Meghalaya Panel prepares action plan to restore waterbodies Subject : Government Context : An expert committee will soon submit an action plan for the restoration of polluted waterbodies in Meghalaya. Concept : The Meghalaya government had set up the 10-member expert panel on the protection and restoration of the State’s waterbodies following an […]
India – Africa Defence dialogue 2022 Subject: International Relations Context: The India-Africa Defence Dialogue (IADD) was held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on October 18, 2022. Concept: The broad theme of the dialogue is ‘India-Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergising and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’. India’s approach towards Africa […]
Earth just had its 5th-warmest September on record Subject : Environment Context : September 2022 marked the fifth-warmest September in 143 years, tying with the same in 2021, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Concept : The average temperature across the world was 0.88 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century average […]
Tipping points of global warming Subject: Environment Context- A new study has found that even the current level of average global temperatures — about 1.1 degree Celsius higher than preindustrial times — is enough to trigger catastrophic changes in several climatic systems. The research is an updated assessment of important climate tipping points […]
How effective are anti-smog guns in Delhi? Here’s what experts have to say Subject: Environment Context- Vehicle-mounted ‘anti-smog guns’ have begun their rounds of the city, spraying water in a fine mist, in what is an effort to get suspended dust to settle as air quality begins to take a turn for the […]
Grazing animals key to long-term soil carbon stability: IISc study Subject: Environment Context- A study carried out by researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) and the Divecha Centre for Climate Change (DCCC), IISc, has revealed that grazing animals hold the key to long-term soil carbon stability. Research finding- The 16-year-long study […]
Giraffes brought to India 150 years ago from Africa may be a critically endangered species Subject: Environment Context- About 150 years ago, British colonialists brought batches of what they thought was a single species of the northern giraffe to India, from their other colonial possessions in Africa. These now comprise a captive population […]
Six new spider species discovered from across the country Subject: Environment Arachnologists from the Centre for Animal Taxonomy and Ecology (CATE), Christ College, Irinjalakuda, have discovered six new species of spiders from across the country. The new species of spiders were found in the Garo hills in Meghalaya, the Thar desert of Rajasthan, […]
Climate change threatens the habitat of the endangered white-winged wood duck, finds study Subject: Environment Context- Alarm bells ring for the white-winged wood duck (WWWD). Declared the state bird of Assam in 2003, the on-ground conservation situation of the bird has not improved in recent years. On the contrary, the bird could well […]
Cyclone brewing? Conditions favourable, wait and watch for next 48 hours, say experts Subject: Geography Context- A cyclonic circulation has formed over the southern Andaman Sea and its neighbourhood. This cyclonic circulation, swirling winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere, may induce a low-pressure area in the southeast and east central Bay […]