Current Affair 1:

Forest Survey of India Report 2021: Mangroves

 

Current Affair 2:

The glaciers in Nepal are morphologically different from the glaciers elsewhere. How?

 

Nepal has summer accumulation-type glaciers because the country receives more than 80 per cent of its precipitation during the summer. Another characteristic of the glaciers is that the ice is covered with layers of debris such as soil, sand, rocks, pebbles and even big boulders.

If the thickness of the debris is more than 1 metre then the melting rate of the ice is slow. If the debris is thin — 2-3 centimetre — then the rate of melting becomes high. The debris absorb more solar radiation as they are black or brown in colour.

The energy budget on the glacier surface would be different with a little debris on the ice. These are the unique characteristics of the Himalayan glaciers in Nepal.

Another important aspect is the settling of black carbon on the glaciers which increases the rate of melting.

Current Affair 3:

Air pollution contributing to the ‘insect apocalypse’?

 

There is an ‘insect apocalypse’ underway across the world. The threats to insects include habitat loss, climate change, land-use change and insecticides. But there appears to be another insidious contributor: polluted air.

Insects have an essential role to play in our ecosystem. They pollinate many of our fruits, flowers and vegetables, contributing significantly to the productivity of at least 75 per cent of global crop species. Their services are vital for India’s food security.

Insects keep pests in check. For example, ladybird preys on aphids, that damage crops. Insects are also food sources for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Moreover, given their diversity and abundance, it is inevitable that insects are intimately involved in all terrestrial and freshwater food chains and food webs.

1. Caterpillars, aphids, caddisfly larvae and grasshoppers are herbivores, for instance, turning plant material into tasty insect protein that is far more easily digested by larger animals.
2. Others, such as wasps, ground beetles and mantises, occupy the next level in the food chain, as predators of the herbivores. All of them are prey for a multitude of birds, bats, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals and fish, which would have little or nothing to eat if it weren’t for insects.
3. In their turn, the top predators such as sparrowhawks, herons and osprey that prey on the insectivorous starlings, frogs, shrews or salmon would themselves go hungry without insects.

How could pollution hurt insects?

1. Air pollutants can mess with the insects’ ability to sniff flowers, lowering pollination services.
2. Flowers release odour as chemicals called volatile organic compounds, which help insects locate flowers. Pollutants could react with and change the scents of flowers, making them harder to find.
3. One study found that honey bees exposed to low medium and high air pollutant concentrations had an impaired ability to recollect odour.
4. Pollutants might also mess with social bonds. Insects use odours for a huge variety of interactions with each other and their environment.
5. For example, insects use airborne odours to attract a mate. “If pheromone communication is disrupted similarly, it could result in insects struggling to find mates, which could have ramifications for insect biodiversity

Current Affair 4:

National Green Tribunal

 

First of all why this body?

The National Green Tribunal has been established on under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property.

Composition:

The chairperson shall be appointed by the central government in consultation with the chief justice of India. Judicial member & expert member shall be appointed on the recommendations of select committee as provided by the central government.

Chairperson, judicial member & expert member shall hold office for a term of 5 years but shall not be eligible for re- appointment.

Removal and suspension of Chairperson, Judicial Member and Expert Member:

Jurisdiction:

Current Affair 5:

Lead poisoning

 

Lead exposure that, in turn, causes cardiovascular diseases (CVD), chronic kidney diseases and idiopathic intellectual disability, is said to be responsible for nearly 45 per cent or close to half of these deaths in 2019, according to the WHO report.

Over 0.9 million people died from exposure to lead. Of these, close to 9 out of every 10 persons died from CVD due to lead exposure. In fact, the deaths due to lead exposure have also increased by a disturbing 67 per cent since 2016

Lead is added to paints for various reasons, including enhancing the colour, reducing corrosion and decreasing the drying time.

The world is lagging behind in controlling lead use. Just 41 per cent of countries including India, have legally binding controls on the production, import, sale and use of lead paints, according to the WHO.

According to the report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), only 13 countries have laws which prescribe that lead concentration should not be more than 90 particles per million (ppm). These countries are: India, the United States (US), Bangladesh, Canada, Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines.

 

 

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