Yearly Review of Environment 2018 –

Current Affairs Capsule in PDF

January 2018
 550m living with unsafe PM10 levels

o About 550 million people, are living in cities that recorded annual
particulate matter levels above the national standards in 2016, a report by
Greenpeace India said.

o The report, titled ‘Airpocalypse-II’, said that 180 million people were living
in areas where the PM10 levels were more than twice the annual limit of
60 µg/m³.

o Delhi is the most polluted with annual PM10 level of 290 µg/m³.

 Moss that can remove lead from water

o Scientists have identified a type of moss that can efficiently absorb a large
amount of lead, providing a green alternative for decontaminating
polluted water and soil.

o Lead-contaminated water is a serious environmental concern.

o Researchers from RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS)

in Japan conducted the research.

 India restricts use of imported petcoke

o The environment ministry has placed restrictions on the use of imported

petroleum coke in Delhi & its surrounding region to curb rising air
pollution.

o Only consented & registered industrial units of NCR States shall be

permitted to directly import pet coke.

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 o India is the world's largest consumer of petcoke & imports over half its
annual petcoke consumption of about 27mn tonnes mainly from US.

 Last 3 years hottest on record

o UN's weather agency, World Meteorological Organization has said the last
three years were the hottest on record.

o 2016 remains the hottest year ever measured, due to the warming effect of
El Nino, while 2017 was the warmest non-El Nino year.

o The 21st century has so far been a period of the hottest weather,
accounting for 17 of the 18 warmest years on record.

 Joint estimation of tigers in Sunderbans

o The first joint estimation of tigers in the Sunderbans, spread across India
and Bangladesh, began on Monday, with a training workshop.

o Eminent tiger biologist Qamar Qureshi said the Sunderbans houses the
fifth largest tiger population in the world.

o The region hosts 75% of all big cats in the world.

 ‘Elcysma Ziroensis’ discovered in AP

o A new moth species named ‘Elcysma Ziroensis’ has been discovered in the
Talle Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh.

o This discovery has been published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.

o This new species has been scientifically named Elcysma Ziroensis.

o It would be commonly called Apatani Glory. This has been named after a
local tribe called Apatani.

 Clean air campaign from February 10

o Government will launch a clean air campaign from 10th of next month for
clean air in Delhi.

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 o The two weeks campaign will be held in collaboration with Delhi
Government, NDMC, CPCB and other municipal agencies.

o The campaign seeks to sensitise ground-level functionaries and general

public to enforce the habit of environmental protection.

 Mankidia denied habitat in Simlipal

o Mankidia, one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups in Odisha,

were denied habitat rights inside the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

o They are denied their right under the historic Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.

o State Forest Department has objected on grounds that tribals could be

attacked by wild animals, especially tigers.

 New night frog species found

o Scientists have just discovered the "mewasinghi" Night frog, belonging to a

genus endemic to the Western Ghats, from Kozhikode’s Malabar Wildlife
Sanctuary.

o It is according to a scientific paper published on December 26 in The

Journal of Threatened Taxa.

o The new night frog "Nyctibatrachus mewasinghi" is light brown in colour

with an off-white underside.

 2 Ginger species found in the northeast

o Scientists have discovered two new species of Ginger in easternmost

districts, Ukhrul in Manipur and Tuensang in Nagaland.

o Hedychium chingmeianum, the species discovered in Tuensang district, is

an epiphytic plant and grows on tall trees, while Caulokaempferia
dinabandhuensis was found growing in rock crevices.

o Two BSI scientists, Nripemo Odyou and Dilip Kumar Roy, found the plant.

 Ban on entry in Bhitarkanika NP

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 o The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district will be
closed for tourists for a week so that the annual census of estuarine
crocodiles can be done.

o The forest department has imposed a seven-day ban, starting January 3, to

prevent noise pollution during the headcount operation of the reptiles.

o It was designated as national park in 1998 and as a Ramsar site on 19

August 2002.

 New endemic ants from the Andamans

o Scientists have discovered 2 new ant species of the genus Tetramorium in

the evergreen forests of the Andamans.

o Scientists of the NCBS, Bengaluru and the Okinawa Inst. of Sci.

& Tech, Japan discovered the new species Tetramorium krishnani &
Tetramorium jarawa in Havelock Island.

o They are named in honour of late scientist K.S. Krishnan & after the
Jarawas, an indigenous people of the islands.

February 2018
 Cultural festival in Varanasi on cleanliness

o Varanasi will host a 2-day festival Swachhagrah Bapu ko Kaaryaanjali on

Feb 21 & 22 to bring focus to cleanliness by using different forms of
culture.

o It will be held at Man Mandir Ghat & Assi Ghat in Varanasi.

o It will see the engagement of academia, artists, artisans on use of cultural

expressions for conservation & protection of the river and the city.

 UK team to study ice shelf in Antarctic

o A British Antarctic Survey-led team will investigate a marine ecosystem

hidden for up to 120,000 years beneath the Larsen C Ice Shelf, which lost
a trillion-tonne iceberg last year.

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 o They will investigate the 5,818-square-km of seabed left exposed by the
separation.

o The team plans to conduct the research before sunlight changes the
undersea environment changes, giving birth to new species.

 M.P. agrees to shift six tigers to Odisha

o The Madhya Pradesh government has given an “in principle” nod to

translocate three pairs of tigers to Odisha’s Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

o The in-principle approval came after CM Shivraj Singh agreed to the

Odisha government’s request for translocation of the big cats.

o Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wild Life, Jitendra Agrawal said the
STR is left with only one pair of tigers.

 Centre drafts 10-city plan to clean Ganga

o The Centre has drafted a plan to check the flow of sewer water into the
river Ganga by installing sewage treatment plants (STP) in 10 major cities.

o These cities reportedly contribute about 65% of the total polluted water
flowing into the river.

o As per an official of National Mission for Clean Ganga, these STPs would
ensure 100% sewage treatment.

 Clean air for Delhi campaign launched

o Delhi govt & MoEF has jointly launched Clean Air Campaign, which will
continue for 2 weeks till Feb 23.

o As part of the Campaign, 70 teams have been

constituted, comprising 1 officer of MoEF&CC & another from Delhi govt,
who will be the co-leaders of the team.

o Campaign would include enforcement of pollution-control measures for

vehicles, driving discipline & inspection of power plants.

 Chile gets 5 national parks together

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 o Chile has created five new national parks that are collectively the size of
Switzerland.

o The new national parks, which aim to preserve vast tracts of Patagonia,
comprise 9 million acres of federal land and over 1 million acres of land
donated by American philanthropists.

o Interestingly, the latter marks the largest private land donation in the
world.

 Second shipwreck found near Vizag

o A 2nd shipwreck was discovered by a team of experienced divers in the sea

off Bheemunipatnam, 45 km from Vizag.

o This comes a month after a century-old shipwreck was unearthed in the

region.

o An extremely rare species of Goliath grouper fish, considered to be the

keystone species of an ecosystem is also found here. This fish is recognised
as a critically endangered species by the IUCN.

 NGT imposes 10 lakh envt compensation on UP

o The National Green Tribunal imposed an environment compensation of

Rs 10 lakh on the UP government for failing to take action on disposing e-
waste from the banks of the Ramganga river in Moradabad.

o A bench, headed by Acting NGT Chairperson Justice U D Salvi imposed

the compensation.

o The green panel also imposed an environment compensation on the

Moradabad district magistrate.

 Floating Treatment wetlands inaugurated

o It is the largest floating treatment wetland having plants as cleaning

agents was inaugurated on Nekampur lake, Hyderabad.

o The plants on the floating treatment wetlands help to clean the lakes by
absorbing nitrates and oxygen in water.
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 o Cleaning agents planted on the FTW include vetivers, canna, cattalis,
bulrush, citronella, hibiscus, fountain grass, flowering herbs, tulsi and
ashvagandha.

March 2018
 Agreement for protecting the carbon store

o An agreement has been signed to protect the largest tropical peatland in

the world, which is an important carbon store.

o The "Brazzaville Declaration", signed by the Democratic Republic of

Congo, the Republic of Congo and Indonesia to protect the peatland
ecosystems of Congo basin.

o The equivalent of three years of global greenhouse gas emissions is stored

in the Congo peatlands.

 100% Solar powered PHCs in Surat

o Surat has become the first district in the country to have 100 percent solar
powered Primary Health Centers (PHC).

o There are a total of 52 PHCs in the district and all of them are now
powered by the solar power system.

o This initiative will not only bring down the electricity bill by 40 percent
but also help fight global warming.

 Rhino census begins in Assam

o In Assam, the rhino census at the world heritage site Kaziranga National
Park began on 26th March.

o The census is carried out every three years.

o As per the last census, 2401 rhinos were found at the Kaziranga National
Park conducted in 2015.

o Authorities divided the 430 sq km park into 74 compartments, with 300

government and NGO officials conducting the survey.
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  'Sudan' the rhino is dead

o Sudan, the world's last male northern white rhino, has died.

o For nearly a decade, Sudan lived in a 700-acre enclosure at the Ol Pejeta

Conservancy, against the backdrop of the hulking Mount Kenya.

o Armed guards protected him 24 hours a day because he belonged to a

subspecies on the verge of extinction from poachers.

 World’s longest sandstone cave found

o The world’s longest sandstone cave called 'Krem Puri', which is 24,583
metres long has been discovered in Meghalaya.

o This underground cave is more than 6,000 metres longer than the world
record-holder, the 'Cueva Del Saman' in Edo Zulia, Venezuela — a
quartzite sandstone cave measuring 18,200 metres.

o The cave system has fossils of dinosaurs, that lived 66-76 million years
ago.

 New fish species identified in Manipur

o A new freshwater fish species have been identified in the north-eastern

state of Manipur.

o The new fish species, "Pethia poiensis", was found by a research team of
Manipur University’s life sciences department and a researcher from the
Zoological Survey of India in the Challou River in Manipur.

o These fish species is locally known as "Ngakha macha" in Manipur

 India's first offshore wind turbines

o The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will set up India’s
first offshore wind turbines at Arichamunai near Dhanushkodi in Tamil
Nadu.

o This region was selected on the basis of the quality and speed of the wind
which was found to be good.

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 o The MNRE will install 4 to 5 wind turbines, each with the capacity to
generate a minimum of 6 MW of power.

 New species of water strider found

o Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new

species of the water strider.

o The species, named Ptilomera nagalanda Jehamalar and Chandra, was

found in the river Intanki in Peren district of Nagaland.

o Water striders are a group of insects adapted to life on the surface of the
water.

o Their presence serves as an indicator of the water quality.

 Clean-up drive initiated at Mount Everest

o A clean-up drive has been initiated at the Mount Everest in Nepal.

o It aims at airlifting 100 tonnes of waste left behind by tourists & climbers
of the World's Highest Mountain.

o This year's clean-up campaign is focused on items that could be recycled in

Kathmandu.

o Clean-up programmes is being run by local guides for decades, but are
now coordinated by Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee.

 Maharashtra bans Plastic

o Maharastra has decided to ban the use of plastic from "Gudi Padva", the
Maharashtrian New Year, which is on 18 march, this year.

o The ban would cover the production, use, storage, sale, import and
transportation of plastic.

o The plastic used to cover medicines, forest and horticulture products, the
use of plastic in special economic zones for export purposes are exempted
from the ban.

 EIB to invest in clean energy projects

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 o European Investment Bank (EIB) will be signing a new loan for large and
small clean energy projects all over India.

o The EIB is the world's biggest financier of climate action and clean energy
projects.In 2017 the EIB invested EUR 19.6bn in climate action projects.

o The EIB signed a partnership with the International Solar Alliance aimed
at supporting the initiative.

 India to strengthen solar cooperation

o India is all set to host 25 heads of state or governments on March 11 at the

inaugural International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit which will provide a
platform for the country to display soft power.

o The ISA was initiated in 2015 and led by India and France aims to create
solar projects in the Pacific nation.

o The key goal of the summit is to make available solar energy at an

affordable price.

 Diu first UT to run 100% on solar power

o Diu has become the first and only Union Territory to be fully solar energy
efficient.

o Diu has made expeditious progress in the field of solar power generation
as it has become the first UT in the country where more than 100% of the
energy requirement is met by solar power.

o Diu generates a total of 13 megawatts of electricity from solar power

generating facilities daily.

 New antibiotic discovered by scientists.

o A novel species of a bacterium that produces antibiotic has been

discovered by a professor at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and his
researchers.

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 o The newly discovered bacterium, Planctopirus hydrilla, may provide a
solution to the problem of diseases becoming resistant to a majority of
known drugs.

o The new bacteria would also clean up ammonia waste, a growing

environmental concern.

 AWBI headquarters shifted to Haryana

o The headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been
shifted from Chennai to Haryana's Ballabhgarh for "better coordination"
between the environment ministry and the board.

o AWBI consists of 22 members even though the total number should be 28

as per the PCA Act.

o The new office will be at the eight-acre National Institute of Animal

Welfare (NIAW) campus in the Delhi.

 Reptile that could detach its tail

o Scientists have identified ancient reptiles dating back to 289 million years
ago that could detach their tails to escape the grasp of their predators.

o The reptiles, called Captorhinus, weighed less than two kilograms and
were smaller than the predators of the time.

o Captorhinus are small omnivores and herbivores, and its relatives had to
scrounge for food while avoiding being preyed upon.

 Colonies of penguins discovered in Antarctica

o "Mega-colonies" of over 15 lakh Adélie penguins have been discovered on

Danger Islands near the Antarctic peninsula.

o Prompted by satellite images, scientists mounted on an expedition and

used on-the-ground counts and drones to reveal 7,51,527 pairs of
penguins.

o Researchers have called for protecting the area, five times larger than
Germany, as it was seemingly unaffected by climate change.
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  Waterbird species down in EGREE Region

o The number of water bird species has declined by half in most habitats
across the East Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem (EGREE) region.

o This was revealed during a census conducted in the region, including the
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary and parts of Mada forest and Papikondalu
regions.

o The census was conducted on February 20 and 21 in accordance with

Asian Waterbird Census guidelines.

 3rd elephant species confirmed

o Creating a DNA map of the elephant family, an international team of

scientists have confirmed there are three species of modern elephant,
apart from the commonly known African and Asian elephants.

o African savannah was listed a new species distinct from African forest
elephants.

o Data revealed near-complete isolation between their ancestors for a

duration of 5,00,000 years.

 New plant species named after Abdul Kalam

o Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India have identified a new plant
species from two protected National Parks in West Bengal.

o Named Drypetes kalamii, it is a small shrub found to be shorter version of

its close relative Drypetes ellisii.

o The plant is named after former President Abdul Kalam.

 Largest Habitat Of Irrawaddy Dolphins:Chilika

o The Chilika lake in Odisha has emerged as the single largest habitat of
Irrawaddy dolphins in the world with the spotting of 155 dolphins.

o The finding is based on the preliminary report of the first ever ‘Annual
Monitoring’ of the lake.

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 o It was conducted by the CDA to count the number of the dolphins and to
study the hydrological impacts of removal of pen culture (locally known as
gherries).

April 2018
 World's oldest spider discovered in Australia

o Scientists have discovered what may be the world's oldest recorded spider
- a 43-year-old arachnid in Australia.

o The Giaus Villosus trapdoor matriarch, had outlived the previous world
record holder, a 28-year old tarantula found in Mexico.

o The spider has recently died during a long-term population study.

 All protected areas declared plastic free zone

o The environment ministry has banned plastics in all protected areas

around the country, thus declaring them “plastic free zones”.

o The environment ministry has directed states and Union territories to

organise awareness campaigns to sensitise people about the issue.

o This comes ahead of the World Environment Day which is being hosted by
India this year.

 UNCCD workshop on land degradation

o A four-day Asia Pacific Regional Workshop of the United Nations

Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in New Delhi.

o The workshop was jointly held jointly hosted by the Ministry of

Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and UNCCD
Secretariat.

o Its objective was to discuss on how to build the capacity of the Asia-Pacific
Region to monitor and report on land degradation

 New frog species takes historical name of Goa

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 o In the highland plateaus of the Western Ghats parts of Goa, scientists have
identified a new species of frog called 'Fejervarya goemchi'.

o The new species is named after the historical name of the state of Goa
where the species is discovered.

o The new species is found in the high elevation areas of laterite plateaus,
temporary water bodies and paddy fields of Goa.

 Giant Mosquito Found In China

o Scientists have discovered a giant mosquito from the 'Holorusia mikado'

species with a wingspan of 11.15 cm in China.

o First found in Japan, the Holorusia mikado species normally has a

wingspan of about 8 cm.

o These mosquitoes do not feed on blood & the adults have a lifespan of only
a few days and mainly feed on nectar.

 Western Ghats reveal smallest land fern

o Indian researchers have discovered the world’s smallest land fern hiding in
the Ahwa forests of the Western Ghats in Gujarat’s Dang district.

o The fingernail-sized fern belongs to a group known as the adder’s-tongue

ferns.

o The size of the new Malvi’s adder’s-tongue fern 'Ophioglossum malviae' is

just one centimetre.

 New system to measure air quality

o India is tying up with the United States and Finland to develop a

pollution-forecast system.

o The system will help anticipate particulate matter (PM) levels at least two
days in advance and at a greater resolution than what is possible now.

o The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) will be coordinating this exercise

and the plan is to have a system in place by winter.

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  Haryana signed pact with IOC

o The Haryana government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding

with the Indian Oil Corporation for setting up a biomethenation plant in
Faridabad.

o The plant will produce cooking gas and compost from organic waste.

o The plant will also produce about four tonnes of compost per day from five
tonnes of organic waste. This compost will be supplied to HSVP for parks.

 New draft coast regulation rules

o Environment Ministry has framed new rules governing country's coastline

in which it has proposed expanding land area for development activities
& tourism infrastructure.

o Draft proposes a No Development Zone of 20m to be stipulated for all

islands close to main land coast.

o It also proposes temporary tourism facilities such as shacks, toilet blocks,

change rooms, and others at beaches.

 Environment ministry releases draft of NCAP

o Environment Ministry has come out with a draft national action plan
proposing multiple strategies to reduce air pollution.

o Ministry in the draft said the objective of NCAP is to augment & evolve an
effective & a proficient ambient air quality monitoring network across the
country.

o Ministry hopes to bring down air pollution in 100 non-attainment cities by

50% in next 5 years under the NCAP.

 New antibiotic to fight drug resistance

o A new class of antibiotics, from an unconventional source which has a

distinct way of killing bacteria, has been discovered. It may help combat
drug-resistant or hard-to-treat bacterial infections.

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 o The antibiotic called 'odilorhabdins', or ODLs, is produced by symbiotic
bacteria.

o The bacteria helps in killing the insect and secretes the antibiotic to keep
competing bacteria away.

 New plant species found in Western Ghats

o Researchers have discovered a new plant species from the Western Ghats
biodiversity hotspot.

o Classified as a sedge, the grass-like plant has been named 'Fimbristylis

agasthyamalaensis' after the locality from which it was found.

o The new species belongs to the Cyperaceae family.

o In India, the genus is represented by 122 species, of which 87 are reported

from the Western Ghats.

 First city to roll-out Euro VI fuel

o With an aim to combat the rising levels of air pollution in Delhi-NCR

region, petrol pumps in the capital have started supplying ultra-clean
Bharat Stage VI grade fuel.

o This move makes New Delhi the first city in the country to switch from BS-
IV grade fuels to BS-VI.

o The major difference in standards between the existing BS-IV and the new
BS-VI auto fuel norms is the presence of sulphur.

May 2018
 ‘Gaj Yatra’ campaign launched in Meghalaya

o The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and the Wildlife
Trust of India rolled out the ‘Gaj Yatra’ from Tura, Meghalaya.

o It aims to raise awareness about the shrinking space for India's wild
elephants & the importance of securing elephant corridors.

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 o The event involves taking an elephant mascot across districts frequented
by jumbo herds for generating awareness among the people.

 BCCI, UN Environment sign agreement

o The BCCI and UN Environment have signed an agreement to promote

‘green' Cricket in India.

o The partnership aims to spread greater awareness about key

environmental challenges facing the country, and highlight alternate and
more sustainable solutions.

o The partnership will also focus on phasing out single-use plastic across
stadiums in the country.

 Mekunu Cyclone turns severe

o India Meteorological Department has warned that Mekunu Cyclone might

trigger heavy showers along the Maharashtra coast.

o Mekunu Cyclone had caused severe flooding and damage in Yemeni island
of Socotra and now is moving towards the western coast.

o High speed winds and rough seas are expected in next three days and
lifeguard agencies have asked people not to visit beaches for the next 72
hours.

 Indonesia’s active volcano shows danger signs

o Mount Merapi, Indonesia’s active volcano on Java island has shown

dangers with small eruptions.

o The last eruption from this volcano killed more than 350 people in 2010.

o Any public activity including hiking within 3km of radius has been
prohibited and villagers nearby have been asked to leave.

 ‘Green Good Deeds’ gets global recognition

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 o Green Good Deeds, the societal movement launched by Union Minister for
Environment, Dr Harsh Vardhan has found acceptance by the global
community.

o The movement aims to protect the environment and promote good living
in the country.

o The ongoing BRICS Ministerial on Environment in South Africa, has

agreed to include “Green Good Deeds” in its official agenda in the next
Ministerial in Brazil.

 IMD to add 30 Doppler radars in country

o The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will add 30 Doppler radars in

the next two-three years across the country.

o Doppler radars provide precise information about thunderstorms, dust

storms, hailstorms, rainfall and wind patterns.

o With a radius of 250km, they help in issuing nowcasts 2-3 hours prior to
severe weather events.

o The first Doppler radar was installed in Chennai in 2002.

 India fast losing mangrove cover

o According to the report, India has ranked ninth in the area of mangrove
forests it lost between 2000 and 2015, but the rate of loss is only half the
global average.

o The report has been published by the Woods Hole Research Center, a
think tank based in Massachusetts, USA.

o While Malaysia, Myanmar, Brazil, and Thailand were other countries to

lose maximum cover during the period of study.

 SAWEN's 1st meeting in India

o The South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), an inter-

governmental wildlife law enforcement agency, held its first-ever meeting
in India.
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 o SAWEN was launched in Bhutan in 2011.

o In 2016 the Union Cabinet gave permission to adopt the statute of

SAWEN.

o Its member countries are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Afghanistan, Pakistan & Maldives.

 UN Chief announced climate summit for 2019

o UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has announced that a climate

summit to review the Paris Agreement commitments will take place
in September 2019 in New York.

o In March 2018, Guterres appointed former New York Mayor Michael

Bloomberg as his Special Envoy for Climate Action who was tasked to
support UN in its climate strategy.

o In 2017, US withdrew itself from the Paris Agreement.

 New sheep insemination technique developed

o Scientists at the Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI),

have come up with a new laparoscope-assisted insemination technique for
sheep.

o The minor invasive laparoscopic technique involves passing a rigid fiber-

optic laparoscope into the abdomen through a small incision.

o Scientists said the new technique would help achieve up to 60% survival in
the birth of lambs.

 First record of invasive aphid in Kashmir

o The brown peach aphid – an insect that attacks temperate fruit trees – has
been found in Kashmir Valley for the first time.

o Aphids feed on the saps of plants, attacking plant tissues that transport
food to all different plant parts.

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 o The brown peach aphid is a notorious pest of peach and almond trees in
the Mediterranean regions.

 India to soon begin forecasting of tsunami

o India would now be able to foretell the distance a destructive sea wave
would travel after it breaches the coast, a prediction that can greatly
reduce loss of life and property.

o The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services has developed
a model to predict how far sea water would travel.

o This would be a Level-3 alert under India's Tsunami Early Warning

System.

 Govt launches NWIC to maintain water data

o Govt has set up a central body - National Water Informatics Centre to

maintain a comprehensive water resources data.

o NWIC will be a single window source of updated data on water resources

in India.

o NWIC will collaborate with national & international research institutes to

provide technical support to central & state organisations dealing with
water emergency response of hydrological extremes

 First dolphin census kicked off in Punjab

o The Punjab government along with WWF-India are conducting the first
organised census of Indus dolphins - one of the world’s rarest mammals.

o Found only in India and Pakistan, the Indus dolphins are confined to only
a 185 km stretch between Talwara and Harike Barrage in India’s Beas river
in Punjab.

o Indus river dolphin is the national mammal of Pakistan.

 New snake found in Western Ghats

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 o The snake, currently observed only in the forests of the Anaikatty hills in
Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district, has been named Uropeltis bhupathyi.

o The reptile belongs to a family of snakes found only in peninsular India

and Sri Lanka.

o They are non-venomous, burrowing and mostly earthworm-eating.

 World's rarest ape on the edge of extinction

o Tapanuli Orangutan - the rarest ape species on the planet - could lose its
battle for survival, unless decisive steps are taken to rescue it.

o Fewer than 800 members of the species survive, and they are under
assault from mega-projects, deforestation, road building, and poaching.

o The ape survives only in areas with virtually no roads.

 14 Cities In India are World's most polluted

o Delhi and Varanasi are among the 14 Indian cities that figured in a list of
20 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM 2.5 levels in 2016,
according to the data released by the WHO.

o Other Indian cities were Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Agra,

Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur.

o PM 2.5 includes pollutants like sulfate, nitrate and black carbon.

 CPCB has banned party poppers

o The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has banned party poppers —
a popular decorative used at parties and celebrations.

o Party poppers contains low-intensity chemical explosives and plastic

streamers that are linked to a variety of health issues and pollution.

o The reason behind the ban is primarily due to the impact of the chemicals
like red-phosphorous have on the eyes.

June 2018
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  World Bank: Maha most vulnerable to climate

o Maharashtra is among the states where people’s standards of living are

most vulnerable to climate change, says a World Bank study released,
titled “South Asia’s Hotspots”.

o The study projects that India could shave off 2.8% of GDP by 2050 if
greenhouse gas emissions continue unmitigated.

o Many districts will see 9% - 11% decline in standards of living with

Chandrapur district topping at 12.4%.

 BHEL and Korean firm work on curbing emission

o BHEL has inked a pact with South Korean firm NANO Co Ltd for design
and manufacture emission control devices.

o The Technology Collaboration Agreement (TCA) with NANO Co is for

design and manufacture of SCR Catalysts for De-NOx application in coal-
fired plants.

o In India, there is a 32% increase in SO2 levels and 34% rise in PM2.5
levels.

 Climate change may cost India 2.8% of GDP

o According to a World Bank report, changing monsoon patterns & rising

temperatures driven by climate change could cost India 2.8% of GDP.

o Climate change could depress the living standards of nearly half of India’s
population by 2050, which now lives in vulnerable areas.

o The worst hit would be people in 10 districts in Central India, which have
been identified as severe hotspots by the report.

 1st Inter-state translocation proj. of tigers

o In the country’s 1st inter-state translocation of tigers project, a female cub

was shifted from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, MP to Satkosia Tiger
Reserve, Odisha.

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 o India has a population of 3891 tigers, according to 2016 census.

o The ambitious project is conceived by the Ministry of Environment,

National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India to
boost tiger population.

 Delhi HC orders halt on cutting 17000 trees

o A controversial project that requires the cutting of 17,000 trees in Delhi.

o The NBCC also deposited Rs. 8 crores with the tree authority of the Delhi
government for permission to cut trees.

o Petitioner KK Mishra, asks the court to stop the central government

project to cut thousands of trees for the redevelopment of 7 colonies in
south Delhi.

o HC halts the cutting of trees till July 4 2018.

 Swachh Bharat survey 2018

o According to Swachh Bharat survey 2018, Jharkhand is the cleanest state

in India followed by Maharashtra and Chattisgarh.

o Among the cities, Indore is the cleanest followed by Bhopal & chandigarh.

o Tripura was at the bottom of the list of cleanest states, followed by

Puducherry, Nagaland and West Bengal.

o 18 out of 25 dirtiest cities in India with population of over 1 lakh are in

West Bengal.

 Plastic ban in Maharashtra

o The Maharashtra government has imposed a ban on manufacture, use,

sale, distribution and storage of all plastic materials across the state.

o As per the notification, violators will be fined Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for
the first and second-time offence.

o With this Maharashtra becomes the 18th state of the country to impose a
complete ban on plastic.
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  Raj, Haryana get notice over deforestation

o NHRC issued notices to the Centre, Haryana, and Rajasthan government

over the deforestation in the Aravalli hills.

o Media reports claimed that "massive deforestation" in the mountain range

had led to "increasing dust storms and air pollution in the Delhi-NCR
region".

o Aravalli Range is a range of mountains running from Delhi and passing

through Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

 Delhi air quality beyond 'severe' level

o The air quality in Delhi deteriorated beyond the 'severe' level on

Wednesday.

o Dust storms in western India increased coarser particles in the air,

according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

o The PM10 level was at 778 in the Delhi-NCR area and 824 in Delhi
particularly, which led to hazy conditions and limited visibility.

 Two frog species discovered

o In a significant discovery, two species of frogs have been recorded in the

Indian peninsular — Fejervarya kalinaga from the Eastern Ghats and
Fejervarya krishnan from the Western Ghats.

o The Eastern Ghats species of Fejervarya kalinga attains significance since

it is endemic to moist high altitude forest of the region.

o These new species are habitat specialists.

 U.S. team to join Indian Ocean study

o A team of 20 scientists, along with a key vessel of the United States NOAA,
is arriving in Goa.

o It will mark the expansion of U.S.-Indian collaboration in the study of the

Indian Ocean.

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 o Subtle changes on the surface and deep below in the western Indian Ocean
have significant impact on weather in India in days, and in the United
States, two to four weeks later.

 First tropical storm of east Pacific

o The first named tropical storm of the east Pacific hurricane season formed
off the coast of Mexico.

o "Aletta", the storm is expected to build to hurricane strength early, the

National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

o It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving
west at 8 mph (13 kph).

 Nitrogen emissions going up

o Nitrogen particles make up the largest fraction of PM2.5, the class of

pollutants closely linked to cardiovascular and respiratory illness, says the
first-ever quantitative assessment of nitrogen pollution in India.

o The burning of crop residue is a key contributor to winter smog in many

parts of North India.

o Indian NOx emissions grew at 52% from 1991 to 2001 and 69% from 2001
to 2011.

 539 species discovered in India in 2017

o 539 new species of plants and animals were discovered by scientists in the
country in 2017, say publications from ZSI and BSI.

o Animal Discoveries, 2017 lists 300 new species of fauna.

o Plant Discoveries, 2017 lists 239 new flora species.

o Besides these discoveries, the biodiversity in the country recorded another

263 species with 174 new records of animals and 89 of plants found.

 Global efforts to address plastic pollution

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 o The United Nations Environment unveiled its report on the state of plastic
pollution in 2018.

o The report, titled "Single-use Plastics: A roadmap for Sustainability", was

developed in cooperation with the Centre and the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

o The report was launched on the occasion of World Environment Day.

 Haryana baned single-use water bottles

o On the occasion of World Environment Day, the Haryana government has

banned single-use water bottles in all government offices in the state.

o Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that a five-point programme

would be implemented for maintaining ecological balance in Haryana.

o It will include plantation of 20 lakh saplings and using LED bulbs.

 Centre to start measuring green GDP of States

o The government will begin a five-year exercise to compute district-level

data of the country’s environmental wealth.

o The numbers will eventually be used to calculate every State’s ‘green’

Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

o The metric will help with a range of policy decisions, such as compensation
to be paid during land acquisition, calculation of funds required for
climate mitigation, and so on.

 Forest cover stood at 21.34 percent in 2015

o India's forest cover stood at 21.34% in 2015, an increase of 1.29 percent

from 2009, according to a government report on the environment.

o The 'Status of Environment Report, India 2015', was released by

Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.

o Mizoram with 89% has the highest forest cover among the states and
Union territories in the country.

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 o Assam's forest cover at 35% was the lowest.

 Taj Declaration to Beat Plastic Pollution

o A ‘Taj Declaration to Beat Plastic Pollution’ was adopted. Efforts would be

made to make the 500-metre area around the 17th-century monument
litter-free.

o Steps would also be taken to phase out single-use plastic there.

o Minister of State for Environment Mahesh Sharma said India and the
whole world was grappling with pollution due to plastics.

July 2018
 World's first UN Certified Football Club

o The Forest Green Rovers Football Club was recognised by the United
Nations as the World's first certified carbon neutral football club.

o The UN campaign, launched in 2015, encourages companies,

organisations, governments and citizens to reduce their climate footprints.

o The aim is to achieve a climate neutral world by the middle of this century.

 India's carbon-dioxide emissions will rise

o India's carbon-dioxide emission will rise to 3.8-3.9 gigatonnes by 2030.

o The rise is consistent with the Nationally Determined Contributions

(NDC) pledge made by India at the 2015 Paris summit, according to a
study by Centre for Policy Research.

o It also said the country is also expected to make a faster shift from coal to
renewable energy.

 Google & UNEP to track environmental changes

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 o The UN has entered into a partnership with Google to monitor the impacts
of human activity on ecosystems by using online tools.

o UN Environment Programme (UNEP) aims to develop a platform to

enable govt, NGO's & the public to track environment-related
development targets.

o Google will produce geospatial maps & data on water-related ecosystems

by employing massive cloud computing technology.

 SAFAR unveiled at Chandni Chowk

o Minister for Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan has unveiled the 1st
of a kind Air Quality and Weather Forecast System, SAFAR at Chandni
Chowk in Delhi.

o The system will measure regular air quality parameters such as PM2.5 &
PM10, levels of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide &
benzene.

o The station will provide online information about ultrafine particles PM1
& mercury.

 PepsiCo to help govt in recycling plastic

o PepsiCo India decided to support the government’s implementation of

extended producer responsibility for plastic waste bottles in Maharashtra.

o PepsiCo India has partnered with Gem Enviro Mgmt to set up reverse
vending machines for the collection & recycling of plastic bottles in the
State.

o The company has also piloted a ‘Film to Fuel’ project to convert packaging
film waste into fuel.

 16th Workshop On Greenhouse Gas Inventories

o A four-day Workshop has been organized by the Ministry of Environment,

Govt of Japan from July 10 to 13, 2018 in New Delhi.

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 o The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Harshvardhan, Minister of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Ministry of Earth Sciences.

o The workshop included policy initiatives of the government to increase

penetration of LEDs, 5-10% Ethanol blending in petrol.

 15-point action plan to combat air pollution

o Niti Aayog has proposed a 15-point action plan to combat air pollution in
10 most polluted cities in India, including Delhi and Varanasi.

o The action plan titled 'Breathe India' includes encouraging electric

vehicles, phasing out private diesel vehicle & development of crop residue
utilisation policy.

o The plan includes expediting strategic decommissioning of old

& inefficient power plants.

 Tree wall to encircle Delhi

o A 'tree wall' of nearly 31 lakh native trees will soon encircle Delhi to protect
it from dust storms coming from Rajasthan, a senior official of Union
Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change said.

o The government has already begun work of planting saplings.

o The tree wall will come along Delhi border with Haryana, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh.

 Section 144 to be used in animal emergencies

o The National Board of Wildlife has recommended that states use Section
144, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, during wildlife
emergencies.

o The provision will be used to "prevent people from gathering in large

numbers, which aggravates wildlife emergency situations".

o The Centre is expected to issue advisories to the state governments

regarding the recommendation.

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August 2018
 Dr Harsh Vardhan released REDD+ strategy

o Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan released National Reducing

Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).

o REDD+ aims to achieve climate change mitigation by incentivising forest

conservation.

o India's National REDD+ strategy is one of the tools to further supplement

India's commitment to Paris Agreement.

 Scientists discover deep-sea coral reef in US

o Scientists have discovered a giant deep-sea coral reef system off the coast
of the US state of South Carolina.

o A pair of dives in a submersible called Alvin confirmed the existence of the

coral reef and based on observations, researchers estimate the reef is at
least 85 miles long.

o Coral reefs form more easily near the surface of the water, where the sun
can feed the algae.

 M.P. seeks revival of cheetah project

o The Madhya Pradesh forest department has written to the National Tiger
Conservation Authority to revive the plan to reintroduce cheetahs in
the Nauradehi sanctuary.

o The cheetah — which is the fastest land animal — was declared extinct in
India in 1952.

o The country’s last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.

 Arctic’s strongest sea ice breaks up

o The oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic has started to break up,
opening waters north of Greenland that is normally frozen, even in
summer.
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 o This phenomenon has occurred twice in 2018 due to warm winds and a
climate-change-driven heatwave in the northern hemisphere.

o The sea ice off the north coast of Greenland has been impacted by
abnormal temperature spikes in February 2018.

 Cyclone Warning Centre to be set up in Kerala

o The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences has announced it will set up a

cyclone warning centre in Kerala and boost weather forecasting in the
state with another Doppler radar.

o The new centre will be set up in Thiruvananthapuram.

o At present, India Meteorological Centre (IMD) has cyclone warning

centres only at Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Kolkata,
Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

 Kerala received more rains in August

o Kerala has received over two and a half times more rainfall over average
for August so far, according to the India Meteorological Department
(IMD).

o The highest rainfall was recorded in Idukki district, which received 92%
more rains. This was followed by Palakkad, with 72% more rains.

o Kerala has received 42% more rainfall than usual since the beginning of
the monsoon season in June 2018.

 Armyworm spotted in Telangana

o The Fall Armyworm, an agricultural pest, has now been reported in the
state of Telangana.

o The Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is considered deadly as it has

caused massive agricultural losses in several countries in Africa.

o The worm was first found in Karnataka in the country and later spread
to Tamil Nadu.

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  Ganga stretches in Bengal unfit for bathing

o A map published by the Central Pollution Control Board has revealed that
water in major stretches of the Ganga in West Bengal is not fit for bathing.

o The affected stretches of the Ganga are located in the districts of Howrah,
Hooghly, North 24 Paraganas, Nadia and Murshidabad.

o Apart from West Bengal, the water of the Ganga is also unfit for bathing in
States such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

 Tigress released into Satkosia Tiger Reserve

o A female tiger, brought from Madhya Pradesh's Bandhavgarh Tiger

Reserve was released in Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

o The name of the tigress is 'Sundari'.

o A male tiger was also brought from Madhya Pradesh's Kanha National
Park to Satkosia Tiger Reserve.

o Satkosia Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve located in the Angul district of

Odisha.

 Khangchendzonga in list of Biosphere Reserves

o The Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve has become the 11th Biosphere

Reserve from India that has been included in the UNESCO designated
World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

o Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim is one of the highest

ecosystems in the world.

o The core zone – Khangchendzonga National Park was designated a World

Heritage Site in 2016 under the ‘mixed’ category.

 Uttarakhand HC bans use of elephants

o The Uttarakhand High Court banned the commercial use of elephants in

Corbett Tiger Reserve besides restricting the number of vehicles entering
its ranges in a day to 100.

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 o The order came after the court was apprised that elephants were chained
and ill-treated causing immense cruelty.

o The elephants shall be temporarily kept at Rajaji National Park, Chilla.

 Jongdari tropical storm hits Shanghai

o Downgraded from a typhoon, Tropical Storm Jongdari arrived in Shanghai

on August 3, 2018.

o It is expected to gradually weaken as it moves westward into the Yangtze

River delta.

o Jongdari, which means skylark in Korean and is the 12th typhoon of the
season.

o Jongdari is one of the four Pacific tropical cyclones.

o More than 130,000 people have been evacuated as a tropical storm arrived
Shanghai.

September 2018
 Air pollution control device inaugurated

o Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated air pollution

control device 'Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit', (WAYU) in New Delhi.

o The device WAYU is developed by the Council of Science and Industrial

Research to mitigate air pollution at traffic junctions.

o This device works on two principles mainly wind generation for dilution of
air pollutants and active pollutants removal.

 More river stretches critically polluted

o According to an assessment by the Central Pollution Control

Board (CPCB), the number of polluted stretches in India’s rivers has
increased to 351 from 302 two years ago.

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 o The number of critically polluted stretches, where water quality indicators
are the poorest, has gone up to 45 from 34.

o The most significant stretches of pollution highlighted by the CPCB

assessment include the Mithi river.

 Native plants choked in Western Ghats

o The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the National Board
for Wildlife to look into the issue of the removal of invasive trees in
the Western Ghats.

o Invasive species like eucalyptus, wattle, pine and cypress trees, as well
as Lantana camara plants, are proliferating across the Nilgiris upper
slopes.

o Prosopis juliflora, parthenium and eupatorium have spread ón the lower

slopes.

 Ocean Cleanup aims to clear Pacific Garbage

o A system launched by 'The Ocean Cleanup' organization send a trash

collecting device to clean the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

o The 2,000-foot long floating boom 'System 001' has been towed from San
Francisco to clean the patch.

o The system has been created by Boyan Slat, from the Netherlands

o The device has a 10-foot skirt below the floating part which is supposed
to gather the garbage.

 Panel urges plan to save Himalayan springs

o A NITI Aayog constituted group of experts has urged the government to

set up a dedicated mission to save and revive spring water systems in the
country’s Himalayan States.

o The group noted in its report titled ‘Inventory and Revival of Springs in
the Himalayas for Water Security.’

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 o Spring water systems in the Himalayan States are an important source of
water for both drinking and irrigation.

 HP to have doppler radars, snow gazers

o The Indian Meteorological Department will set up three Doppler radars, a

number of snow gazers and automatic weather stations in Himachal
Pradesh for better weather, avalanche and landslide forecast.

o These radars will be set up at Kufri in Shimla district, Dalhousie in

Chamba district and Kullu.

o The first radar would be set up at Kufri in Shimla district by the end of
2019.

 Imp Environment news (27 Aug-1 Sept 2018)

o The Nagaland government has declared the Singphan Wildlife

Sanctuary as an elephant reserve making it the 30th reserve for the
elephant in the country.

o The Madhya Pradesh forest department has written to the National Tiger
Conservation Authority to revive the plan to reintroduce cheetahs in
the Nauradehi sanctuary.

 Singphan sanctuary declared elephant reserve

o The Nagaland government has declared the Singphan Wildlife

Sanctuary as an elephant reserve making it the 30th reserve for the
elephant in the country.

o The declaration of the Singphan Elephant Reserve in Nagaland will boost

the elephant conservation in the country, especially in the northeastern
region.

o The Singphan Elephant Reserve is located in Mon district of Nagaland.

October 2018
 Air Quality Warning System launched in Delhi

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 o Earth Sciences Minister Dr Harshvardhan unveiled an Air Quality early
warning system for Delhi region, in New Delhi.

o The system will help combat air pollution in Delhi by getting information
2-5 days in advance.

o The system has been developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical

Meteorology, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting and
India Meteorological Department.

 Emergency action plan to be implemented

o An emergency action plan called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
will be implemented from 15 October 2018 to combat air pollution in
Delhi.

o Stringent actions will be implemented based on air quality.

o If the air quality lies in moderate to poor category — measures like

stopping garbage burning in landfills and other places would be
implemented.

 Cyclone Luban in Oman

o Oman has closed schools and ports in the southern part of the country
while Yemen’s local authorities prepared health facilities ahead of cyclone
Luban.

o Luban is currently a category one cyclone, which is likely to develop into a

Category 2 cyclone within the next 48 hours.

o Luban is travelling northwest, and cloud bands of the cyclone are currently
327 km away from the coast of Oman.

 'Oldest flying squirrel fossil found'

o Scientists have discovered the oldest flying squirrel fossil ever.

o The 11.6-million-year-old fossil was discovered in Spain.

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 o The discovery of the fossil has unearthed new insight into the origin and
evolution of these airborne animals.

o Flying squirrels are the most successful group of mammals that adopted
the ability to glide.

November 2018
 New deep sea shark species found

o New deep-sea shark species named 'Pygmy false catshark' has been found
in the northern Indian Ocean.

o It was found off the southwestern coast of India and north of Sri Lanka.

o It is about 65cm long and dark brown in colour without any prominent
pattern.

o Its scientific name is 'Planonasus indicus'.

o It is the first such discovery in India since the 'Mangalore houndshark' in

2011.

 Four new horned frogs discovered

o Four new species of horned frogs have been discovered in Himalayan

regions of Northeast India.

o They were discovered by a team of biologists from Delhi University,

University College Dublin and the National Museum (UK).

o The four new Indian species are Himalayan horned frog; the Garo white-
lipped horned frog; the Yellow spotted white-lipped horned frog; and the
Giant Himalayan horned frog.

 Delhi's air quality in severe category

o Delhi's air quality continues to be in a severe category.

o An Air Quality Index between 401 and 500 is considered as severe.

37 | P a g e
 o There are 6 AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately
polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.

o The AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality.

o AQI focuses on particulate matter, ground-level ozone, Sulphur Dioxide,

Nitrogen Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide.

 Earth's ozone layer is finally healing

o According to a new United Nations report, earth's protective ozone layer is

finally healing from the damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants.

o The upper ozone layer above the northern hemisphere should be

completely repaired in the 2030s and the gaping Antarctic ozone hole
should disappear in the 2060s.

o The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s.

December 2018
 Conference on climate change began in Poland

o The 24th meeting of Conference of Parties (COP-24) to the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began in Poland on
3 December 2018.

o The Conference will conclude on 14 December 2018.

o COP-24 is very significant as it is expected to finalize guidelines for

implementation of the 'Paris Agreement' adopted in 2016.

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