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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
ContentsWest Antarctic Ice Sheet warming rapidly.................................................................................................... 11ICT industry produces 830 million tonnes of CO2 ...................................................................................... 11MP identifies 17 eco-sensitive zones around sanctuaries............................................................................. 11MoEF asks all states to declare eco sensitive zones around national parks, sanctuaries by Feb 15, 2013 12Source of Iodine oxide gas responsible for destruction of ozone over oceans identified.......................... 13Air pollution in Beijing reaches to dangerous levels .................................................................................... 13National Green Tribunal orders halt to all constructions going in Noida and Greater Noida................. 14Panna Tiger Reserve of MP undergoes vulture population estimation ..................................................... 14Green Kumbh Mela ........................................................................................................................................ 14PMO forms executive panel on implementing the 8 missions of the NAPCC .......................................... 15Rare Whooper Swan spotted after 113 years in Himachal .......................................................................... 16Thinning of Ozone has altered ocean circulation: Study ............................................................................. 17MoEF sets up committee to study legal cover for elephant habitats........................................................... 17Fact Box: Dongria Kondh tribe....................................................................................................................... 18Fact Box: Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ..................................................................................... 19India, UK sign pact on boosting co-operation in Earth Sciences ................................................................ 20Compost Plant in New Delhi is first composting plant in India to get carbon credits from UNFCCC .. 21Central assistance of Rs. 41 Crore to protect Pashmina Goats .................................................................... 22North Island of New Zealand hit by worst drought in 30 years .................................................................. 22Fact Box: CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) ....................................... 22Fish with high cesium level found near Fukushima plant ........................................................................... 23Green Tribunal prohibits roads construction, cutting of trees in Aravallis ............................................... 232013 designated as the UN International Year of Water Cooperation by UNGA .................................... 23Great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros population rises in Kaziranga: Census .......................................... 24Biogas plant commissioned on the Kerala Government Secretariat campus ............................................. 24Research anticipates Arctic to be 50% greener in coming decades.............................................................. 24Supreme Court orders transfer of some Asiatic Lions from Gujarats Gir to MPs Kuno ........................ 25Fact Box: K. Kasturirangan High-Level Working Group............................................................................ 26Supreme Court cancels Karnatakas all 49 mining leases ............................................................................. 27Expert committee: exact co-relation between radiation of communication towers and health of wildlife is so far not established ..................................................................................................................... 28Ahmedabad becomes first city in South Asia to launch a heat wave preparation and warning system .. 28Indias over one-fourth land hit by desertification: Report.......................................................................... 29EU to Restrict Bee-Harming Pesticides ........................................................................................................ 30Bombay HC directs Maharashtra govt to release water into Jayakwadi dam............................................. 30Fact Box: Top 15 countries with gigantic Oil Reserves................................................................................ 31Wildlife biologist Aparajita Datt wins Whitley Award Green Oscars for her Hornbill project......... 32Supreme Court allows the functioning of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant .......................................... 33Vice-President inaugurates iCED in Jaipur ................................................................................................... 34
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
Government mulls to ban trade of peacock feathers .................................................................................... 34Acidification on the rise in Arctic Ocean....................................................................................................... 35Kerala against creation of buffer zone in any populated area suggested in Western Ghats Report ........ 36Gold nanoparticles to aid efficient drug delivery and diagnostics ............................................................... 38Fact Box: Green Energy Corridor Project; Government plans to invest Rs 43,000 Crore in the project38Frozen plants from Little Ice Age revived ..................................................................................................... 39India, US & Australia will collaborate to develop climate-resilient crops .................................................. 39Archaeopteryx regains Bird status.................................................................................................................. 40IFC provides $5 million funds to NSL Renewable Power ........................................................................... 41Madhya Pradesh govt to listen to oustees of the Omkareshwar dam project ............................................ 41Union Government approves National Oil Spill Contingency Plan ........................................................... 42Uttarakhand CM opposes declaring Gomukh-Gangotri as eco-sensitive zone ......................................... 42ONGC adopts six monuments under Campaign Clean India ...................................................................... 43World Environment Day Observed globally with the theme: Think. Eat. Save- Reduce Your Foodprint ......................................................................................................................................................... 43World Oceans Day observed on June 8, 2013............................................................................................... 44Number of Royal Bengal Tiger in Sudarbans exceeds 2011 census estimates............................................ 44Renewable energy transmission corridors to be set up in Tamil Nadu ...................................................... 44Cabinet approves IWMP as a flagship programme ...................................................................................... 45V K Duggal appointed as nodal officer for relief & rescue operations in Uttarakhand............................. 46Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS): NASA launches satellite to study Suns atmosphere .... 47India imposes ban on testing of cosmetics on animals ................................................................................. 47Curb sale of adulterated milk: Supreme Court to State govts...................................................................... 48Man-made factors to blame Uttarakhand Floods: Environmentalists ........................................................ 48Ghaziabad, Allahabad most polluted in Uttar Pradesh: Survey ................................................................... 49Himachal Pradesh becomes countrys first smoke-free State...................................................................... 50Experts highlight potential of cassava as biofuel crop .................................................................................. 51Great Barrier Reef in poor health, admits Australia.................................................................................... 51Supreme Court issues notice to Centre, States on disaster management ................................................... 52India and ADB Sign an Agreement for Gujarat Solar Power Transmission System................................. 52Two US Jets drops bombs on Great Barrier Reef Marine Park................................................................... 53Campaign Clean India adopts Taj Mahal ....................................................................................................... 54Ford becomes the first automaker to join India Greenhouse Gas Reporting (GHG) Program ............... 54E-surveillance to monitor various tiger habitats........................................................................................... 56Pacific Marshall Islands under threat of climate catastrophe....................................................................... 57Research links Climate Change to Human Conflict ..................................................................................... 58China unveils first Giant Panda channel........................................................................................................ 58Environmental activists oppose Mithi Virdi Nuclear Plant......................................................................... 59Wildlife Protection Amendment Bill 2013 introduced in Rajya Sabha ...................................................... 59Environment Ministrys panel finds illegal sand mining in Gautam Buddh Nagar................................... 60Scientist Vinod Prakash Sharma honored with Gujar Mal Modi award .................................................... 60
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Government to set up an independent Coal Regulatory Authority............................................................ 60Extinction of large animals Megafauna damaged nutrient distribution system...................................... 61Sikkim is Indias greenest state........................................................................................................................ 61MoE slaps Rs 200 crore penalty on Adani group.......................................................................................... 62Montreal Protocol helps reduce the size of hole in Ozone .......................................................................... 62Indian scientists undertake earthquake prediction research, measure the Deccan Trap ......................... 63Govt to set up worlds largest solar power plant in Rajasthan..................................................................... 63Three members of National Ganga River Basin Authority resign.............................................................. 64Rock Wrens a species makes comeback from extinction through Conservation Project................... 65NGT bans digging of earth across the country.............................................................................................. 65IPCC report: Humans are dominant cause of Global Warming ................................................................. 66Acidification and overexploitation pushing marine life to mass extinction: IPSO.................................... 67Apex court upheld Green Tribunal order on WGEEP report..................................................................... 67Great Indian Bustard in critically endangered stage.................................................................................... 73Outdoor Air Pollution a Leading Environmental Cause of Cancer Deaths: IARC ................................... 73G. B. Pradhan is the new Chairperson of the CERC .................................................................................... 74Prof. Ravi Chopra Expert panel to study the impact of Hydro-projects in Uttarakhand.......................... 74Odisha imposes fishing ban to protect nests of endagered Olive Ridley sea turtles .................................. 75Integrated Processing Development Scheme (IPDS) gets nod from CCEA............................................... 76Indias climate negotiation strategy to put emission-cut burden on developed countries........................ 76Haiyan, most power typhoon ever, batters Philippines................................................................................ 77NGT issues notice to Ministry of Environment on idol immersion........................................................... 78India wins significant support on the issue of emission cuts affecting farmers: Warsaw Climate talks . 78India against forcing developing countries to review their voluntary emission cuts: Warsaw Climate talks.................................................................................................................................................................... 79Greenpeace to protest arrests of activists by Russia ..................................................................................... 80COP-19 climate talks at Warsaw concludes .................................................................................................. 80Operation Oliver to conserve vulnerable turtles ......................................................................................... 81Cyclone Lehar moving towards Andhra Pradesh ......................................................................................... 82Another Tiger Reserve to come up in Maharashtra..................................................................................... 82PFBTA: Newly discovered greenhouse gas 7,000 times more potent than CO2 ..................................... 83The coldest place on Earth is in East Antarctica ........................................................................................... 84NGT banned burning of plastic, rubber across the country ........................................................................ 84Western Ghats: Nod for farming activities by Ministry of Environment & Forests ................................ 85M. Veerappa Moily is the new Environment and Forests Minister ........................................................... 86Himachal High court bans on food in plastic packs ...................................................................................... 86PETAs Person of the Year: Dr Shashi Tharoor............................................................................................ 86Study: Mangroves in Florida expanding poleward ....................................................................................... 87Moclic software can predict weather .......................................................................................................... 88Scientists spot rare Indian Pitta after 60 years............................................................................................... 88Global Warming: Gangotri glacier is shrinking ........................................................................................... 88
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Supreme Court directs Centre to set up National Regulator for granting all Green Clearances ............. 89POSCOs steel plant gets environmental clearance....................................................................................... 90CCEA approved Capacity Building Scheme and Rajiv Gandhi Institute for climate change ................... 91India ranked 155th on Yales Environmental Performance Index (EPI)..................................................... 91Saving Asias Vultures from Extinction (SAVE)........................................................................................... 92National Green Tribunal (NGT) bans on burning tyres in Public Places................................................... 93Dr. Marco Lambertini: New Director-General of WWF International .................................................... 94Vizag Zoo: Soon, Indias first breeding centre for wild dogs (Dhole) ......................................................... 95Study: Fertilization destabilizes Global Grassland Ecosystems.................................................................... 95Indira Paryavaran Bhawan inaugurated by Dr. Manmohan Singh .......................................................... 96Indian-origin men win Heinz Awards in US ................................................................................................ 97Indias Largest Solar Power Plant launched in Madhya Pradesh ................................................................. 98Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt: Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist selected for Gandhi Peace Prize 2013 ................................................................................................................................................................... 98Mysterious four new man-made Ozone-Killing gases discovered.............................................................. 99IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: 15 bird species from India are in critically endangered list...... 100Great Eared Nightjar spotted first time in Kollams Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary .......................... 101U.S. India Energy Dialogue 2014 to advance clean energy access: Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy (PEACE) .................................................................................................................................. 102Environmentalist Ms. Almitra Patel............................................................................................................. 103Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020-Launched by WHO-India to protect Vulnerable Rhinos ............... 103Climate change may lead India to war: UN report ..................................................................................... 104Polo, Indias only gorilla, breaths his last ..................................................................................................... 105SOLAR-JET: An EU project makes solar kerosene from sunlight ...................................................... 106Net Metering: An innovation to slash electricity bills .............................................................................. 106El Nino effect may shrink Indias GDP by 1.75%: Assocham..................................................................... 107Biologists discover 14 new Dancing Frog species in Western Ghats...................................................... 108Olive Ridley Conservation programme restarted after nearly 25 years.................................................... 108Ranchis Kanke Dam endangered by waste ................................................................................................. 109RhoDIS: DNA-based tool to probe poaching.............................................................................................. 109Obama administration demonstrates historic rules to cut coal pollution by 30% ................................... 109Environment clearance to Navys Project Seabird (Karwar naval base) ................................................... 110Cyclone Nanauk moves towards Oman, monsoon to reach Maharashtra, Gujarat in few days ............ 111Gujarat gets NCA approval to raise height of Narmada Dam.................................................................... 111Japan kills 30 minke whales despite ICJ order............................................................................................. 112Scientists locate massive underground water reservoir, three times the size of Earths oceans ........... 112IUCN releases Red List of Threatened Species FIFA World Cup 2014 mascot Brazilian three-banded Armadillo enlisted as Vulnerable ................................................................................................... 113DLF is Indias first realty company to get ISO 9001: 2008 certification ................................................... 114NTPC seeks revocation of ban on Lata Tapovan Hydro Power Project................................................... 115
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
June 17: World Day to Combat Desertification observed with the theme Land Belongs to the Future Lets Climate Proof It .................................................................................................................................... 115Delhi is Indias first kerosene-free city ......................................................................................................... 116Government sets up Panel to design National Rubber Policy ................................................................... 117Project Mausam: Culture Ministry initiative to explore multi-faceted Indian Ocean.......................... 117Understanding the collusion between El Nino and Monsoon................................................................... 117Bor Wildlife Sanctuary: Indias 47th Tiger Reserve ................................................................................... 119Study shows whales are ecosystem engineers........................................................................................... 119Typhoon Neoguri: Super typhoon moving towards Japan........................................................................ 120Scientists develop new method to forecast floods upto 11 months in advance ....................................... 120R K Pachauri calls Shopping Malls energy guzzlers ................................................................................. 120Study attributes Oklahoma earthquakes to subsurface wastewater injection .......................................... 121Rich nations should capitalize Green Climate Fund: India........................................................................ 121Nagoya Protocol gets 50th Instrument of Ratification............................................................................... 122Typhoon Rammasun (Glenda) hits Philippines .......................................................................................... 123CII-GEC launched EPEAT environmental rating systems for electronics ............................................ 123Tiger population improves in Uttar Pradesh .............................................................................................. 124IUCN adds 8 more Indian bird species to 2014 Red List............................................................................ 124Researchers discovered new species of Mayfly in India............................................................................ 124Science Express for raising biodiversity awareness flagged off ................................................................. 124Man-made water vapour next climate threat .............................................................................................. 125Urbanization activities impacted a few wetlands: Government................................................................ 125Bees choose best flowers even before landing just from the color of petals............................................. 126Science can now explain why suns atmosphere is hotter than its surface ............................................... 126NGRBA brought under Ministry of Water Resources .............................................................................. 127Mangroves in Sunderbans losing capacity to soak up CO2: Research...................................................... 127China plans to ban coal use in its capital by 2020 ....................................................................................... 128Researchers discover Indias first jellyfish lake in Gujarat.......................................................................... 128South Africa government relocates Rhinos from Kruger National Park ................................................. 129Independence Day: Modis mantras for new India ..................................................................................... 129Indias future lies in manufacturing with Zero-Defect and Zero-Effect: PM Narendra Modi.............. 130PM Modi accentuates promoting Tourism, Clean India campaign to be launched on October 2 ....... 130The Green Bus project: Indias first ethanol-run public bus launched in Nagpur................................. 131Coal block allocations from 1993 to 2010 illegal, done arbitrarily': Supreme Court .............................. 131Comprehensive Sustainable Tourism Criteria India (STCI) launched..................................................... 131Indias first coral garden to be set up in Gujarat.......................................................................................... 132Fresh choice of smugglers: R22-Ozone-depleting fridge gas................................................................... 132NGT bans tyre burning in the open, re-use of tyres as fuel....................................................................... 133Ozone layer on road to recovery................................................................................................................... 134Union Government to fund Swachh Vidyalaya campaign ...................................................................... 135Indian scientist Kamal Bawa wins the Midori Prize 2014.......................................................................... 136
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Key Outcomes of Narendra Modis US visit................................................................................................ 136E-rickshaws recognized as special category three-wheeled vehicles......................................................... 138Government to revive Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change ..................................................... 138North east monsoon gets active over South India ...................................................................................... 139Government to create a SPV for Ken-Betwa River Linking Project ........................................................ 139Former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to be Chair of Future Earths Engagement Committee140Key Facts About Cyclone Nilofar ................................................................................................................. 140Government to soon put up Climate Change Adaptation Plan................................................................. 141SC gives free hand to NGT to whip Ganga polluting industries............................................................... 142Government reconstitutes Prime Ministers Council on Climate Change............................................... 142Keralas Ashtamudi clam fishery to first in India to receive MSC certification ....................................... 144Canine Distemper Virus pushing tigers towards extinction ..................................................................... 145Worlds tallest hybrid wind turbine installed in Kutch .............................................................................. 146Newton-Bhabha Fund announced by UK and India .................................................................................. 146Environment Ministry approves waiver of mandatory green clearances for strategic border roads .... 1472015 to be celebrated as Year of Water Conservation in India ................................................................. 148Guru Ghasidas National Park in Chhattisgarh to be declared as Tiger Reserve...................................... 149India helps Maldives to tackle drinking water crisis................................................................................... 149Typhoon Hagupit approaches Philippines................................................................................................... 150Bangladesh oil spill disaster threatens wildlife in Sundarbans forest ........................................................ 150NGT forms panel to dispose sand on Yamuna riverbed ............................................................................ 151For first time 19 swamp deer translocated from Kaziranga to Manas National Park ............................. 151Second National Biodiversity Conference-2015 will be held in Kerala .................................................... 1523 day Flamingo Festival begins near Pulicat Lake in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh....................... 1525th General Assembly of IRENA begins in Abu Dhabi.............................................................................. 1532014 hottest year on record: US scientists ................................................................................................... 154World Future Energy Summit begins in Abu Dhabi ................................................................................. 154Indias Tigers population increases by 30% since 2011............................................................................... 155Keralas Periyar tiger reserve wins NTCA biennial award......................................................................... 155Indias 1st solar fenced elephant sanctuary to come up near Bengaluru ................................................... 156Jackal research and translocation project launched in Uttar Pradesh ....................................................... 156World Wetlands Day is being observed on 2 February ............................................................................. 157Two beneficial algal species discovered off the west coast of India .......................................................... 157Symposium: Towards Zero Poaching in Asia concludes in Nepal ............................................................ 158Four new fish species discovered in Kerala ................................................................................................. 159India signs $8 million loan agreement with World Bank for SLACC Project......................................... 159Muthoot Group partners with WWF for elephant project....................................................................... 160Union Government launches Soil Health Card Scheme in Rajasthan ...................................................... 160Environmental loss in Sundarbans worth Rs. 1290 Crore: World Bank Report .................................... 1613rd Tortoise Festival organised in Assam.................................................................................................... 162NGT issues the whip on vintage cars ........................................................................................................... 162
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
Zoological Society of London and Gujarat Forest Department inks MoU for Asiatic lion Conservation163Renowned ornithologist K.S. Lavkumar Khachar passes away................................................................. 163EU formally adopts climate change targets for December 2015 UNFCCC Paris Conference................ 164Mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles begins in Odisha ............................................................................... 164Union Government merges Green India Mission with MGNREGA to reclaim forest cover ............... 165Union Environment Ministry revokes suspension of Goa mines............................................................. 166NGT announces Rs 5,000 fine for littering on railway property .............................................................. 166Rajendra Singh wins prestigious 2015 Stockholm Water Prize................................................................ 167Mithivirdi nuclear plant gets CRZ nod from Union Government ........................................................... 167Union Government reconstitutes SEAC-II in Maharashtra...................................................................... 168Rajasthan passes bill to ban camel slaughter................................................................................................ 168Great Indian one-horned Rhinoceros population rises in Kaziranga: 2015 Census............................... 169Earth Hour 2015 observed across the World .............................................................................................. 170Rare spiders sighted in Western Ghats........................................................................................................ 170RINL launches first of its kind green project to generate 120 MW power.............................................. 171Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches National Air Quality Index to give pollution information .. 171National Green Tribunal bans diesel vehicles older than 10 years in Delhi............................................. 171Newly discovered Spider named after Telangana state .............................................................................. 172Union Government suspends Greenpeace Indias registration for 6 months .......................................... 172India to chair 9th International Renewable Energy Agency council meet ............................................... 173Punjab government approves release of Gharials in Sutlej and Beas rivers to promote eco-tourism ... 173Earth Day is being observed on 22 April ..................................................................................................... 174India-Bangladesh join hands to protect spectacled Langur........................................................................ 174NGT bans burning of waste in Delhi NCR ................................................................................................. 175Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr. Ananda Kumar won 2015 Whitley Awards for wildlife conservation ......... 175Rajasthan Government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard ............................... 1761 in 6 species can face extinction by end of century due to global warming: Study ................................ 176India home to 48 species of bumblebees ...................................................................................................... 177NGT imposes monthly tax on all households in Delhi to clean up Yamuna River ................................. 177Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary increases to 523: Census report 2015....................................... 178Union Cabinet approves Namami Gange Program .................................................................................... 179Global energy subsidies to hit US $ 5.3 trillion this year: IMF report ...................................................... 179India ranks 24th in Environmental Democracy Index ............................................................................... 180Antarctic ice loss altering earths gravity: Study.......................................................................................... 181Gujarat Government initiates Sloth Habitat Project .................................................................................. 182Himachal Pradesh government sets up satellite tracking system to check forest fire.............................. 182Everest Glaciers may disappear by 2100 due to global warming: Study ................................................... 18305 June: World Environment Day ............................................................................................................... 183Nitin Gadkari inaugurates first Oil Spill Response Centre for Mumbai & JNPT Harbour .................... 184Indias first green police station inaugurated at New Delhis Maurice Nagar .......................................... 185Union Government launches Jal Kranti Abhiyan....................................................................................... 185
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
Yellow-Breasted Buntings on the verge of extinction: Study .................................................................... 186349 new species of flora and fauna discovered in the past one year in India ........................................... 186Renewable energy targets quadruple globally in 10 years: IRENA ........................................................... 187Critically endangered Sangai deer found in Manipur to be translocated ................................................. 188Humans driving Earth to sixth mass extinction: Study .............................................................................. 189Typhoon Kujira hits south Chinas Hainan Province................................................................................. 189Kerala Government declares June 22 as Snake Bird Day .......................................................................... 190Maharashtra declares Blue Mormon as State butterfly ............................................................................. 190Union Government launches Bhuvan Ganga Mobile App to aid Clean Ganga Mission........................ 191Rajasthan becomes No. 1 state in solar energy in India.............................................................................. 191Union Government exempts educational institutions from prior green nod.......................................... 192First species of Yeti crab named Kiwa Tyleri found in Antarctica............................................................ 192India Fourth Largest Carbon Emitter: WRI Analysis ................................................................................ 193Elephant population rises in Odisha: 2015 Census ..................................................................................... 194World Bank approves $650 million loan for Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor................................. 194New butterfly species named Banded Tit found in Arunachal Pradesh .................................................. 195India, US ink MoU to establish PACESetter Fund ..................................................................................... 195
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
West Antarctic Ice Sheet warming rapidlyJanuary 1, 2013
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ICT industry produces 830 million tonnes of CO2January 10, 2013
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MP identifies 17 eco-sensitive zones around sanctuariesJanuary 10, 2013
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Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
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MoEF asks all states to declare eco sensitive zones around national parks, sanctuaries by Feb 15, 2013January 15, 2013
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Source of Iodine oxide gas responsible for destruction of ozone over oceans identifiedJanuary 17, 2013
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National Green Tribunal orders halt to all constructions going in Noida and Greater NoidaJanuary 20, 2013
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Panna Tiger Reserve of MP undergoes vulture population estimationJanuary 30, 2013
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Green Kumbh MelaFebruary 1, 2013
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PMO forms executive panel on implementing the 8 missions of the NAPCCFebruary 6, 2013
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Thinning of Ozone has altered ocean circulation: StudyFebruary 7, 2013
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MoEF sets up committee to study legal cover for elephant habitatsFebruary 15, 2013
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Fact Box: Environmental Performance Index (EPI)March 1, 2013
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2013 designated as the UN International Year of Water Cooperation by UNGAMarch 29, 2013
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Supreme Court orders transfer of some Asiatic Lions from Gujarats Gir to MPs KunoApril 17, 2013
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Supreme Court cancels Karnatakas all 49 mining leasesApril 25, 2013
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2015 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | www.gktoday.in 28
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Expert committee: exact co-relation between radiation of communication towers and health of wildlife is so far not establishedApril 26, 2013
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Ahmedabad becomes first city in South Asia to launch a heat wave preparation and warning systemApril 27, 2013
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2015 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | www.gktoday.in 29
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Indias over one-fourth land hit by desertification: ReportApril 30, 2013
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2015 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | www.gktoday.in 30
Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
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EU to Restrict Bee-Harming PesticidesMay 2, 2013
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Bombay HC directs Maharashtra govt to release water into Jayakwadi damMay 2, 2013
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2015 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | www.gktoday.in 31
Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
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Fact Box: Top 15 countries with gigantic Oil ReservesMay 6, 2013
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Rank Country Oil Reserves Oil Supply Years of remaining reserves
1. Saudi Arabia 265 billion barrels
(19.1%)
11.75 million
Barrels daily
(13.2%)
72.4 years
2. Venezuela 211 billion barrels (15.3%)
2.47 million Barrels daily (2.8%)
234.1 years
3. Iran 137 billion barrels
(9.9%)
4.13 million Barrels
(4.7%)
88.4 years
4. Iraq 115 billion barrels (8.3%)
2.7 million Barrels daily (3.1%)
128.1 years
5. Kuwait 102 billion barrels (7.3%)
2.75 million Barrels daily (3.1%)
110.9 years
6. UAE 98 billion barrels (7.1%)
3.23 million Barrels daily (3.6%)
94.1 years
7. Russia Federation
77 billion barrels (5.6%)
10.33 million Barrels daily
(11.6%)
20.6 years
8. Libya 46 billion barrels
(3.4%)
834,000 barrels
(0.9%)
76.7 years
2015 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | www.gktoday.in 32
Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
Wildlife biologist Aparajita Datt wins Whitley Award Green Oscars for her Hornbill projectMay 9, 2013
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9. Kazakhstan 40 billion barrels (2.9%)
1.61 million Barrels daily (1.8%)
62.1 years
10. Nigeria 37 billion barrels (2.7%)
2.4 million Barrels daily (2.7%)
42.4 years
11. Canada 32 billion barrels
(2.3%)
3.92 million Barrels
daily (4.4%)
26.3 years
12. USA 31 billion barrels (2.2%)
10.59 million Barrels daily
(11.9%)
11.3 years
13. Qatar 26 billion barrels
(1.9%)
1.64 million Barrels
daily (1.9%)
45.2 years
14. China 15 billion barrels
(1.1%)
4.19 million Barrels
a day (4.7%)
9.9 years
15. Brazil 14 billion barrels (1%)
2.8 million Barrels a day (3.2%)
18.3 years
2015 GKToday | All Rights Reserved | www.gktoday.in 33
Environment & Biodiversity Current Affairs : 2013-2015
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Winners of 2013 Whitley Award awarded with a prize share worth 295 000:
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Supreme Court allows the functioning of Kudankulam Nuclear Power PlantMay 9, 2013
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