Daily Prelims Notes 12 March 2023
- March 12, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
12 March 2023
Table Of Contents
- Scientists call for legally-binding treaty to protect Earth’s orbit
- Winter haze in Delhi
- World’s fastest single-shot camera confirms how flames form soot
- Committee to oversee transfer and import of captive wild animals in India
- Centenary celebration of Channar Lahala and Vaikom satyagraha
- Globally; just 1 in 4 children covered by social protection: UN report
- Global food emissions alone can push warming beyond 1.5°C
- California flooding because of atmospheric rivers
- New U.K. policy on refugees
- Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted
- Japanese encephalitis vaccination
- Sickle cell screening meets only 1% of target
- Crypto Trade within PMLA Ambit
- India and Australia eye stronger ties in critical minerals field
- Atacama desert
- Lightning as a ‘Natural Disaster’
1. Scientists call for legally-binding treaty to protect Earth’s orbit
Subject: Science and Technology
Section: Space technology
Context: Over 60,000 satellites expected to orbit Earth by 2030, up from the current 9,000 satellites.
More on the News:
- Less than a week after members of the United Nations agreed on a treaty to conserve and sustainably use the high seas beyond national boundaries, scientists call for a similar legally-binding agreement to protect the Earth’s orbit.
- The researchers have written a letter published in Science journal. Over 100 trillion untracked pieces of old satellites circle the planet.
- More than 27,000 pieces of “space junk” are being tracked, NASA stated.
Space debris
- Space debris, also known as space junk, refers to human-made objects in space that no longer serve any useful purpose. This can include old satellites, rocket stages, and other debris from past space missions, as well as fragments from collisions and other space-based activities.
Causes of Space debris:
- Launch failures and explosions: When rockets or satellites fail to launch properly or experience explosions in orbit, they can generate large amounts of debris.
- Collisions: Collisions between satellites and other debris can generate even more debris, creating a domino effect that can increase the overall amount of debris in orbit.
- Satellite end of life: When satellites reach the end of their operational life, they can become non-functional and contribute to the overall amount of debris in orbit.
- Intentional destruction: Countries or organizations may intentionally destroy their own satellites or debris to prevent them from posing a threat to other objects in space.
- Human error: Mistakes made by operators of satellites or other spacecraft can lead to collisions or other incidents that generate debris.
Kessler Syndrome
- This is an idea proposed by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in 1978.
- It states that if there was too much space junk in orbit,it could result in a chain reaction where more and more objects collide and create new space junk in the process, to the point where Earth’s orbit becomes unusable. It is also known as “collisional cascading”.
Important Missions on Removing Space Debris
- Remove Debris:It is the European Space Agency’s debris removal demonstration mission in the low Earth orbit (LEO) that aims to test and validate multiple active debris removal technologies.
- Debris Elimination and Reentry: It is NASA’s Debris Elimination and Reentry (DER) program aims to reduce the threat of re-entering debris and mitigate the growth of space debris.
- Space Debris Capture Experiment: It isJapanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s experiment to demonstrate the feasibility of capturing space debris using a device mounted on a spacecraft and to study the characteristics of space debris.
- Cleanup Mission: It is ChinaNational Space Administration’s (CNSA) to demonstrate the feasibility of cleaning up space debris using a combination of active and passive methods.
- ‘Project NETRA’– It is an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has laid out guidelines to mitigate space debris.
- The guidelines aim to prevent the creation of new space debris and to reduce the risk of collision between existing space objects. Some of the guidelines include:
- Designing spacecraft to minimize the production of debris during their operational life and at the end of their mission.
- Limiting the release of materials and objects in space to avoid creating debris.
- Avoiding collisions between space objects by maintaining a safe distance and implementing collision avoidance measures.
- Developing methods for removing space debris from orbit, such as capturing and de-orbiting it or using it for fuel or materials.
- Improving tracking and monitoring of space objects to better understand the risks of collision and to inform mitigation measures.
Outer Space Treaty
- The Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a treaty that was signed on January 27, 1967, and entered into force on October 10, 1967.
- It was developed and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly to provide a framework for international cooperation and peaceful exploration and use of outer space.
- The treaty has several key provisions, including:
- Outer space is not subject to national appropriation: Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to claims of national sovereignty, and no state may claim any part of outer space as its own.
- Peaceful purposes: All activities in outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be carried out for peaceful purposes only.
- Responsibility for national activities: States are responsible for ensuring that their activities in outer space are carried out in accordance with the treaty and that they avoid harmful contamination of the space environment.
- Liability for damages: States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects, and shall be required to provide prompt and adequate compensation for any damage that is caused.
- International cooperation: States shall cooperate with one another in the exploration and use of outer space, and shall conduct their activities in a manner that promotes international cooperation and understanding.
- The Outer Space Treaty is considered to be the cornerstone of international space law and has been ratified by over 110 countries.
Subject: Environment
Section: Pollution
Context: Inefficient burning of biomass, like wood, leaves or stubble, in the early hours of the winter evenings could be the biggest contributor to the haze seen in and around Delhi during those months, a new research published in Nature Geoscience journal has revealed.
More on the News:
- The research by IIT-Kanpur, noticed a sharp increase in the presence of small particulate matter like soot that were the result of incomplete combustion of biomass. It also reported an extraordinarily rapid growth in the size of particles within a few hours’ time.
- The research throws new light on the process of formation of new particles that contribute to haze. Till now, the formation of new particles was known to happen mostly during the day.
- The study found a sudden rise in particulate matter coming in from burning of biomass in the evenings.
Haze:
- Haze is a type of atmospheric pollution characterized by a lack of visibility, caused by the presence of fine particles and droplets suspended in the air.
Sources of Haze:
- Natural sources
- Wildfires: Smoke and ash generated by wildfires can travel long distances and contribute to regional haze.
- Dust storms: Wind-blown dust and sand can contribute to haze, particularly in arid regions.
- Volcanic eruptions: Volcanic ash and gases can be carried by wind over long distances and cause regional or even global haze events.
- Sea spray: Particles from ocean spray can be carried by wind and contribute to haze in coastal areas.
- Human-made sources
- Fossil fuel combustion: Burning of coal, oil, and gas for energy and transportation releases a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, which can contribute to haze formation.
- Industrial emissions: Factories and power plants can release large amounts of pollutants into the air, contributing to haze in nearby areas.
- Agricultural burning: Burning of crop residues and other agricultural waste can release smoke and other pollutants into the air, contributing to haze.
Impacts of Haze:
- Reduced visibility: Haze can reduce visibility, leading to safety hazards on roads, in transportation and aviation, and in outdoor activities.
- Respiratory problems: Fine particles and droplets in haze can irritate the lungs and exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- Cardiovascular problems: Exposure to haze has also been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.
- Environmental impacts: Haze can have significant impacts on the environment, including reduced plant growth and productivity, soil erosion, and increased water pollution.
- Climate change: Haze can contribute to climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere and altering the earth’s radiation balance.
Smog
- Smog = smoke + fog (smoky fog) caused by the burning of large amounts of coal, vehicular emission and industrial fumes (Primary pollutants).
- Smog contains soot particulates like smoke, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and other components.
Sulfurous smog
- Sulfurous smog results from a high concentration of Sulphur Oxides in the air and is caused by the use of sulfur-bearing fossil fuels, particularly coal.
- This type of smog is aggravated by dampness and a high concentration of suspended particulate matter in the air.
Photochemical smog
- Photochemical smog occurs most prominently in urban areas that have large numbers of automobiles (Nitrogen oxides are the primary emissions).
- Photochemical (summer smog) forms when pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (primary pollutant) and organic compounds (primary pollutants) react togetherin the presence of Sunlight. A gas called Ozone (Secondary pollutant) is formed.
- Nitrogen Dioxide + Sunlight + Hydrocarbons = Ozone (Ozone in stratosphere it is beneficial, but near the earth’s surface it results in global warming as it is a greenhouse gas)
- The resulting smog causes a light brownish coloration of the atmosphere, reduced visibility, plant damage, irritation of the eyes, and respiratory distress.
3. World’s fastest single-shot camera confirms how flames form soot
Subject: Environment
Section: Climate Change
Context: Scientists from Germany and the U.S. have built the world’s fastest single-shot laser camera – 1,000x faster than its predecessors at capturing extremely short-lived events.
More on the News:
- Scientists used the camera to provide the most precise view yet of how a hydrocarbon flame produces soot, which can teach us about how this important climate pollutant is produced in kitchen stoves, car engines, and wildfires.
- The device’s technique is called laser-sheet compressed ultrafast photography (LS-CUP).
Soot or Black Carbon:
- Soot is a form of particulate air pollutant, produced from incomplete combustion.
- Soot, commonly known as Black carbon.
- Black carbon is a solid particle or aerosol (though not a gas) that contributes to warming of the atmosphere.
- India and China are the largest emitters of black carbon in the world.
- The Indo-Gangetic plains will become the largest contributor of black carbon, with about 20 per cent from biofuels, 40 per cent from fossil fuels and about 40 per cent from biomass burning.
Impacts of Soot:
- Black carbon warms the earth by absorbing heat in the atmosphere and by reducing albedo (the ability to reflect sunlight) when deposited on snow and ice.
- BC is the strongest absorber of sunlight and heats the air directly.
- It emits infra-red radiation that increases the temperature.
- In addition, it darkens snowpack and glaciers through deposition and leads to melting of ice and snow (black carbon is contributing to the melting of Himalayan Glaciers).
- Regionally, BC disrupts cloudiness and monsoon rainfall.
- Black carbon stays in the atmosphere for only several days to weeks.
Laser-sheet compressed ultrafast photography
- Laser-sheet compressed ultrafast photography (LSCUP) is a high-speed imaging technique that can capture ultrafast events, such as the motion of shock waves, explosions, and fluid dynamics. It is a variation of compressed ultrafast photography (CUP), which is based on the principle of temporal imaging.
- In LSCUP, a laser pulse is used to create a thin sheet of light, which illuminates the object being imaged. The object is then imaged by a camera with a fast shutter speed, typically in the picosecond or femtosecond range.
- The laser sheet and the camera are synchronized so that the camera captures the object at different times as it moves through the laser sheet. The resulting images can be combined to create a 3D movie of the object’s motion.
Advantage of Laser-sheet compressed ultrafast photography
- High temporal and spatial resolution: LSCUP can capture ultrafast events with high temporal and spatial resolution, enabling researchers to study dynamic processes in detail.
- Non-invasive imaging: LSCUP is a non-invasive imaging technique that does not require physical contact with the object being imaged. This is especially useful for studying delicate biological samples or explosive events.
- 3D imaging: LSCUP can capture multiple images of an object from different angles, allowing for the creation of a 3D movie of the object’s motion.
Disadvantage of Laser-sheet compressed ultrafast photography
- Costly equipment: LSCUP requires specialized equipment, such as ultrafast lasers and high-speed cameras, which can be expensive.
- Complex setup: Although LSCUP is relatively easy to set up compared to other high-speed imaging techniques, it still requires careful calibration and synchronization of the laser sheet and camera.
- Limited sample types: LSCUP may not be suitable for all types of samples, particularly those that are opaque or have complex structures that can block or scatter the laser sheet.
- Data processing: LSCUP generates a large amount of data, and processing this data can be time-consuming and computationally intensive.
4. Committee to oversee transfer and import of captive wild animals in India
Subject : Environment
Section: Environmental Laws
Context: Supreme Court has increased the jurisdiction and powers of a high-powered committee led by its former judge, Justice Deepak Verma, to conduct necessary checks and undertake fact-finding exercises concerning the import, transfer, procurement, rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals, including those in captivity, across India.
More on the News:
- The court directed that State and Central authorities should “forthwith report seizure of wild animals or abandonment of captive wild animals to the committee and the committee shall be at liberty to recommend transfer of ownership of captive animals or of seized wild animals to any willing rescue center or zoo for their immediate welfare, care and rehabilitation”.
- The Committee may also consider the request for approval, dispute or grievance, concerning transfer or import into India or procurement or welfare of wild animals by any rescue or rehabilitation centre or zoo, by taking assistance and co-operation whenever needed from all departments and authorities across India.
- Now, the Chief Wildlife Wardens of the States would be co-opted as members of the committee. The other designated members of the committee include the Director General of Forests (Union of India), Head of Project Elephant Division (MoEF) and Member Secretary (Central Zoo Authority of India).
Chief Wildlife Wardens
- Chief Wildlife Wardens are senior officials responsible for the management and protection of wildlife in their respective states in India.
- Appointment:
- The appointment of Chief Wildlife Wardens in India is governed by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- According to the Act, the Chief Wildlife Warden for each state is appointed by the state government in consultation with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Central Government.
- The appointment of the Chief Wildlife Warden is typically made from within the Indian Forest Service (IFS) and the officer must have a minimum of 10 years of experience in forest and wildlife management.
Functions of Chief Wildlife Wardens
- Implementation of wildlife conservation and management programs: The Chief Wildlife Warden is responsible for implementing wildlife conservation and management programs in their state, including the protection of endangered species, the control of poaching and illegal wildlife trade, and the management of wildlife habitats and protected areas.
- Coordination with other government agencies and stakeholders: The Chief Wildlife Warden works closely with other government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and local communities to promote sustainable wildlife management practices and to raise awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation.
- Enforcement of wildlife laws and regulations: The Chief Wildlife Warden is responsible for enforcing wildlife laws and regulations in their state and coordinating with law enforcement agencies to prevent wildlife crimes.
- Representation in national and international forums: The Chief Wildlife Warden serves as the nodal officer for wildlife-related matters in their state and represents the state government in national and international forums related to wildlife conservation.
- Management of human-wildlife conflicts: The Chief Wildlife Warden is responsible for managing conflicts between wildlife and humans in their state, including the prevention of crop and property damage and the prevention of human-wildlife conflicts.
Power of Chief Wildlife Wardens
- To grant or refuse permission for wildlife-related activities: The Chief Wildlife Warden has the power to grant or refuse permission for various wildlife-related activities, such as wildlife research, wildlife tourism, hunting, and trade in wildlife specimens.
- To issue licenses and permits: The Chief Wildlife Warden has the power to issue licenses and permits for various wildlife-related activities, such as hunting, trade, and captive breeding.
- To arrest and prosecute offenders: The Chief Wildlife Warden has the power to arrest and prosecute offenders who violate wildlife laws and regulations.
- To confiscate wildlife specimens and equipment: The Chief Wildlife Warden has the power to confiscate wildlife specimens and equipment used in the commission of wildlife crimes.
- To manage wildlife habitats and protected areas: The Chief Wildlife Warden has the power to manage wildlife habitats and protected areas, including the power to declare protected areas and to regulate activities within such areas.
- To delegate duties and powers: The Chief Wildlife Warden has the power to delegate certain duties and powers to subordinate officers to carry out wildlife management and conservation programs.
5. Centenary celebration of Channar Lahala and Vaikom satyagraha
Subject: History
Section: Modern India
Context: The bicentenary celebration of one of the earliest recorded anti-caste assertions in Southern India was held on Monday, March 6, in Nagercoil with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin
Concept:
The Channar Lahala or Channar revolt
- The Channar Lahala or Channar revolt, also called Maru Marakkal Samaram, refers to the fight from 1813 to 1859 of Nadar climber women in Travancore kingdom of India for the right to wear upper-body clothes covering their breasts.
Personality and Place: Ayyankali in Travancore in Kerala, Vaikuntha swamy in Kanyakumari, Muthukutty swamy tirunelveli in Tamilnadu (known as tholseelai porattam in Tamil nadu)
Same Causes:
- In 19th century Travancore, baring one’s chest to higher status people was considered a sign of respect by both males and females.
- Thus, those of the lower status castes, such as the Nadar climbers and Ezhavas, had to bare their chest in the presence of members of the higher-ranked Nair caste, who in turn had to do so in the presence of still higher ranked Nambudiri Brahmins.
Course:
- In 1813, Colonel John Munro, British dewan in the Travancore court, issued an order granting permission to women converted to Christianity to wear upper cloth.
- The order was withdrawn when pindakars, members of the Raja’s council,Nadar women were forbidden to wear the Nair sharf, and instead were allowed to wear the kuppayam, a type of jacket worn by Syrian Christians, Shonagas, and Mappilas
- The women were not satisfied, continuing to fight for the right to wear upper cloth. This led to increasing violence in the 1820s against Nadar women, and also the burning of schools and churches.
- In 1829, the Travancore queen issued yet another proclamation, which denied the right of Nadar women to wear upper cloths
Result :
- 1859 proclamation: On 26 July 1859, under pressure from Charles Trevelyan, the Madras Governor, the king of Travancore issued a proclamation proclaiming the right for all Nadar women to cover their breasts,
- Yet they were still not allowed to cover their breasts in the style of the higher-class Nair women. Nadar women continued to ignore the restrictions, developing an upper-wear style that resembled the style of the higher class Hindu women.
- The code was still discriminatory until 1915–1916, and the challenge was supported by Ayyankali
Vaikom satyagraha
- The Vaikom Satyagraha was held from 30 March 1924 to 23 November 1925, was a nonviolent agitation for access to the prohibited public environs of the Vaikom Temple in the Kingdom of Travancore
- Unlike the Channar Revolt, the Vaikom Satyagrahasawtheparticipationof Hindu upper castes in large numbers.
Personalities: Congress leaders T. K. Madhavan, K. Kelappan and K. P. Kesava Menon.E. V. Ramasamy “Periyar”, also participated in the satyagraha and was imprisoned twice
Cause: Most of the great temples in the princely state of Travancore had for years forbidden lower castes (untouchables) not just from entering, but also from walking on the surrounding roads. It demanded the right of the Ezhavas and ‘untouchables’ to use roads around the Vaikom Temple.
Course:
- The agitation was conceived by the Ezhava Congress leader and a follower of Sri Narayana Guru, T. K. Madhavan.
- This procession of savarnas was led by Mannath Padmanabhan Nair
- A resolution to allow Ezhavas to use roads near the temple was defeated by one vote in the Travancore Legislative Council (opposed by all official members, introduced in October 1924
- Mahatma Gandhi himself visited Vaikom in March, 1925.
- The Vaikom Satyagraha settled with a compromise which allowed the entry of lower caste Hindus to (the newly constructed) roads on three sides of the Vaikom Temple. The other side and the temple remained closed to the lower castes (November, 1925). The new roads also kept the lower castes adequately away from the near environs of the Vaikom Temple.
Result: The Temple Entry Proclamation was issued by Maharaja Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma on November 12, 1936. The Proclamation abolished the ban on the so-called ‘low caste people’ or avarnas from entering Hindu temples in the Princely State of Travancore
Personalities of anti-caste assertions in Southern India
Vaikunta Swami
- Vaikunta Swami, born in a Nadar family in Shastamkoyil, kanyakumari Tamil nadu,, Started a radical spiritual movement that had equality in Datits core.
- Influenced by the Tamil Siddha tradition, Vaikunta Swami, challenged the custodians of caste and the religious sphere it maintained — he questioned all these acts of authority,old and new including the Brahmins,the king, and the Missionaries.
- He undertook Thol seelai porattam in the 1830s. Vaikunta Swamikal founded an organisation named Samatwa Samajam for carrying out social reforms
- His call for freedom encompassed all spheres of human activity
- also known as Siva Narayanar or Vaikunda Swami is the first and the foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran as per Ayyavazhi Mythology
- he laid foundations in various places for small shrine-like centres, called Nizhal Thangals
- Ayya Vaikundar inspired a group of his devotees to undertake a religious exercise called Thuvayal Thavasu
- Through one of his disciples, Hari Gopalan Citar, he wrote the holy book, called Akilam
- The spiritual energy he unleashed impacted the Hindu society in Travancore in many unseen ways.
Sree Narayana Guru (1854-1928),
- He was born in a family that belonged to the Ezhava caste at Chempazhanthy, a village near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and was considered ‘avarna’ according to the social mores of the time.
- He learned Vedas, Upanishads, literature, logical rhetoric of Sanskrit, He gave the famous slogan “One Caste, One Religion, One God for All” (Oru Jathi, Oru Matham, Oru Daivam, Manushyanu).
- In 1888, he built a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Aruvippuram which was against the caste-based restrictions of the time.Hatha Yoga and other philosophies.
- He organized an All-Region Conference in 1923 at Alwaye Advaita Ashram, which was reported to be the first such event in India.
- He became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of non-duality put forward by Adi Shankara.
- He provided the impetus for Vaikom agitation
- He wrote various books in different languages. Few of them are: Advaitha Deepika, Asrama, Thevarappathinkangal, etc.
- His Adyaropa darsanam (Darsanamala) explains the creation of the universe.
- Guru also said: “What one does for one’s self-happiness/ must also secure the happiness of the other.
- In 1903, he established the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), a charitable society as the founder and president.
6. Globally; just 1 in 4 children covered by social protection: UN report
Subject : Schemes
Context:
- The Prime Minister has announced PM CARES for Children scheme to support children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 pandemic.
- The objective of the Scheme is to ensure comprehensive care and protection of Children in a sustained manner, and enable their well-being through health insurance, empower them through education and equip them for self-sufficient existence with financial support till 23 years of age.
- Children are entitled to receive monthly stipend between the age of 18 and 23 years, by investing the corpus of Rs.10 lakhs into Monthly Income Scheme of Post Office.
- They will receive the amount of 10 lakh on attaining the age of 23 years.
- Under the scheme, provision has been made for admission in the nearest Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan/Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya or Private Schools. Further, scholarship of 20,000/- are provided to all school going children of class 1-12.
- Children are also assisted in obtaining education loan for Professional courses / Higher Education in India for which interest would be borne by PM CARES Fund.
- All children have been enrolled under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojna (AB PM-JAY) with a health insurance cover of 5 lakh. The coverage of health insurance would be provided till they attain the age of 23 years.
- Under the PM CARES for Children Scheme, the children have been given assistance for self-sustenance, self-belief and motivation.
7. Global food emissions alone can push warming beyond 1.5°C
Subject: Environment
Section: Climate Change
Context: Food emissions alone could push global warming beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels if the current dietary patterns and agricultural production practices continue through the end of the century, according to a new study.
Details:
- The world can warm up by by 0.7-0.9°C (± 0.2) from present levels due to global food consumption, depending on the population growth trend, the report published in Nature Climate Changejournal March 6, 2023 showed.
- This additional warming is enough to surpass the 1.5°C global warming target and approach the 2°C threshold established by the Paris Agreement.
- Around 80 per cent of future warming from food consumption will be from meat, rice and dairy products — notably high-methane food groups, the researchers found.
- Methane is responsible for a majority of the projected increase in global temperature, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the warming associated with food consumption by the end of the century.
- About 20 per cent of the end-century warming is attributed each to carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions, according to the research done by scientists from Columbia University, University of Florida and Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental organisation based in the United States.
- Consumption of dairy and meat was found to be responsible for more than half of the warming by 2030 and through to 2100. Rice contributed to 19 per cent of end-of-century warming and vegetables, grains, seafood, oils, beverages, eggs, fruit and all other uncategorised food items each contributed five per cent or less.
- The projected contributions could be an underestimate, the authors said, given the demand for ruminant meat was expected to increase by over 90 per cent by 2050 and the consumption of all animal products was projected to grow by 70 per cent.
- The findings also highlight the need to focus on emissions reductions from the production, consumption and waste of these food groups.
- Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture in the atmosphere that extend from the tropics to higher latitudes. These rivers in the sky can transport 15 times the volume of the Mississippi River.
- When that moisture reaches the coast and moves inland, it rises over the mountains, generating rain and snowfall. Many fire-weary westerners welcome these deluges, but atmospheric rivers can trigger other disasters, such as extreme flooding and debris flows.
8. California flooding because of atmospheric rivers
Subject: Geography
Context: Recent flooding of California because of atmospheric rivers
Concept :
- An atmospheric river is a plume of moisture that helps carry saturated air from the tropics to higher latitudes, delivering unrelenting rain or snow.
- Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture in the atmosphere that extend from the tropics to higher latitudes. These rivers in the sky can transport 15 times the volume of the Mississippi River.
- When that moisture reaches the coast and moves inland, it rises over the mountains, generating rain and snowfall. Many fire-weary westerners welcome these deluges, but atmospheric rivers can trigger other disasters, such as extreme flooding and debris flows.
- In the western US, they account for 30% to 50% of annual precipitation.
- While atmospheric rivers are an incredibly important source of rainfall, they can also bring flash flooding, mudslides and landslides, sometimes killing people and destroying property.
- Atmospheric rivers occur globally, affecting the west coasts of the world’s major land masses, including Portugal, Western Europe, Chile and South Africa.
- So-called “Pineapple Express” storms that carry moisture from Hawaii to the United States West Coast are just one of their many flavors.
- In the 1960s meteorologists coined the phrase “Pineapple Express” to describe storm tracks that originated near Hawaii and carried warm water vapor to the coast of North America.
- By the late 1990s atmospheric scientists had found that over 90 per cent of the world’s moisture from the tropics and subtropics was transported to higher latitudes by similar systems, which they named “atmospheric rivers.”
Climate change and its impact on atmospheric rivers
- Atmospheric rivers are predicted to grow longer, wetter and wider in a warming climate.
- Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the planet. This causes more water to evaporate from oceans and lakes, and increased moisture in the air makes storm systems grow stronger.
- In dry conditions, atmospheric rivers can replenish water supplies and quench dangerous wildfires. In wet conditions, they can cause damaging floods and debris flows, wreaking havoc on local economies.
- Atmospheric river classification scale ranks the storms from 1 to 5, similar to systems for categorizing hurricanes and tornadoes.
- Atmospheric River category 1 (AR1) and AR2 storms caused estimated damages under $1 million.
- AR4 and AR5 storms caused median damages in the 10s and 100s of millions of dollars respectively.
- The most damaging AR4s and AR5s generated impacts of over $1 billion per storm. These billion-dollar storms occurred every three to four years.
- The most significant finding was an exponential relationship between the intensity of atmospheric rivers and the flood damages they caused. Each increase in the scale from 1 to 5 was associated with a 10-fold increase in damages.
9. New U.K. policy on refugees
Subject: International Relations
Section: MSc
Concept :
- The Conservative government of the U.K. is proposing to adopt a new, stricter policy to deal with asylum seekers who arrive on the island via boat.
- While the Illegal Migration Bill (IMB) is yet to be passed by the U.K. Parliament, once that happens it will have retrospective applicability from March 7, 2023.
- With the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments fuelling some aspects of the Brexit campaign, the U.K. Conservative Party has been a strong advocate for tighter immigration policies.
- Brexit became a reality on January 31, 2020.
- This is purportedly aimed at protecting U.K. jobs or shifting the focus to skilled workers arriving through legal routes.
Why U.K. is bringing the migration bill now?
- Recently, all major developed countries including U.K. has witnessed rise in numbers of asylum seekers. This is due to:
- The recent years of the pandemic and the economic distress it has caused across developing countries;
- The displacement of certain communities in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq;
- Displacement caused by Russia – Ukraine war.
- Also, this step was taken to fulfil a promise made in January 2023 by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to “stop the boats”.
- The so-called small boat arrivals comprised approximately 45% of the total asylum applications made in 2022, which was close to 89,000.
Proposals of the bill
- The Bill, when passed into law by the U.K. Parliament, will:
- require that the Home Secretary detain and remove those arriving in the U.K. illegally, either to Rwanda or another “safe” third country;
- would deny migrants the right to bail or judicial review for the first 28 days of their immigration detention;
- block such migrants from returning to the U.K. or seeking British citizenship going forward.
- The Bill would also seek to set a cap on the number of refugees who will be permitted to settle in the U.K. through “safe and legal routes”.
- This, at the moment, only applies to people from Afghanistan and Ukraine, or British National status holders in Hong Kong.
New bill is incompatible with international law
- This is more evident in the concept of non-refoulement – that refugees should not be returned to a country where they face threats to life and liberty.
- This concept is encapsulated in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees as well as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
- K. is a signatory of both the conventions.
UN Convention on the Status of Refugees:
- Under the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and the subsequent 1967 Protocol, the word refugee pertains to any person who is outside their country of origin and unable or unwilling to return owing to well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
- Stateless persons may also be refugees in this sense, where country of origin (citizenship) is understood as ‘country of former habitual residence’.
10. Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupted
Subject : Geography
Section: Places in news (Mapping)
Concept :
- Recently, Mount Merapi erupted with avalanches of searing gas clouds and lava, forcing concerned national authorities to halt tourism and mining activities
About Mount Merapi:
- Mount Merapi (Mountain of Fire) is one of the world’s most active volcanos located in Indonesia.
- It rises to 9,551 feet and has steep slopes with dense vegetation on its lower flanks.
- Merapi is the youngest in a group of volcanoes in southern Java.
- It is situated at a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is subducting under the Sunda Plate.
- A series of eruptions of the volcano in late 2010, which included pyroclastic flows, killed scores of people, injured dozens more, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate the area.
Why do more volcanoes occur in Indonesia?
- Indonesia is located on the Ring of Fire, a vast area around the Pacific Ocean.
- It consists of over 17,000 islands and islets — and nearly 130 active volcanoes.
- The Ring of Fire also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
- The abundance of volcanoes and earthquakes along the Ring of Fire is caused by the amount of movement of tectonic plates in the area.
- Along much of the Ring of Fire, plates overlap at convergent boundaries called subduction zones. That is, the plate that is underneath is pushed down, or subducted, by the plate above. As rock is subducted, it melts and becomes magma.
- The abundance of magma so near to Earth’s surface gives rise to conditions ripe for volcanic activity.
- A significant exception is a border between the Pacific and North American Plates. This stretch of the Ring of Fire is a transform boundary, where plates move sideways past one another.
- This type of boundary generates a large number of earthquakes as tension in Earth’s crust builds up and is released.
11. Japanese encephalitis vaccination
Subject: Science and technology
Section: Health
Concept:
- A small study involving 266 children, who had received two doses of a live, attenuated Japanese encephalitis vaccine SA-14-14-2 made in China, found very low levels of neutralising antibodies IgG at different time points after vaccination.
- Study did not measure cell-mediated immune responses (T-cell immune responses).
- Nearly 98% of the children who received the vaccine did not have any IgG antibodies against the virus.
- The results are in line with other studies conducted outside India, which too found a decline in neutralising antibody levels post-vaccination.
- Immunisation of children with the Chinese vaccine began in 2006 in 11 endemic regions, and became a part of the Universal Immunisation Programme in 181 endemic districts in 2011 first with a single dose and subsequently (2013) with two doses.
- Despite vaccination, there have been several outbreaks in the endemic regions, particularly in Gorakhpur district.
- The disease burden is highest in the Gorakhpur region of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Jenvac:
- In contrast, a trial carried out using an inactivated vaccine-Jenvac, developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune using a virus strain collected in India, has found superior protection at the end of two years even with a single dose.
- Jenvac has been approved as a single-dose vaccine; two doses of Jenvac are used as part of the Universal Immunisation Programme.
- In the head-to-head comparison trial using Jenvac and the Chinese vaccine, the seroprotection at the end of one year and two years was 81.7% and 88.5% for Jenvac and just 47.9% and 68.3% for the Chinese vaccine, respectively.
- The trial also found significantly higher neutralising antibodies when children received two doses of Jenvac rather than two doses of the Chinese vaccine.
Immunoglobulin G (IgG):
- This is the most common antibody. It’s in blood and other body fluids, and protects against bacterial and viral infections. IgG can take time to form after an infection or immunization.
Japanese Encephalitis
- Japanese Encephalitis – Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (JE-AES) is a serious health hazard. The disease mostly affects children and young adults which can lead to morbidity and mortality.
- These infections particularly affect malnourished children of poor economic backgrounds.
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the nodal ministry.
- The history of AES in India has paralleled with that of the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) since the first report in 1955 from Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
- The first outbreak of JEV was reported in Bankura district, West Bengal in 1973.
- Thereafter, sporadic cases of AES and outbreaks have been the leading cause of premature deaths due to the disease in India
- Causes:
- Viruses are the main causative agents in AES cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins, and noninfectious agents have also been reported over the past few decades. It is not vaccine-preventable.
- Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the major cause of AES in India (ranging from 5%-35%).
- Herpes simplex virus, Nipah virus, Zika virus, Influenza A virus, West Nile virus, Chandipura virus, mumps, measles, dengue, scrub typhus, S.pneumoniae are also found as causative agents for AES.
For notes on Types of Vaccines, refer – https://optimizeias.com/types-of-vaccine/
12. Sickle cell screening meets only 1% of target
Subject : Science and technology
Section: Health
Concept :
- Under the National Health Mission, Government of India supports the states for prevention and management of sickle cell disease as per their annual performance improvement plans proposals.
- The Union Health Ministry has also released technical operational guidelines for prevention and control of hemoglobinopathies in 2016 including sickle cell anaemia.
- Further in terms of treatment, support is given under NHM for capsule hydroxyurea, free blood transfusion for all Sickle cell patients (men & women) as per State’s proposal.
- In the union budget of FY 2023-24, it is announced to launch a mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047.
- The mission entails focus on awareness creation, universal screening of approximately seven crore people in the 0-40 years age group in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
- However, the Health Ministry has completed a minuscule 1% of its ambitious target to scan one crore people for sickle cell disease in 2022-23.
- The target set for 2022-23 was to screen one crore people. However, only 1,05,954 people have been screened so far, out of which 5,959 people (5.62%) were found to be carrying the traits.
Sickle cell disease:
- Sickle cell disease is a chronic genetic disorder in which the red blood cells of the patient turn into sickle-shaped crescents, become rigid and sticky, and get clogged in the blood vessels.
- It causes a debilitating systemic syndrome characterized by chronic anaemia, acute painful episodes, organ infarction and chronic organ damage and by a significant reduction in life expectancy.
- For Further Notes on Sickle Cell Disease, refer – https://optimizeias.com/sickle-cell-disease-scd-2/
13. Crypto Trade within PMLA Ambit
Subject: Economy
Section: Msc
Concept:
- In order to regulate the crypto market, the Ministry of Finance announced that all virtual digital assets (VDAs) will come within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).
- In July 2022, it was reported that the Enforcement Directorate recorded approximately 5422 cases, attached proceeds of nearly₹104702 crore, and filed Prosecution Complaints in almost 992 cases resulting in the confiscation of about ₹869.31 crores. It also convicted 23 accused persons under PMLA (Till March 2022).
Details about the move:
- As per the notification, Indian crypto exchanges will have to report any suspicious activity associated with cryptocurrency to the Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND).
- FIU-IND is responsible for receiving, processing, analyzing, and disseminating information on suspicious financial transactions to law enforcement agencies and overseas FIUs.
- According to Sections 5 and 8(4) of the PMLA Act, the ED has discretionary powers to search and seize suspected property without any judicial permission.
Ways to track money laundering via crypto transactions:
- It should be noted that the technical nature of VDAs poses a new challenge and would require the intelligence unit to expand its intelligence framework.
- The Egmont group suggests the appropriate analysis of crypto wallets, their associated addresses and blockchain records, and hardware identifiers like IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), or SEID (Secure Element Identifier) numbers, along with the MAC addresses.
Scenario in other countries:
- As per the PwC’s ‘Global Crypto Regulations Report 2023’, many countries across the world are at different stages of drafting similar regulations.
- Many countries like Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, and Malaysia have laws on regulatory frameworks and the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada are also working in this direction.
- China, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have issued a blanket ban on cryptocurrency.
- The European Union is also working on a cross-jurisdictional regulatory and supervisory framework for crypto-assets.
14. India and Australia eye stronger ties in critical minerals field
Subject : Geography
Section: Economic geography
Concept :
- Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and his Australian counterpart Don Farrell announced the formal resumption of negotiation for the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) which will cover a “much wider” area of commercial cooperation.
- Ministers from the two countries have also agreed to deepen cooperation and extend their existing commitments to the India-Australia Critical Minerals Investment Partnership.
- Australia confirmed that it would commit USD 5.8 million to the three-year India-Australia Critical Minerals Investment Partnership.
Critical Minerals
- Critical minerals are elements that are the building blocks of essential modern-day technologies, and are at risk of supply chain disruptions.
- These minerals are used everywhere from making mobile phones, computers to batteries, electric vehicles and green technologies like solar panels and wind turbines.
- It mostly includes graphite, lithium and cobalt, which are used for making EV batteries; rare earths that are used for making magnets and silicon which is a key mineral for making computer chips and solar panels.
Why is this resource critical?
- As countries around the world scale up their transition towards clean energy and digital economy, these critical resources are key to the ecosystem that fuels this change.
- Any supply shock can severely imperil the economy and strategic autonomy of a country over-dependent on others to procure critical minerals.
- But these supply risks exist due to rare availability, growing demand and complex processing value chain.
- Many times, the complex supply chain can be disrupted by hostile regimes, or due to politically unstable regions.
Subject : Geography
Section: Places in news
Concept:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning could revolutionize the search for life on other planets.
- A team of researchers have successfully trained an AI to map biosignatures — any feature which provides evidence of past or present life — in a three-square-kilometer area of Chile’s Atacama Desert.
- The AI substantially reduced the area the team needed to search and boosted the likelihood of finding living organisms in one of the driest places on the planet.
Atacama Desert
- The Atacama Desert is a 600-mile-long (1,000 kilometers) plateau in the north of Chile, near the borders of Peru, Bolivia and Argentina in South America.
- The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the world, as well as the only true desert to receive less precipitation than the polar deserts.
- In fact, it is so dry that some weather stations in the desert have never recorded a single drop of rain. As a result of these harsh conditions, plant and animal life is almost non-existent, particularly in the lower Atacama Desert.
- The northern coastal areas, however, do receive a little more rainfall, and as a result, are less arid.
Why is the Atacama Desert so dry?
- Three different reasons contribute to the Atacama Desert being the driest place on earth.
- The first reason is that the desert sits on the wrong side of the Andes with regards to prevailing winds. As pictured above, the prevailing south-east trade winds carrying moist air are forced to rise. The moisture condenses, and falls on the opposite side of the Andes to the Atacama. This is commonly known as a rain shadow.Atacama-Desert
- The second reason is high air pressure. Essentially, descending air warms up, meaning that any moisture within turns to water vapour (gas, not liquid) as opposed to rain.
- Finally, the last reason is the cold Humboldt Current from the Pacific Ocean. Any onshore winds are chilled so they are unable to pick up moisture from the ocean. Cumulatively, the effect of the aforementioned three points creates the driest place on earth.
- The species diversity of the Atacama Desert is highly restricted. Some parts of the desert are too dry to sustain any life form at all.
- Scorpions, desert butterflies, and wasps, the Atacama toad, lava lizards, iguanas, etc., are some of the Atacama Desert fauna. Birds visiting or residing in the desert include sparrows, hummingbirds, Andean flamingos, Humboldt penguins, etc. Seals and sea lions can be sighted along the coast.
- The Atacama Desert contains the world’s largest supply of sodium nitrate, making it a valuable resource. As a result, the area was mined significantly in the 1940’s. Many mining towns have since been abandoned.
- The Atacama Desert also is rich in metallic mineral resources such as copper, gold, silver and iron, as well as nonmetallic minerals including important deposits of boron, lithium, sodium nitrate, and potassium salts.
- The Atacama Desert forms part of the arid Pacific fringe of South America.
16. Lightning as a ‘Natural Disaster’
Subject: Geography
Section: Physical Geography (Climatology)
Concept:
- Several states have demanded that ‘lightning’ be declared as a ‘natural disaster’ because deaths caused by it surpass any other disaster in the country.
About Lightning:
- Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground.
- In the early stages of development, air acts as an insulator between the positive and negative charges in the cloud and between the cloud and the ground.
- When the opposite charges build up enough, this insulating capacity of the air breaks down and there is a rapid discharge of electricity that is known as lightning.
- The flash of lightning temporarily equalizes the charged regions in the atmosphere until the opposite charges build up again.
- Lightning can occur between opposite charges within the thunderstorm cloud (intra-cloud lightning) or between opposite charges in the cloud and on the ground (cloud-to-ground lightning).
Major Causes lightning:
- Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves.
- During a storm, colliding particles of rain, ice, or snow inside storm clouds increase the imbalance between storm clouds and the ground, and often negatively charge the lower reaches of storm clouds.
- Objects on the ground, like steeples, trees, and the Earth itself, become positively charged creating an imbalance that nature seeks to remedy by passing current between the two charges.
- This heat causes surrounding air to rapidly expand and vibrate, which creates the pealing thunder heard a short time after seeing a lightning flash.
- When the positive and negative charges grow large enough, a giant spark – lightning – occurs between the two charges within the cloud.
- Most lightning happens inside a cloud, but sometimes it happens between the cloud and the ground.
- A build-up of positive charge builds up on the ground beneath the cloud, attracted to the negative charge in the bottom of the cloud and the ground’s positive charge concentrates around anything that sticks up – trees, lightning conductors and even people.
- The positive charge from the ground connects with the negative charge from the clouds and a spark of lightning strikes.
Inclusion of lightning as a natural disaster:
- The Centre should include lightning as a “natural disaster” to minimise lightning-related deaths.
- This would help States prepare long-term mitigation through coordinated efforts with local agencies and reconstruction activities to build disaster-resilient infrastructure.