Recently,a beluga whale swimming in the Arctic off Norway has given rise to speculation that it is a spy being used by the Russians. The reason it is being described as a spy is a harness it was wearing, with the words “Equipment St. Petersburg” in English along with a GoPro camera holder. Other marine… Continue reading Can a beluga whale be trained as a military spy?
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.
Odisha govt. to use drones to spot deer
The Odisha government has decided to use drones to locate about 4,000 spotted deer who are missing from Balukhand-Konark sanctuary following the extremely severe cyclone Fani. Drones are unmanned aircrafts piloted from a remote pilot station The Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary is located along the Bay of Bengal coast, between the towns of Puri and Konark.… Continue reading Odisha govt. to use drones to spot deer
Southwest monsoon likely to set in over Kerala on June 4
Private weather forecaster Skymet has said that it expects the 2019 monsoon to arrive in Kerala on June 4 and make a sluggish progress thereafter. It has warned that the monsoon would begin under the influence of the El Niño, which is likely to have its impact on the rainfall. According to the agency, all… Continue reading Southwest monsoon likely to set in over Kerala on June 4
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is tiger kingdom of the State
A recent study has found that the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) holds the largest tiger population in Kerala. Of the total 176 tigers in Kerala, 75 were identified from WWS. Periyar and Parambikulam tiger reserves have recorded 25 tiger each. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1973. It was notified as an Elephant Reserve under… Continue reading Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is tiger kingdom of the State
Floods result of rampant construction: SC
The Supreme Court has highlighted that rampant construction activities in eco-sensitive areas with natural water flow have a devastating effect and can lead to natural calamities such as those seen in the recent floods in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Uttarakhand. The observations are a part of a recent judgement where the SC has directed the… Continue reading Floods result of rampant construction: SC
UN to hold 2020 ocean conference in Lisbon
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
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
