International Conventions/guidelines

Basel The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary

Convention Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal is an
(1989) international treaty that was designed to reduce the movement of
hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent the
transfer of hazardous waste.

Montreal The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the

Protocol (1987) Ozone Layer was a landmark agreement that has helped in
reducing the rate of global production, consumption, and
emissions of substances that affects the ozone layer.

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol, also known as the Kyoto Accord, is an
international treaty among industrialized nations that have set
(1997)
some limits on emissions of greenhouse gases.

National park/wildlife sanctuary

 Balukhanda
o The Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located
in Odisha.
o It was established in the year of 1984.
o It houses a variety of flora and fauna.
o This sanctuary is also home to a wide range of birds and reptiles.
o This is perhaps the only protected area in the state where a population of about
100 blackbucks live.

 Sundarban
o The Sundarbans mangrove forest is one of the largest such forests in the world.
o It is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal
tiger and other threatened species.
 Kaziranga
o In the year 1985, the Kaziranga National Park has declared a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO.
o The area is sprinkled with elephant-grass meadows, swampy lagoons, and dense
forests.
o It is home to more than 2200 Indian one-horned rhinoceros, approximately
2/3rd of their total world population.
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  Bharatpur
o It is now known as Keoladeo National Park.
o It is recognised as one of the world’s most important bird breeding and feeding
grounds.
o It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.

Fit for 55

 As part of the European Green Deal, with the European Climate Law, the European
Union (EU) has set itself a binding target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
 This requires current greenhouse gas emission levels to drop substantially in the next
decades.
 As an intermediate step towards climate neutrality, the EU has raised its 2030 climate
ambition, committing to cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
 The EU is working on the revision of its climate, energy and transport-related
legislation under the so-called 'Fit for 55 packages' to align current laws with the
2030 and 2050 ambitions.
 'Fit for 55' refers to the at least 55% emission reduction target which the EU has
set for 2030. The proposed package aims to bring the EU’s climate and energy
legislation in line with the 2030 goal.
 The package was presented by European Commission in July 2021.
 The package of proposals aims at providing a coherent and balanced framework for
reaching the EU's climate objectives that are fair and socially just, maintains and
strengthens innovation and competitiveness of EU industry while ensuring a level
playing field vis-à-vis third country economic operators and underpins the EU's
position as leading the way in the global fight against climate change.

Statute/act related to environment

Wildlife Protection Act of 1972

 The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was enacted in order to protect and conserve
wildlife in India.
o It contains provisions to counter illegal poaching, hunting and killing of
wild animals and includes schedules detailing endangered or otherwise
protected species such as Elephants, Bengal Tigers, Lions and other wild
animals that are threatened due to poaching and hunting.
o The Act specifies the setting up of sanctuaries and natural parks etc. to aid
the conservation effort and calls for the appointment and creation of a Chief
Wildlife Warden and Wildlife Advisory Board for the purpose.

The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

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  The Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 was passed to provide for
the conservation of forests and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or
incidental thereto.
o Under the provisions of this Act, prior approval of the Central Government is
required for the diversion of forestlands for non-forest purposes.

Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act ,1981

 The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act was enacted on May 16, 1981.
o It was amended in 1987 to provide for the prevention, control, and abatement
of air pollution in India.
o It was passed under Article 253 of the Constitution of India, in accordance with
the decisions of the Stockholm Conference.
o Its aim is to provide means for the prevention, control, and abatement of air
pollution and preserve the quality of air.
o It laid guidelines regarding emission control.
o It empowers the State Government and the respective Board(s) to give
instructions to ensure emission standards for automobiles.
o Initially, noise as an air pollutant was not included in the act.
o Later, in 1987, by an amendment noise as an air pollutant was included in it.

Environment Protection Act, 1986

 Environment Protection Act, 1986 Act of the Parliament of India.

o In the wake of the Bhopal gas Tragedy or Bhopal Disaster, the [Government of
India] enacted the Environment Protection Act of 1986 under Article 253 of
the Constitution.
o Passed in March 1986, it came into force on 19 November 1986.
o It has 26 sections and 4 chapters.
o The Environmental (Protection) Act was enacted in 1986 was never amended.
o The purpose of the Act is to implement the decisions of the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment.
o 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.
o The Act is an “umbrella” legislation designed to provide a framework for
central government coordination of the activities of various central and state
authorities established under previous laws, such as the Water Act and the Air
Act.

Raimona National Park

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 o It lies in Kokrajhar district, of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in the
lower Assam.
 It encompasses 422 sq km.
o Phipsoo wildlife sanctuary of Bhutan to its north, Buxa tiger reserve of
West Bengal lies to its west and the Manas national park to its east.
o The area of the Park includes the northern part of the notified Ripu Reserve
Forest, which forms the buffer to the Manas National Park.
o It is bounded by tributaries of the Brahmaputra, the Sonkosh river on the west
and the Saralbhanga river on the east.
 The Pekua river makes Raimona national park’s southern boundary.
o Raimona national park shares contiguous forests patches with Phipsoo Wildlife
Sanctuary and Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park of Bhutan.

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

 The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is in Karnataka.

 The area was first declared as 'Jagara Valley Wildlife Sanctuary' in 1951 by the then
government. The area was extended to its present extent and renamed Bhadra
Wildlife Sanctuary in 1974.
 The Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a Project Tiger Reserve in 1998.
 It is home to not just the tiger and elephant, but to the panther, bison, sloth bear,
wild dog, flying squirrel (including the giant Indian squirrel) and wild boar. It also
has over 120 species of flora, such as teak, rose-wood, mathi, honne, nandi, tadasalu
and kindal.

Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary

 Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary in Erode district, the largest wildlife sanctuary in

Tamil Nadu.

Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary

 Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary is the biggest wildlife sanctuary in Goa.

Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary

 Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the oldest sanctuaries in South India.It is in

Telangana and was developed by the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Carbon Footprint

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 A carbon footprint is the total amount of Greenhouse Gases – GHGs (especially
carbon dioxide and methane) released into the atmosphere by different human
activities.
 Carbon footprints can be associated with an individual, an organization, a product
or an event, among others.
 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a carbon footprint is a measure
of the impact people’s activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)
produced through the burning of fossil fuels and is expressed as a weight of CO2
emissions produced in tonnes.
 The carbon footprint is seen as a subset of the ecological footprint, where carbon
footprint deals with resource usage but focuses strictly on the greenhouse gases
released due to the burning of fossil fuels, while the latter compares the total resources
people consume with the land and water area that is needed to replace those
resources.
 The release of Six Greenhouse gases as recognized by the Kyoto Protocol will be
counted in the carbon footprint. The Six GHGs are:-
o Carbon dioxide (CO2)
o Methane (CH4)
o Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
o Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
o Perfluorocarbon (PFCs)
o Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

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