Daily Prelims Notes 17 August 2024

Daily Prelims Notes

17 August 2024

Table Of Contents

1. WB issues world’s 1st carbon removal bond to fund Amazon reforestation
2. Seeding a greener future – an impetus to natural farming in A.P.
3. Murshidabad: Divided by borders, rivers, and the politics of polarization
4. ISRO launches SSLV: What is the aim behind developing Small Satellite Launch Vehicles?
5. Centre launches new system to understand cropping patterns, impact of weather
6. All-night streetlights can make leaves inedible to insects: What a new study says
7. You’ve lost weight taking new obesity drugs. What happens if you stop?
8. Egg, sperm donors have no parental right on child: What Bombay HC held
9. Remembering the ‘Great Calcutta Killings’: When Jinnah’s ‘direct action’ caused a bloodbath
10. Expert Explains: How James Webb Space Telescope has raised questions in cosmology

1. WB issues world’s 1st carbon removal bond to fund Amazon reforestation

Sub : Env

Sec: Int Conventions

Context:

• A new bond links investors’ financial returns to the amount of carbon removed from the atmosphere to help save the Amazon rainforest.

Details:

• The World Bank issued a nine-year, $225 million note to fund reforestation in the Amazon, with returns tied to the climate impact of newly planted trees.
• Investors receive a fixed annual coupon of 1.745%, lower than similar World Bank bonds, with $36 million in foregone coupons funding Brazilian startup Mombak Gestora de Recursos Ltda.’s reforestation efforts.
• Mombak will use the funds to partner with landowners to reforest land with native trees, producing carbon credits to be sold to Microsoft Corp.
• Bondholders get an additional variable coupon from the revenue generated by the sale of carbon credits, potentially earning a total annualized yield of 4.362%.
• The bond is Triple A rated with full capital protection and a guaranteed minimum coupon.

ESG Shift and Market Trends:

• The bond reflects a shift in voluntary carbon markets, where buyers pay more for carbon removal projects, such as reforestation, rather than merely avoiding emissions.
• Carbon removal credits are more expensive, and credits linked to stopping deforestation are under scrutiny for potential greenwashing.
• As the market matures, buyers are increasingly focused on the quality of carbon credits, with companies like Microsoft prioritizing carbon removal over emission reduction credits.

Source: BS

2. Seeding a greener future – an impetus to natural farming in A.P.

Sub : Geo

Sec: Eco Geo 

Pre-Monsoon Dry Sowing (PMDS) model:

• Under the PMDS concept, a combination of Navadhanya and 15-20 other seeds are sown in a single field before the rainy season begins.
• The PMDS model allows farmers to harvest three crops a year, even in rainfed conditions, compared to the single crop under traditional methods.
• Farmers practising PMDS using natural farming methods experience multiple benefits, such as improved soil structure, increased earthworm activity, nutrient-rich grass for livestock, and higher crop yields.
• Additionally, farmers gain financial benefits by selling vegetables and grass from the PMDS fields, providing them with income even in summer.
• The effectiveness of PMDS was also demonstrated during the Michaung cyclone, as fields utilising PMDS were protected.

Promotion of Natural Farming:

• The Andhra Pradesh Community-Managed Natural Farming (APCMNF) supports smallholder farmers in transitioning from chemical-intensive to natural farming.
• APCNF aims to reach all 8 million farmer households in Andhra Pradesh within the next 10 years, with the model already being replicated in 12 other Indian states.
• The program is funded by central schemes and international donors like KfW Bank Germany and the Azim Premji Foundation, with delegations from 45 countries visiting Andhra Pradesh to learn from its success.
• RySS (Rythu Sadhikara Samstha) encourages farmers to adopt the PMDS model for the year-round green cover, improved soil fertility, and environmental conservation.
• Farmers are educated on preparing natural fertilizers and growth promoters, following principles like minimal soil disturbance and year-round soil cover with crops.
• Global recognition:
  • APCNF is the world’s largest agroecology program, reaching over a million smallholder farmers across 500,000 hectares in Andhra Pradesh.
  • The program has brought environmental benefits like increased soil carbon sequestration and reduced land degradation.
  • APCNF received global recognition by winning the 2024 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, shared with soil scientist Rattan Lal and Egyptian NGO Sekem.
• International collaborations:
  • APCNF plans to send its first batch of farmers to Zambia in August and another group to Indonesia later this year to share knowledge and expand the program internationally.

Source: TH

3. Murshidabad: Divided by borders, rivers, and the politics of polarization

Sub: Geo

Sec: Eco Geo 

Context:

• BSF declared a state of high alert along the river Padma, a critical border area between India and Bangladesh, just days before violent protests in Bangladesh.

Details:

• Kakmarichar border outpost falls under the Sahebnagar gram panchayat of Jalangi block of Murshidabad district and has a porous border with Bangladesh.
• Charbhadra border outpost in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district.
• Bamnabad outpost: Murshidabad district, West Bengal
• BJP leaders advocate for making Murshidabad and parts of Malda a Union Territory, claiming it would bring better governance and security.
  • Local opposition, including CPI(M) and others, argue against the demographic claims and communal narrative pushed by the BJP, highlighting the region’s complex history.
  • Baul Fakirs, a significant cultural group, face challenges from both Hindu and Muslim communities, adding to the complex social dynamics in the area.

Historical Significance of Murshidabad:

• Murshidabad is a historical city in West Bengal, situated on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River.
• In the 18th century, it was a prosperous capital of the Bengal Subah, covering areas of modern-day Bangladesh, West Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.

Economic and Cultural Hub:

• The city was home to wealthy banking and merchant families and was a centre for silk production, art, and culture, including Hindustani classical music and Mughal painting.
• European companies like the British, French, Dutch, and Danish East India Companies operated factories in the city, emphasizing its global trade importance.

Decline After the Battle of Plassey:

• Murshidabad’s decline began after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, when the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah, was defeated.
• The British demoted the Nawab to a zamindar, moved key administrative functions to Calcutta, and the city’s population dwindled to 46,000 by the 19th century.
• In 1869, Murshidabad was declared a municipality and became a district headquarters under the Bengal Presidency.

Source: TH

4. ISRO launches SSLV: What is the aim behind developing Small Satellite Launch Vehicles?

Sub: Sci

Sec: Space sector

Context:

• ISRO successfully launched the third developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D3) from Sriharikota, placing the Earth observation satellite EOS-08 into orbit.
• This marks the completion of the SSLV Development Project, allowing NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) and the private space industry to produce SSLVs for commercial missions.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the cost-effectiveness of SSLVs, which will encourage private industry participation in space missions.

What is an SSLV?

• The SSLV is a three-stage launch vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages.
  • It also has a liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage, which can help adjust the velocity as it prepares to place the satellite.
• It is designed for launching smaller satellites, offering low-cost launches with minimal infrastructure.
• It can carry satellites weighing up to 500kg and can be rapidly assembled, taking only 72 hours to integrate with minimal manpower, reducing costs to around Rs 30 crore.

PSLVs and GSLVs:

• The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is a reliable launch vehicle used since 1994, known as ISRO’s “workhorse” for placing satellites in low Earth orbit.
• The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) have a higher capacity because sending satellites deeper into space requires greater power.
  • Therefore, cryogenic engines consisting of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are used in GSLVs as they provide greater thrust than the engines used in the older launch vehicles.
  • The GSLV Mk-II can carry satellites weighing up to 2,200 kg, while the Mk-III can carry up to 4,000 kg.
• Geostationary Earth orbit (GEO): It is a circular orbit 35,786 kilometres above Earth’s equator.

Cyanobacterial Engineered Living Material (C-ELM):

• Prantar Tamuli, a Master’s student at University College London, developed a biomaterial C-ELM using living microorganisms that can capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, potentially reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry.
• C-ELM incorporates cyanobacteria in translucent panels for buildings, which through photosynthesis, capture CO2 and convert it into calcium carbonate.
  • Through a process called biomineralisation, the captured CO2 is converted into calcium carbonate, effectively trapping the carbon.
• A kilogram of C-ELM can sequester 350g of CO2, significantly offsetting emissions compared to traditional concrete.
• Inspired by studying stromatolites– ancient structures formed by algal mats- Tamuli focused on the cyanobacteria species Kamptonema animale, which grows in long strands that easily bind to surrounding materials within the panels. The calcium carbonate produced by the cyanobacteria strengthens and reinforces the panels.
  • The material also offers additional benefits like lightweight, sound-absorbing, and thermally insulating properties. The first panels were publicly displayed in Scotland, and a patent for the technology has been filed by UCL.

5. Centre launches new system to understand cropping patterns, impact of weather

Subject: Schemes

Sec: Geo

Context:

The Union Agriculture Ministry has launched a digital geo-spatial platform, Krishi-Decision Support System (DSS) in New Delhi, which will share real-time data-driven insights on weather patterns, soil conditions, crop health, crop acreage and advisories with all stakeholders — such as farmers, experts and policymakers.

Krishi-Decision Support System:

• It is a satellite-based system.
• Objective: It aims to assist farmers in improving crop management and productivity. 

Technological Background:

• Developed using technologies similar to the government’s Gati Shakti initiative.
• Built with data from RISAT-1A and VEDAS, provided by the Department of Space.

Features of Krishi-DSS:

• Real-Time Information: Offers real-time data on crop conditions, weather patterns, water resources, and soil health.
• Geospatial Platform: Utilizes satellite imagery to monitor and predict crop health and potential risks.
• Disaster Warnings: Provides early alerts for disasters such as pest attacks and extreme weather events.
• Crop Monitoring and Diversification: Supports crop mapping, monitoring, and encourages crop rotation and diversification across different regions. 

Benefits of Krishi-DSS

• The data from RISAT-1A will be very useful for building tools that support agriculture, environment protection, managing water resources, and disaster response.

For Farmers

• Aids in better crop management amidst climate challenges.
• Helps in improving overall productivity and resilience to weather extremes.

For Agriculture

• Promotes the use of space technology in the agricultural sector.
• Supports expanded use of remote sensing for more crop varieties beyond traditional crops like paddy and wheat.

6. All-night streetlights can make leaves inedible to insects: What a new study says

Subject: Env

Sec: Pollution

Context:

Artificial lights that run all night, such as streetlights, can make leaves grow so tough that insects cannot eat them, which could threaten urban food chains, according to a new study. The study, ‘Artificial light at night decreases leaf herbivory in typical urban areas’.

How was the study carried out?

• The researchers wanted to examine how artificial lights impact the relationship between plants and insects.
• To do so, they focused on two common species of street tree in Beijing: Japanese pagoda and green ash trees.
• Although these trees are similar in many ways, Japanese pagoda trees have smaller, softer leaves which insects prefer to munch on.
• To evaluate the impact of light on their traits such as size, toughness, water content, and levels of nutrients and chemical defence compounds.
• If the leaves were larger, it would mean that plants directed their resources (such as nutrients, water, and energy) to growth.
• If the leaves were tougher and contained high levels of chemical defence compounds like tannins, it would indicate that the resources were allocated for defence.
• The researchers observed that for both species of trees, the higher the levels of illuminance, the tougher the leaves.
• The tougher the leaves, the less evidence of insects eating them. The researchers found no sign of insects munching on leaves in areas which were lit the brightest at night.
• Artificial lights altered the levels of nutrients and chemical defence compounds in the leaves that were analysed.
• Japanese pagoda trees which were exposed to more artificial light had lower levels of nutrients such as phosphorus in their leaves. Such leaves had less evidence of insects consuming them.

Findings:

Trees exposed to artificial light at night might be extending their photosynthesis cycle. This can be really stressful for them as when a plant photosynthesises, it takes in energy, and if it does that all the time, the situation can be overwhelming and eventually kill the plant.

Light Pollution:

• Light pollution can be defined as the introduction by humans, directly or indirectly, of artificial light into the environment.
• Avoidable light pollution refers to light flow emitted at night by artificial light sources which are inappropriate in intensity, direction and/or spectral range, unnecessary to carry out the function they are intended for, or when artificial lighting is used in particular sites, such as observatories, natural areas or sensitive landscapes.

Types of Light pollution:

1. Light trespass:When unwanted light enters one’s property, for instance, by shining over a neighbour’s fence.
2. Over-illumination: It is the excessive use of light.
3. Glare: Glare is often the result of excessive contrast between bright and dark areas in the field of view.
   1. Blind glare: describes effects such as that caused by staring into the Sun. It is completely blinding and leaves temporary or permanent vision deficiencies.
   2. Disability glare: describes effects such as being blinded by an oncoming cars lights, or light scattering in fog or in the eye reduces contrast, as well as reflections from print and other dark areas that render them bright, with significant reduction in sight capabilities.
   3. Discomfort glare: does not typically cause a dangerous situation in itself, and is annoying and irritating at best. It can potentially cause fatigue if experienced over extended periods.
4. Clutter: Clutter refers to excessive groupings of lights. Groupings of lights may generate confusion, distract from obstacles (including those that they may be intended to illuminate), and potentially cause accidents. Clutter is particularly noticeable on roads where the street lights are badly designed, or where brightly lit advertising surrounds the roadways.
5. Skyglow:refers to the “glow” effect that can be seen over populated areas.

• It is the combination of all light reflected from what it has illuminated escaping up into the sky and from all of the badly directed light in that area that also escapes into the sky, being scattered (redirected) by the atmosphere back toward the ground.

Impact of light pollution:

• Wastes Energy and Money:
  • Lighting that emits too much light or shines when and where it’s not needed is wasteful. Wasting energy has huge economic and environmental consequences.
• Disrupting the ecosystem and wildlife:
  • Plants and animals depend on Earth’s daily cycle of light and dark rhythm to govern life-sustaining behaviours such as reproduction, nourishment, sleep and protection from predators.
  • Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants.
    • Ex: A study has now shown how nocturnal dung beetles are forced to search for cues in their immediate surroundings when they can no longer navigate using natural light from the night sky.
    • The effect of light in the form of fire or lamps attracting migratory and non-migratory birds at night, especially when foggy or cloudy, has been known since the 19th century and was and still is used as a form of hunting. The reasons for disorientation of birds through artificial night lighting are not well known. Experts suggest that the navigation of birds using the horizon as orientation for the direction is disrupted by lighting and sky glow.
• Harming human health:
  • Like most life on Earth, humans adhere to a Circadian Rhythm — our biological clock — a sleep-wake pattern governed by the day-night cycle. Artificial light at night can disrupt that cycle.

7. You’ve lost weight taking new obesity drugs. What happens if you stop?

Subject: Sci

Sec: Health

Context:

Many people struggle to pay for weight-loss drugs, have difficulty finding it to purchase or just don’t want to stay on a drug longer than they believe they need to.

Will lowering my dose help me keep the weight off?

• The drug is based on the medication semaglutide, which the company also sells for diabetes treatment as Ozempic.
• The same is true for tirzepatide, which Eli Lilly sells as Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes.

Do side effects return if people stop and then restart the drugs?

• Many describe experiencing side effects like nausea and vomiting when they first start taking Wegovy or Zepbound. For most, but not all, patients, the side effects diminish as they adjust to the drugs.
• Those side effects may return if patients stop and then restart the drugs. The longer they are off the drug, she added, the more likely it is that the side effects will return.

Are Zepbound and Mounjaro the same?

• Mounjaro and Zepbound are once-weekly injections that contain the same active ingredient:
• Both brand names share similar dosages, side effects, and drug interactions.
• Mounjaro is FDA approved for Type 2 diabetes.
• Zepbound is approved for chronic weight management in adults

8. Egg, sperm donors have no parental right on child: What Bombay HC held

Sub:  Science

Sec:  Health  

Context:

• The Bombay High Court on reiterated that a sperm or egg donor cannot claim to be a biological parent of a child born through their gamete, and will have no legal right.

Background:

• This came in a ruling in the case of a 42-year-old woman who was seeking custody of her twin-girls delivered through ‘altruistic’ surrogacy.
• The children were in the joint custody of their father and the egg-donor. The ruling discussed the rights and entitlement of a surrogate mother vis-à-vis a biological mother, and that of an egg donor to seek access and custody of the children.

Complicated family dynamics:

• The younger sister of petitioner was the egg donor whereas the surrogate mother was a “separate anonymous woman”.
• Just a few weeks after donating her eggs, she had lost her own daughter and husband in a tragic accident.

Rival contentions

• The mother argued the daughters were deemed to be legitimate children of the couple within wedlock, and all rights of biological parents be vest in them.
• The estranged husband, however, claimed that since his sister-in-law was an egg donor, she had a legitimate right to be called as a biological parent of the twins.

What the law says:

• The law on surrogacy in India is governed by the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) (Regulation) Act, 2021.
• These laws define surrogacy to mean “an arrangement in which a woman agrees to carry a pregnancy that is genetically unrelated to her and her husband, with the intention to carry it to term and hand over the child to the genetic parents for whom she is acting as a surrogate.”
• Law clearly specifies that the intending parents are to be considered biological parents of the surrogate child.
• 2005 National Guidelines on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) state that the “donor has to relinquish all parental rights”.

Surrogacy regulations:

• The Surrogacy Act, 2021 and subsequent regulations provide for prohibition of commercial surrogacy.
• The act promotes ‘altruistic’ surrogacy, especially through close relatives, in which the woman acting as a surrogate cannot receive any monetary remuneration or compensation beyond medical expenses.
• The laws stipulate punishments – up to Rs 5 lakh for first offence and jail-term of ten years, and fine of Rs 10 lakh for subsequent offences for exploitation of surrogate mothers, and children born through surrogacy.

Bombay HC’s ruling

• The Bombay HC, interpreting the ICMR guidelines, held that the twin girls were daughters of the petitioner and her estranged husband, as they were born from their wedlock and with their consent.
• It said “there was no ambiguity whatsoever that it is the petitioner along with the respondent husband signed the surrogacy agreement” and they were “intending parents.”

9. Remembering the ‘Great Calcutta Killings’: When Jinnah’s ‘direct action’ caused a bloodbath

Sub: History

Sec:  Modern India

Context:

• A year before colonial rule in the subcontinent ended, Calcutta (now Kolkata) witnessed a bloodbath which claimed thousands of lives.
• The ‘Great Calcutta Killings’ of 1946, which went on from August 16 to 19, were the single most violent massacre in the lead-up to Independence and Partition.

Call for ‘direct action’

• By August 1946, relations between the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress had frayed beyond repair.
• After the failure of the Cabinet Mission Plan of May 1946, which had proposed a loose federal structure for post-colonial India, Muhammad Ali Jinnah had called for ‘direct action’ on August 16.
• This was done to exert pressure on the British government to accede to the League’s demand to divide the nation along religious lines.

What caused the violence?

• The political context of Bengal, and more specifically Calcutta, facilitated the violence in the city.
• Muslims represented a majority in Bengal (54 per cent according to the census of 1941) but were largely concentrated in the countryside in eastern Bengal (today’s Bangladesh).
• Calcutta itself was predominantly Hindu (73 per cent vs 23 per cent), with Muslims occupying a peripheral position – socially, economically, and even geographically.
• The relations between the two communities had been tense since the turn of the 20th century, with periodic instances of communal violence breaking out in Bengal, including in Calcutta.

Huseyn Suhrawardy

• Huseyn Suhrawardy, the foremost leader of Bengali Muslims and somewhat of a rival to Jinnah in the League, was the Chief Minister of Bengal in 1946.
• He was a revered figure among Muslims, but hated by Hindus who held him partially responsible for the Bengal famine of 1943.
• Suhrawardy was also notorious for his off-the-cuff inflammatory statements.

Suhrawardy’s role in the violence:

• His actions and attitude are believed to be responsible for things taking a violent turn.
• In the lead up to the violence, Suhrawardy gave a number of speeches which seemingly indicate his tacit, if not active, support to any violence.
• On August 16, in a massive public, Suhrawardy reportedly said that he had taken measures to “restrain” the police on Direct Action Day.
• This, his critics say, was effectively an open invitation to the masses to go on a rampage.
• Once the violence erupted, Suhrawardy indeed “restrained” the forces.
• Suhrawardy himself stayed inside the Police Control Room, and according to eyewitnesses, prevented the Police Commissioner from acting independently.

Horrors of the incident:

• While exact numbers are not available, scholarly estimates put the number of dead in the Calcutta riots at 5,000-10,000. Some 15,000 people were wounded.
• Historian Markovits Claude, in ‘The Calcutta Riots of 1946, Mass Violence & Resistance’ (2007), pointed out that the savagery of the violence was remarkable. “Not only were victims brutally killed, they were also grotesquely mutilated”.
• He also points out that the event also saw the deployment of rape as a political tool, which till then, had not been too common in communal riots in India.

10. Expert Explains: How James Webb Space Telescope has raised questions in cosmology

Sub: Sci

Sec:  Space

Context:

• Images from the James Webb Space Telescope are puzzling – instead of newborn galaxies, the early phases of the Universe appear to be full of adult-sized galaxies.
• This discovery could demand a more comprehensive rethink of cosmic history.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST):

• Largest and most powerful telescope in space.
• It has a huge mirror that is five times bigger than that of its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope.
• JWST was launched on Christmas Day in 2021 and arrived at its destination, the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 in January 2022
• The telescope has been looking at the early epochs in the history of the Universe, when the first galaxies had barely formed.
• Its images were, however, very different from what astronomers had thought they would see.
• The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST or “Webb”) is a joint NASA–ESA–CSA space telescope that is planned to succeed the Hubble Space Telescope as NASA’s flagship astrophysics mission.
• The JWST will provide improved infrared resolution and sensitivity over Hubble, and will enable a broad range of investigations across the fields of astronomy and cosmology, including observing some of the most distant events and objects in the universe, such as the formation of the first galaxies.
• JWST will study various phases in the history of the universe, from the formation of solar systems to the evolution of our own Solar System.
• The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is an orbiting infrared observatory that will complement and extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, with longer wavelength coverage and greatly improved sensitivity.

What is puzzling about the images?

• Scientists had expected to find newborn galaxies. instead, the early phases of the Universe appear to be full of adult-sized galaxies.
• The space telescope was designed to peer at toddler galaxies.
• Those baby galaxies were supposed to be relatively smal But the data coming out of JWST seem to show full-bodied galaxies at the dawn of the Universe, with billions of stars.

Ways to measure expansion:

• The rate of expansion of the Universe has been a subject of scientific debate for quite some time.
• Two different methods of determining the rate have yielded results that differ by as much as 10%.
• Method 1: It is based on phenomena in the early Universe, which implies events at a great distance, because the light we see from distant objects started its journey a long time ago.
  • The early Universe method relies on a relic radiation from the primeval epochs, when the Universe was hot.
  • The radiation has now cooled down as the Universe has expanded, and has become a microwave ‘hum’.
  • A detailed analysis of this radiation can tell us how fast the Universe has been expanding.
• Method 2: relies on local celestial objects, although ‘local’ means a region spanning billions of light years.
  • Some stars vary their brightness in a periodic manner, and the duration of this change tells us something about how bright they really are.
  • From this, one can figure out their distance and, in turn, how the Universe has been expanding.

Discrepancy in figures:

• The new space telescope was expected to nail the reason for the mismatch between the results obtained by the two methods.
• But its measurements seem to have only increased the discrepancy.
• Its deeper inspection of the local method of measurement gives a rate of expansion that is somewhat faster than that based on early Universe