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Glacier Loss

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Glacier Loss

Recently, which of the following countries, in a unique move, commemorated its first glacier lost due to climate change and global warming?

	A	Iceland

	B	Norway

	C	Finland

	D	Greenland

Your Ans is

Right ans is A

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

On 19^th August, 2019, Iceland unveiled a plaque to its Okjokull ice sheet, the first of the country’s hundreds of glaciers to melt away due to climate change. It is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier
A ceremony to unveil the plaque was attended by scientists and locals at the glacier in west-central Iceland, which in 2014 no longer fulfilled the criteria to be classified as a glacier after melting throughout the 20^th century.
To have the status of a glacier, the mass of ice and snow must be thick enough to move by its own weight. For that to happen, the mass must be approximately 40 to 50metres (130 to 165 feet) thick.
Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in July, 2019, is home to, and named after, the largest ice cap in Europe.

Source: Civil Services Chronicle Online

Related Question

Blue Flag Certification

Consider the following statements with reference to the Blue Flag Certification:

The Blue Flag Programme was started in France in 1985 and has been implemented in Europe since 1987 and in areas outside Europe since 2001 when South Africa joined.
Chandrabhaga beach located on the Konark coast of Odisha is the first beach in the country to receive Blue Flag Certification.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

	A	Only 1

	B	Both 1 and 2

	C	Only 2

	D	Neither 1 nor 2

Your Ans is

Right ans is B

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

Blue Flag is an international certification of environmental properties and cleanliness on beaches.
A ‘Blue Flag’ beach provides hygienic and clean bathing water, basic infrastructure to tourists and sustainable development in the area.
This Certification is accorded by an international agency Foundation for Environment Education(FEE), Denmark based on 33 stringent criteria in four major heads i.e.
-Environmental Education and Information,
-Bathing Water Quality,
-Environment Management and Conservation and
-Safety and Services in the beaches.
The programme originally started in France in 1985. It was presented to the FEE in 1987. It then became the European Blue Flag.
In 2001, when South Africa became the first country outside of Europe to join the programme, the initiative changed its name to International Blue Flag.
Spain has the largest number of 566 Blue Flag beaches while Greece and France have 515 and 395 such Blue Flag beaches respectively.
Chandrabhaga beach located on the Konark coast of Odisha is the first beach in the country to receive Blue Flag Certification.

Petersberg Climate Dialogue

Consider the following statements with reference to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue:

Petersberg Climate Dialogue has been organized by the Government of Russia since 2009.
The 11th Dialogue was co-chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom, the incoming Presidency of 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

	A	Only 1

	B	Both 1 and 2

	C	Only 2

	D	Neither 1 nor 2

Your Ans is

Right ans is A

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

Petersberg Climate Dialogue has been hosted by Germany since 2010.
The Climate Dialogue was originally an initiative of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
It is hosted by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.
The Dialogue was co-chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom, the incoming Presidency of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Aim

To provide a forum for informal high-level political discussions, focusing both on international climate negotiations and the advancement of climate action.

Recent Meeting

The eleventh and first ever virtual Petersberg Climate Dialogue was held on April 28^th 2020.
India, along with 30 countries, deliberated over ways and means to tackle the challenge of reinvigorating economies and societies after COVID-19, while enhancing collective resilience and catalysing climate action while also supporting in particular those most vulnerable.

Red Snow Phenomenon

Recently, red snow phenomenon was observed off the coast of Antarctica’s northernmost peninsula. Which of the following is responsible for red snow?

	A	Spirogyra

	B	Volvox

	C	Chlamydomonas nivalis

	D	Cladophora

Your Ans is

Right ans is C

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

Watermelon snow, also called snow algae, pink snow, red snow, or blood snow, is a phenomenon caused by Chlamydomonas nivalis, a species of green algae containing a secondary red carotenoid pigment (astaxanthin) in addition to chlorophyll.
Capable of surviving in extreme cold, this algae is found throughout the world in polar and mountainous regions. It is the carotenoids in the algae's chloroplasts that give snow a red color.
The more sunlight the algae receive, the more it produces the “watermelon red” pigment, which causes the snow to melt faster.
Snow blooms contribute to climate change because of the red-crimson color, the snow reflects less sunlight and melts faster. As a consequence, it produces more and more bright algae.

International Convention For The Prevention Of Pollution From Ships

With reference to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), consider the following statements:

MARPOL is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
The current convention is a combination of 1973 Convention and the 1978 Protocol, which entered into force on 2 October 1983.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

	A	Only 1

	B	Only 2

	C	Both 1and 2

	D	Neither 1 nor 2

Your Ans is

Right ans is C

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

MARPOL refers to Marine Pollution.The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.
The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO. The Protocol of 1978 was adopted in response to a spate of tanker accidents in 1976-1977. As the 1973 MARPOL Convention had not yet entered into force, the 1978 MARPOL Protocol absorbed the parent Convention. The combined instrument entered into force on 2 October 1983.
The Convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimizing pollution from ships - both accidental pollution and that from routine operations - and currently includes six technical Annexes:
- Annex I: Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Oil (entered into force 2 October 1983).
- Annex II: Regulations for the Control of Pollution by Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk (entered into force 2 October 1983).
- Annex III: Prevention of Pollution by Harmful Substances Carried by Sea in Packaged Form (entered into force 1 July 1992).
- Annex IV: Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships (entered into force 27 September 2003).
- Annex V: Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships (entered into force 31 December 1988).
- Annex VI: Prevention ofAir Pollution from Ships (entered into force 19 May 2005)

Paris Agreement

Recently, the world’s fourth largest emitter, Russia, formally adopted the Paris Agreement. Consider the following statements regarding the Paris Agreement:

The Agreement came in to force on 22^nd April 2016 – Earth Day – at UN Headquarters in New York.
It aims to substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit the global temperature increase in this century to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing means to limit the increase to 2 degrees.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

	A	Only 1

	B	Only 2

	C	Both 1 and 2

	D	Neither 1 nor 2

Your Ans is

Right ans is D

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

The Paris Agreement (COP21) is a landmark environmental accord that was adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
The Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The Agreement opened for signature on 22 April 2016 – Earth Day, at UN Headquarters in New York. It entered into force on 4 November 2016.

Significance

It provides a pathway for developed nations to assist developing nations in their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, and it creates a framework for the transparent monitoring, reporting, and ratcheting up of countries’ individual and collective climate goals.

Desertification

Which of the following are the causes of Desertification?

Animal Grazing 2. Tsunami
Drought 4. Deforestation

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

	A	2, 3 and 4

	B	1, 3 and 4

	C	1, 2 and 3

	D	1, 2, 3 and 4

Your Ans is

Right ans is D

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

There are some cases where the land gets damaged because of natural disasters, including drought and Tsunami. In those cases, there isn’t a lot that people can do except work to try and help rehabilitate the land after it has already been damaged by nature.

Forest As Living Entities

A country has recognized forest as Living Entities. Which country is it?

	A	Chile

	B	Peru

	C	El Salvador

	D	Laos

Your Ans is

Right ans is C

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

El Salvador has, in a historic move, recognised forests as living entities. Its citizens, will now be required to preserve forests.

Dead Zones

Consider the following statements with respect to Dead Zones:

They are the hypoxic zones in the ocean of such low oxygen concentration.
Dead zones unique to the Gulf of the Mexico

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

	A	1 only

	B	2 only

	C	Both 1 and 2

	D	Neither 1 nor 2

Your Ans is

Right ans is A

Your Answer Is Correct

Your Answer Is Wrong

Explanation :

Hypoxic zones are areas in the ocean of such low oxygen concentration that animal life suffocates and dies, and as a result are sometimes called “dead zones.” One of the largest dead zones forms in the Gulf of Mexico every spring. Dead zones are not unique to the Gulf of the Mexico, though the gulf’s is estimated to be the world’s second largest.

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