Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve & Vaigai
Context: In a government order, State Forests Secretary had declared the creation of Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve in February 2021. The Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve will provide protection to Megamalai, the Vaigai’s primary catchment, in turn helping water levels to rise in the river. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Important Protected Areas, Conservation of Biodiversity), GS-I: […]
IEA’s World Energy Investment Report, 2021
Context: The International Energy Agency (IEA) published the World Energy Investment Report, 2021 which said that most of the Global energy investment is expected to shift out of traditional fossil fuel production. Relevance: GS-III: Industry and Infrastructure (Energy Sector, Sources of Energy, Types of Resources and Sustainable use of Resources), GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Conservation […]
Saving biodiversity, securing earth’s future
Context: On this World Environment Day June 5th 2021, with the novel coronavirus pandemic raging across our vast country, we must reflect on the ways to rebuild our relationship with nature. Climate change and the ongoing pandemic will put additional stresses on our natural ecosystems even though it is becoming clear that repairing our dysfunctional […]
World Bank study: Policies on black carbon
Context: The World Bank (WB) said in its research report titled “Glaciers of the Himalayas, Climate Change, Black Carbon and Regional Resilience” that glaciers are melting faster than the global average ice mass in the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush (HKHK) mountain ranges. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Conservation of Environment […]
Declining forest bird species in Western Himalaya
Context: With extremely cold winters and pleasant summers, the State of Uttarakhand is home to the Western Himalayan temperate forests which harbour a large number of endemic bird species. A new study that analysed these natural oak-dominated forests and modified forests has noted that there was a drastic loss of bird species in all modified […]
Protected Planet Report 2020
Context: The Protected Planet Report 2020 underlined the progress the world has made toward the ambitious goals agreed by countries in 2010 at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Conservation of Environment and Ecology) Dimensions of the Article: United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Highlights […]
The many benefits of an eco-tax in India
Context: The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced countries all over the world to rethink climate change and the need for preservation of the environment. Fiscal reforms for managing the environment are important, and India has great potential for revenue generation in this aspect. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Steps for Pollution Control, Conservation of the […]
IEA’s Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Roadmap
Context: The recently released International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Roadmap aims to provide a pathway to bridge the current gap between rhetoric and reality in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the energy and industry sectors. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Important International Institutions) Dimensions of the Article: […]
Cyclone Yaas, Increasing Tropical Cyclones
Context: Cyclone Tauktae that was the first Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm in the Arabian Sea to make landfall in Gujarat in 130 years. In less than a few days after the landfall of Tauktae, there is a possible cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal called Yaas. Relevance: GS-I: Geography (Physical geography – Climatology, Important […]
Global surge in single-use plastic: Environmental hazard
Context: A detailed report published Minderoo, a nonprofit organization sheds new light on throwaway single-use plastic producers and the threats they pose as one of the world’s biggest environmental hazards. Relevance: GS-III: Environment and Ecology (Pollution Control and Waste Management, Environmental Degradation) Dimensions of the Article: What are Single-Use Plastics? Highlights of the report on […]