Daily Quiz – 20th May 2024

Statement 1 is incorrect:

INCOIS is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

It is located in Hyderabad & was established in 1999. It is a unit of the Earth System Science Organisation (ESSO), New Delhi.

It is mandated to provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvement through systematic and focused research.

The ESSO operates as an executive arm of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for its policies and programmes.

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has carried out Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) mapping to assess the probable implications of sea-level rise along the Indian coast

Statement 2 is correct:

Algal Bloom Information Service has been developed by the INCOIS.

This will provide near-real time information on spatio-temporal occurrence and spread of phytoplankton blooms over the North Indian Ocean.

Option 1 is incorrect: The Rotterdam Convention promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals. The convention promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use proper labeling, include directions on safe handling, and enable informed decision-making by countries.

Option 2 is correct: The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known as the Basel Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs). It does not, however, address the movement of radioactive waste.

Option 3 is incorrect: Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from 17 May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

Option 4 is incorrect: Bonn convention: The aim of the Bonn Convention is to protect the migratory species of wild animals and their habitats. It provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats and brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.

Statement 1 is correct: Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a multilateral environmental agreement that regulates the production and consumption of nearly 100 man-made chemicals referred to as ozone depleting substances (ODS). It was adopted in 1987 and entered into force in 1989. It is only UN treaty to be ratified by all UN members. The 28th meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol amended the 1987 Montreal protocol and adotpted Kigali Agreement in 2016 to phase-down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It entered into force in 2019.

Statement 2 is correct: It is a legally binding agreement designed to create rights and obligations in international law. By July 2021, 122 countries have ratified the Kigali amendment.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Being under Group 2, India will develop its national strategy for phasing down of Hydrofluorocarbons by 2023 (after consultation with industry stakeholders). India and Montreal Protocol. India became a Party to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol in 1991 and 1992 respectively. India is a signatory to the Kigali Agreement. India consumes only 3% of HFCs and so, it has agreed to a lenient schedule compared to other nations like the US (consumes 37%) and China (consumes 25%).

Statement 4 is correct: It divides nations into 3 groups with a four-step path to achieve 80% reduction in HFCs consumption by 2047.

The first group consists of rich and developed economies like the USA, UK and EU countries.

The second group consists of emerging economies like China, Brazil as well as some African countries.

The third group consists of developing economies and some of the hottest climate countries like India, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia.

Each group has a particular target with specific year time to phase down HFCs.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The World-Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The WWF was conceived to act as an international fundraising organisation to support the work of existing conservation groups, primarily the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its establishment was marked with the signing of the Morges Manifesto, the founding document that sets out the fund's commitment to assisting worthy organizations struggling to save the world's wildlife. WWF was conceived on 29 April 1961, under the name of World Wildlife Fund. Its first office was opened on 11 September in IUCN's headquarters at Morges, Switzerland.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The WWF has set up offices and operations around the world. It originally worked by fundraising and providing grants to existing non-governmental organizations with an initial focus on the protection of endangered species. As more resources became available, its operations expanded into other areas such as the preservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of natural resources, the reduction of pollution, and climate change. The organization also began to run its own conservation projects and campaigns.

All the given options are correct:

The United Nations Environment Programme is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972.

As the leading global environmental authority,

UNEP administers, or provides secretariat functions for, 15 multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and other entities as follows:

1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD);
2. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES);
3. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS);
4. Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) ;
5. Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats ;
6. Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (EUROBATS) ;
7. Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS);
8. Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal;
9. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade ;
10. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants;
11. Minamata Convention on Mercury;
12. Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.