Railway Science (Environment – Miscellaneous)

Three Mile Island (1979 - United States) in which a partial meltdown occurred. Other accidents : Nuclear power plant explosion (Chernobyl, Ukraine) - 1986; Union Carbide Gas leak {Bhopal gas tragedy - Leakage of Methyl Isocyanate gas (CH₃NCO or C₂H₃NO)} - 2 Dec 1984; Italian dioxin (Poisonous chemical compound) crisis - (1976)

In 1983, the United Nations created the ‘World Commission on Environment and Development’ headed by Gro Harlem Brundtland (former Prime Minister of Norway). It published a report Titled ‘Our Common Future’ in October 1987 through the Oxford University Press.

World Wide Fund for nature (WWF): Founded - 29 April 1961, Morges (Switzerland). Headquarters - Gland (Switzerland). The name of the panda in the logo is ‘Chichi’. It is an International organization that works to conserve the environment by working in given areas; climate, forest, food, fresh water, ocean, and wildlife.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 SDGs (Goals) was adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York in 2015. The “Earth Summit”, held in Rio in 1992, established sustainable development as the guiding vision for the development efforts of all countries.
Established frameworks such as National Environmental Plan, National Vision, National Agenda 21 or Poverty Reduction Strategies can all provide a good basis for moving towards sustainable development.

Great Hornbill - Vulnerable. Great Hornbill (Scientific name : Buceros bicornis) is a bird species found in the Indian subcontinent. Asiatic elephant - Endangered. Blackbuck - Least Concern. Nicobar Pigeon - Near Threatened. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List divides species into nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct.

An earthen pot - This Ecomark logo signifies the use of renewable sources like clay, which does not produce hazardous waste and consumes less energy. Ecomark - a certification mark issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards to products conforming to a set of standards aimed at the least impact on the ecosystem. Effective since - 1991, the Product category - 17, Type of Standard - Quality Mark.

The SDGs (Global Goals), are a set of 17 goals that aim to address various social, economic, and environmental challenges worldwide.

The Air Quality Index is acquired by measuring emissions of eight major pollutants present in the air: Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Ozone (O₃), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂), Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂), Lead (Pb) and Ammonia (NH₃) emissions. Readings are noted every hour. Each country has their air quality indexes based on its air quality standards.

National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) - Parent institution - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in India. Established - 1958. Motto - Leadership in Environmental Science and Engineering for Sustainable Development.

Institute of Forest Biodiversity (IFB) : Location - Dulapally. It was initially started as “Advanced Centre for Biotechnology and Mangrove Forests” and later on renamed as “Forest Research Centre, Hyderabad” on 9th July, 1997. Ministry : Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. India's first Biodiversity - Nallur Tamarind Grove (Bengaluru, Karnataka).
India’s First Forest Research Institute (1906) - Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun. International Day of Forests - 21st March.