Environment & Ecology
Ecology, biodiversity, climate change and environmental governance.
15 topics
- 1
Ecology & Ecosystems
The fundamentals of ecology — the levels of biological organisation, the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem, and its types and functions.
- 2
Food Chains, Energy Flow & Ecological Pyramids
How energy and matter move through an ecosystem — food chains and webs, trophic levels, the 10% law of energy transfer, and ecological pyramids.
- 3
Biogeochemical Cycles
How nutrients circulate through the living and non-living world — the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, and the difference between gaseous and sedimentary cycles.
- 4
Biodiversity & Hotspots
The three levels of biodiversity, why it matters, the criteria for biodiversity hotspots, and India's four hotspots as a megadiverse nation.
- 5
Species Conservation & the IUCN Red List
How threatened species are classified on the IUCN Red List, the types of ecologically important species, and in-situ vs ex-situ conservation.
- 6
Protected Areas & Wildlife Conservation in India
India's protected-area network — national parks, sanctuaries, conservation and community reserves, and biosphere reserves — plus flagship conservation projects.
- 7
Environmental Pollution
Air, water, soil and noise pollution — key pollutants and indices (AQI, BOD), primary vs secondary pollutants, the two types of smog, and eutrophication.
- 8
Solid & Hazardous Waste Management
The types of waste, the waste-management hierarchy, methods of treatment and disposal, and India's rules including Extended Producer Responsibility.
- 9
Climate Change & Global Warming
The greenhouse effect, the main greenhouse gases and their warming potential, the causes and impacts of global warming, and key concepts like net-zero.
- 10
Ozone Depletion
The ozone layer and its importance, the substances that deplete it, the Antarctic ozone hole, and the Montreal Protocol success story.
- 11
The International Climate Regime (UNFCCC → Paris)
The global architecture to tackle climate change — the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the IPCC, and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
- 12
Environmental Governance in India
India's environmental laws and institutions — the constitutional basis, key Acts, the National Green Tribunal, the pollution control boards, and the EIA process.
- 13
International Environmental Conventions
The major global conventions on biodiversity, wildlife trade, wetlands, hazardous waste and chemicals — CBD, CITES, Ramsar, Basel, Stockholm and more.
- 14
Sustainable Development & the SDGs
The concept of sustainable development, its three pillars, the milestones from Stockholm to Rio, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- 15
Wetlands & Ecologically Sensitive Areas
The importance of wetlands, the Ramsar Convention, and India's system of Eco-Sensitive Zones and Ecologically Sensitive Areas around fragile ecosystems.