Environmental Issues
Environment questions combine geography with current affairs. Know the problem, its causes, effects, and the law or programme that responds.
Major issues
| Issue | Causes | Effects | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air pollution | Vehicles, industry, crop burning, construction dust, coal power | Smog, health harm in Delhi-NCR and the Indo-Gangetic plain | NCAP (2019), BS-VI fuel norms, GRAP, Air Act 1981 |
| Water pollution | Sewage, industry, agriculture runoff | Polluted Ganga, Yamuna | Namami Gange (2014), Water Act 1974, CPCB |
| Soil degradation | Erosion, salinity, overuse of chemicals | Lower yields | Soil Health Card, organic farming |
| Deforestation | Agriculture, mining, development | Habitat loss | Forest laws, CAMPA, afforestation |
| Waste | Plastic, e-waste, solid waste | Landfill fires | Swachh Bharat Mission, Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, plastic ban (single-use) |
| Climate change | Greenhouse gases | Heat, glacier melt, extreme rain | NAPCC, NDCs, net-zero by 2070 target |
| Urban heat and flooding | Concrete cover, blocked drains | Floods in Mumbai, Chennai | Urban plans |
| Biodiversity loss | Habitat loss, poaching | Extinction | Protected areas |
Climate commitments
- India's updated NDCs (2022): cut emissions intensity of GDP by 45 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels; 50 percent of installed electric capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
- Net-zero by 2070 (announced at COP26, Glasgow, 2021), plus "Panchamrit".
- International Solar Alliance, co-founded by India and France (2015).
- LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) mission.
- Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (2023).
Key laws
- Wildlife Protection Act 1972; Water Act 1974; Air Act 1981; Environment Protection Act 1986 (umbrella law after the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984); National Green Tribunal Act 2010 (NGT, Delhi; principal bench); Biological Diversity Act 2002; Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification 2006.
- Ramsar sites and Montreux Record: Loktak (Manipur) is the Indian site on the Montreux Record (check the latest list).
- Eco-sensitive zones around protected areas, Western Ghats (Gadgil, Kasturirangan reports).
Climate vulnerability in the Himalaya
- Retreat of glaciers (Gangotri, Siachen) and growth of glacial lakes lead to GLOF (glacial lake outburst floods; the Kedarnath 2013 and South Lhonak, Sikkim 2023 events).
- Landslides on fragile slopes (Joshimath subsidence 2023).
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from NCERT, standard geography textbooks, the Census of India 2011, the India State of Forest Report, IMD, Ministry of Agriculture and other official sources. Maps are schematic teaching maps, not Survey of India maps, and zone boundaries are approximate. Figures such as production, capacity, counts of parks and ports, and census status change, so check the latest official source before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.