The Civil Analyst

At the time of pandemic the world order is changing in a very structural sense. Today our world is in the state of chaos. This has been a matter of concern because earlier the world was not that much interconnected. But today when the information technology has revolutionised the way we see our world, the nations are so much interconnected, so that the chaos can have a multiplier effect. The famous Henry Kissinger in his book “World Order” had said that “there has never been a truly world order.” According to him the four vision of world order are:       I.         Westphalian State Centric World Order: It is based on the ideas of non-interference in domestic affairs. The principle of Nation Sovereignty will remains very sacred. India’s very famous the Panchsheel principle is based on this vision.     II.         Islamic world order of Darul Islam:   In this contemporary world we have been witnessing the rise of Islamic threat. Various terrorist organisations such as ISIS, Al

  The Government of India has notified an ordinance to constitute a Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region (NCR) and its adjoining areas. The ordinances also disbanded the Supreme Court appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) that was setup in 1998 for curbing air pollution in the NCR Key Mandate of the new Commission The new commission will supersede all existing bodies including the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as well as state governments in matters of air pollution mitigation. Though, the powers of CPCB and its state branches will continue. However, in case of any dispute or a clash of jurisdiction the commission’s writ will prevail specific to matters concerning to air pollution. It has been witnessed that during winters the problem of air pollution becomes worse due to the practice of stubble burning in the adjoining states such as Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and western part of Uttar Pradesh. A regul

  On January 30, 2019 the Indian Sundarbans was accorded the status of Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. The Sundarbans comprises of hundreds of Islands and a network of rivers, tributaries and creeks in the delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra rivers at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal of India and Bangladesh. Indian Sundarbans constitutes over 60% of the country’s total mangrove forest area. It is the 27 th Ramsar site in India and the largest protected wetland in the country. Ten more site has been accorded the status of Wetlland of Internattioal Importance ( Read here ). About Ramsar Convention The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, better known as the Ramsar Convention is an international agreement promoting the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It is the only global treaty to focus on a single ecosystem. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Traditionally viewed as

  Haphazard development in urban areas has led to undesirable changes in the landscape. The areas which were once open land or covered with vegetation have been converted into concrete forests, asphalt covered roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure. The urbanization leads to the formation of Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) - the phenomenon referring to warmer temperature in the city relative to outlying rural areas. According to the Environment Protection Agency , bigger cities in US have air temperature up to 5ºC more than the nearby natural land cover. UHIs effects are most intense during the clear sky and calm winds as heavy cloud cover prevents solar radiation to reach earth surface, reducing day time warming in cities and strong winds accelerate atmospheric mixing, decreasing urban rural temperature gradient. How does it form? There are various factors that contribute to the formation of UHIs but the significant causes of UHIs formation are urban developments by changing in lan

  Three oxygen atoms when bound together forms ozone (O 3 ). It is very unstable and highly reactive relative to oxygen and often used as a bleach, a deodorizing agent, and a sterilization agent for air and drinking water. Ozone can be ‘good’ or bad for health and the environment depending on the place of its occurrence. Stratospheric ozone( at an altitude of 25-30 Km) is good because where it is found naturally and acts as a protective radiation shield for living organisms on earth. It strongly absorbs ultraviolet light in the region 220-330 nm and thereby protects life on earth from severe radiation damage. Ozone found in tropospheric region is termed as bad ozone or ground level ozone. When nitrogen oxides (NO x ), volatile organic compound (VOCs) (emitted by cars, power plants, refineries, chemical plants etc.) and sunlight reacts together to form various secondary pollutants, which are also known as photochemical oxidants. One of the most abundant photochemical oxidants is ozone

  One of carbonaceous gas in the earth atmosphere which takes part in global carbon cycle is Carbon Monoxide. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colourless, tasteless and odourless gas which is 96.5% as heavy as air and insoluble in water. Its molecular weight is 28.1 with a boiling point of -191.5ºC and melting point of -205ºC. However, it is not uniformly distributed on earth but can be transported long distances and remains in the atmosphere for a longer duration with an average residence time of 36-110 days. Some basic chemical reactions that yields CO are-       I.         Incomplete combustion of fuel: 2C + O 2 à 2CO     II.         Reactions between carbon dioxide and carbon containing materials at very high temperature such as in blast furnaces: CO 2 + C à 2CO    III.         Dissociation of carbon dioxide at elevated temperature CO 2 ó CO Sources and Sink of Carbon Monoxide in the Atmosphere There are two types of sources of CO in the atmosphere which are natural so