, comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve of 2,585 sq km is home to about 96 Royal Bengal Tigers (2020) is also a world heritage site and a Ramsar Site.
    • The Indian Sunderbans is bound on the west by river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.
    • Other major rivers flowing through this eco-system are Saptamukhi, Thakuran, Matla and Goasaba.
    • Recent studies claim that the Indian Sundarban is home to 2,626 faunal species and 90% of the country’s mangrove varieties.

    What is the latest research?

    • The scientists have listed 428 birds, some, like the Masked Finfoot and Buffy fish owl, are recorded only from the Sunderbans.
    • India has over 1,300 species of birds and if 428 species of birds are from Sunderbans.
    • The area is home to nine out of 12 species of kingfishers found in the country as well rare species such as the Goliath heron and Spoon-billed Sandpiper.

    Try this PYQ:

    With reference to India’s biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned miniyet and White-throated redstart are–

    (a) Birds

    (b) Primates

    (c) Reptiles

    (d) Amphibians

  • India’s Draft Arctic Policy

    India has unveiled a new draft ‘Arctic’ policy that and is committed to expanding scientific research, “sustainable tourism” and mineral oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region.

    Note: Five Arctic littoral states — Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia and the USA (Alaska) — and three other Arctic nations — Finland, Sweden and Iceland — form the Arctic Council (estd. 1996).

    Try mapping them.

    Caution: India became an Observer in the Arctic Council for the first time in 2013. And, India isn’t a full-time observer.

    India at the Arctic

    • India launched its first scientific expedition to the Arctic in 2007 and set up a research station ‘Himadri’ in the international Arctic research base at Ny-Ålesund in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.
    • It has two other observatories in Kongsforden and Gruvebadet. Himadri is manned for about 180 days a year.
    • Since its establishment, over 300 Indian researchers have worked in the station. India has sent 13 expeditions to the Arctic since 2007 and runs 23 active projects.

    Draft ‘Arctic’ policy

    • The draft policy discusses the importance of understanding the impact of climate change in the Arctic region and its connection with India’s monsoon, which is crucial for its economy.
    • India also proposes to focus on vast resources of the Arctic region including hydrocarbons, minerals and renewable power to ensure its energy security.
    • The policy is cautious in framing its involvement in the Arctic as “common heritage of mankind” but its priorities are similar to that of other non-Arctic states.
    • This policy roadmap draft rides on five pillars:
    1. Science and research activities,
    2. Economic and human development cooperation,
    3. Transportation and connectivity,
    4. Governance and international cooperation, and
    5. National capacity building.

    Nodal bodies

    • The Goa-based National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research to lead scientific research and act as a nodal body.
    • It would thus coordinate among various scientific bodies to promote domestic scientific research capacities by expanding earth sciences, biological sciences, climate change and space-related programmes, dove-tailed with Arctic imperatives.

    Why study arctic?

    • The Arctic is home to almost four million inhabitants, of which approximately one-tenth are considered as indigenous people.
    • Climate change has meant that seasons in the Arctic influence tropical weather.
    • The Arctic influences atmospheric, oceanographic and biogeochemical cycles of the earth’s ecosystem.
    • The loss of sea ice, ice caps, and warming of the ocean and atmosphere would lower salinity in the global oceans.
    • This could increase the temperature differential between land and oceans in the tropical regions, dry subtropical areas and increase precipitation at higher latitudes.
    • Arctic research will help India’s scientific community to study melting rates of the third pole — the Himalayan glaciers.

  • What is Nitrogen-Use Efficiency (NUE)?

    A group of Indian scientists have found a way to improve crops by reducing wastage of nitrogen fertilizers applied to them.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following adds/add nitrogen to the soil?

    1. Excretion of Urea by animals
    2. Burning of coal by man
    3. Death of vegetation

    Select the correct answer using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2, and 3

    Nitrogen-Use Efficiency

    • NUE is calculated as a ratio between nitrogen used and harvest: A higher number denotes low wastage.
    • With the efficiency on the decline, farmers use more fertiliser in the hope of raising yield. This in turn worsens NUE.
    • Crops generally use up 30 per cent of nitrogen fertilizer applied; the rest seeps into the environment, harming health and adding to climate change.
    • Researchers were able to identify phenotypes or visibly identifiable features that determine the efficiency with which cultivated rice varieties (cultivars) use nitrogen.
    • This efficiency is known as nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE).
    • Cereals consume over 69 per cent of nitrogen fertilizers in India; rice tops the list with 37 per cent, followed by wheat (24 per cent).

    Nitrogen Pollution: the reason behind

    • Agriculture leads to 70 per cent of nitrous oxide emissions in India.
    • Of this, 77 per cent is contributed by fertilizers, mostly urea, according to the Indian Nitrogen Assessment published in 2017.
    • This greenhouse gas (GHG) is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
    • It has replaced methane as the second-largest component of GHG emissions from Indian agriculture in the past 15 years.

    Must read:

    [Burning Issue] Nitrogen Pollution in India

  • Places in news: Harike Wetland

    Winter migratory waterbirds using the central Asian flyway have started making a beeline to Punjab’s Harike wetland, offering a delight for bird lovers.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.In which one among the following categories of protected areas in India are local people not allowed to collect and use the biomass?

    (a) Biosphere reserves

    (b) National parks

    (c) Wetlands declared under Ramsar convention

    (d) Wildlife sanctuaries

    Harike Wetland

    • Harike Wetland also is the largest wetland in northern India in the border of Tarn Taran Sahib district and Ferozepur district of Punjab.
    • The wetland and the lake were formed by constructing the headworks across the Sutlej River in 1953.
    • The headworks is located downstream of the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers just south of Harike village.
    • The rich biodiversity of the wetland which plays a vital role in maintaining the precious hydrological balance in the catchment with its vast concentration of migratory fauna.
    • It was accorded as a wetland in 1990, by the Ramsar Convention, as one of the Ramsar sites in India, for conservation, development and preservation of the ecosystem.

    Back2Basics: Ramsar Convention

    • The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (better known as the Ramsar Convention) is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
    • It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem.
    • The convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.
    • Traditionally viewed as a wasteland or breeding ground of disease, wetlands actually provide fresh water and food and serve as nature’s shock absorber.
    • Wetlands, critical for biodiversity, are disappearing rapidly, with recent estimates showing that 64% or more of the world’s wetlands have vanished since 1900.
    • Major changes in land use for agriculture and grazing, water diversion for dams and canals and infrastructure development are considered to be some of the main causes of loss and degradation of wetlands.

  • UN Adaptation Gap Report, 2020

    The United Nations Adaptation Gap Report, 2020 was recently released by the UNEP.

    Must read edition: Five years of Paris Agreement

    UN Adaptation Gap Report

    • UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has managed the production of UN Environment’s Adaptation Gap Report series since its first edition in 2014.
    • The aim of the reports is to inform national and international efforts to advance climate change adaptation.

    Behind the concept: Adaptation Cost

    • Adaptation Cost includes costs of planning, preparing for, facilitating and implementing the climate change adaptation measures.
    • It thus derives benefits as the avoided damage costs or the accrued benefits following the adoption and implementation of adaptation measures.

    Highlights of the 2020 report

    • The annual cost of adaptation to the effects of climate change for developing countries is estimated to at least quadruple by 2050, according to the United Nations Adaptation Gap Report, 2020.
    • The current cost for developing countries is in the range of $70 billion (Rs 5.1 lakh crore) and may rise to $140-300 billion in 2030 and $280-500 billion in 2050.

    Funding gaps

    • The ever-increasing adaptation cost has also outpaced the growth in adaptation finance that refers to the flow of funds to developing countries to help them tide over the damages caused by climate change.
    • This, in turn, has kept the adaptation finance gap from closing with the current efforts, although the fund flow has increased, the report said.
    • Adaptation costs, in actual terms, are higher in developed countries but the burden of adaptation is greater for developing countries in relation to their gross domestic product.
    • These countries, especially in Africa and Asia, which are least equipped to tackle climate change will also, be the most impacted by it, the report noted.

  • Great Green Wall (GGW) Project

    The Great Green Wall (GGW) Project to address desertification, land degradation and climate change in the Sahel region of Africa has hit a new low due to funds crunch.

    Note the countries swept by the GGW project on the African map.

    GGW Project

    • The Great Green Wall project is conceived by 11 countries located along the southern border of the Sahara and their international partners, is aimed at limiting the desertification of the Sahel zone.
    • Led by the African Union, the initiative aims to transform the lives of millions of people by creating a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across North Africa.
    • The initial idea of the GGW was to develop a line of trees from east to the west bordering the Saharan Desert.
    • Its vision has evolved into that of a mosaic of interventions addressing the challenges facing the people in the Sahel and the Sahara.

    Why was such project incepted?

    • The project is a response to the combined effect of natural resources degradation and drought in rural areas.
    • It aimed to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030; only four million hectares had been restored between 2007 and 2019.
    • It is a partnership that supports communities working towards sustainable management and use of forests, rangelands and other natural resources.
    • It seeks to help communities mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as improve food security.

  • Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Protected Areas

    Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change has released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the country.

    Map the protected areas mentioned in the newscard in your Atlas.

    MEE Survey

    • MEE is a very important document that provides valuable guidance on various aspects of wildlife and protected area expand MEE of Marine Protected Areas.
    • In order to assess the efficacy of Protected Areas, evaluation of management effectiveness was required.
    • MEE has emerged as a key tool for PA managers and is increasingly being used by governments and international bodies to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management systems.
    • The results of the present assessment are encouraging with an overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%.
    • With this round of evaluation, MoEFCC successfully completed one full cycle of evaluating all terrestrial National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of the country from 2006 to 2019.

    India has systematically designated its Protected Areas in four legal categories — National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

    Areas surveyed

    • Under the WP 1972 Act, India has 903 formally designated Protected Areas with total coverage of 1,65,012.6 square km.
    • Among these are 101 National Parks, 553 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 86 Conservation Reserves and 163 Community Reserves.
    • For the survey, 146 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries across 29 states and Union territories were evaluated.

    Highlights of the MEE

    • Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary and Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh have performed the best among the surveyed protected areas.
    • The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh was the worst performer in the survey.

  • Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Rules

    Few illegal apartment complexes in Maradu, Kerala, were razed as ordered by the Supreme Court for breaching Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms. The court had called the illegal constructions a “colossal loss” to the environment.

    What are CRZ norms?

    • In India, the CRZ Rules govern human and industrial activity close to the coastline, in order to protect the fragile ecosystems near the sea.
    • They restrict certain kinds of activities — like large constructions, setting up of new industries, storage or disposal of hazardous material, mining, reclamation and bunding — within a certain distance from the coastline.
    • After the passing of the Environment Protection Act in 1986, CRZ Rules were first framed in 1991.
    • After these were found to be restrictive, the Centre notified new Rules in 2011, which also included exemptions for the construction of the Navi Mumbai airport and for projects of the Department of Atomic Energy.
    • In 2018, fresh Rules were issued, which aimed to remove certain restrictions on building, streamlined the clearance process, and aimed to encourage tourism in coastal areas.
    • While the CRZ Rules are made by the Union environment ministry, implementation is to be ensured by state governments through their Coastal Zone Management Authorities.

    Where do they apply?

    • In all Rules, the regulation zone has been defined as the area up to 500 m from the high-tide line.
    • The restrictions depend on criteria such as the population of the area, the ecological sensitivity, the distance from the shore, and whether the area had been designated as a natural park or wildlife zone.
    • The latest Rules have a no-development zone of 20 m for all islands close to the mainland coast, and for all backwater islands in the mainland.

    Back2Basics

    https://www.civilsdaily.com/news/coastal-regulation-zone-how-rules-for-building-along-coast-have-evolved/

  • Why insects are crucial for ecological balance?

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the DownToEarth.  It talks about the ecological importance of insects.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following:

    1. Birds
    2. Dust blowing
    3. Rain
    4. Wind blowing

    Which of the above spread plant diseases?

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 3 and 4 only

    (c) 1, 2 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Various threats to insects

    • Insects are increasingly susceptible to extinction due to increasing climate crisis.
    • They form the basal part of the food pyramid and impact our agriculture ecosystems as well as human health.
    • Their extinction can have a cascading effect on the upper levels of the food pyramid.
    • Rampant and indiscriminate use of chemicals in commercial agricultural practices, mainly monocropping systems, has been taking a toll on insects in the vicinity of farmlands and plantations.
    • While everyone is talking about sustainability in agriculture, the role of insects has largely been ignored.

    A few common insects whose existence is taken for granted and their ecological relevance are:

    (1) Butterflies

    • They are important pollinators like bees.
    • Species diversity and density of butterfly indicate a good diversity of plants in an area. Several types of butterflies have specific host plants.
    • Climate change, forest degradation, habitat loss, unavailability of hosts and nectar plant species are among major reasons for a decline in butterfly population.
    • This leads to loss of plants species that depend on the butterflies for pollination.
    • Backyard gardening and growing host plants in public spaces are important strategies to conserve butterfly species.

    (2) Dragonflies

    • They are one of the most widely recognised insects, need clean aquatic systems and are hence a good indicator of the health of local aquatic systems.
    • These, along with damselflies, are well-known biological predators with both larvae and adults acting as natural bio-control agents.
    • They are highly sensitive to changes in their habitats and are declining due to increasing habitat loss, anthropogenic activities, pollutants, climate change and rapid urbanisation.
    • For their conservation, use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has to be prohibited or minimized in agriculture systems.

    (3) Grasshoppers

    • They feed on different plants and can cause serious damage to economic crops.
    • However, in a biodiversity-rich region, they are an important component of the food chain, being an important food source for many birds.
    • Grasshoppers and insects such as crickets are often consumed by people as they are rich in protein.

    (4) Ants

    • They are in the most abundance. Ants act as scavengers/decomposers by feeding on organic wastes and other dead animals.
    • Ants also aerate the soil.
    • Heavy use of chemicals in agriculture causes harm to ants.

    (5) Wild honey bees

    • They play a major role in the pollination of forest species affecting cross-pollination and maintenance of variability within species.
    • Wild honey is also a food source for humans and many wild animals.
    • When forest covers are lost, wild bees tend to migrate to newer areas where they may or may not adapt.
    • With the possibility of commercial apiaries, wild bees need to be left alone and honey tapping from wild hives discouraged.
    • This can help sustain the natural processed of pollination among forest species and maintain diversity in plants conventionally propagated through seeds.

    (6) Rainbow leaf beetles

    • They are found in forests, woodlands and mountain grasslands.
    • They mostly depend on leaves and flowers of some specific plant family like Apocynaceae.
    • These are listed as endangered species in International Union for Conservation of Nature from 1994.
    • The species is also known to be poisonous to its predators for they feed on dogbane that contains poisonous cardenolides.

    (7) Fireflies

    • They are a good indicator of a healthy environment, especially a good aquatic system. They avoid regions with chemical toxicity.
    • They are good pollinators and natural pest control agents in several ecosystems.