Notes and Study material for Exams
UNEP is the principal UN body in the field of the Environment, assisting governments to address global, regional and national environmental challenges. Its mandate was reinforced at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and through the Rio+20 outcome document “The Future Want” . As a follow up to the Rio+20 Conference, UNEP has … Read more
The Greenhouse Effect The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that insulates the Earth . Incoming solar radiations are absorbed and reemitted back from the Earth’s surface as infrared energy, greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the Atmosphere prevent some of this heat from escaping into space, instead reflecting the energy back to further warm the surface. Human … Read more
In order to check rapid deforestation due to forestlands being released by state governments for agriculture, Industry and other development projects (allowed under the Indian Forest Act) the federal government enacted the Forest conservation Act in 1980 with an amendment in 1988. The Act made the prior approval of the federal government necessary for de-reservation … Read more
The Environment Protection Act is an important legislation that provides for coordination of activities of the various regulatory agencies, creation of authorities with adequate powers for environmental protection, regulation of the discharge of environmental pollutants, handling of hazardous substances, etc. The Act provided an opportunity to extend legal protection to non-forest habitats (‘Ecologically Sensitive Areas’) … Read more
Biodiversity is defined as the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic Ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems. Basically biodiversity is the total number of genes, species and ecosystems of a region. It includes … Read more
Bureau of Indian Standards , based on the past seismic history, grouped the country into four seismic zones, viz. Zone-II, -III, -IV and –V. Of these, Zone V is the most seismically active region, while zone II is the least. The Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity, which measures the impact of the Earthquakes on the surface of the … Read more
Ozone (O3) is a molecule made up of three atoms of Oxygen (O), and is mostly found in the strato- sphere, where it protects us from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Although it represents only a tiny fraction of the Atmosphere, ozone is crucial for life on Earth. The stratospheric ozone layer forms a … Read more
Sound is measured in decibels (dB). An increase of about 10 dB is approximately double the increase in loudness. A person’s hearing can be damaged if exposed to noise levels over 75 dB over a prolonged period of time. The World Health Organization recommends that the sound level indoors should be less than 30 dB. … Read more
E — WASTE E-Waste is not hazardous if it is stocked in safe storage or recycled by scientific methods or transported from one place to the other in parts or in totality in the formal sector. The e-waste can be considered hazardous if recycled by primitive methods Survey was carried out by the Central Pollution … Read more
ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION defined as ‘an addition or excessive addition of certain materials to the physical environment (water, air and lands), making it less fit or unfit for life’. Pollutants are the materials or factors, which cause adverse effect on the natural quality of any component of the environment. Classifications 1. According to the form in … Read more