Current Affairs - Environment

The "Orangutan diplomacy" strategy involves Malaysia gifting the endangered great apes to palm oil trading nations, showcasing the nation's commitment to biodiversity conservation. This initiative is similar to China's panda diplomacy and aims to address concerns about palm oil's environmental impact on rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia.

La Nina refers to the cooling of sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean, leading to a range of climatic impacts worldwide. This phenomenon is characterized by its opposite effect compared to El Nino, causing cooler and drier conditions in some regions while influencing weather patterns across the globe.

Mount Erebus, an active volcano in Antarctica, is known for releasing gold dust worth $6,000 daily into the atmosphere. This unique phenomenon has attracted scientific interest, as gold flecks from Mount Erebus have been traced up to 600 miles away, showcasing the volcano's impact on natural gold dispersion and geological studies in the region.

Bhutan is leading the Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference on Earth Day 2024, aiming to raise $1 billion for tiger conservation efforts over a decade. This initiative highlights Bhutan's commitment to sustainable finance, global partnerships, and biodiversity conservation, emphasizing the importance of protecting tiger habitats and supporting local communities.

Mount Etna, Europe’s largest and one of the world’s most active and iconic volcanoes, has recently been producing nearly perfect rings of smoke, a rare phenomenon. This unique display has caught the attention of scientists and volcano enthusiasts, contributing to the ongoing research on volcanic behaviour.