Environment

. A still larger issue now emerging is the environmental issues, erosion of forest cover, etc,  around the infrastructure projects. The present issues being faced in Orissa and other  states on projects which can not only alter the face of the state but also the nation in terms  of economic development need deeper introspection. The … Read more

Basel Convention: The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal was adopted on 22 March 1989 by the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Basel, Switzerland, in response to a public outcry following the discovery, in the 1980s, in Africa and other parts of the developing world of deposits of … Read more

Food Security  Rising temperatures, heat extremes, floods, droughts and rainfall variability can disrupt rainfed agricultural food production and adversely impact crop yield.  For instance, as per a NITI Aayog document, of the total pulses, oilseeds and cotton produced in the country, 80% pulses, 73% oilseeds and 68% cotton come from rain-fed agriculture. Water Security Droughts … Read more

Kyoto protocol set ambitious goals for countries but couldn’t meet them. Reasons for the failure of Kyoto protocol are as follows: Though Kyoto was legal, it didn’t have provision of enforcing penalties, as a result developed countries failed to meet the target  and also got away with that. Developing countries criticized this protocol from the … Read more

Major findings are as follows: Area-wise Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra. In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top five States are Mizoram (85.41%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%), Meghalaya (76.33%), Manipur (75.46%) and Nagaland (75.31%). Total mangrove cover … Read more

. Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled. These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, stirrers, styrofoam cups or plates etc.   Impacts of single use … Read more

Project Tiger was launched in 1973 for conserving the tiger. From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50, spread out in 18 of tiger range states. These reserves are constituted on a core / buffer strategy. The core areas have the legal status of a national park … Read more

.  The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and  Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits has been negotiated under the aegis of CBD to  fulfill one of the objectives of CBD i.e. to promote equitable sharing of benefits arising  out of use of genetic resources. It was signed by CoP in Nagoya, Japan. Once … Read more

Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF 2.0) and Streets for People Challenge is for providing Roadmap for cities towards Combating Climate Change while planning / implementing their actions including investments CSCAF initiative intends to inculcate Climate-Sensitive Approach to Urban Planning and Development Framework with 28 indicators across five categories developed after review of Global Frameworks/ … Read more

. The salient features of the Draft National Water Policy (2012) are presented  below: Emphasis on the need for a national water framework law, comprehensive legislation for optimum development of inter-State rivers and river valleys, amendment of Irrigation Acts,  Indian Easements Act, 1882, etc. Water, after meeting the pre-emptive needs for safe drinking water and … Read more