6th October 2020, Static Quiz on Environment

Correct Answer : D
Answer Justification :
Justification: It is published by the Convention on Biological Diversity. It is a periodic report that summarizes the latest data on the status and trends of biodiversity and draws conclusions relevant to the further implementation of the Convention.
The report draws on various sources of information to provide a mid-term assessment of progress towards the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-20 which is to supplemented with the Aichi biodiversity targets.

Correct Answer : A
Answer Justification :
Learning: Our Planet is UNEP’s magazine for environmentally sustainable development. Each issue of Our Planet concentrates on one specific theme, tying into international conferences (for e.g. the 10th anniversary of the Basel Convention), meetings (e.g. the Commission on Sustainable Development), and events.
The Atlas of Our Changing Environment publications use a combination of ground photographs, current and historical satellite images, and narrative based on extensive scientific evidence to illustrate how humans have altered their surroundings.
Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is a series of reports on the environment issued periodically by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). The GEO project was initiated in response to the environmental reporting requirements of UN Agenda 21.

Correct Answer : B
Justification: The report was made public on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change negotiations (COP23) in Bonn. CCPI is an instrument (released by Germanwatch – a NGO) covering 58 countries and supposed to enhance transparency in international climate politics. Its aim is to encourage political and social pressure on those countries which have, up to now, failed to take ambitious actions on climate protection as well as to highlight countries with best-practice climate policies. Statement 3: On the basis of standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries that are, together, responsible for more than 90% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. 80% of the evaluation is based on objective indicators of emissions trend and emissions level. 20% of the index results are built upon national and international climate policy assessments by more than 200 experts from the respective countries.
Statement 4: India is ranked 14th, an improvement from its 20th position last year. China, with its high emissions and growing energy use over the past five years, still ranks 41st.

Correct Answer : A
Answer Justification :
Justification: WPI was developed jointly by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological Society of London as an indicator derived from primary camera trap data. It monitors ground-dwelling tropical medium and large mammals and birds, species that are important economically, aesthetically and ecologically. The Tropical Ecology and Assessment Monitoring (TEAM) Network, which implements the largest global camera trap network in tropical forests (16 sites, 14 countries and approximately 1000 camera traps deployed over 2000km 2 that are monitored annually), adopted this indicator as a way to synthesize and understand the effects of climate change and land use change on tropical terrestrial mammal and bird diversity. Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) adopted the WPI as a way to quickly synthesize and understand how tropical wildlife is changing and why. The WPI is sensitive to changes in the number of species, their relative occurrence and evenness over time.
The WPI is not limited to camera trap data, but can also be used for other presence/absence data, such as information collected using sound sensors. The WPI can be aggregated at the level of a site (e.g., a TEAM Site), sites within a region, sites within a continent or globally.

Correct Answer : A
Answer Justification :
Justification: OHI is the first assessment tool that scientifically measures key elements from all dimensions of the ocean’s health — biological, physical, economic and social — to guide decision makers toward the sustainable use of the ocean. OHI is operational and included in the CBD’s list of indicators First completed in 2012, more than 25 countries and regions till now have embarked on independent Ocean Health Assessments. OHI assessments are independently-led assessments using the OHI framework that are conducted by any group external to the OHI team. OHI assessments are often conducted at smaller, subnational spatial scales. Independent assessments use the same framework as the global assessments, but allow for exploration of factors influencing ocean health at the smaller scales where policy and management decisions are made. Conservation International is a founder of the Ocean Health Index and serves as the managing partner.

Correct Answer : B
Answer Justification :
Learning: The State of the World’s Forests reports on the status of forests, recent major policy and institutional developments and key issues concerning the forest sector. Some of its observations in 2014 report were: Forest products make a significant contribution to the shelter of at least 1.3 billion people, or 18 percent of the world’s population. A major contribution of forests to food security and health is the provision of woodfuel to cook and sterilize water. The formal forest sector employs some 13.2 million people across the world and at least another 41 million are employed in the informal sector. Recognition of the value of forest services, such as erosion protection and pollination, is essential to sound decision-making.

Correct Answer : C
Answer Justification :
Learning: The index has put India amongst the six most vulnerable countries in the world.
This year’s 13th edition of the analysis reconfirms earlier results of the Climate Risk Index: less developed countries are generally more affected than industrialised countries. Regarding future climate change, the Climate Risk Index may serve as a red flag for already existing vulnerability that may further increase in regions where extreme events will become more frequent or more severe due to climate change. Germanwatch, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Bonn, Germany. It seeks to influence public policy on trade, the environment, and relations between countries in the industrialized north and underdeveloped south

Correct Answer : C
Answer Justification :
Learning: The environment ministry has released the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017. The ISFR report is published every two years.
The India State of Forest Report 2017 is the 15th such report in the series. The report for the first time contains information on decadal change in water bodies in forest during 2005-2015, forest fire, production of timber from outside forest, state wise carbon stock in different forest types and density classes. India’s forest cover increased by 6,778 sq km over the last two years. The increase, based on satellite data and subsequent ‘ground truthing’, has put the total forest cover at 7,08,273 sq km which is 21.54% of the country’s geographical area. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha and Telangana saw increase in their green footprint during the last two years though there is a worrying decline in six northeastern states, including a shrinkage of 630 sq km in the eastern Himalayas.

Correct Answer : B
Answer Justification :
Learning: This was a report on the concept of sustainable development and one of the first sources that made the use of the term ‘sustainable development’ popular. It was the basis of further negotiations in several bodies of the 1970s and 1980s followed up by the Earth Summit 1992. It was the Earth Summit that acknowledged the global environmental consciousness internationally, perhaps for the first time.

Correct Answer : C
Answer Justification :
Background: Carbonaceous aerosol emissions arise from energy use and the burning of forest, grasslands and agricultural residues. The emissions lead to air-quality degradation and related health-risks on local to regional scales and to climate impacts on regional to global scales. In south Asia, there is dominance of small combustion sources (e.g. residential cooking and heating), less- developed industry (e.g. brick kilns), and vehicular emission.
Learning: It was launchedunder Climate Change Action Programme (CCAP), has been launched. The objective of the project is to prepare inventory of the carbonaceous aerosols including black carbon, develop national emission factors, conduct modelling studies and their impact on regional and global climate.
A consortium of 17 leading research institutions of the country are engaged in the task which is coordinated by IIT Bombay.