(i) Amrita Devi was a brave lady from Khejarli village of Jodhpur District, Rajasthan. She sacrificed her life to maintain Bishnoi Dharma. In 1730, Maharaja Abhay Singh, ruler of Marwar, Rajasthan state wanted to log green Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) trees to burn lime for the construction of his new palace. Since there was a lot of greenery in the Bishnoi villages even in the middle of Thar Desert, the king ordered his men to get the wood from Khejri trees. When she came to know about the cutting of trees by the King's men, she and many others had hugged the Khejri trees to save from cutting. But king's men killed Amrita Devi along with more than 363 other Bishnois. It was a Tuesday, black Tuesday in Khejarli. This incident took place to save trees and is recorded in India's history.
(ii) To commemorate her bravery, the Government of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have initiated the prestigious state level award named as 'Amrita Devi Bishnoi Smriti Award' for excellent contribution to the protection and conservation of wildlife.  

Effects: UV rays may penetrate deep into the skin and can lead to premature skin aging and wrinkling of skin; suppression of the immune system, skin cancer (melanoma) and chronic effects leading to eye damage. DNA damage can result from free radicals and reactive oxygen and photons can damage the DNA itself.

Smog is a type of air pollution caused by tiny particles in the air. The word comes from a mixture of the words smoke and fog.
(i) Smog generally refers to photochemical smog, which is created when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds found in fossil fuel emissions from automobiles, factories and power plants.
(ii) These reactions create ground-level ozone and particulate matter, reducing visibility.
(iii) Smog can make breathing more difficult, especially for people with asthma.
(iv) Smog also affects plants and animals. It damages crops as well as causes health problems in pets, farm animals and human beings.
(v) Smog has also been known to cause corrosive damage to buildings and vehicles.

The naturally occurring greenhouse gases in the air, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour trap radiation from the sun and act like a thermal blanket around our planet earth. Without the greenhouse gases, the earth would have an average temperature of -180 c and be covered in ice. The greenhouse effect keeps the earth warm enough to sustain life.

Green House Effect and Global warming:
Natural environment and climate are dynamic and keep changing over course of time. Reasons for climate change
a) Human population growth
b) Industrialization
c) Associated anthropological activities the changes.
Impact on Global Warming:
(i) Large-scale changes of global environment can lead to hazards, which may include climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, changes in ecosystems due to loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of freshwater, land degradation, urbanization, and stress on food-producing systems.
(ii) Greenhouse gases (GHG) water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and some artificial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) causes greenhouse effect. The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth
(iii) Global warming will have a significant impact on people and nature. As global average temperatures rise, precipitation patterns could be affected. Extreme wet and dry conditions can be expected (flooding and desertification). Coastal areas shall become more vulnerable to storm surges as sea level rises. Plant and animal species will migrate or disappear in response to climate change.
(iv) Global warming can directly affect the flora and fauna. This could also result in shortage of food and even lead to a food crisis and affect the health of the people and organisms.
Control Measures:
The UNO has several measures to control or reduce pollution. Through various conventions organized by UNO, the countries assured to take steps to control or reduce emissions by factories and automobiles.

(i) The alteration or changes in the composition of the earth's atmosphere by natural or human activities is called air pollution.
(ii) Increase in carbon dioxide concentration of air is also a form of air pollution. The normal CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere is only about 0.03%. Deforestation is one of the major contributions for increase in carbon dioxide of the air. Forests act as carbon sink by utilizing the atmospheric carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.
(iii) When forests are cut down, the concentration of the atmosphere increases. This leads to global warming or greenhouse effect which is an effect of air pollution.
(iv) Thus by forest conservation, we can reduce the carbon footprint by increased trapping of atmospheric CO₂ and thereby reducing global warming. This leads to reduced levels of air pollution.

(i) When trees are cut down and burnt or allowed to rot, their stored carbon is released into the air as carbon dioxide. This adds to the carbon dioxide content of the air. Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. The increase in concentration of carbon dioxide in the air increases the greenhouse effect and thereby causes global warming. It has been estimated that 25-30% of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year is because of deforestation.
(ii) Trees act as carbon sink since they utilize carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. When trees are cut down, the carbon footprint increases. This, in turn leads to global warming.

(i) Less use of fossil fuels.
(ii) Planting more and more trees.
(iii) Recycling of the wastes to reduce their quantity and produce useful materials.
(iv) Less or no use of fertilizers and pesticides.
(v) Dispose off the solid wastes in landfills.