Environment

DMPQ-Briefly describe the major components of social forestry. Also mention the significance of it.

Social forestry means the management and protection of forests and afforestation on barren  lands with the purpose of helping in the environmental, social and rural development. The  National Commission on Agriculture (1976) has classified social forestry into three categories. The main thrust of social forestry is to reduce pressure on the  traditional forest areas by developing plantation of fuel wood, fodder and grasses. The practice  of social forestry has become very popular during the last three decades. This need for a social forestry scheme was felt as India has a  dominant rural population that still depends largely on fuelwood and ... Read more

DMPQ-. Discuss the salient features of India’s national water policy.

. 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 sanitation, achieving food security, supporting poor people dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and high  priority allocation for minimum eco-system needs, be treated as economic good so as to  promote its conservation and efficient use. Ecological needs of the river should be determined recognizing that ... Read more

DMPQ-Throw light on the potential consequences we are witnessing because of global warming.

Global warming due to GHGs and Ozone depletion may have following adverse consequences: Faster snow melting and glacier depletion Melting of glaciers will put close to half of  world’s population under threat from flooding in short term and draughts, water and  power shortages in long run. Siachin Glacier has retreated by around 1 km in past 25  years. Sea Level Rise Water levels will rise due to melting of glaciers and thermal expansion  of waters. Over the last century, a rise of 10-25 cm has been recorded and it put in  danger the low lying islands and areas. Small Island ... Read more

DMPQ-Discuss India’s climate change policy and also mention the changes brought in it overtime.

. India’s policy on climate change can be broadly divided into two phases – one in which it strictly adhered to ‘Historical Responsibility’  slogan and the other when it diluted it as it became a bigger economy and bigger polluter. India has  become third largest emitter of GHG in absolute terms only behind China, which is at top, and the USA.  Share of India is around 6%, share of China is 20% in global GHG emissions. India believes that accumulated stocks of GHGs is mainly the result of carbon based industrial activities  of Industrialized countries and hence it endorses the ... Read more

DMPQ-Briefly discuss the significance of Nagoya protocol, 2010 in the conservation of biodiversity.

.  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 ratified by  50 members, it will be a legally binding agreement for parties to follow rules related to  prevention of bio-piracy, and provide benefits including financial benefits to other  parties when their genetic resources are accessed. It also plans to reduce the  biodiversity loss by ... Read more

DMPQ- Explain why Kyoto protocol couldn’t achieve it’s goals.

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 beginning and they argued against fixing 1990 as the baseline as it would virtually absolve the developed  nations of their historic responsibilities. It also allowed developing countries to pollute unchecked, there should have been some mechanism for check on greenhouse gases in developing countries  as ... Read more

DMPQ- . Briefly discuss the Kyoto protocol. Also mention the two major instruments of this protocol.

. In a bid to curb carbon emissions and global warming, Kyoto  Protocol was signed among various countries and it entered into force in 2005 which  marked the beginning of its first commitment period till 2012 (second commitment  period was agreed from 2013-20). It was an extension of UNFCCC and a concrete plan to  bring GHG emission down in a legally binding manner. Countries were divide into three groups – Annex-1 countries (the Industrialized  economies and economies in transition) and Annex-2 (the developed countries  excluding economies in transition which will actually pay to developing countries for  their costs incurred in ... Read more

DMPQ-“Nuclear waste is quickly becoming the most dangerous challenges for the world.” Elucidate.

. Like all industries, the generation of electricity produces waste. Whatever fuel is used, the waste produced in generating electricity must be managed in ways that safeguard human health and minimise the impact on the environment.For radioactive waste, this means isolating or diluting it such that the rate or concentration of any radionuclides returned to the biosphere is harmless. To achieve this, practically all radioactive waste is contained and managed, with some clearly needing deep and permanent burial. From nuclear power generation, unlike all other forms of thermal electricity generation, all waste is regulated – none is allowed to cause ... Read more

DMPQ- . Throw light on the salient features of draft Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), 2020.

A signatory to the Stockholm Declaration (1972) on Environment, India enacted laws to control water (1974) and air (1981) pollution soon after. But it was only after the Bhopal gas leak disaster in 1984 that the country legislated an umbrella Act for environmental protection in 1986. Exemptions All inland waterways projects and expansion/widening of national highways — two focus areas of the government and championed by Nitin Gadkari, the minister in charge of the sectors concerned — will be exempt from prior clearance. These include roads that cut through forests and dredging of major rivers. The 2020 draft also exempts ... Read more

DMPQ- What is single use plastic? Explain how management of single use plastic pollution is a severe challenge for India.

single-use plastics are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuel–based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after use—often, in mere minutes. Single-use plastics are most commonly used for packaging and serviceware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags. The bigger challenge is to put in place an efficient waste management system, which would bring in a more sustainable way to deal with plastic waste. This would involve segregation of waste at source, collection and recycling. It would also mean nudging people towards making behavioural changes. Almost 60 per cent of all plastic waste in the ... Read more