Global Air Pollution Standards : WHO: The World Health Organization (WHO), in its first-ever update since 2005, has tightened global air pollution standards in recognition of the emerging science that the impact of air pollution on health is much more serious than earlier envisaged. The upper limit of annual PM2.5 as per the 2005 standards, […]
Category: Environment Current Affairs
New Rules For Ammonium Nitrate
New Rules For Ammonium Nitrate: The Government has amended the rules for Ammonium Nitrate to curb its pilferage, introduce fire-fighting provisions as well as improve ways to handle and store the chemical. These rules have been amended from the lesson learnt from the Beirut Explosion in 2020. Nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored […]
World Rhino Day 2021
World Rhino Day: World Rhino Day is observed on 22th September to spread awareness for all five species of rhino and work being done to save them. It was first announced by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – South Africa in 2010. The species of rhinoceros are on the verge of extinction due to persistent […]
Sea Cucumber
Sea Cucumber: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has seized two tonnes of sea cucumber, a banned marine species, in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay areas in Tamil Nadu. Sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates that live on the seafloor found generally in tropical regions. They’re named for their unusual oblong shape that resembles a […]
Humboldt Penguins
Humboldt Penguins: Last week, Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo announced the addition of two new Humboldt penguin chicks this year. The two join seven adult Humboldt penguins at Byculla Zoo — Popeye, Flipper, Bubble, and the new parents. Humboldt penguins are a medium-sized species among at least 17 species. The largest, the Emperor penguin, stands at over […]
Global Methane Pledge
Global Methane Pledge: The US President has announced the Global Methane Pledge, which is an US-EU led effort to cut methane emissions by a third by the end of this decade. The announcement has come ahead of 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Glasgow, UK. […]
White-Sided Dolphins
White-Sided Dolphins: The traditional annual killing of whales and dolphins (grindadrap hunt) in North Atlantic islands that belong to Denmark has sparked controversy. 1,428 white-sided dolphins were slaughtered at Faroe Islands. White-Sided Dolphins: Scientific Name: Lagenorhynchus acutus Their common name comes from the prominent white stripes on their sides, which span from below the dorsal […]
Mura-Drava-Danube: World’s First Five-Country Biosphere Reserve
Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) Was Declared As The World’s First ‘Five-Country Biosphere Reserve: Mura-Drava-Danube (MDD) was declared as the world’s first ‘five-country biosphere reserve’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The biosphere reserve covers 700 kilometres of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers and stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia. The […]
Arsenic in Food Chain: Bihar
Food Chain Contamination: A recent study in Bihar has found Arsenic contamination not only in groundwater but in the food chain as well. The research study was a part of the Project Nature and Nurture in Arsenic Induced Toxicity of Bihar jointly funded by the British Council in the United Kingdom and Department of Science […]
What are Tarballs?
Tarballs Were Seen Lying On The Shore Of Mumbai Beach: Black oil-emanating balls also called Tarballs were seen, lying on the shore of Mumbai Beach. Tarballs are dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. They are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments. Some of […]
