Environmental Studies (AECC) Study Materials

14 out of world's 20 most polluted cities in India: WHO Has India Failed In The Battle Against Air Pollution? World's Most Polluted Country is India; Out of 15 Cities, 14 in India

Disaster Management: India’s Vulnerability and Hazard Profile Indian sub-continent has unique geo-climatic and socio-political conditions that make it vulnerable to both the natural as well as manmade disasters.  Around 6% of the population of India is impacted annually by the exposures to disasters. They Key natural disasters in India include floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides and avalanches that have resulted in loss of lives and livelihoods. According to a Planning Commission report, the key vulnerabilities of India include the following: ·          Coastal States, particularly in the East Coast and Gujarat on west coast, are vulnerable to cyclones. ·          4 crore hectare land mass is vulnerable to floods and river erosion. ·          68 per cent of net sown area is vulnerable to drought. ·      ...

Wild Life Sanctuary A wildlife sanctuary is  defined by State Government via a Notification . There is no need to pass a legislation (act) by the state assembly to declare a wildlife sanctuary. Fixation and alternation of boundary can be done by state legislature via resolution. No need to pass an act for alternation of boundaries. No alternation of boundaries in wildlife sanctuaries can be done without approval of the NBWL (National Board of Wildlife) Limited human activities are permitted in the sanctuary. National Parks Similar to the Wildlife Sanctuaries, a National Park is defined by state government via notification. The state government can fix and alter boundaries of the National Parks with prior consultation and approval with National Board of Wildlife. There is no need to pass an act for alternation of boundaries of National Parks.  No human activities are permitted in a National Park. Similarities / Difference between a National Park and Wildli...

Forest Rights in India Before India was established as a British Colony, there was no forest policy. Each ruler of various states in India had his or her own approach to manage the forest resources in their territories. The British imposed the so called  scientific forest management  in India whereby their  sole agenda was focused on continuous commercial production of the timber.  The formula of the forest management at that time in India was a typical European production based forestry model for, the pressure of man of forests was not as high as in current times. Conflict over Forest Rights and tribal revolts The permanence settlement of 1757, the forest act of 1865 and 1878 and the forest policy of 1894 were one of the root causes of rebellions and revolts of the indigenous communities in India. These revolts began from 1794 and continued till 1920s. The target of these rebellions was the new land and forest policies which left them devoid of their trad...

Kyoto Protocol It is an international treaty Negotiated under UNFCC Adopted in  1997 in Kyoto, Japan Came into force in  2005 Parties  :  192 (Canada withdrew) It gave  binding targets to Annex I countries The Kyoto Protocol implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fight global warming by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations The Protocol is based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities: it puts the obligation to reduce current emissions on developed countries on the basis that they are historically responsible for the current levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Protocol’s first commitment period started in  2008  and ended in  2012 By 2008-2012, Annex 1 countries have to reduce their GHG emissions by an average of 5%  below their 1990 levels (for many countries, such as the EU member states, this corresponds to some 15% below their expected GHG em...