Issues on Environment, Biodiversity & Climate Change (Part-I)

Total Questions: 50

11. India is a party to the Ramsar Convention and has declared many areas as Ramsar sites. Which of the following statements best describes as to how we should maintain these sites in the context of this convention? [2010]

Correct Answer: (d) Conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
Solution:Ramsar convention describes to conserve all the sites through ecosystem approach and allow their simultaneous sustainable use.
  • The Ramsar Convention sets out clear objectives to guide the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands worldwide. These include:
  • Protection and Management: Safeguard, restore, and ensure the wise use of wetlands to maintain their ecological character and long-term health.
  • International Cooperation: Promote collaboration between countries, particularly for transboundary wetlands, through sharing knowledge, resources, and best practices.
  • Biodiversity Conservation: Protect Wetland ecosystems as vital habitats for waterfowl, aquatic life, and countless other species, ensuring the survival of global biodiversity.
  • Climate Regulation: Strengthen wetland's role in carbon sequestration, flood control, and water cycle regulation to enhance resilience against climate change.
  • Public Awareness: Promotes education and understanding, about the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of wetlands for both people and nature.

12. What are the possible limitations of India in mitigating the global warming at present and in the immediate future? [2010]

1. Appropriate alternate technologies are not sufficiently available.

2. India cannot invest huge funds in research and development.

3. Many developed countries have already set up their polluting industries in India.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only
Solution:Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's near-surface air and oceans by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, which result from human activity such as the burning of fossil fuel and deforestation. Climate change mitigation is action to decrease the potential effects of global warming. At a time rate of mitigation is less in India because appropriate technologies are limited and costly. Moreover India don't have huge funds required for research and development in that area.

13. Consider the following which can be found in the ambient atmosphere: [2010]

1. Soot

2. Sulphur hexafluoride

3. Water vapour Which of the above contribute to the warming up of the atmosphere?

Correct Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Solution:

Soot, Sulphur Hexafluoride, and water vapour are present in the atmosphere and contribute to the warming up of the atmosphere.
The atmosphere is having a blanket of gases around the earth.
Water Vapour as Greenhouse Gas

  • Water vapour is nothing but water in gaseous form.
    Water vapour is produced by the evaporation or boiling of liquid water, or by the sublimation of ice.
  • Water vapour is the most significant overall contributor to the greenhouse effect, and humans are not directly responsible for emitting enough of this gas to change its concentration in the atmosphere.
  • Under normal atmospheric conditions, water vapour is continuously produced by evaporation and removed by condensation.
  • It is less dense and causes convection currents that can lead to clouds.
  • Water vapour, like most atmospheric constituents, is transparent.
  • It works as a blanket, keeping the earth from becoming too cold or too hot.
  • It also adds to the stability and instability of the air.
  • It is an effective greenhouse gas because it absorbs longwave radiation and radiates it back to the surface, contributing to warming as well as greenhouse effect.
  • Water vapour is the most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, both in terms of weight and volume.

14. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international treaty drawn at : [2010]

Correct Answer: (b) UN 'Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 1992
Solution:About United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
  • UNFCCC is the principal global treaty for coordinating international responses to climate change.
  • It provides the foundation for subsequent legal instruments, including the Kyoto Protocol and the landmark Paris Agreement.
  • The purpose of the UNFCCC is to harness international cooperation to limit the rise of average global temperatures to minimize the impacts of climate change to enable timely adaptation, avoid threats to food production, and ensure sustainable econom
  • It is one of three conventions that was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to promote a sustainable planet for future generations.
  • Its sister Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Desertification,
  • The UNFCCC has 198 Parties, comprising 197 States and the European Union, making it one of the most widely ratified international treaties.
  • Every year, parties to the Convention meet in Conference of the Parties (COPs), as well as in technical meetings throughout the year, to advance the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement and achieve progress in its implementation.
  • The UNFCCC relies on the scientific assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to inform its decisions and guide negotiations
  • The IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
  • It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988.

15. Regarding "carbon credits", which one of the following statements is not correct? [2011-1]

Correct Answer: (d) Carbon credits are traded at a price fixed from time to time by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Solution:Under the Kyoto Protocol, the 'caps' or quotas for Greenhouse gases for the developed Annex 1 countries are known as Assigned Amounts and are listed in Annex B.

The quantity of the initial assigned amount is denominated in individual units, called Assigned amount units (AAUs), each of which represents an allowance to emit one metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, and these are entered into the country's national registry.

16. Among the following states, which one has the most suitable climatic conditions for the cultivation of a large variety of orchids with minimum cost of production, and can develop an export oriented industry in this field? [2011-1]

Correct Answer: (b) Arunachal Pradesh
Solution:

Around 800 species of orchids found in the Northeast region.
As per the Botanical Survey of India:

  • Orchids of 1,256 species or taxa are found in India.
  • Out of total orchids, about 760 species or 60% are epiphytic, 447 are terrestrial and 43 are mycoheterotrophic in India
  • About 400 species of orchids are endemic to India and about one-third of them are endemic species found in Western Ghats.
  • The Western Ghats feature a high endemism of orchids, but north-east India has the highest species concentration.
  • There are 612 orchid species known to exist in Arunachal Pradesh, which is followed by Sikkim (560) and West Bengal.
  • In terms of orchid species, the Himalayan zone is the most abundant of India's ten biogeographic zones, followed by the Northeast, the Western Ghats, the Deccan plateau, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

17. Human activities in the recent past have caused the increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but a lot of it does not remain in the lower atmosphere because of : [2011-1]

1. its escape into the outer stratosphere.

2. the photosynthesis by phytoplankton in the oceans.

3. the trapping of air in the polar ice caps.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:Since CO₂ is heavier than air, it sinks in ocean than moving up. Also, winter, it is observed that CO₂ is trapped in ice caps.
About Corbon Dioxide:
  • It is a colourless gas having a faint sharp odoor and a sour taste.
  • It is an important heat-trapping gas, also known as a greenhouse gas
  • It comes from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas), from wildfires, and natural processes like volcanic eruptions.
  • It is one of the most important greenhouse gas (GHG) in the atmosphere and is the primary driver of anthropogenic climate change
  • The presence of the gas in the atmosphere keeps some of the radiant energy received by Earth from being returned to space, thus producing the so-called greenhouse effect
  • Carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant, in fire extinguishers, for inflating life rafts and life jackets, blasting coal, foaming rubber and plastics, promoting the growth of plants in greenhouses, immobilizing animals before slaughter, and in carbonated beverages.
  • Studies have shown that CO2 has contributed more than any driver to climate change
  • It is much more abundant in the atmosphere compared to CH4 and HFCS.
    CO2 remains in the atmosphere longer than the other major GHGs emitted due to human activities.
  • After a pulse of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere, 40% will remain in the atmosphere for 100 years and 20% will reside for 1000 years, while the final 10% will take 10,000 years to turn over," a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a US-based non-profit organisation,

18. In the context of ecosystem productivity, marine upwelling zones are important as they increase the marine productivity by bringing the : [2011-1]

1. decomposer microorganisms to the surface.

2. nutrients to the surface.

3. bottom-dwelling organisms to the surface.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:Upwelling brings nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. This is to do with the phytoplankton's and nothing to do with the decomposer microorganisms.
Winds blowing across the ocean surface push water away. Water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away. This process is known as "upwelling."
Upwelling occurs in the open ocean and along coastlines. The reverse process, called "downwelling," also occurs when wind causes surface water to build up along a coastline and the surface water eventually sinks toward the bottom.
Water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder and is rich in nutrients. These nutrients "fertilize" surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity. Therefore, good fishing grounds typically are found where upwelling is common.

19. The formation of ozone hole in the Antarctic region has been a cause of concern. What could be the reason for the formation of this hole? [2011-1]

Correct Answer: (b) Presence of prominent polar front and stratospheric clouds; and inflow of chlorofluorocarbons.
Solution:The nitric acid in polar stratospheric clouds reacts with CFCs to form chlorine, which catalyzes the photochemical destruction of ozone.
  • An ozone hole is a region of the stratosphere over Antarctica where the ozone layer is exceptionally depleted.
  • The ozone hole is not technically a "hole" where no ozone is present, but is actually a region of exceptionally depleted ozone in the stratosphere over the Antarctic.
  • The ozone hole is the region over Antarctica with total ozone of 220 Dobson Units or lower.

Reasons

  • The ozone hole has developed because people have polluted the atmosphere with chemicals containing chlorine and bromine.
  • The primary chemicals involved are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs for short), halons, and carbon tetrachloride.
  • The culprit behind ozone depletion was not aerosols in aerosol cans, but the propellants we use as gases to propel the solutions inside.
  • These gaseous propellants contain chlorine, which is released high in the stratosphere and depletes the ozone...

20. Two important rivers-one with its source in Jharkhand (and known by a different name in Odisha), and another, with its source in Odisha-merge at a place only a short distance from the coast of Bay of Bengal before flowing into the sea. This is an important site of wildlife and biodiversity and a protected area. Which one of the following could be this? [2011-1]

Correct Answer: (a) Bhitarkanika
Solution:The Bhitarkanika Mangroves are a mangrove wetland in India's Orissa state. The Bhitarkanika Mangroves cover an area of 650 km in the river delta of the Brahmani and Baitarani rivers.
About Bhitarkanika National Park
  • It is located in the Kendrapara district of Odisha.
  • Spread across an area of 672 sq.km. of the mangrove swamp situated on the delta formed by the three rivers, namely Brahmani, Baitarani, and Dhamra, the park houses an array of creeks, backwaters, estuaries, deltas, and mudhuts.
  • It is India's second largest mangrove ecosystem after the Sunderbans.
  • Proximity to the Bay of Bengal makes the soil of the area enriched with salt; the vegetation and species of the sanctuary are those that are mainly found in the tropical and subtropical intertidal regions.
  • It is also designated as a Ramsar site