Science & Tech by Kumar Manish

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India announced a roadmap for mandatory blending of compressed biogas (CBG) in the transportation and home segments of the city gas distribution (CGD) sector in a staggered way. The National Biofuels Coordination Committee (NBCC) given its nod to mandatory blending of CBG with compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles and piped natural gas (PNG) for households starting 2025-26 (FY26). - India announced mandatory biogas blending for domestic use from 2025-26. The compulsory blending obligation will be 1% of total CNG and domestic PNG use in FY26, 3% in FY27, and 4% in FY28. The duty requires 5% blending beginning in fiscal year 29. A Central Repository Body (CRB) will monitor and carry out the blending obligation. The major aims of the CBO (compulsory blending obligation) are to increase demand for CBG in CGD sector, import replacement for liquefied natural gas (LNG), save in forex, encourage circular economy and aid in meeting the target of net-zero emission, Biogas is an energy-dense gas created by the anaerobic breakdown of biomass. It is created from a variety of sources, including agricultural leftovers, bovine dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, and sewage treatment plant waste. - India is a big natural gas consumer, relying on imports to cover around half of its demand.

World Environment Day is annually celebrated on June 5, and in 2024, theme is "Our Land, Our Future, We Are Generation Restoration," revolving around land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience, emphasising the importance of these issues in achieving sustainable development.

G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration ON CLIMATE CHANGE NEED TO ACCELERATE efforts to phase down unabated coal power, in line with national circumstances. WILL WORK towards facilitating low-cost financing for developing countries to support their transition to low carbon. WILL PURSUE and encourage efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally through existing targets and policies, in line with national circumstances by 2030. REITERATE our commitment to take action to scale up sustainable finance. REITERATE use of carbon pricing and non-pricing mechanisms and incentives toward carbon neutrality and net zero. RECOGNISE need for increased global investments to meet our climate goals of the Paris agreement. NOTE NEED OF $5.8-5.9 trillion in pre-2030 period required for developing countries, in particular for their needs to implement their emission targets. CALLS ON parties to set an ambitious, transparent, and trackable New Collective Quantified Goal of climate finance in 2024, from a floor of $100 billion a year. ON HEALTH REMAIN COMMITTED to strengthening global health architecture. WILL ENHANCE resilience of health systems and support development of climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems in collaboration with multilateral banks.

⭐️ Two of Bihar's wetlands have been added to the global list of wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, taking the total number of highly recognised waterlogged ecosystems in the country to 82, a top official said. "The Nagi and Nakti bird sanctuaries, both located in Bihar's Jamui district, are now recognised under the Ramsar Convention. These two new wetlands are man-made reservoirs situated in the Jhajha forest range of Jamui. Their catchments feature dry deciduous forests surrounded by hills. - Both sites were declared as Wetlands of International importance on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5.

⭐️Consider the following paragraph and answer the question given below: The wetland and its surrounding area have provided habitat for over 150 species of birds, mammals, fish, aquatic plants, reptiles and amphibians. They include globally threatened species, including the endangered Indian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) and a vulnerable native catfish (Wallago attu). In 1984, the wetland was designated as a Bird Sanctuary, highlighting its importance as a wintering habitat for several migratory species, with over 20,000 birds congregating during winter months. This includes one of the largest congregations of red-crested pochard (Netta rufina) on the Indo-Gangetic plain. This site was declared a Wetland of International importance on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5. Which of the following wetlands is discussed in the above given lines?