United Nations General Assembly has decided to hold its 2020 high-level conference during early June in Lisbon,Portugal. The theme of this high-level 2020 United Nations Conference is “scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions. The objective of this conference is to support the… Continue reading UN to hold 2020 ocean conference in Lisbon
Category: Factly: Environment
This category contains all Current Affairs Factly Articles for Prelims, related to the Environment. You can find all relevant Environment related updates on this page. This page is specifically useful for UPSC Prelims exam.
300 Himalayan yaks starve to death in Sikkim
According to a report,at least 300 rare Himalayan yaks have died of starvation in the high mountains in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim.They have died after a harsh and prolonged winter. The domestic yak (Bos grunniens) is a long-haired domesticated bovid found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau and… Continue reading 300 Himalayan yaks starve to death in Sikkim
Prashant Bhushan sends notice to Centre on Bt Brinjal
Recently,Senior advocate has sent a legal notice to Union Environment Minister asking for a freeze on all genetically modified organisms (including Bt Brinjal) including field trials. This notice comes in the backdrop of activist groups had said that they had found evidence of Bt Brinjal being grown in a farmer’s field in Haryana. He has… Continue reading Prashant Bhushan sends notice to Centre on Bt Brinjal
DNA database coming up for Indian rhino
The Union Environment Ministry has started a project to create DNA profiles of all rhinos in India. The deadline of the project is 2021. Once completed, the Indian rhino could be the first wild animal species in India to have all its members DNA-sequenced. Proponents of the project include World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF-India)… Continue reading DNA database coming up for Indian rhino
Particulate matter from cigarettes, mosquito coils makes indoor air toxic
According to a new study published in journal SN Applied Sciences, burning of mosquito coils and cigarettes in closed places releases traces of heavy metals and particulate matter in the environment which may cause adverse health impacts following prolonged exposure. Cigarettes and mosquito coils along with highly polluting cooking fuel use, and gases released from… Continue reading Particulate matter from cigarettes, mosquito coils makes indoor air toxic
415.26 parts per million: Carbon Dioxide levels hit historic
Recently, the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii has recorded CO2 levels at 415.26 parts per million (ppm) baseline. It is the first time on record that the observatory measured a daily baseline above 415ppm. According to scientists, the last time Earth’s atmosphere contained this much CO2 was 3 million years ago. The Mauna Loa Observatory… Continue reading 415.26 parts per million: Carbon Dioxide levels hit historic
Islanders complain to UN over Australia’s climate change inaction
A group of Torres Strait Islanders have decided to lodge a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee against the Australian government, alleging climate inaction. The Torres Strait Islands are a group of small islands which lie in Torres Strait. Torres Strait is the waterway separating northern continental Australia’s Cape York Peninsula and the… Continue reading Islanders complain to UN over Australia’s climate change inaction
Do ‘Russian poplar’ seeds cause May illness in Kashmir? The fears, the science
In May every year,doctors in the Kashmir Valley treats a high number of patients, especially children with respiratory diseases. The rise in illness has often been attributed to a phenomenon during this season which is the shedding of fluffy cotton-covered seeds by poplar trees commonly known as “Russian poplars”. The name “Russian poplar” is a… Continue reading Do ‘Russian poplar’ seeds cause May illness in Kashmir? The fears, the science
Odisha set to introspect post-disaster communication
The post-disaster communication in Odisha had failed after extremely severe cyclone Fani struck the state. State disaster managers have decided to introspect how post-disaster communication failed for the first time since Super Cyclone in 1999. Communication during and immediately after a disaster situation is an important component of response and recovery. It connects affected people,… Continue reading Odisha set to introspect post-disaster communication
Vedanta gets nod to conduct impact assessment for 274 hydrocarbon wells in T.N., Puducherry
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has granted the Terms of Reference (ToR) to Vedanta Ltd’s Cairn Oil & Gas, to carry out Environment Impact Assessment (EIA). It is to be carried out for drilling a total of 274 offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration wells in the Bay of Bengal, Nagapattinam, Karaikal,… Continue reading Vedanta gets nod to conduct impact assessment for 274 hydrocarbon wells in T.N., Puducherry
