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Environment and Ecology (Karnataka focus)

Ecosystems and biodiversity, the Western Ghats, pollution and waste, India's environment laws, climate change agreements and Karnataka's green efforts.

Lessons in this module

Ecosystems, Biodiversity and the Western Ghats

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Pollution, Waste, Water Conservation and Environment Laws

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Agreements

Lesson • 5 quiz questions

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Lesson notes

1. Ecosystems, Biodiversity and the Western Ghats

An ecosystem is a community of living things and their surroundings working together. Karnataka's Western Ghats are one of the richest places for plants and animals in the world.

Ecosystems and food chains

An ecosystem has biotic parts (plants, animals, microbes) and abiotic parts (sunlight, water, soil, air).
Producers (green plants) make food by photosynthesis. Consumers eat others; decomposers (bacteria, fungi) break down dead matter.
A food chain shows who eats whom, for example grass -> deer -> tiger. Many linked food chains form a food web.
Only about 10 per cent of energy passes from one level to the next (ten per cent law), so food chains are short.
The term 'ecosystem' was coined by A. G. Tansley (1935).

Biodiversity and conservation

Biodiversity means the variety of life: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity.
In-situ conservation protects species in their natural home (national parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves). Ex-situ protects them outside (zoos, seed banks, botanical gardens).
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (1986), India's first, covers parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, including Bandipur and Nagarhole.
Endemic species are found only in one region. The lion-tailed macaque and Malabar grey hornbill are endemic to the Western Ghats.
Sacred groves (devarakadu in Karnataka) are forest patches protected by local communities for religious reasons.

Western Ghats (Sahyadri)

The Western Ghats run parallel to the west coast from Gujarat to Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The Western Ghats and Sri Lanka together form one of the world's biodiversity hotspots.
UNESCO listed the Western Ghats as a natural World Heritage Site in 2012. The listing has 39 component sites in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra; 10 are in Karnataka.
The Ghats are the source of Karnataka's main rivers: Kaveri, Tunga, Bhadra, Sharavathi, Netravati and others.
The Madhav Gadgil committee (2011) and Kasturirangan committee (2013) studied how to protect the Ghats.

Quick facts

Producers: Green plants
Decomposers: Bacteria and fungi
Energy transfer: About 10% per level
First biosphere reserve: Nilgiri, 1986
Western Ghats UNESCO: 2012
Hotspot partner: Sri Lanka
Endemic primate: Lion-tailed macaque
Sacred groves (Kannada): Devarakadu

💡 Questions often mix in-situ and ex-situ. Remember: in-situ = 'in the site' (park, sanctuary); ex-situ = 'out of the site' (zoo, seed bank).

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

2. Pollution, Waste, Water Conservation and Environment Laws

Pollution harms air, water and soil. India has laws to control it and to protect forests and wildlife. Karnataka has its own campaigns on plastic, waste and water.

Pollution and its effects

Air pollutants include PM2.5, PM10, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. The National Air Quality Index (2014) has six categories, from Good to Severe.
Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides cause acid rain, which damages buildings such as the Taj Mahal.
Excess fertiliser in lakes causes algal growth and oxygen loss (eutrophication). Excess fluoride in groundwater causes fluorosis.
Noise is measured in decibels (dB). CFCs damage the ozone layer; the Montreal Protocol (1987) controls them.
The Bhopal gas tragedy (1984) was caused by methyl isocyanate gas leak; it led to stronger laws.

Waste management and water conservation

Segregate waste at source into wet (biodegradable), dry and hazardous. Follow the 3Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Swachh Bharat Mission began on 2 October 2014. India banned many single-use plastic items from 1 July 2022; Karnataka had banned plastic carry bags and similar items in 2016.
Rainwater harvesting is compulsory for many buildings in Bengaluru under BWSSB rules.
Karnataka's Jalamrutha programme (2019) promoted water conservation and rejuvenation of tanks and lakes.
Traditional tanks (kere) store rainwater and recharge groundwater; reviving them is a key Karnataka priority.

Key environment laws

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980: the 2023 amendment renamed it Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 was passed after the Bhopal tragedy. Biological Diversity Act, 2002. National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.
Article 48A (State's duty) and Article 51A(g) (citizen's duty) of the Constitution deal with protecting the environment; both were added by the 42nd Amendment (1976).
Appiko Movement (1983) in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, was inspired by the Chipko Movement of Uttarakhand to save forests by hugging trees.

Quick facts

Wildlife Protection Act: 1972
Water Act: 1974
Forest Conservation Act: 1980, amended 2023
Air Act: 1981
Environment Protection Act: 1986
NGT Act: 2010
Montreal Protocol: 1987, ozone
Appiko Movement: 1983, Uttara Kannada
Single-use plastic ban (India): 1 July 2022

💡 Arrange the environment Acts in time order: 1972, 1974, 1980, 1981, 1986, 2002, 2010. Exams often ask which came first or last.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

3. Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Agreements

Climate change is the long-term warming of the Earth caused mainly by greenhouse gases. The world has signed agreements to cut emissions, and India and Karnataka have their own targets and projects.

Climate change basics

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour. They trap heat and warm the Earth.
Effects: rising temperatures, melting glaciers, sea-level rise, extreme rain, floods and droughts.
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) was set up in 1988 by WMO and UNEP to assess climate science.
Sustainable development means meeting today's needs without harming the ability of future generations to meet theirs (Brundtland Report, 1987).

International agreements

UNFCCC was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit, 1992. Its yearly meetings are called COPs (Conference of the Parties).
Kyoto Protocol (1997) set binding cuts for developed countries; it came into force in 2005.
Paris Agreement (COP21, 2015) aims to keep warming well below 2°C and try to limit it to 1.5°C. Countries submit plans called NDCs.
The UN adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, to be achieved by 2030.
The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France in 2015; its headquarters is in Gurugram.

India and Karnataka

At COP26 in Glasgow (2021) India announced the 'Panchamrit' goals, including net zero emissions by 2070.
India's updated NDC (2022): cut emissions intensity of GDP by 45% by 2030 from the 2005 level, and get about 50% of installed power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
The National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008) has 8 national missions, including the National Solar Mission. Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) was launched in 2022.
Pavagada Solar Park in Tumakuru district, Karnataka, is one of the largest solar parks in the world (about 2,050 MW).
Karnataka was one of the first states to bring an Electric Vehicle policy (2017) and has a State Action Plan on Climate Change.

Quick facts

UNFCCC: Rio, 1992
Kyoto Protocol: 1997, in force 2005
Paris Agreement: COP21, 2015
SDGs: 17 goals, 2015-2030
India net zero: 2070
Emissions intensity target: 45% cut by 2030 (from 2005)
ISA headquarters: Gurugram
Pavagada Solar Park: Tumakuru, Karnataka
NAPCC missions: 8

💡 Remember three numbers together: 17 SDGs, 2030 deadline, 2070 net zero. Many climate questions are built around them.

📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.

Other modules in SSC Exams Complete Prep: CGL, CHSL & MTS

Start Here: SSC Exams (CGL, CHSL, MTS)FREE PREVIEW → Quantitative Aptitude: Number BasicsFREE PREVIEW → Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic IFREE PREVIEW → Quantitative Aptitude: Arithmetic IIFREE PREVIEW → Quantitative Aptitude: Advanced and DataFREE PREVIEW → Reasoning: Verbal BasicsFREE PREVIEW → Reasoning: Logic and ArrangementsFREE PREVIEW → Reasoning: Analytical and Non-VerbalFREE PREVIEW → General English: GrammarFREE PREVIEW → General English: Vocabulary and ComprehensionFREE PREVIEW → Ancient IndiaFREE PREVIEW → Medieval IndiaFREE PREVIEW → Colonial Rule and the Freedom StruggleFREE PREVIEW → The Constitution of IndiaFREE PREVIEW → How India Is GovernedFREE PREVIEW → India's Economic Journey and PoliciesFREE PREVIEW → Indian Geography for National ExamsFREE PREVIEW → General ScienceFREE PREVIEW → Static GK for National ExamsFREE PREVIEW → Computer KnowledgeFREE PREVIEW → Final AssessmentFREE PREVIEW →

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