Prelims Daily Current Affairs for Civil Services/ UPSC/IAS
-
Golden birdwing is India’s largest butterfly
Why in News ?
- A Himalayan butterfly named golden birdwing is now India’s largest butterfly (wingspan of 194 mm).
More Information
- While the male golden birdwing (Troides aeacus) is much smaller at 106 mm wingspan, the female of the species is marginally larger than the southern birdwing.
- The record was earlier held by southern birdwing (wingspan of 190 mm) for 88 years.
- The smallest is the quaker (Neopithecops zalmora) with a wingspan of 18 mm.
-
Virtual Climate Action Ministerial
Why in news
- The fourth edition of the virtual Ministerial on Climate Action witnessed countries exchanging views on how countries are aligning economic recovery plans with the Paris Agreement and the critical enabling conditions to ensure continued climate action.
More Information:
- The meeting was co-chaired by the European Union, China and Canada to advance discussions on the full implementation of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and to demonstrate continued political commitment to global climate action.
- The virtual meeting was attended by representatives from more than 30 countries.
- The Union Environment Minister highlighted India’s achievements in the ministerial:
-
- India has achieved a reduction of 21% in the emission intensity of its GDP between 2005 and 2014.
- India’s renewable energy installed capacity has increased by 226% in the last 5 years and stands at more than 87 Gigawatt.
- The share of non-fossil sources in installed capacity of electricity generation increased from 30.5% in March 2015 to 37.7% in May 2020.
- 80 million LPG connections provided in the rural areas providing them with clean cooking fuel and a healthy environment.
- Over 360 million LED bulbs distributed under the UJALA scheme.
- India has moved on to Bharat Stage VI norms from Bharat Stage IV by April 2020.
Source-https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1637044
-
Marmots
Why in News
- Recently, reports of an outbreak of bubonic plague in Mongolia, China and far east Russia have emerged, caused mainly by Tarbagan Marmot (a species of Marmot). It has been compared to the Covid-19 pandemic which was apparently spread by the consumption of bat
Key Points
- General Description: Marmot (genus Marmota) belongs to the squirrel family (Sciuridae) within the order Rodentia. These have almost 15 species and the closest living relatives of marmots are ground squirrels and prairie dogs.
- Habitat: They are found primarily in the continents of Europe, Asia and North America.
- South Asia or the Indian Subcontinent is home to the Himalayan Marmot and the Long-tailed Marmot (both are Least Concerned in the IUCN Red List). Tarbagan or Mongolian Marmot (Endangered) is found in Mongolia, China and parts of Russia.
Threats:
- Marmots are hunted for their meat in China and Mongolia. High altitude regions lack proteins. Pastoral nomads usually eat these when they do not have any other means of sustenance. Marmots are also hunted for their fur.
Plague:
- Plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis usually found in small mammals and their fleas. It is transmitted between animals and humans by the bite of infected fleas, direct contact with infected tissues and inhalation of infected respiratory droplets. It is one of the examples of bacterial zoonoses.
- There are two main clinical forms of plague infection: Bubonic plague is the most common form and is characterized by painful swollen lymph nodes or ‘buboes’. Highly infectious bubonic plague killed about 50 million people across Africa, Asia and Europe in the 14 century.
- The bacterial disease was named the Black Death after the dark swellings or buboes that victims suffered. Pneumonic plague is a form of severe lung infection. Antibiotic treatment is effective against plague bacteria, so early diagnosis and early treatment can save However, if left untreated, the fever can kill a victim in a very short time.
हिन्दी