🔆European space agency's Biomass Mission
✅The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch its ambitious Biomass mission later this month.
✅The mission will map the world’s forests to provide the very first comprehensive measurements of forest biomass at a global scale. It will find out how forests are changing, and further our understanding about their role in the carbon cycle.
✅The satellite is scheduled to lift off on April 29 aboard a Vega C rocket from the ESA’s Korou spaceport in French Guiana. It will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit — meaning that it will always appear in the same position relative to our star — at an altitude of around 666 km.
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#prelims
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
@upsc_the_hindu_ie_editorial
✅The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to launch its ambitious Biomass mission later this month.
✅The mission will map the world’s forests to provide the very first comprehensive measurements of forest biomass at a global scale. It will find out how forests are changing, and further our understanding about their role in the carbon cycle.
✅The satellite is scheduled to lift off on April 29 aboard a Vega C rocket from the ESA’s Korou spaceport in French Guiana. It will be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit — meaning that it will always appear in the same position relative to our star — at an altitude of around 666 km.
#gs3
#prelims
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
@upsc_the_hindu_ie_editorial
🔆How can V2G technology help India's Power sector
✅The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), in collaboration with IIT Bombay, has launched a pilot project to evaluate the feasibility of integrating Electric Vehicles (EVs) with the State's power grid using Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.
✅The project aims to assess how EVs can support the grid during peak demand periods, leveraging EVs as a potential solution to balance the electricity load when solar energy is not accessible.
✅Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) refers to technologies that allow Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries to send power back to the grid.
✅When not in use, EVs can act as decentralized battery storage systems, supporting the power grid via bi-directional chargers
#gs3
#science_technology
@upsc_science_and_technology
@upsc_the_hindu_ie_editorial
✅The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), in collaboration with IIT Bombay, has launched a pilot project to evaluate the feasibility of integrating Electric Vehicles (EVs) with the State's power grid using Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology.
✅The project aims to assess how EVs can support the grid during peak demand periods, leveraging EVs as a potential solution to balance the electricity load when solar energy is not accessible.
✅Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) refers to technologies that allow Electric Vehicle (EV) batteries to send power back to the grid.
✅When not in use, EVs can act as decentralized battery storage systems, supporting the power grid via bi-directional chargers
#gs3
#science_technology
@upsc_science_and_technology
@upsc_the_hindu_ie_editorial
🔆India and International Big Cat Alliance sign agreement to host its headquarters
✅PM Modi launched the IBCA in 2023 to focus on global conservation of seven big cats—the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah.
✅The government of India shall provide budgetary support of Rs 150 crore to IBCA for creating a corpus, building infrastructure, and meeting recurring expenditure for five years from 2023-24 to 2028-29,” the note added.
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#prelims
@upsc_prep_squad
✅PM Modi launched the IBCA in 2023 to focus on global conservation of seven big cats—the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah.
✅The government of India shall provide budgetary support of Rs 150 crore to IBCA for creating a corpus, building infrastructure, and meeting recurring expenditure for five years from 2023-24 to 2028-29,” the note added.
#gs2
#prelims
@upsc_prep_squad
🔆 Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD)
✅Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) is a process used to remove SO₂ from the exhaust gases of fossil fuel power plants and industrial sources.
✅SO₂ is a harmful air pollutant that causes acid rain and respiratory issues. FGD helps reduce its presence in the atmosphere.
📍Working of FGD
✅Absorption: An absorbent like lime, limestone, or ammonia reacts with SO₂.
✅Scrubbing: The absorbent, often in slurry form, is sprayed into a scrubber tower to contact flue gases.
✅Chemical Reaction: SO₂ reacts with the absorbent to form compounds like calcium sulphite or calcium sulphate.
✅Byproducts: Some systems produce useful byproducts like gypsum which is used in construction.
✅The MoEF&CC has made FGD installation mandatory for all coal-fired thermal power plants
✅A recent study proposes that the installation should be limited to plants using imported coal or coal with high sulphur content ensuring a more cost-effective and targeted approach to reducing So2 emissions.
@upsc_4_economy
✅Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) is a process used to remove SO₂ from the exhaust gases of fossil fuel power plants and industrial sources.
✅SO₂ is a harmful air pollutant that causes acid rain and respiratory issues. FGD helps reduce its presence in the atmosphere.
📍Working of FGD
✅Absorption: An absorbent like lime, limestone, or ammonia reacts with SO₂.
✅Scrubbing: The absorbent, often in slurry form, is sprayed into a scrubber tower to contact flue gases.
✅Chemical Reaction: SO₂ reacts with the absorbent to form compounds like calcium sulphite or calcium sulphate.
✅Byproducts: Some systems produce useful byproducts like gypsum which is used in construction.
✅The MoEF&CC has made FGD installation mandatory for all coal-fired thermal power plants
✅A recent study proposes that the installation should be limited to plants using imported coal or coal with high sulphur content ensuring a more cost-effective and targeted approach to reducing So2 emissions.
@upsc_4_economy
✅The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has given a reassuring signal that from June to September, India is likely to receive ‘above normal’ monsoon rainfall, or 5% more than the historical average of 87 cm.
✅This is good news for kharif sowing, which will help improve stocks of grain and shore up reserves for exports.
✅This year the government has also committed to procure, at the minimum support prices, pulses in an attempt to reduce the import bill. As pulses are a more land-intensive crop than cereal, good rains are essential for an adequate harvest
✅This year, there is certainty about the absence of an El Niño. Associated with a warming of the Equatorial Pacific and with six out of 10 years linked to weak monsoon rain, a monsoon without an El Niño augurs well for India.
✅This is good news for kharif sowing, which will help improve stocks of grain and shore up reserves for exports.
✅This year the government has also committed to procure, at the minimum support prices, pulses in an attempt to reduce the import bill. As pulses are a more land-intensive crop than cereal, good rains are essential for an adequate harvest
✅This year, there is certainty about the absence of an El Niño. Associated with a warming of the Equatorial Pacific and with six out of 10 years linked to weak monsoon rain, a monsoon without an El Niño augurs well for India.
🔆Indoor air pollution: Can better design in urban infrastructure help combat this growing problem?
✅Indoor air pollution in India is a serious concern, with outdoor pollutants entering poorly insulated buildings and, activities in the buildings and the materials of the buildings themselves, all posing potential hazards
✅Ventilation :For most indoor air quality problems in the home, source control is the most effective solution.
✅Air cleaner / filtration :The effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on how well it collects pollutants from indoor air (expressed as a percentage efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering element (expressed in cubic feet per minute).
#gs3
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
✅Indoor air pollution in India is a serious concern, with outdoor pollutants entering poorly insulated buildings and, activities in the buildings and the materials of the buildings themselves, all posing potential hazards
✅Ventilation :For most indoor air quality problems in the home, source control is the most effective solution.
✅Air cleaner / filtration :The effectiveness of an air cleaner depends on how well it collects pollutants from indoor air (expressed as a percentage efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering element (expressed in cubic feet per minute).
#gs3
#environment
@upsc_4_environment
🔆Earth Day 2025
✅Earth Day takes place every year on 22 April and is one of the biggest environmental protest movements on the planet.
✅The official theme for Earth Day 2025 is “OUR POWER, OUR PLANET”.
✅This year's message focuses on the need to shift rapidly to renewable energy, urging individuals, businesses, and governments to triple clean energy production by 2030.
📍History of Earth Day:
✅The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, initiated by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as a national teach-in on environmental issues.
✅The event witnessed more than 20 million Americans—10% of the U.S. population—taking to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demand a healthy, sustainable environment.
✅Earth Day went global in 1990, mobilizing over 200 million people across 141 countries.
✅Since then, it has become one of the largest civic observances in the world, promoting climate action and eco-conscious living.
✅Earth Day serves as a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to protect the environment.
#gs3
#environment
JOIN @CSE_EXAM
✅Earth Day takes place every year on 22 April and is one of the biggest environmental protest movements on the planet.
✅The official theme for Earth Day 2025 is “OUR POWER, OUR PLANET”.
✅This year's message focuses on the need to shift rapidly to renewable energy, urging individuals, businesses, and governments to triple clean energy production by 2030.
📍History of Earth Day:
✅The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, initiated by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as a national teach-in on environmental issues.
✅The event witnessed more than 20 million Americans—10% of the U.S. population—taking to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demand a healthy, sustainable environment.
✅Earth Day went global in 1990, mobilizing over 200 million people across 141 countries.
✅Since then, it has become one of the largest civic observances in the world, promoting climate action and eco-conscious living.
✅Earth Day serves as a powerful reminder of our collective responsibility to protect the environment.
#gs3
#environment
JOIN @CSE_EXAM