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Environment Syllabus for UPSC: As indicated by UPSC warning, these are the points that are given.
Prelims
- General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change – that don’t need subject specialization
Mains
- Protection, ecological contamination, and debasement, natural effect appraisal
1. Environment and Ecology: Basic Understanding
- Introduction
- Categories of Environment
- Features of Environment
- Components of Environment
- Ecology
- Ecosystem and Its Dynamics
- Ecosystem Dynamics
3. Biogeochemical Cycles
- Gaseous Cycle
- Carbon Cycle
- Human Impact on the Carbon Cycle
- Effects of High Concentration of Greenhouse Gases
- Hydrological Cycle
- Nitrogen Cycle
- Human Impact on the Nitrogen Cycle
- Oxygen Cycle
- Sedimentary Cycle
- Sulphur Cycle
- Human Impact on the Sulphur Cycle
- Phosphorus Cycle
4. Types of Ecosystems
- Terrestrial Ecosystem
- Aquatic Ecosystem
- Changes in Ecosystem
- Ecosystem Conservation
- Ecology vs. Economy
5. Population Ecology
- Population Characteristics
- Population Growth Models
- Species
- Carrying Capacity of Earth
6. Biosphere
- The extent of the Biosphere
- Working of the Biosphere
- Importance of the Biosphere
- Alpha, Beta, Gamma Diversity
- Biomes
- Global Biomes
- Major Biomes of the World
- WWF Classification of Biomes
- Terrestrial Biomes
- Aquatic Biomes
- Indian Biomes
7. Biodiversity
- Types of Biodiversity
- Value of the Biodiversity
- Threats to Biodiversity
- Causes of Biodiversity losses (‘The Evil Quartet’)
- Invasive species
- Effects of Loss of Bio-Diversity
- Extinction of Species
- Types – Natural, Mass, Anthropogenic
- Causes of Extinction
- Consequences of Extinction of Species
8. Biodiversity Conservation
- Conservation Strategies
- Conservation Tools
- IUCN
- IUCN Red List
- Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESAs)
- In-situ methods of conservation of biodiversity
- Advantages of In-situ Conservation
- Disadvantages of In-situ conservation
Ex-situ Methods of Conservation of Biodiversity
9. Pollution & Degradation
- Land Degradation
- Causes and Impact of Land Degradation
- Desertification
- Sustainable Land Management
- Soil Erosion
- Problems due to Excessive Irrigation
- Soil Conservation
- Air Pollution
- Causes of Air Pollution
- Harmful Effects of Common Air Pollutants
- Control of Air Pollution
- Marine Pollution
- Effects of Marine Pollution
- Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011
- Mining & Pollution
- Effects of Mining on Environment
- Concept of Sustainable Mining
- Acts to regulate the adverse effects of Mining Activities
- Other Pollution
- Effects of Noise Pollution on Human Health
- Harmful Effects from Biological Contaminants
- Harmful Effects of Radioactive Pollution
- Nuclear Accidents
- Water Degradation
- Measurement of Water Pollution
- Harmful Effects of Water Pollution
- Delhi Pollution
10. Waste Management
Waste Management
- Solid Waste Management
- Salient features of SWM Rules, 2016
- e-waste Management
- Pollutants and their Health Impacts
- Importance of the E-Waste Management
- E-waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2016
- Biomedical Waste
- Hazards Associated with Waste Management
- Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016
- Hazardous Waste
- Hazardous Waste Treatment
- Hazardous and Other Wastes (Management & Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016
11. Climate Change
- Factors Affecting Climate Change
- Impact of climate change & its mitigation
- Climate Change Management
- Conventions
- International Organisations
12. Environmental Impact Assessment of Sustainable Practices
- Impact of Agriculture on Environment
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Hi-tech Farming Methods
- Rain Water Harvesting
- Green Buildings and their Rating System in India
- Eco-tourism – Advantages & Disadvantages of Eco-tourism
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
1. Wildlife
- Man-Animal Conflicts in India
- Poaching activities in India
- Development leads to tiger extinction
- Elephant Conservation
- International treaties for wildlife conservation, Use of drones for wildlife conservation
- Urban Land Acting as Death Traps for Birds
- Eco-Bridges and Biodiversity Management
- Sunderbans at risk due to Climate Change
- Critical Wildlife Habitats
- Declining Population of Pollinators
- International treaties for Wildlife Conservation
2. Combating Pollution
- Indoor Air Pollution and its impact
- Impact of Particulate Matter
- Smog and its impact
- Aerosol shrinking India’s Monsoon
- Stubble Burning
- Mobile radiation Impact on Health
- Heavy water Pollution
- Plastic Pollution
- Light Immersion Pollution
- Idol Pollution
- Oil Spill
- Garbage Dumping and its Environment
- E-waste Management Rules 2016
- Groundwater contamination (Arsenic, Uranium)
- Bharat Stage Norm
- What is the Polluters Pay Model?
- LANCET Study REPORT: Most Pollution linked deaths occur in India
- Beach (Coastal) Pollution
- Nitrogen Pollution
- Hazardous Waste (Management and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016
3. Climate Change
- Conference of Parties (COP-24) at Katowice
- Marrakech Climate Change Conference
- Paris Agreement
- The US moved out of Paris agreement
- Kigali Agreement
- Kyoto Protocol (2nd Commitment)
- IPCC Report 2018
- International Solar Alliance
- Concept of Green Bond
- Green Climate Fund
- Carbon Tax Feasibility in India
- Concept of Green Building
- Concept of Carbon Credit
- Climate Change and Cities
- Climate change and its impact on Health
- Climate Change and Agriculture
- Climate Change and sea level Rise
- Ocean Warming
- Melting of Gangotri Glacier
- Programs and Policies Initiated for Mitigating Climate Change
- International Collaboration for Mitigating Climate Change
- The ethical issue involved in climate change
- Third Pole and Climate Change
- UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework
- Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (Rise) 2018
- Accounting Methods of Climate Fund Questioned
- Tackling Climate Change from a Security Perspective
- Effects of Global Warming on El Nino in the 21st Century
- India to Expand Polar Research to the Arctic
- Bengal Tigers may not Survive Climate Change
- Scientists Mull Stratospheric Barrier to Curb Global Warming
4. Renewable Energy
- Biogas
- National Solar Mission
- Status of Hydro Power energy in India
- Alternative fuels in India
- Draft Energy Policy
- National Energy Storage Mission
- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency
- National Wind-solar Hybrid Policy
- Photo-voltaic industry and CPSU scheme
5. Initiatives for Environmental Conservation
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act
- Draft National Wildlife Action Plan
- Wetland Management Rules, 2017
- Initiatives to enhance green cover
- Policy on Promotion of City Compost
- Ancient Bawadis and Water Management
- Living status to Rivers
- Ganga River Pollution
- Environment Impact Assessment
- Environmental Compliance and Enforcement in India
- Public Participation for Environmental conservation
- Western Ghats biodiversity conservation
- The 25 Year Environment Plan
- India’s National Redd+ Strategy
- EnviStats-India 2019
- Indian Forest Act amendment
- Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF)
- Sustainable Development in Indian Himalayan Region
- Global Carbon Project (GCP)
- Naturalized species
- Resource Efficiency Cell
- India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), Global Cooling Coalition
- Island protection zone (IPZ) 2019 for Andaman and Nicobar
- Plan to save Himalayan springs
6. Environmental Institutions
- Pollution Control Board: Analysis
- National Green Tribunal: Analysis
- Forest Survey of India and India State of Forest Report, 2017
- Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
- Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
7. Miscellaneous Issues
- mpacts of Dam and fishing
- Issue of Land Degradation
- Sand Mining
- Algal bloom Issue
- Melting of Antarctica and its impact
- River linking project and its impact
- Bottom Trawling to Deep Sea fishing
- Mass Coral Bleaching – Threats to coral reefs
- Forest Fires
Book List For Ecology & Environment
- Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong (Second Half of the Book)
- XII Standard NCERT Book on Biology (Chapters pertaining to Ecology)
- India Year Book (Chapters on Environment)
- Chapter on Climate Change from Economic Survey
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper