Environment & Biodiversity MCQs

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Exposure to high concentrations of fluoride is the reason for a serious disease called fluorosis. It is a public health problem caused by excess intake of fluoride through drinking water, food products, and industrial pollutants over a long period.

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With a share of almost 30 percent of the world’s total CO2 emissions, China tops the ranking of the largest green house gas emitter and the USA is the second largest Greenhouse Gas emitter.

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Climate change can be defined as the ongoing rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system. From all the given options only climate change is not a natural hazard but is induced by human activities.

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The environmental impact assessment in India began in the year 1976-77 when the Planning Commission
directed the then Department of Science and Technology to examine the river-valley projects from environmental angle.

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The following four stages are comprised in 2006 Amendment to Environment Impact Assessment cycle:
1. Screening
2. Scoping
3. Public hearing
4. Appraisal

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The Banyan tree is a type of fig tree native to India. It is scientifically known as Ficus benghalensis. Banyan trees are considered the largest trees in the world in terms of the area they cover. They have a long lifespan and can survive for several centuries. A Banyan seed grows on another tree as an epiphyte, eventually surrounding the host tree and living independently.

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Carbon Diet refers to reducing the impact on climate change by reducing greenhouse gas production especially CO2 , without lowering their standard of living. A low-carbon diet involves making lifestyle choices related to food consumption which reduce resulting greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe).

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Biotic resources describe living or once living resources of a community; for example organisms, such as plants and animals wood, alkaloids, latex obtained from plant are also biotic resources. They are obtained from the biosphere and have life. The resources which are composed of non-living things are called Abiotic Resources. For example, water, minerals, metals, wind, solar energy etc.

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Thalweg Doctrine is a part of international law that aims to resolve water boundary disputes. The doctrine states that the boundary between two states divided by a flowing body of water may be drawn along the thalweg, which is the line of the greatest depth of the channel. The boundary would follow the center of the principal navigable channel of the waterway.

The Thalweg Doctrine has been used in several disputes, including:

1. The Shatt al-Arab between Iraq and Iran
2. The Danube in central Europe (Croatia–Serbia border dispute)
3. The Kasikili/Sedudu Island dispute between Namibia and Botswana
4. The 2004 dispute settlement under the UN Law of the Sea

The Thalweg Doctrine has also been used in the Sir Creek dispute between India and Pakistan. The dispute is not settled yet due to a lack of trust.

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The Pantanal Conservation Area, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, accounts for 1.3% of the vast Pantanal wetland in Brazil and spans across 187,818 hectares. It provides shelter for more than 650 bird species, 325 fish species, and 80 mammal species, including giant armadillo and jaguar. The area’s unique ecosystem extends from floodplains to the Amolar Mountains, supporting diverse habitats and maintaining regional fish stocks. Moreover, it is an all-important breeding ground for wetland birds and refuge for globally threatened species like the hyacinth macaw. Additionally, it is a Ramsar Wetland and a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve.