Daily Prelims Notes 20 October 2024

October 20, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

20 October 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Company uses mining dust to enhance carbon capture

Sub: Env

SEC: Climate Change

Context:

Alt Carbon, a Darjeeling-based company, is pioneering a surprising climate-friendly solution using dust from mining and has already secured $500,000 in investments from carbon-credit companies. The company’s approach is based on the geo-chemical process called rock weathering, which accelerates natural carbon sequestration.

Details:

Over thousands of years, rocks break down into minerals due to exposure to rain and heat. Atmospheric carbon reacts with minerals like calcium and magnesium, forming bicarbonates. These bicarbonates are carried by underground streams into the oceans, where carbon is stored for millennia.
Oceans act as major carbon sinks, capturing about 30% of CO2 from human activities.
As carbon dioxide levels rise, natural rock weathering is too slow to mitigate climate change.
Governments and businesses are experimenting with ways to accelerate carbon removal, including enhanced rock weathering.

What is Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)?

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a nature-based process that accelerates the natural weathering of rocks to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help address climate change:
How it works?
ERW involves spreading finely ground silicate rocks, like basalt, on land. This increases the surface area of the rock, which speeds up the chemical reactions between the rocks, water, and air.
Benefits:
- Carbon sequestration: ERW can help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Improved soil: ERW can improve soil pH, nutrient uptake, and fertility.
- Reduced ocean acidification: ERW can help mitigate ocean acidification.
Challenges
- High energy requirements
- Elevated levels of heavy metals
- Limited availability of suitable rocks
- Logistics of transportation
- Cost of rock crushing

How Alt Carbon Accelerates Carbon Capture?

Rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, basaltic rock is abundant in areas such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
When basaltic rock is crushed into fine powder, its surface area increases significantly, speeding up the conversion of carbon into bicarbonates.
Operational Process:
- Alt Carbon collects tonnes of crushed basalt from the Rajmahal mines.
- The dust is transported 200 km to Darjeeling and spread on tea estates, enriching the soil while sequestering carbon.
- The basalt dust acts as an organic fertiliser and helps capture carbon 10 to 100 times faster than natural weathering.

Results and Carbon Credits:

Carbon Sequestration Efficiency:
- It takes 3-4 tonnes of basalt dust to sequester 1 tonne of carbon over 2-4 years, compared to 1,000 years for natural basalt.
- So far, Alt Carbon has used 500 tonnes of basalt dust.
Carbon Credit Agreements:
- Each tonne of carbon sequestered counts as one carbon credit.
- In September, Alt Carbon entered an agreement with Frontier (consisting of McKinsey, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and Stripe) for $500,000 to buy carbon credits in advance.
- Another agreement was signed with NextGen, which buys carbon credits at $200 per tonne.

Challenges and Future Plans:

While enhanced rock weathering is promising, there are concerns about the accuracy of measuring sequestered carbon across different projects.
Studies show variations in sequestration, with some projects claiming 100 tonnes and others up to 1,000,000 tonnes for similar efforts.
The company aims to sequester 50,000 tonnes of carbon in the next few years.
To address measurement challenges, Dr Sambuddha Misra (Chief Scientist at Alt Carbon) has set up lab facilities and developed a protocol called FELUDA to standardize measurements, which can be used by other companies.

2. Declaration on water security, Global Family Farming Forum take centre stage at WFF

Sub :Env

SEC: Int Conventions

Context:

FAO’s World Food Forum (WFF) held in Rome from October 14-18.
The theme of the WFF: “Good food for all, for today and tomorrow.”
On the sidelines of this, High-level Rome Water Dialogue, also took place.

Rome Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture:

Adopted by: Member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Heads of Delegations, and partners of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG).
Goal: Address water scarcity in agriculture, which is worsened by climate change.
Background: WASAG was launched at the 2016 United Nations Climate Conference in Marrakesh to help countries tackle water scarcity.
Commitments under the Rome Declaration:
- Mobilize greater political support, including:
- Policy and legal frameworks.
- Institutional backing.
- Access to financing.
- Responsible water governance.
- Address the impact of water scarcity and climate change on global food security, particularly regarding floods and droughts.

Key Statistics and Projections:

By 2050, more than half of the global population will live in areas at risk of water scarcity for at least one month a year.
Agriculture, which accounts for over 70% of freshwater withdrawals, is particularly vulnerable.

Global Family Farming Forum (GFFF):

Launched at: World Food Forum (WFF)
Joint initiative of FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Family farming:
- Represents over 90% of all farms globally, with 550 million farms worldwide.
- Produces 70-80% of the world’s food in value terms.
- Critical in maintaining crop biodiversity and managing natural resources responsibly.
- Family farmers, especially in low- and middle-income countries, face multiple crises but hold valuable knowledge for change.
United Nations Decade of Family Farming (UNDFF) 2019-2028: Adopted in 2017, with 2024 marking the halfway point.

Challenges faced by family farmers:
- Despite their essential role in food production, they struggle with accessing:
  - Productive resources.
  - Market opportunities.
  - Essential services.

About the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO):

It’s a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to combat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.
Founded in 1945, headquartered in Rome, Italy.
Key areas of work include:
- Collecting and analyzing agricultural data
- Developing agricultural policies and standards
- Providing technical assistance to countries
- Responding to food crises and emergencies
- Promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development
FAO has 194 member states and operates in over 130 countries worldwide.
Some notable initiatives include the Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) and the Codex Alimentarius international food standards.

About the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD):

It’s a specialized agency of the United Nations focused on eradicating rural poverty in developing countries.
Established in 1977 as an outcome of the 1974 World Food Conference.
Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
Key functions:
- Providing low-interest loans and grants to developing countries
- Supporting agricultural projects and rural development programs
- Empowering rural poor people, especially small farmers
- IFAD works primarily in remote rural areas of developing countries.
Focus areas include improving food security, nutrition, and increasing rural people’s incomes.
Emphasizes sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.
Works closely with rural communities, governments, and other partners.

Source: DTE

3. Flooding hits Sahara Desert after extremely rare rainfall

Sub :Geo

SEC: Climatology

Context:

Rare rainfall recently hit some of the driest regions on Earth, including parts of the Sahara Desert, leaving behind an unexpected abundance of water in arid areas.

Key Details:

In south eastern Morocco, the desert, which rarely experiences rain in late summer, saw heavy downpours in September.
In Tagounite, located 450 km (280 miles) south of Rabat, over 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain fell in just 24 hours.
The rainfall created striking scenes with blue lagoons appearing amidst palm trees and sand dunes, nourishing regions that have been drought-stricken for decades.
Satellites detected water filling Lake Iriqui, a lakebed that had been dry for 50 years, located between Zagora and Tata.
Meteorological Insights:
- The heavy downpour has been described as an extratropical storm.
- The influx of moisture into the atmosphere could lead to more frequent storms in the future, potentially altering the region’s weather patterns.
Drought Challenges:
- Morocco has faced six consecutive years of drought, affecting farming and forcing water rationing in cities and villages.
- The rainfall is expected to help refill groundwater aquifers and replenish dammed reservoirs at record rates.
Negative Consequences:
- Despite the benefits, the storms caused over 20 deaths in Morocco and Algeria.
- Flooding damaged farmers’ crops, and the government had to allocate emergency relief funds, particularly in areas also affected by last year’s earthquake.

Morocco:

Morocco is a country in North Africa.
Geography:
- Located in the Maghreb region of North Africa
- Borders: Algeria, Western Sahara, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean
- Capital: Rabat
- Largest city: Casablanca
- Official languages: Arabic and Berber (Amazigh)
Economy:
- Mixed economy with growing industrial and tourism sectors
- Key industries: agriculture, phosphate mining, textiles, automotive
- Emerging sectors: aerospace, renewable energy
Notable Features:
- Contains part of the Atlas Mountains
- Home to the Sahara Desert in the south

Source: Independent

4. India’s Push for WHO Certification in Eliminating Kala-azar

Sub :Sci

SEC: Health

Why in News

India is on the verge of achieving a significant milestone by seeking certification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating Kala-azar as a public health problem. The country has maintained the required criteria for elimination—less than one case per 10,000 people for two consecutive years.

About Kala Azar:

Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria in India.

The disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Leishmania donovani, transmitted through the bite of an infected female sandfly.

Kala Azar is a parasitic infection transmitted by sandflies. It causes fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement.

It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia.

Most cases occur in Brazil, east Africa and India.

Kala-azar is a treatable and curable disease, which requires an immunocompetent system.

If left untreated, it can be fatal in 95% of cases.

PKDL or Post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, is a well-recognised complication which causes scaly skin patches and nodular lesions in people who have been apparently cured of Kala Azar up to two years of the initial infection.

Leishmania-HIV co-infection refers to the People living with HIV and who are infected with leishmaniasis have high chances of developing the full-blown disease, high relapse and mortality rates.

Patients only need an IV drip of the medicine, which takes about two hours, for the infection to be cured.

There are 3 main forms of the disease:

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is fatal if left untreated in over 95% of cases. It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia.

Most cases occur in Brazil, east Africa and India.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form and causes skin lesions, mainly ulcers, on exposed parts of the body. These can leave life-long scars and cause serious disability or stigma.

Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis leads to partial or total destruction of mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat.

India’s Progress Towards Elimination:

To achieve WHO certification, India must maintain a rate of fewer than one case per 10,000 people for another year. This would make India the second country, after Bangladesh, to eliminate Kala-azar as a public health issue.

India’s National Health Policy (2002) originally aimed to eliminate Kala-azar by 2010, but this goal has been revised multiple times to 2015, 2017, and finally 2020.

The WHO set a global target to eliminate Kala-azar by 2020, which has now been extended to 2030 due to delays.

WHO Certification Criteria: A disease is declared eliminated when a country can prove that local transmission has been interrupted for a specific time period and there are preventive measures in place to avoid a resurgence. India’s elimination certification depends on maintaining less than one case per 10,000 people at the sub-district (block PHCs) level for two consecutive years.

Vulnerable Regions:

The highest number of Kala-azar cases come from Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Bihar alone accounts for 70% of the country’s cases, driven by factors like poor sanitation and climate conditions, which are conducive to sandfly breeding.

5. Phytoplankton Balloon to Six Times Their Size to Navigate Ocean Depths

Sub :Env

SEC: Ecosystem

Why in News

A recent discovery has shed light on how single-celled phytoplankton—specifically the bioluminescent species Pyrocystis noctiluca—can inflate to six times their original size to reach the ocean’s surface. This phenomenon helps explain the long-standing mystery of how these organisms, without appendages, rise to the surface to photosynthesize before sinking back into the ocean depths.

About Pyrocystis noctiluca:

Pyrocystis noctiluca is a species of bioluminescent phytoplankton found in oceans.

A recent study published in the journal Current Biology reveals that the bioluminescent phytoplankton Pyrocystis noctiluca can inflate up to six times their original size, enabling them to float to the surface and escape the downward pull of gravity.

Researchers liken this behavior to mini-submarines that can adjust their density, allowing the phytoplankton to move up or down in the water column at will.

How Inflation occurs: The inflation occurs as part of the phytoplankton’s cell cycle. When a phytoplankton cell divides into two daughter cells, a structure called a vacuole fills with freshwater, causing the cells to expand.

This process reduces the cells’ density, allowing them to rise toward the ocean surface, where they can photosynthesize and gather sunlight.

The inflation is part of its cell cycle, occurring after cell division. The organism is 5%-10% heavier than seawater, making buoyancy control essential for survival.

It plays a key role in marine ecosystems as part of the food chain and carbon cycle. This species contributes to carbon sequestration by absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

About Phytoplankton:

Phytoplankton are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems.

Phytoplankton are microscopic, single-celled organisms that inhabit the surface of oceans, where they play a critical role in the global ecosystem by photosynthesizing sunlight.

Phytoplankton obtain their energy through photosynthesis, as do trees and other plants on land. This means phytoplankton must have light from the sun, so they live in the well-lit surface layers (euphotic zone) of oceans and lakes.

In comparison with terrestrial plants, phytoplankton are distributed over a larger surface area, are exposed to less seasonal variation and have markedly faster turnover rates than trees.

Phytoplankton form the base of marine and freshwater food webs and are key players in the global carbon cycle.

They account for about half of global photosynthetic activity and at least half of the oxygen production, despite amounting to only about 1% of the global plant biomass.

Phytoplankton are very diverse, varying from photosynthesizing bacteria to plant-like algae to armour-plated coccolithophores. Important groups of phytoplankton include the diatoms, cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates, although many other groups are represented.

Significance of Phytoplankton’s:

They contribute more than half of the oxygen in the environment.

They reduce global warming by absorbing human-induced carbon dioxide.

They also serve as the base of the ocean food chain.

They are important bioindicators regulating life in oceans. Their abundance determines the overall health of the ocean ecosystem.

The productive fisheries in the world’s ocean are driven by Phytoplankton blooms.

6. Revamping Tuberculosis Treatment Through Improved Nutrition and Support Systems

Sub :Schemes

SEC: Health

Why in News

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently announced a significant increase in financial and nutritional support for tuberculosis (TB) patients. The doubling of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) from ₹500 to ₹1,000 per month, alongside a one-time ₹3,000 transfer at diagnosis and energy-dense nutritional supplements, aims to enhance treatment outcomes and alleviate the socio-economic burden on TB patients.

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious airborne bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

TB commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) but can also affect other parts (extrapulmonary TB)

Tuberculosis spreads from person to person through the air, when people who are infected with TB infection cough, sneeze or otherwise transmit respiratory fluids through the air.

Genome Size: Mtb’s genome consists of 4.4 million base pairs, far larger than other respiratory bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (2.8 million) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (1.9-2.7 million). This extensive genome enables Mtb to produce a wide variety of proteins to evade immune defenses.

India faces a severe TB burden, with 3 million new cases annually and 3,00,000 TB-related deaths.

About Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY):

Nikshay Poshan Yojana provides nutritional support to TB patients in India to enhance treatment outcomes, initiated under the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

TB patients receive a direct benefit transfer (DBT) of ₹500 per month for the duration of their treatment to cover nutritional needs. The DBT has been increased from ₹500 to ₹1,000 per month, covering the entire treatment period. Additionally, a one-time payment of ₹3,000 is provided at the time of diagnosis.

All TB patients notified on the NIKSHAY portal after April 1, 2018, are eligible for the scheme, including those already under treatment.

The scheme plays a key role in improving TB notification rates, ensuring early diagnosis and treatment while addressing undernutrition, a major contributor to TB in India.

By providing nutritional and financial support, Nikshay Poshan Yojana aims to reduce mortality and improve treatment adherence, particularly for vulnerable and undernourished populations.

The NIKSHAY-TB Notification incentive also encourages private healthcare providers to report TB cases, aiding government efforts in TB control and patient tracking.

Nikshay Mitra Reforms: The program’s coverage of vulnerable communities should be enhanced, and measures should be taken to eliminate stigmatizing practices, such as publicizing patients receiving food baskets.

7. Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar to be new NCW chairperson

Sub :Polity

SEC: National body

Context:

Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar has been appointed the ninth Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW). The appointment was made under Section 3 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.

About National Commission for Women (NCW):

The NCW, a statutory body, was set up in January 1992 under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.
Its mission is to strive towards enabling women to achieve equality and equal participation in all spheres of life by securing her due rights and entitlements through suitable policy formulation, legislative measures, etc.

Functions:

Review the constitutional and legal safeguards for women.
Recommend remedial legislative measures.
Facilitate redressal of grievances.
Advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women.

Composition:

The National Commission for Women (NCW) is made up of a chairperson, a member secretary, and five members nominated by the central government.
Five members:
- One member from the Scheduled Castes
- One member from the Scheduled Tribes
- One member from the minority communities
- Two other members chosen based on their expertise in areas related to women’s issues, such as law, education, health, or social work.

Term of office:

The Chairperson and members hold office for a period of three years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first. They are eligible for reappointment.

Removal:

The Central Government may by order remove the Chairperson or any other Member from office in the following cases:

Is adjudged insolvent.
Engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office.
Refuses to act or becomes incapable of acting.
Is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court.
Has so abused his office as to render his continuance in office detrimental to the public interest.
Is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for an offense which in the opinion of the Central Government, involves moral turpitude.

8. Fourth global coral bleaching widest and fastest on record

Sub :Geo

SEC: Oceanography

Context:

The ongoing fourth global coral bleaching event (GCBE4), which commenced in January 2023, is now the most extensive and severe event recorded, surpassing previous bleaching levels observed during the period of 2014-2017 by over 11 percent, according to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In response to the widespread coral bleaching, scientists from the UN have called for a special emergency session on coral reefs during the upcoming Convention on Biological Diversity summit (COP16) in Cali, Colombia.

Coral bleaching:

When corals face stress by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. This phenomenon is called coral bleaching.
The pale white colour of bleached corals is of the translucent tissues of calcium carbonate which are visible due to the loss of pigment producing zooxanthellae.
If heat-pollutions subside in time, over a few weeks, the zooxanthellae can come back to the corals and restart the partnership but severe bleaching and prolonged stress in the external environment can lead to coral death.

About GCBE4:

GCBE4 has been characterized by severe and intense bleaching recorded in nearly half the time compared to GCBE3, which lasted three years and affected over 65.7 percent of the world’s coral reefs.
GCBE3 was previously noted as the longest, most widespread, and damaging event on record.
The event has led to confirmed reports of mass coral bleaching from 74 countries and territories across both hemispheres, impacting regions in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
At least 77 per cent of global reef areas and 99.9 per cent of the coral reef areas in the Atlantic Ocean have experienced bleaching-level heat stress during this event.
The full scale of its impact of the event may not be known until a few years later as scientists would need to conduct extensive assessments.

Coral mortality:

If corals stay bleached, they can become energetically compromised and ultimately die.
When corals die or their growth slows, complex reef habitats start disappearing and can eventually erode to sand.
Coral mortality can occur in a matter of days-to-weeks. However, corals can also die 1-2 years after bleaching because they become immunocompromised by the heat stress and thus become far more susceptible to disease-driven mortality.
GCBE4 has seen severe mortality of elkhorn and staghorn corals in certain locations of the Caribbean Sea.
During the 2005 bleaching event in the US Virgin Islands, many corals survived the heat, but then went on to die from subsequent disease outbreaks over the next two years.

Role of climate patterns:

Historically, strong El Nino events have been linked to severe bleaching, but recently, large-scale and severe events have occurred during La Nina periods.
This suggests that ocean temperatures have increased to the point whereby large-scale bleaching events may now occur during any phase of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO),

9. 20 bomb threats in a day; security regulator meets CEOs of airlines

Sub : POLITY

SEC: National Body

Context:

In the wake of 20 bomb threats to various airlines in a day and six consecutive days of bomb threats, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) convened a meeting with the CEOs of major airlines to address the escalating situation.
The primary aim of the meeting was to strike a balance between ensuring aviation security and minimizing passenger inconvenience.

About Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS):

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is the regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the security of civil aviation in India.
Initially set up as a Cell in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 1978 on the recommendation of the Pande Committee, BCAS was reorganized into an independent department under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1987.
BCAS Headquarters is located in New Delhi. It has four Regional Offices located at international airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Functions:

Laying down Aviation Security Standards in accordance with Annex 17 to Chicago Convention.
Monitoring the implementation of security rules and regulations.
Ensure that personnel implementing security controls are properly trained and possess the necessary competencies to fulfil their responsibilities.
Planning and coordination of Aviation security matters.
Surprise/Dummy checks to test professional efficiency and alertness of security staff.