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Subject: Environment

  • Re-scaling the height of Mt Everest

    China and Nepal are expected to announce the latest official height of Mt. Everest.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.When you travel to the Himalayas, you will see the following:

    1. Deep gorges
    2. U-turn river courses
    3. Parallel mountain ranges
    4. Steep gradients causing land-sliding

    Which of the above can be said to be the evidences for the Himalayas being young fold mountains?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 1, 2 and 4 only

    (c) 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Mt. Everest

    • Mount Everest or Sagarmatha, Earth’s highest mountain above sea level, is located in the Himalayas between China and Nepal -– the border between them running across its summit point.
    • Its current official elevation – 8,848m – places it more than 200m above the world’s second-highest mountain, K2, which is 8,611m tall and located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
    • The mountain gets its English name from Sir George Everest, a colonial-era geographer who served as the Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century.
    • Considered an elite climbing destination, Everest was first scaled in 1953 by the Indian-Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary.

    Everest’s first survey

    • The mission to measure the world’s highest peak was taken up on a serious note in 1847 and culminated with the finding of a team led by Andrew Waugh of the Royal Surveyor General of India.
    • The team discovered that ‘Peak 15’ — as Mt Everest was referred to then — was the highest mountain, contrary to the then-prevailing belief that Mt Kanchenjunga (8,582 m) was the highest peak in the world.
    • Another belief, prevailing even today, is that 8,840 m is not the height that was actually determined by the 19th-century team.
    • That survey, based on trigonometric calculations, is known as the Great Trigonometric Survey of India.

    Why is the height being measured again?

    • Everest’s current official height– 8,848m– has been widely accepted since 1956, when the figure was measured by the Survey of India.
    • The height of the summit, however, is known to change because of tectonic activity, such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
    • Its measurement over the decades has also depended on who was surveying.
    • Another debate is whether the height should be based on the highest rock point or the highest snow point.

  • Etosha Salt Pan, Namibia

    NASA has recently captured images depicting the wet and dry cycles of Etosha Pan in Africa’s Namibia through the year.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/ dried up in the recent past due to human activities?

    1. Aral Sea
    2. Black Sea
    3. Lake Baikal

    Select the correct option using the code given below:

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 2 only

    (d) 1 and 3 only

    Etosha Salt Pan

    • The Etosha pan is hollow in the ground, wherein water may collect or in which a deposit of salt remains after the water has evaporated.
    • The 120-kilometre-long dry lakebed and its surroundings are protected as Etosha National Park, Namibia’s second-largest wildlife park.
    • The pan is mostly dry, but after a heavy rain, it acquires a thin layer of water that is heavily salted by the mineral deposits on the surface.

  • [pib] Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF 2.0)

    The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched the Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0.

    About CSCAF 2.0

    • A framework is a climate-sensitive approach to urban planning and development in India.
    • ​It was developed after a review of existing frameworks and assessment approaches adopted throughout the world.
    • It followed a series of an extensive consultative process with more than 26 organizations and 60 experts from different thematic areas.
    • The Climate Centre for Cities under National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is supporting MoHUA in implementation of CSCAF.

    Various indicators of the framework

    The framework has 28 indicators across five categories namely:

    1. Energy and Green Buildings
    2. Urban Planning, Green Cover & Biodiversity
    3. Mobility and Air Quality
    4. Water Management
    5. Waste Management

  • Global Biodiversity Outlook-5 Report

    The Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO) 5 report was leaked before its official release. Let’s look at the highlights of the report.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following pairs:

    Terms sometimes seen in the news- Their origin

    1. Annex-I Countries- Cartagena Protocol
    2. Certified Emissions- Nagoya Protocol Reductions
    3. Clean Development- Kyoto Protocol Mechanism

    Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

    (a) 1 and 2 only

    (b) 2 and 3 only

    (c) 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    About GBO report

    • The GBO is the flagship publication of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
    • It is a periodic report that summarizes the latest data on the status and trends of biodiversity and draws conclusions relevant to the further implementation of the Convention.
    • It summarizes progress made towards achieving the objectives of the Convention, such as the Aichi Targets and identifies key actions to achieve these.

    Highlights of the Report

    • GBO-5 is an overview of the state of nature. It is a final report card on the progress made by countries in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
    • What the world needed was a shift from business-as-usual, the report said. This transformation needed to take place in all human activities that were interlinked with natural resources.
    • This shift was crucial, the report added as natural resources would continue to decline and the world would not be able to meet the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals.
    • The GBO-5 suggested some shifts that need to be implemented to achieve the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. These include:
    1. Transition within land and forests: The report called the restoration of all forests that had been degraded. It also urged restoring local ecosystems.
    2. Sustainable agriculture: Farmers would have to reduce the use of chemicals and instead focus more on agroecological farming practices, the report said.
    3. Sustainable food systems: The report urged people to eat healthier, plant-based food and less meat. It also called for a focus on the problem of food wastage within the supply chain and household.
    4. Climate action: The report called for nature-based solutions to reduce climate change
    5. One health: Agricultural and urban ecosystems, as well as wildlife, should be managed in an integrated manner, it said.

    Failure to meet the targets

    None of the 20 ‘Aichi Biodiversity Targets’ agreed on by national governments through the CBD has been met, according to the report. The world was supposed to meet these targets by 2020. Whatever little progress has been made, has to do with the following:

    • Aichi Biodiversity Target 1 (Creating awareness about the value of biodiversity)
    • Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 (17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, to be effectively and equitably managed)
    • Aichi Biodiversity Target 16 (Access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization)
    • Aichi Biodiversity Target 17 (Creation, adoption and implementation of an effective, participatory and updated national biodiversity strategy and action plan)
    • Aichi Biodiversity Target 19 (Improvement and dissemination of knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity).

    Back2Basics: Convention on Biological Diversity

    • The CBD, known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty.
    • The Convention has three main goals including the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
    • It has two supplementary agreements:
    1. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety- An international treaty governing the movements of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another
    2. Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS)
    • All UN member states—with the exception of the United States—have ratified the treaty.

  • What is Project Dolphin?

    In his Independence Day Speech this year, PM has announced the government’s plan to launch a Project Dolphin. The proposed project is aimed at saving both river and marine dolphins.

    Project Dolphin

    • The Project will be on the lines of Project Tiger, which has helped increase the tiger population.
    • So far, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), which implements the government’s flagship scheme Namami Gange, has been taking some initiatives for saving dolphins.
    • Now, Project Dolphin is expected to be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

    About Gangetic Dolphin

    • The Gangetic river system is home to a vast variety of aquatic life, including the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
    • It is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world.
    • It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
    • An adult dolphin could weigh between 70 kg and 90 kg. The breeding season of the Gangetic dolphin extends from January to June.
    • They feed on several species of fishes, invertebrates etc.

    Why is it important to save dolphins?

    • The construction of dams and barrages and increasing pollution has led to a decline in the population of aquatic animals in the rivers in general and of dolphins in particular.
    • Aquatic life is an indicator of the health of river ecosystems.
    • As the Gangetic dolphin is at the top of the food chain, protecting the species and its habitat will ensure

    Aquatic life as an indicator of the health of a river system

    • Globally, there have been such examples. For instance, the Rhine Action Plan (1987) of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) brought back the salmon.
    • The return of the migratory fish is taken as an indicator of the river’s improved health.
    • Salmon used to migrate from the North Sea to the Rhine every year and reproduce, but this stopped when pollution increased in the river.
    • After a chemical accident in 1986 that caused the death of fish and microorganisms, the Action Plan was launched.
    • This led to an improvement in the quality of the river water, and the salmons began to return.

    What has been done to save Gangetic dolphins so far?

    • Although efforts to save them were started in the mid-1980s, the estimates suggest the numbers have not risen as a result.
    • The Gangetic dolphin remains listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
    • After the launch of Ganga Action Plan in 1985, the government on November 24, 1986, included Gangetic dolphins in the First Schedule of the Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972.
    • This was aimed at checking hunting and providing conservation facilities such as wildlife sanctuaries. For instance, Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under this Act.

    Conservation so far

    • The government has prepared The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020.
    • It identified threats to Gangetic Dolphins and impact of river traffic, irrigation canals and depletion of prey-base on Dolphins populations.
    • On October 5, 2009, the then PM declared the Gangetic river dolphin as the national aquatic animal.
    • A notification was issued by the MoEFCC the following year. Now, the National Mission for Clean Ganga celebrates October 5 as National Ganga River Dolphin Day.

  • Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM)

    As a first step towards Greening the Indian short term power market, the  Ministry of Power and New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has launched pan-India Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) in electricity.

    About GTAM

    • GTAM is an alternative new model introduced for selling off the power by the renewable developers in the open market without getting into long term PPAs.
    • This would promote RE merchant capacity addition and help in achieving RE capacity addition targets of the country.

    Benefits of GTAM

    • It would lessen the burden on the RE-rich States and incentivize them to develop RE capacity beyond their own RPO.
    • It will benefit buyers of RE through competitive prices and transparent and flexible procurement. It will also benefit RE sellers by providing access to the pan- India market

    Key features

    • Transactions through GTAM will be bilateral in nature with clear identification of corresponding buyers and sellers, there will not be any difficulty in accounting for RPO.
    • GTAM contracts will be segregated into Solar RPO & Non-Solar RPO as RPO targets are also segregated.
    • Further, within the two segments, GTAM contracts will have Green Intraday, Day Ahead Contingency, Daily and Weekly Contracts
    • Green Intraday Contract & Day Ahead Contingency Contract – Bidding will take place on a 15-minute time-block wise MW basis.
    • Daily & Weekly Contracts – Bidding will take place on an MWh basis.
    • Price discovery will take place on a continuous basis i.e. price-time priority basis. Subsequently, looking at the market conditions open auction can be introduced for daily & weekly contracts.
    • Energy scheduled through GTAM contract shall be considered as deemed RPO compliance of the buyer.

  • Thinking of new recovery path

    Growth and environmental protection are not the polar opposites of each other. The article analyses the issue of balancing the two and using pandemic as an opportunity to evolve novel recovery path.

    Pandemic: opportunity to new recovery path

    • The pandemic presents an opportunity for us to think of a new recovery path, one that can decouple economic growth and environmental degradation.
    • It becomes more important as India sees opportunities on the global call to diversify the supply chain and its internal call for Atmanirbhar Bharat.
    • For that, we need to strengthen our production and manufacturing capabilities.

    Issue of regulatory infrastructure

    • Monitoring and implementing environmental regulations is the biggest challenge we face.
    • Take the municipal solid waste rules.
    • Two decades after the regulations came into effect, their status not in good shape.
    • A comparatively recent regulation, centred around Extended Producer Responsibility, has also posed challenges in monitoring and implementation.
    • In a recent ruling, the judiciary not only ruled against the industry but also blamed officials responsible for implementing the regulations.

    Focus on implementation and monitoring

    •  In the long run, diluting regulatory norms will create more adverse impacts resulting in greater community upsurge.
    • The focus has to be to improve the system’s capabilities to monitor and implement regulatory requirements.
    • There needs to be greater transparency and accountability; there is no dearth of technology to facilitate this.
    • The intention and capacity to take action, rectify and diffuse is critical.
    • The right ecosystem between the industry, community and regulator is crucial.
    • If the three stakeholders remain isolated and get activated only in a crisis, we will not make any progress towards solving the issue.

    Way forward

    • We need to couple growth and environmental protection.
    • Environmental health will be the key enabler of socio-economic growth in the future.
    • Industry needs to realise that it is a part of an ecosystem and not at the centre of it.
    • Communities get impacted, either positively or negatively,  they need to empower themselves through education, so that they are not driven by the agenda of individuals with vested interests.
    • We have a challenge in implementing environmental regulations.
    • The community does not trust that the industry is meeting its compliance requirements, so, the regulatory system’s role is to improve this trust quotient.

    Conclusion

    As we plan our recovery past the pandemic, we have a good chance to create a new normal. We need to align towards a common cause and goals. We should not miss this chance.

  • Species in news: Barn Owl

    With a thriving rat population playing havoc with its coconut yield, the UT of Lakshadweep hires barn owls for help.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.The Red Data Books published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) contains lists of:

    1. Endemic plant and animal species present in the biodiversity hotspots.
    2. Threatened plant and animal species.
    3. Protected sites for conservation of nature and natural resources in various countries.

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

    (a) 1 and 3

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 2 and 3

    (d) 3 only

    Barn Owl

    IUCN status: Least Concerned

    • The barn owl is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds.
    • It is found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific islands.

    What is Barn?

    • A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes.
    • It refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.

  • What is the Hangenberg Crisis?

    The explosion of a nearby star — occurred at between Devonian and Carboniferous periods — could have caused a mass extinction event that took place 359 million years ago.

    Try this question from CSP 2018:

    Q.The term “sixth mass extinction/sixth extinction” is often mentioned in the news in the context of the discussion of

    (a) Widespread monoculture Practices agriculture and large-scale commercial farming with indiscriminate use of chemicals in many parts of the world that may result in the loss of good native ecosystems.

    (b) Fears of a possible collision of a meteorite with the Earth in the near future in the manner it happened 65million years ago that caused the mass extinction of many species including those of dinosaurs.

    (c) Large scale cultivation of genetically modified crops in many parts of the world and promoting their cultivationin other Parts of the world which may cause the disappearance of good native crop plants and the loss offood biodiversity.

    (d) Mankind’s over-exploitation/misuse of natural resources, fragmentation/loss, natural habitats, destructionof ecosystems, pollution and global climate change.

    Hangenberg crisis

    • The Earth suffered an intense loss of species diversity that lasted for at least 300,000 years.
    • The event is thought to have been caused by long-lasting ozone depletion, which would have allowed much more of the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation to reach and harm life on Earth.
    • It was called the Hangenberg crisis.

    What did researchers find?

    • Extensive volcanism and global warming can also rupture the ozone layer but shreds of evidence for these are indefinite as far as the time period is concerned.
    • So, they up that one or more supernovae explosions, at a distance of 65 light-years away from the Earth, may have caused a prolonged loss of ozone.
    • Betelgeuse, a supernova, around 600 light-years away and present outside the kill distance of 25 light-years poses a danger today.
    • Events like gamma-ray bursts, solar eruptions and meteorite collisions end up very soon. As such, they cannot pave the way for gradual ozone depletion that took place at the close of the Devonian aeon.
    • A supernova event can be powerful enough to bathe its galaxy in light for days and months alike. It can be spotted across the universe as well.

    Why Supernovae are considered dangerous?

    • Supernovae (SNe) are quick sources of ionizing photons that include fatal X-rays, UV and gamma rays.
    • Over a longer period of time, the bang clashes with the nearby gas, resulting in a shockwave that causes particle acceleration.
    • As such, cosmic rays are generated by SNe. These charged particles with high energies get magnetically confined on the inside of SN remains.
    • The fossil evidence shows a 300,000-year shrink in biodiversity leading the way to Devonian-Carboniferous Boundary (DCB) mass extinction.
    • This puts forward the possibility of multiple catastrophes or multiple supernovae explosions.

  • [pib] Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA)

    NITI Aayog will virtually launch the India Component of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC)–Transport Initiative for Asia (TIA).

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.The term Intended Nationally Determined Contribution is sometimes seen in the news in the context of:

    (a) Pledge made by the European countries to rehabilitate refuges from the war-affected Middle East.

    (b) Plan of nation outlined by the countries of the world to combat climate changes.

    (c) Capital contributed by the member countries in the establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

    (d) Plain of action outlined by the countries of the regarding SDGs.

    What is NDC-TIA?

    • It is a joint programme, supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
    • On behalf of the GoI, NITI Aayog will be the implementing partner.
    • It aims to promote a comprehensive approach to decarbonize transport in India, Vietnam, and China.
    • It is implemented by a consortium of seven other organisations.

    Working

    • The programme has a duration of 4 years.
    • The India Component will focus on establishing a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform for decarbonizing transport in India, strengthening GHG and transport modelling capacities.
    • It would help in financing climate actions in transport, offering policy recommendations on electric vehicle (EV) demand and supply policies.

    Why need TIA?

    • India has a massive and diverse transport sector that caters to the needs of billion people.
    • It has the world’s second-largest road network, which contributes to maximum GHG emissions through all means of transportation.
    • With increasing urbanisation, the fleet size i.e. the number of sales of vehicles is increasing rapidly.
    • It is projected that the total number of vehicles will be doubled by 2030.