1. Supreme Court seeks government’s response on ‘Project Great Indian Bustard’ conservation programme
Tags: Environment National News
The Supreme Court on November 28 sought the government's response on developing a conservation program called 'Project Great Indian Bustard' to address the crisis faced by the critically endangered bird species.
Important facts
A public interest litigation was filed in the country's top court, in which an appeal was made to give directions to save the Godavan i.e. Great Indian Bustard bird.
In fact, many Great Indian Bustards or Godavan have died due to criss-crossing of power transmission lines in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
While hearing the petitions filed in this context, the court sought answers from the government and advised to start Project Great Indian Bustard.
The Supreme Court has advised to start 'Project Great Indian Bustard' on the lines of 'Project Tiger' for the rescue of an endangered bird Great Indian Bustard.
About Great Indian Bustard
It is considered India's most critically endangered bird species and especially found in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
It is one of the heaviest flying birds endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
It is the state bird of Rajasthan.
These birds are on the verge of extinction, with barely 50 to 249 surviving, according to a 2021 report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It is a large bird with brown-and-white feathers with black crown and wing markings. It is one of the heaviest birds in the world.
Its habitat is Arid grasslands.
IUCN Status - Critically Endangered.
Listed in Wildlife Protection Act’s Schedule 1.
The cause of the decline in numbers is Hunting, Intensification of agriculture, Power lines.
2. Greener cooling pathway can create a $1.6 trillion investment opportunity in India: World Bank
Tags: Reports Environment
Recently. a report titled "Climate Investment Opportunities in India's Cooling Sector" was released by the World Bank. The report states that an investment opportunity of $1.6 trillion could open up in India by 2040.
Highlight of the report
India also has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and create nearly 3.7 million jobs.
The report states that India is experiencing higher temperatures every year. India is likely to see a drastic reduction in the expected carbon-dioxide (CO2) levels over the next two decades.
The report states that by 2030, more than 160-200 million people across the country could be exposed to deadly heat waves annually if alternative and innovative energy-efficient technologies are not adopted.
The report states that around 34 million people in India will face job losses due to loss of productivity related to heat stress.
The World Bank has said that by 2037 the demand for cooling is expected to exceed the current level by eight times.
The current food loss due to heat during transportation of food items is close to $13 billion annually.
Thus, there is a need to shift towards a more energy-efficient route that can lead to a substantial reduction in the expected CO2 levels.
Recognizing this challenge, the World Bank said India is already implementing new strategies to help people adapt to rising temperatures.
Suggestions by the report
The report proposes a roadmap to support India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) 2019, through new investments in three major sectors like Building construction, Cold chains and Refrigerants.
The report recommends large-scale adoption of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), India's affordable housing program for the poor.
It has also been proposed to create a policy for cooling that can consume 20-30% less electricity than efficient conventional cooling solutions.
The report recommends improving the gap in the cold chain distribution network to avoid wastage of food and medicines.
3. Jeypore Ground Gecko included in Appendix II of the CITES
Tags: Environment
The Jeypore ground gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis), an endemic reptile of India, has been included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
About Jeypore Ground Gecko
It is a wild reptile species endemic to India.
It is a rare species and was first described in 1878 by Colonel Richard Henry Beddom, a British officer and naturalist.
It was rediscovered by a team of researchers in 2011 after a gap of over 130 years.
It is found in the Eastern Ghats and is known to be present in four locations including southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh.
The inclusion of this species in Appendix II was proposed by India at the recently concluded 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) to CITES in Panama City.
IUCN Status: Endangered
Threats to this species
Habitat loss and degradation, poaching for domestic and international trade, forest fires, tourism, quarrying and mining activity.
This species is not included in the protection list mentioned under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
4. NITI Aayog releases study report on ‘Carbon Capture to achieve net zero emission target by 2070
Tags: Reports Environment
National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog has released a report titled ‘Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage Policy Framework and its Deployment Mechanism in India’ on 29 November 2022.
The report explores the importance of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage as an emission reduction strategy to meet the Net Zero target of India by 2070. The report outlines broad level policy interventions needed across various sectors for its application.
India’s has committed through its updated nationally determined contributions (NDC) to achieve 50% of its total installed capacity from non-fossil-based energy sources, 45% reduction in emission intensity by 2030 and taking steps towards achieving Net Zero by 2070,
It means India has to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. However the recent study suggests that India’s reliance on fossil fuel especially coal for power generation is likely to increase rather than reduce.
According to the Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery, the Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) can enable the production of clean products while still utilizing our rich endowments of coal.
Possible benefits of the CCUS
The report indicates that CCUS can provide a wide variety of opportunities to convert the captured CO2 to different value-added products like green urea, food and beverage form application, building materials (concrete and aggregates), chemicals (methanol and ethanol), polymers (including bio-plastics).
CCUS projects will also lead to a significant employment generation. It estimates that about 750 Million tonnes per annum of carbon capture by 2050 can create employment opportunities of about 8-10 million on full time equivalent (FTE) basis in a phased manner
Carbon Capture and Storage and Utilisation
Carbon Capture and Storage is the process of capturing the carbon dioxide which is released due to industrial activities/power generation using fossil fuels, before it is released in the atmosphere.
- The captured carbon- dioxide can be used to make commercially marketable products. This is called Capture Storage and Utilisation (CCSU). Normally it is used in enhanced oil extraction where carbon dioxide is injected in oil fields to increase their extraction efficiency.
- The first large-scale CCSU project began operating at Sleipnerin Norway in 1996.
Other Initiatives of the government in the field of CCSU
The Government of India is setting up two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilisation for long-term research, design development, collaborative and capacity-building hubs for state-of-the-art research and application-oriented initiatives in the field of Carbon capture.
The two centres are:
- National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (NCoE-CCU) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay,
- ational Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilisation (NCCCU) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru .
5. A UN panel has recommended that Australia's Great Barrier Reef be listed as a World Heritage Site
Tags: Environment International News
A United Nations panel recommended on November 29, 2022 that Australia's Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a World Heritage Site that is "in danger".
Important facts
The world's largest coral reef ecosystem has been greatly affected by climate change and ocean warming.
Frequent bleaching events and La Nina are threatening the reef.
Bleaching occurs when water gets too warm, causing corals to expel the colourful algae living in their tissues and turn white.
Australia's recently elected government has pledged to spend A$1.2 billion ($800 million) over the coming years to protect the reef.
What are Coral reefs?
Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse marine ecosystems on Earth.
They play an important role in marine ecosystems and support habitats for flora and fauna in the ocean.
Each coral is called a polyp and thousands of such polyps live together to form a colony.
About Great Barrier Reef
It extends for 1400 miles along the north-east coast of Queensland, Australia and is the world's most extensive and rich coral reef ecosystem.
It is made up of more than 2,900 reefs and more than 900 islands.
It is the largest single structure in the world made by living organisms.
This reef was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.
6. World's largest active volcano Mauna Loa erupts in Hawaii
Tags: Environment place in news International News
The world’s largest active volcano, Hawaii's Mauna Loa, has erupted after 40 years. The US Geological Service (USGS) has upgraded the situation from advisory to “warning” which is the highest classification for a volcanic eruption. At present the lava flow is mostly contained within the summit, but residents have been placed on alert.
Mauna Loa is located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which covers half of the US state's Big Island. The volcano rises 13,679ft (4,169m) above sea level and spans an area of more than 2,000 sq miles (5,179 sq km).
The eruption began on 27 November 2022 night at Moku'āweoweo, the volcano's summit caldera. Calderas are hollows that form beneath the summit at the end of an eruption.
According to the USGS, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since its first documented eruption in 1843. The previous eruption in 1984 sent lava flows within 5 miles of the city of Hilo, the island's most populous town.
7. KVIC Chairman Manoj Kumar inaugurates the ambitious RE-HAB Project in Nainital
Tags: Environment place in news National Person in news State News
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Chairman Manoj Kumar inaugurated the ambitious RE-HAB, Project (Reducing Human Attacks using Honey Bees) of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission at village Chausla, in Forest Range Fatehpur, Haldwani, District Nainital, and Uttarakhand on 28 November 2022. He also distributed 330 Bee-boxes, bee-colonies and toolkits along with the honey extractors to the rural beneficiaries in Chausla village.
Project RE-HAB,
Government is promoting the use of bees to discourage attacks of wild elephants on human settlements. KVIC has launched a project RE-HAB, in the states of Assam, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Orissa.
How it works
- Under Project RE-HAB, “Bee-fences' ' are created by setting up bee boxes in the passageways of elephants to block their entrance to human territories.
- The boxes are connected with a string so that when elephants attempt to pass through, a tug or pull causes the bees to swarm the elephant herds and dissuade them from progressing further.
- It is a cost-effective way of reducing human-wild conflicts without causing any harm to the animals.
- It is scientifically recorded that elephants are annoyed by the honey bees. Elephants also fear that the bee swarms can bite their sensitive inner side of the trunk and eyes. The collective buzz of the bees is annoying to elephants that force them to return.
- Project RE-HAB is a sub-mission of KVIC’s National Honey Mission.
- While the Honey Mission is a programme to increase the bee population, honey production and beekeepers’ income by setting up apiaries, Project RE-HAB uses bee boxes as a fence to prevent the elephant attacks.
- As a new initiative, the RE-HAB project will be run by KVIC at selected locations for a period of one year.
The Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC)
- The Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC) was set up in 1957 under the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956.
- It is under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises.
- It is responsible for planning, promotion, organisation, and implementation of programs for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas along with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.
Chairperson of KVIC: Manoj Kumar
8. Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff, Karan Kundrra join Goa CM in beach clean-up drive
Tags: Environment State News
Actors Jackie Shroff and Karan Kundrra, on 28 November 2022. Joined Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to launch the state government’s ‘CleanAThon’ initiative, at Miramar Beach in Panjim.
The ‘CleanAThon’ initiative was also joined by the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Phadnavis, Amruta Fadnavis also joined the initiative.
Goa is famous for its beaches and which attracts lakhs of domestic and International tourists. Miramar Beach in Panjim is one of the most popular beaches with tourists.
For this cleanliness drive, several people gathered at the beach, dressed in black and white uniforms, to get rid of the garbage.
Goa
It is the smallest state by area of India located along the Arabian Sea coast.
It was earlier a colony of Portugal and the government of India launched operation Vijay to liberate Goa in 1961.
It became a Union Territory in 1962 and became the 25th State of India on 30 May 1987.
When it became a state, Daman & Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli were separated from it and made a Union Territory.
Capital: Panjim
Governor: P S Sreedharan Pillai
9. India's proposal for enhance protection to Leith's softshell turtle adopted at wildlife summit in Panama
Tags: Environment Summits
India's proposal for enhancing protection status to Leith's softshell turtle has been adopted at the ongoing world wildlife conference in Panama, the Union Environment Ministry said on 24 November.
Important facts
India has strengthened protection to Leith’s Soft-shelled Turtle under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Leith's soft-shelled turtle is a large freshwater soft-shelled turtle that is endemic to peninsular India and is found in rivers and reservoirs.
It has been illegally hunted and consumed within India.
It has also been illegally traded abroad for the meat and its calypso.
The population of this turtle species has been estimated to have declined by 90% over the past 30 years, making the species difficult to find.
It is classified as 'critically endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The species is listed in Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which protects it from hunting as well as its trade.
Placing the listing of this turtle species on CITES Appendix I will ensure that legal international trade in these species does not occur for commercial purposes.
The 19th meeting of the COP for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is being held in Panama from 14 to 25 November 2022.
10. JNPA inaugurates Continuous Marine Water Quality Monitoring Station
Tags: Environment National News
One of the best performing Continuous Marine water Quality Monitoring Station (CMWQMS) in India at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) in collaboration with the Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras was inaugurated on 21 November 2022.
Important facts
Along with this, the Electric Driven Environment Monitoring Vehicle (EV) was formally launched.
JNPA is committed to achieving sustainability and creating value for the business, which is reflected in economic, social and environmental parameters.
The continuous water quality system and electrically powered monitoring vehicle will assist in sea water and air quality management in the port area and improve the environmental quality within the port area.
JNPA will be able to reduce green-house gas emissions from vehicles.
Apart from this, it will also be possible to monitor the compliance of environmental quality around the port estate.
This work will be done through water quality station data, water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, conductivity, nitrate, salinity, TDS of sea water etc.
The TDS of seawater is based on the sea water quality database.
This is essential for maintaining sanitary standards in the marine environment.
E-Vehicles will also monitor the existing air and noise level in JNPA.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA)
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) located in Navi Mumbai is the major container handling port in India.
Commissioned on 26 May 1989, the port has grown from a bulk-cargo terminal to a major container port in the country in three decades.
JNPA is connected to over 200 ports in the world and is ranked 26th in the list of top 100 Container Ports globally.
