EVS

1.Discuss briefly about climate change?

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts
may be natural, such as through variations in the solar cycle. But since the 1800s, human
activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels
like coal, oil and gas.
Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped
around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures.
When it comes to climate change, people are part of the problem. They must also be part of
the solution.
Global climate change is the existential threat of our time. Caused by human activities, the
impacts of climate change—rising sea levels, extreme weather and natural disasters, new
cycles of flooding and drought, and economic instability, among others—disproportionately
affect the most vulnerable people, those least responsible for it, and those least able to adapt
to its effects.
Addressing global warming and tackling climate change require national and international
action and policy changes. But individuals, households, and communities have a vital role to
play too. Individuals in the major emitting nations can shift their day-to-day behavior and
reduce their carbon footprint. Fishers, farmers, and other resource users in developing
countries can also adopt climate-friendlier practices and reduce their impact on nature-based
solutions to climate change.
Climate change can affect our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety and work. Some of
us are already more vulnerable to climate impacts, such as people living in small island
nations and other developing countries.
Climate change needs behavior change. And change is what Rare does best.

2.E- waste management?

In India, the quantity of “e-waste” or electronic waste has now become a major problem.
Disposal of e-waste is an emerging global environmental and public health issue, as this
waste has become the most rapidly growing segment of the formal municipal waste stream
in the world. E-waste or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) are loosely
discarded, surplus, obsolete, broken, electrical or electronic devices.In India most of the
waste electronic items are stored at households as people do not know how to discard them.
This ever-increasing waste is very complex in nature and is also a rich source of metals such
as gold, silver, and copper, which can be recovered and brought back into the production
cycle. So e-waste trade and recycling alliances provide employment to many groups of people
in India. Around 25,000 workers including children are involved in crude dismantling units in
Delhi alone where 10,000–20,000 tonnes of e-waste is handled every year by bare hands.
Improper dismantling and processing of e-waste render it perilous to human health and our
ecosystem. Therefore, the need of proper e-waste management has been realized.

In India, solid waste management, with the emergence of e-waste, has become a
complicated task. However, according to the Greenpeace Report, in 2007, India generated
380,000 tonnes of e-waste. Only 3% of this made it to the authorized recyclers’ facilities. One
of the reasons for this is that the India has also become a dumping ground for many
developed nations. The Basel Action Network (BAN) stated in a report that 50-80% of e-waste
collected by the USA is exported to India, China, Pakistan, Taiwan, and a number of African
countries.

For the recycling of e-waste, India heavily depends on the unorganized sector as only a
handful of organized e-waste recycling facilities are available. Over 95% of the e-waste is
treated and processed in the majority of urban slums of the country, where untrained
workers carry out the dangerous procedures without personal protective equipment, which
are detrimental not only to their health but also to the environment.

3.efforts causes and control measure for water pollution?

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—
contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water
quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.
Over 3.4 million people die as a result of contaminated water annually. Diarrheal diseases,
largely caused by contaminated water, are one of the leading causes of death in children
under five, responsible for approximately 525,000 fatalities annually. Poor sanitation
infrastructure and hygiene practices contaminate many local water supplies, and the majority
of waterborne illnesses are caused by ingesting water contaminated with fecal matter. Over 2
billion people around the world lack access to a toilet. Annually, there are 1.7 billion cases of
diarrheal disease in children. Thirty eight percent of medical facilities lack access to an
adequate water supply, 19 percent lack proper sanitation infrastructure — 35 percent do not
have soap or hand-washing stations. Thirty four percent of schools in the world lack basic
sanitation facilities — 47 percent lacked avenues for basic hygienic routines such as
handwashing. Cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery and schistosomiasis are often
caused by bacteria found in water contaminated with fecal matter. According to the World
Health Organization, there is an economic return of $3-4 for each dollar invested in clean
water and sanitation infrastructure.
Water pollution is measured by analyzing water samples and testing for a range of physical,
chemical and biological parameters. Control of water pollution requires appropriate
infrastructure and management plans as well as legislation. Technology solutions can include
improving sanitation, sewage treatment, industrial wastewater treatment, agricultural
wastewater treatment, erosion control, sediment control and control of urban runoff
(including stormwater management). Effective control of urban runoff includes reducing
speed and quantity of flow.

4.environmental protection act 1986?

The Environment (Protection) Act,1986

*Environment Protection Act, 1986 Act of the Parliament of India. In the wake of the Bhopal
gas Tragedy or Bhopal Disaster, the [Government of India] enacted the Environment
Protection Act of 1986. Passed in May 1986, it came into force on 19 November 1986. The
purpose of the Act is to implement the decisions of the United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment. They relate to the protection and improvement of the human
environment and the prevention of hazards to human beings, other living creatures, plants
and property.
*The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 authorizes the central government to protect and
improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and prohibit or
restrict the setting and /or operation of any industrial facility on environmental grounds. The
Environment (Protection) Act was enacted in 1986 with the objective of providing for the
protection and improvement of the environment. It empowers the Central Government to
establish authorities charged with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in all
its forms and to tackle specific environmental problems that are peculiar to different parts of
the country. The Act was last amended in 1991.
*The Environment (Protection) Rules lay down procedures for setting standards of emission
or discharge of environmental pollutants.
*The objective of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 is to control the
generation, collection, treatment, import, storage, and handling of hazardous waste.
*The Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Rules define the terms used in this
context, and sets up an authority to inspect, once a year, the industrial activity connected
with hazardous chemicals and isolated storage facilities.
*The Manufacture, Use, Import, Export, and Storage of hazardous Micro-organisms/
Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules,1989 were introduced with a view to protect
the environment, nature, and health, in connection with the application of gene technology
and micro-organisms.

5.classification of bio diversity?

Biodiversity includes three main types: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem
diversity.
*GENETIC DIVERSITY
Every species on Earth is related to every other species through genetic connections. The
more closely related any two species are, the more genetic information they will share, and
the more similar they will appear. An organism’s closest relatives are members of its own
species, or organisms with which it has the potential to mate and produce offspring.
Members of a species share genes, the bits of biochemical information that determine, in
part, how the animals look, behave and live. One eastern gray squirrel, for example, shares
the vast majority of its genes with other eastern gray squirrels, whether they live in the same
area or are separated by thousands of miles.

*Species Diversity

Species diversity is the variety of species within a habitat or a region. Species are the basic
units of biological classification and thus the normal measure of biological diversity. Species
richness is the term that describes the number of different species in a given area. The world
total is estimated at five to 10 million species, though only 1.75 million have been named
scientifically so far.
Some habitats, such as rainforests and coral reefs, have many species. For example, tropical
North and South America has about 85,000 flowering plant species, tropical and subtropical
Asia has more than 50,000 and tropical and subtropical Africa has about 35,000. By contrast,
all of Europe has 11,300 vascular plants.
*Ecological Diversity
Ecological diversity is the intricate network of different species present in local ecosystems
and the dynamic interplay between them. An ecosystem consists of organisms from many
different species living together in a region and their connections through the flow of energy,
nutrients and matter. Those connections occur as the organisms of different species interact
with one another. The ultimate source of energy in almost every ecosystem is the sun. The
sun’s radiant energy is converted to chemical energy by plants. That energy flows through
the systems when animals eat the plants and then are eaten, in turn, by other animals. Fungi
derive energy by decomposing organisms, which releases nutrients back into the soil. Thus,
an ecosystem is a collection of living components (microbes, plants, animals and fungi) and
nonliving components (climate and chemicals) that are connected by energy flow. Measuring
ecological diversity is difficult because each of Earth’s ecosystems merges into the
ecosystems around it.

6.Structure and function of eco system?

The ecosystem is the structural and functional unit of ecology where the living organisms
interact with each other and the surrounding environment. In other words, an ecosystem is a
chain of interaction between organisms and their environment.
Structure of the Ecosystem:-
The structure of an ecosystem is characterised by the organisation of both biotic and abiotic
components. This includes the distribution of energy in our environment. It also includes the
climatic conditions prevailing in that particular environment.
The structure of an ecosystem can be split into two main components, namely:
*Biotic Components
*Abiotic Components

The biotic and abiotic components are interrelated in an ecosystem. It is an open system
where the energy and components can flow throughout the boundaries.

Biotic Components
Biotic components refer to all life in an ecosystem. Based on nutrition, biotic components
can be categorised into autotrophs, heterotrophs and saprotrophs (or decomposers).
*Producers include all autotrophs such as plants. They are called autotrophs as they can
produce food through the process of photosynthesis.
*Consumers or heterotrophs are organisms that depend on other organisms for food.
*Decomposers include saprophytes such as fungi and bacteria. They directly thrive on the
dead and decaying organic matter. Decomposers are essential for the ecosystem as they
help in recycling nutrients to be reused by plants.
Abiotic Components
Abiotic components are the non-living component of an ecosystem. It includes air, water,
soil, minerals, sunlight, temperature, nutrients, wind, altitude, turbidity, etc.

Functions of Ecosystem
The functions of the ecosystem are as follows:
*It regulates the essential ecological processes, supports life systems and renders stability.
*It is also responsible for the cycling of nutrients between biotic and abiotic components.
*It maintains a balance among the various trophic levels in the ecosystem.

*It cycles the minerals through the biosphere.

*The abiotic components help in the synthesis of organic components that involves the
exchange of energy.

7.Ecological succession?
Ecological succession is the process that describes how the structure of a biological
community (that is, an interacting group of various species in a desert, forest, grassland,
marine environment, and so on) changes over time.
There are two main types of succession, primary and secondary.
*Primary succession is the series of community changes which occur on an entirely new
habitat which has never been colonized before. For example, a newly quarried rock face or
sand dunes.
*Secondary succession is the series of community changes which take place on a previously
colonized, but disturbed or damaged habitat. For example, after felling trees in a woodland,
land clearance or a fire.

The Major Points:

*The species living in a particular place gradually change over time as does the physical and
chemical environment within that area.
*Succession takes place because through the processes of living, growing and reproducing,
organisms interact with and affect the environment within an area, gradually changing it.

*Each species is adapted to thrive and compete best against other species under a very
specific set of environmental conditions. If these conditions change, then the existing species
will be outcompeted by a different set of species which are better adapted to the new
conditions.
*The most often quoted examples of succession deal with plant succession. It is worth
remembering that as plant communities change, so will the associated micro-organism,
fungus and animal species. Succession involves the whole community, not just the plants.
*Change in the plant species present in an area is one of the driving forces behind changes in
animal species. This is because each plant species will have associated animal species which
feed on it. The presence of these herbivore species will then dictate which particular
carnivores are present.
*The structure or 'architecture' of the plant communities will also influence the animal
species which can live in the microhabitats provided by the plants.
*Changes in plant species also alter the fungal species present because many fungi are
associated with particular plants. more
*Succession is directional. Different stages in a particular habitat succession can usually be
accurately predicted.
*These stages, characterised by the presence of different communities, are known as 'seres'.
*Communities change gradually from one sere to another. The seres are not totally distinct
from each other and one will tend to merge gradually into another
8.steps taken to conserve biodiversity?
Indian Government has taken various biodiversity protection steps. Important measures
include:
*The Central Government has enacted the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The Act, inter
alia, provides for the creation of Protected Areas for the protection of wildlife and also
provides for punishment for hunting of specified fauna specified in the schedules I to IV
thereof.
*Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2010 have been framed for the protection
of wetlands, in the States.
*The Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-System
also provides assistance to the States for the management of wetlands including Ramsar
sites in the country.
*Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has been established for control of illegal trade in wildlife,
including endangered species.
*Wildlife Institute of India, Bombay Natural History society and Salim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Natural History are some of the research organisations undertaking
research on conservation of wildlife.
*The Indian Government has banned the veterinary use of diclofenac drug that has caused
the rapid population decline of Gyps vulture across the Indian Subcontinent. Conservation
Breeding Programmes to conserve these vulture species have been initiated at Pinjore
(Haryana), Buxa (West Bengal) and Rani, Guwahati (Assam) by the Bombay Natural History
Society.
*The Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats‘ has been
modified by including a new component namely ‘Recovery of Endangered Species‘ and 16
species have been identified for recovery viz. Snow Leopard, Bustard (including Floricans),
Dolphin, Hangul, Nilgiri Tahr, Marine Turtles, Dugong, Edible Nest Swiftlet, Asian Wild
Buffalo, Nicobar Megapode, Manipur Brow-antlered Deer, Vultures, Malabar Civet, Indian
Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Swamp Deer and Jerdon’s Courser.
*Under the ‘Recovery of Endangered Species’ component of the Centrally Sponsored
Scheme ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’ for the recovery of endangered
species viz. Hangul in Jammu and Kashmir, Snow Leopard in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, Vulture in Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat,
Swiftlet in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nilgiri Tahr in Tamil Nadu, Sangai Deer in Manipur,
the government has to spend lakhs of rupees.
*Protected Areas, viz, National Parks, Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community
Reserves all over the country covering the important habitats have been created as per the
provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to provide better protection to wildlife,
including threatened species and their habitat.
*Financial and technical assistance is extended to the State Governments under various
Centrally Sponsored Schemes, viz, ‘Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’, ‘Project
Tiger’ and ‘Project Elephant’ for providing better protection and conservation to wildlife.
*The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been empowered under the Wild Life
(Protection) Act, 1972 to apprehend and prosecute wildlife offenders.
*The State Governments have been requested to strengthen the field formations and
intensify patrolling in and around the Protected Areas.

9.renewable and non- renewable resource /source

A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource,is a natural resource which will
replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural
reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of time in a human time scale.
When the recovery rate of resources is unlikely to ever exceed a human time scale, these are
called perpetual resources. Renewable resources are a part of Earth's natural environment
and the largest components of its ecosphere.

A non-renewable resource (also called a finite resource) is a natural resource that cannot be
readily replaced by natural means at a pace quick enough to keep up with consumption.

10. Natural resources of India?

The total cultivable area in India is 1,945,355 km2 (56.78% of it total land area), which is
shrinking due to population pressures and rapid urbanisation. India has a total water surface
area of 360,400 km2.
India's major mineral resources include Coal (4th largest reserves in the world), Iron ore,
Manganese ore (7th largest reserve in the world as in 2013),Mica, Bauxite (5th largest
reserve in the world as in 2013), Chromite, Natural gas, Diamonds, Limestone and Thorium.
India's oil reserves, found in Bombay High off the coast of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan
and in eastern Assam meet 25% of the country's demand.
A national level agency National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) was
established in 1983 for integrated natural resources management in the country. It is
supported by Planning Commission (India) and Department of Space.
Forestry
India's land area includes regions with high rainfall to dry deserts, coastline to mountainous
regions. Total Forest and Tree cover is 24.56% of the geographical area of the country.
Forests are the main source of firewood, paper, spices, drugs, herbs, gums and more.
Forestry contributes a significant amount in nation's economy.
Fish
Fishing in India is a major industrial employment for about 145 million people. India ranks
second in aquaculture and third in fisheries production. Fisheries contributes to 1.07% of the
Total GDP of India. In Indian rivers more than 400 species of fish are found, many of which
are economically important. India is one of the major marine fish producer.
Coal
Coal mining in India started in 1774 through the East India Company. India consumes coal
mainly for the power sector. Other industries like cement, fertilizer, chemical and paper rely
on coal for energy.
Oil
India had about 100 million tonnes of proven oil reserves as of April 1978, or 1 billion barrels
as per EIA estimate for 2020, which is the second-largest amount in the Asia-Pacific region
behind China. India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is the largest oil company
in India.
Natural Gas
A huge mass of India's natural gas production comes from the western offshore regions,
particularly the Mumbai High complex. The onshore fields in Assam, tripura, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana and Gujarat states are also major producers of natural gas. The Gas Authority of
India Ltd. (GAIL) holds an effective control on natural gas transmission and allocation
activities.
Metallic minerals
Metallic minerals are the minerals which contain one or more metallic elements. They occur
in rare, naturally formed concentrations known as mineral deposits. Metallic minerals
available from India are gold, zinc, iron ore, manganese ore, bauxite, silver, lead, tin, copper
and chromite
Non-metallic minerals
Non-metallic minerals are those which do not yield new products on melting. They are
generally associated with sedimentary rocks. Non-Metallic minerals available from India are
phosphorite, dolomite, gypsum, garnet, wollastonite, vermiculite, ochre, perlite, bentonite,
asbestos, cadmium, felspar, soapstone, kaolin, sillimanite, limestone, diatomite, pyrophyllite,
fluorite, vanadium, dunite, ilmenite, gallium and Zircon

Water Resources
Water, a vital natural resource and precious commodity, is essential for multiplicity of
purposes, viz., drinking, agriculture, power generation, transportation and waste disposal.
The chief sources of water are rain water, sea water, ground and surface water.
Land as a Resource:
India has total area of about 329 million hectares. The utilisation statistics available are for
nearly 92.5% of the total area. About 162 million hectare of land is under agriculture cover.
Nearly 5% of the land falls under fallow land. About 46 million hectare is under real forest as
shown by satellites.