Environment & Ecology MCQs

Mission LiFE aims to promote sustainable consumption and production patterns, which includes reducing the use of single-use plastics, not promoting it.

Studies indicate that microplastics can negatively affect soil fauna like earthworms, impairing their functions, and can alter the composition and function of soil microbial communities.

Sewage sludge, often used as fertilizer, contains microplastics from wastewater. Atmospheric deposition also plays a role in distributing microplastics over land.

Microplastics are defined as plastic pieces that are smaller than 5 mm in length, originating from the breakdown of larger plastic items or manufactured as microbeads.

Marine heatwaves can cause widespread mortality and ecosystem shifts in kelp forests and seagrass meadows, impacting the species that depend on them.

Elevated sea temperatures during marine heatwaves cause corals to expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, leading to coral bleaching and potential death.

Marine heatwaves are defined as discrete, prolonged periods of extreme warmth in the ocean, typically lasting for days to months.

All mentioned initiatives, including the National Mission for Green India, PMKSY (with its focus on water use efficiency), and NAP, contribute to combating desertification and land degradation in India.

The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas, developed by ISRO, provides crucial data on the spatial distribution and changes in land degradation, aiding in policy formulation and intervention.

India is a signatory to the UNCCD and has committed to achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals.