Environment Current Affairs

Environment Current Affairs, Important for Competitive Exams.

India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission: net-zero emissions by 2070

  • India has set a goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070
  • A shift towards renewable energy sources is necessary to reduce reliance on fossil fuels as the country’s demand for energy and resources grows
  • Green hydrogen (GH2) is a promising renewable energy carrier that can play a vital role in India’s low-carbon and self-reliant economic pathways
  • GH2 is produced through the electrolysis of water powered by renewable energy and is renewable and carbon-free
  • GH2 is versatile and can be used as a combustion fuel, as feedstock for industrial processes, and converted back into electricity in a fuel cell
  • GH2 can be more easily stored and transported over long distances compared to grid renewable electricity
  • The National Green Hydrogen Mission aims to make India the global hub for production, usage, and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives
  • The mission aims to build capabilities to produce at least 5 Million Metric Tonne (MMT) of green hydrogen per annum by 2030, with the potential to reach 10 MMT per annum with growth of export markets
  • Sourcing green hydrogen currently involves significant costs, but the costs of production are expected to decrease as the sector evolves.

Questions : What is the target year for net-zero emissions under India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission?
A) 2030
B) 2050
C) 2070
D) 2080

Ans : C) 2070

G20 Working Group Meeting in India Focuses on Water Management and Climate Sustainability

  1. India is currently presiding over the second Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group meeting of the G20 on 27 March 2023.
  2. The three-day meeting is being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, with the participation of 130 delegates from G20 member countries, 11 invitee countries, and 14 international organizations.
  3. The meeting focuses on key thematic areas, such as Water Resources Management, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity enrichment, resource efficiency, circular economy, and Blue economy.
  4. G20 member countries like Italy and China have shared their best practices on water management during the meeting, with Italy sharing its expertise on Drought management and China on Groundwater management.
  5. As part of the meeting, delegates will also have the opportunity to visit the Ancient Stepwell-Adalaj Vav, Sabarmati siphon, and witness cultural performances.
  6. The meeting emphasizes the importance of water resources management in the context of climate change, highlighting the need for sustainable and climate-resilient practices.

Question : Which two G20 member countries shared their best practices on water management during the meeting?
a) Italy and China
b) India and Brazil
c) USA and Canada
d) Australia and Indonesia

Answer: a) Italy and China

Earthquake in Turkey.

  • The devastating earthquake that occurred on 6 February in Turkey caused massive devastation.
  • Hundreds of buildings were razed to the ground due to several powerful tremors one after the other. In which more than 15,000 people died. Thousands of people have been injured who have been admitted to hospitals.
  • 3 earthquakes measuring 7.8, 7.6 and 6.0 on the Richter scale hit different regions of Turkey and neighboring Syria.
  • The epicenter was 26 km east of the Turkish city of Nurdagi on the East Anatolian Fault at a depth of about 18 km.
  • The earthquake moved northeast, causing devastation in central Turkey and Syria. It is the most powerful earthquake to shake the region in more than 100 years.
  • About 95% of the country’s territory is sensitive to earthquakes. The major cities of Istanbul and Izmir and the region of Eastern Anatolia are at high risk.

Operation Dost :

In this hour of crisis, the Government of India has extended a helping hand towards Turkey. This campaign is being run on the basis of humanity under Operation Dost from the Indian side. Medical help is being provided not only to Turkey by the Government of India. Rather, three teams of NDRF themselves have been sent for relief and rescue. To help the people, the Indian Army (Indian Army Turkey Earthquake) has also set up an army field hospital in Hete city of Turkey. People injured by the earthquake are being treated here.

500 new ‘waste to wealth’ plants to be set up in cities with a population of over one million

  1. “Green Growth” is a priority in the 2023-2024 budget.
  2. 500 new Waste to Wealth plants will be established.
  3. On 2nd February 2023, MoU signed between Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and Engineers India Limited to develop waste to energy and bio-methanation projects in cities with a population over a million.
  4. Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 aims to create garbage-free cities with a focus on solid waste management.
  5. Large-scale processing facilities for solid waste proposed for million plus cities.
  6. Asia’s biggest municipal solid waste-based GOBARdhan plant was inaugurated in Indore in 2022.
  7. EIL will assist 25 million plus cities in developing waste to energy and bio-methanation projects with a goal of adding processing capacity of 15,000 TPD for bio-methanation and 10,000 TPD for waste to energy.

How many new Waste to Wealth plants will be established in cities with a population over a million ?

Ans : 500 new Waste to Wealth plants will be established.

Inter-governmental agreement signed to reintroduce Cheetah from South Africa to India.

  • The Republic of South Africa and the Republic of India have signed an MoU to cooperate in the reintroduction of the cheetah in the Asian country.
  • As per the agreement, an initial batch of 12 cheetahs are to be brought from South Africa to India during February 2023. These cheetahs will join the eight cheetahs brought to India from Namibia during 2022.
  • After the import of 12 cheetahs in February, there are plans to move 12 cheetahs annually for the next 8 to 10 years.
  • Restoring cheetah populations is considered to be a priority for India and will have vital and far-reaching conservation consequences, which would aim to achieve a number of ecological objectives, including re- establishing the function role of cheetah within their historical range in India and improving the enhancing the livelihood options and economies of the local communities.

Ministry of Environment included Neelakurinji in the list of protected plants.

  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) has listed Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) in the list of protected plants under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • According to the Environment Ministry, those who uproot or destroy the plant will be fined Rs 25,000 and imprisoned for three years. Cultivation and possession of this plant is not allowed.

About Neelakurunji :

  • Neelakurinji is a tropical plant species and is native to the shola forests in the Western Ghats. It is also found in Shevaroy Hills in the Eastern Ghats, Annamalai Hills in Kerala and Sanduru Hills in Karnataka.
  • It grows on mountain slopes at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 meters to a height of 30 to 60 cm.
  • The flowers of Neelakurinji are violet-blue in color and bloom once in 12 years. The flower has no scent or any medicinal value.
  • Due to its blue color, the mountains of this region have also been named as Nilgiris. The blooming cycle was last observed in 2018 at Koviloor, Kadavari, Rajamala and Eravikulam national parks in Munnar. It will be seen next time in 2030.
  • It is one of the rarest plant species that grows in the Western Ghats and does not grow in any other part of the world.
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Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of UAE, has been appointed as the President of COP 28.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates, has been appointed as the President of COP 28.

COP 28, the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, will take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023 in UAE.

The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are annual conferences held within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Joshimath, Uttarakhand has been declared as landslide and subsidence affected area.

  • Joshimath, Uttarakhand was declared as landslide and subsidence affected area on 8 January 2023.
  • Joshimath in Uttarakhand is currently facing landslides. Big cracks are being seen betweeCracks have been observed in 561 buildings, said the District Disaster Management Department.n people’s houses and roads.
  • People are spending their nights outside in the bitter cold due to the fear of their houses collapsing.
  • Joshimath is a hill town located on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH-7) in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
  • The city is a tourist town as it serves as a rest stop for people visiting Badrinath, Auli, Valley of Flowers, and Hemkund Sahib.
  • Joshimath is a deposit of sand and stone – it is not the main rock – so it was not suitable for settlement.
  • Here the natural factors have been imbalanced due to vibration caused by explosions, heavy traffic etc. Lack of proper drainage facilities is also a reason for landslides.
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