Daily Prelims Notes 5 May 2023

May 5, 2023
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Daily Prelims Notes

5 May 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Petersberg Climate Dialogue

Subject :Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context: The discussions at the event veered around global renewables target, climate finance and Global Stocktake.

Key takeaways from the Petersberg Climate Dialogue:

Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change was held in Berlin from May 2-3, 2023. It was hosted by Germany and the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Ministers from 40 countries attended the conference to discuss the way forward towards COP28.
Acceleration Agenda:
- The goal of the Acceleration Agenda is to hasten countries’ Net Zero targets by requiring the phasing out of coal in OECD nations by 2030 and by 2040 in all other countries, as well as reaching Net Zero electricity production and decarbonizing major industries.
Focused on phasing out fossil fuel emissions, while phasing up viable, affordable zero-carbon alternatives
Global Stock-take:
- 2023 is the year for the Global Stock-take, which is a periodic review of global climate action that aims to assess whether current efforts will enable us to reach the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement. The report has been underway for the past two years and is set to be released in September of 2023.
Climate Finance:
- Developed countries are on a good track to deliver the $100 billion per year they had promised to mobilize by 2020 during the COP15 in 2009. However, providing the pledged $100 billion by 2023 may not be enough, as climate finance requirements for emerging markets alone are estimated at $1 trillion per year by 2030. This indicates that developed countries have mobilized an amount that is more than ten times smaller than the climate finance needs, even after committing to the $100 billion goal for 14 years.

Petersberg Climate Dialogue:

Petersberg Climate Dialogue is an annual high-level political dialogueon climate change, co-hosted by Germany and a partner country.
The aim of this dialogue is to promote international climate cooperation and advance discussions on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue was first held in 2010 in the Petersberg Palace near Bonn, Germany. It was initiated by the German government after the disappointing outcome of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
The dialogue is an informal meeting of ministers and high-level representatives from around 35 countries, including the major emitters of greenhouse gases. The participants discuss key issues related to climate change and share their perspectives on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The dialogue is not a negotiation platform, but rather an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and best practices, and to build trust and mutual understanding.
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue is held annually, usually in May, and is seen as an important stepping stone towards the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP), which takes place later in the year. The outcomes of the dialogue are fed into the negotiations at COP.

2. Mocha: Summer cyclones not new; Fani, Amphan were May storms too

Subject : Geography

Section: climatology

Context:

A summer cyclone is likely to take place in the Bay of Bengal around May 8, called Mocha. India has seen a few major cyclones in the Bay of Bengal during April and May in the last few years.

However, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), October and November constitute the peak cyclone season for India.

Concept –

A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.
A characteristic featureof tropical cyclones is the eye, a central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.
Storms of this type are called hurricanesin the North Atlantic and eastern Pacific and typhoons in South-East Asia and China. They are called tropical cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean region and Willy-willies in north-western
Storms rotate counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern

The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are:

Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C.
Presence of the Coriolis force.
Small variations in the vertical wind speed.
A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation.
Upper divergence above the sea level system.

Some of the other recent summer cyclones that hit India

Cyclone Fani, May 2019

Fani is considered the worst cyclone to hit Odisha in this century. It was also the longest-lived cyclone in the Bay of Bengal ever observed.

The extended storm period went on for 11 days in the sea and land put together. What made it even more surprising was that it had formed in the pre-monsoon season, in April

Super Cyclone Amphan, May 2020

Amphan was the first super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in the last 21 years and made landfall near Digha in West Bengal on May 20, 2020. It ravaged almost the entirety of south Bengal, including Kolkata.

Warm subsurface waters in the Bay of Bengal likely helped fuel it. Marine heat waves also likely helped intensify the cyclone from Category 1 (cyclonic storm) to Category 5 (super cyclone) in less than 36 hours.

Cyclone Nisarga, June 2020

Nisarga originated in the Arabian Sea and made landfall June 3, 2020 on the Maharashtra coast. It was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the state in June since 1891

Cyclone Yaas, May 2021

Cyclone Yaas, forming in the Bay of Bengal, devastated several parts of West Bengal May 26 and impacted nearly 10 million people.

Cyclone Tauktae May 2021

Tauktae originated in the Arabian Sea and made landfall along Gujarat’s Saurashtra coast on May 17, leaving a trail of destruction. Four states on the country’s western coast — Maharashtra, Saurashtra and Kutch region in Gujarat and south Rajasthan — were heavily affected

Cyclone Asani, May 2022

Asani had formed May 7 in the Bay of Bengal and dissipated May 12. It had pulled the monsoon winds into the Andaman Sea but did not pull any further. Very heavy rain was reported in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

Additional Information:

What is a super cyclone?

Super cyclone refers to tropical storm, where wind speeds cross 220 kmph

What is Bomb Cyclone?

Normally, in a storm wind flows from high pressure areas into low pressure areas. But, when the pressure drops in the low pressure areas by ‘24 millibars’ in 24 hours, then it rapidly intensifies the difference between the two air masses strengthening the winds that flow — this process is called ‘bombogenesis’

3. A boost for science, a wider window to the universe

Subject : Science and technology

Section : Mega science

Concept :

The United States National Science Foundation is partnering with top U.S. universities and India’s Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, or RRCAT (a unit of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India) to launch LIGO-India.

Background

General theory of relativity: Albert Einstein’s 1916 general theory of relativity first predicted the phenomenon of gravitational waves. But it took physicists another century to prove the theory.
Failed to observe: Most of the history of astronomy has been accomplished by observing light and the electromagnetic spectrum, everything from radio waves to infrared and visible light to high-energy x-rays and gamma rays, but gravitational waves are fundamentally different. They are ripples in space-time, the fabric of the universe itself.
First observation: In 2015, for the first time in human history, physicists observed the gravitational waves emanating from two merging black holes, 1.3 million light years from earth.

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)

LIGO is an international network of laboratories that detect gravitational waves.
LIGOs are designed to measure changes in distance that are several orders of magnitude smaller than the length of the proton. Such high precision Instruments are needed because of the extremely low strength of gravitational waves that make their detection very difficult.

First Detection of Gravitational Waves:

The LIGO in the US first detected gravitational waves in 2015, which led to a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017.
These gravitational waves were produced by the merger of two black holes, which were about 29 and 36 times the mass of the Sun, 1.3 billion years ago.
Black hole mergers are the source of some of the strongest gravitational waves.
Operational LIGO:
Besides the United States (in Hanford and Livingston), such gravitational wave observatories are currently operational in Italy (Virgo) and Japan (Kagra).Fifth one to be setup in India.
To detect gravitational waves, four comparable detectors need to be operating simultaneously around the globe.
Working Mechanism:
LIGO consists of two 4-km-long vacuum chambers, set up at right angles to each other, with mirrors at the end.
When light rays are released simultaneously in both chambers, they should return at the same time.
However, if a gravitational wave arrives, one chamber gets elongated while the other gets squished, causing a phase difference in the returning light rays.
Detecting this phase difference confirms the presence of a gravitational wave.

LIGO-India Project

The project aims to detect gravitational waves from the
The Indian LIGO would have two perpendicularly placed 4-km long vacuum chambers, that constitute the most sensitive interferometers in the world.
It is expected to begin scientific runs from 2030.
It will be located in the Hingoli district of Maharashtra, about 450 km east of Mumbai.

Purpose and Significance:

It will be the fifth node of the planned network and will bring India into a prestigious international scientific experiment.
It will make India a unique platform that brings together the frontiers of science and technology of the quantum and the cosmos.

Benefits of LIGO-India:

By joining the global network, LIGO-India will push forward the boundaries of what science and technology can achieve and help unlock some of the universe’s greatest mysteries.
The LIGO-India project would have several spin-off benefits to Indian science, apart from making India an integral part of one of the most prestigious international scientific experiments.
The observatory is expected to enable dramatic returns in astronomy and astrophysics, as well as leapfrog Indian science and technology in cutting-edge frontiers of great national relevance.

What are Gravitational Waves?

Gravitational waves were first postulated (1916) in Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, which explains how gravity works.
These waves are produced by the movement of massive celestial bodies, such as black holes or neutron stars, and are the ripples in spacetime that propagate outward.

4. Washington Declaration

Subject : International Relations

Section :Msc

Concept :

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in the U.S. to commemorate the 70th anniversary of U.S.-South Korea bilateral relations.
A highlight of the visit was the signing of the “Washington Declaration” as a nuclear deterrence strategy.

Background

The successful launch of North Korea’s Hwasong-8 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a vital component for nuclear weapons delivery.

About Washington Declaration

The agreement outlines cooperation towards deterrence.
An American nuclear ballistic submarine would be deployed in the Korean peninsula.
A nuclear consultative group would be formed to formulate principles of joint response tactics.
South Korea would receive Intel from the U.S. regarding nuclear advancement.
will strengthen South Korea’s nuclear deterrence capabilities through joint military training programs and an annual intergovernmental simulation.
The declaration reaffirmed the non-proliferation Treaty.

How does it help US?

The U.S. is hoping to make North Korea unarm itself by unarming South Korea.
North Korea creates “deterrence dilemmas for the United States and its Allies and partners,” and “a crisis or conflict on the Korean Peninsula could involve a number of nuclear-armed actors, raising the risk of broader conflict.”
Finally, the U.S. wants to control global nuclear arms production.

Challenges

While the aim is to defuse the threat, physical deployment of the arsenal can be deemed as a direct threat by opposing actors and used as leverage to act aggressively.
China criticised the agreement saying that it provokes confrontation between camps, undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the strategic interests of other countries.
North Korea warned that the declaration would, “only result in making peace and security of North-East Asia and the world be exposed to more serious danger.”

5. Violence in Manipur

Subject :Geography

Section :Places in news

Concept :

Violence between Manipur’s Kuki tribe and the majority Meitei community continued to rage in several parts of the Manipur.

Background

Manipur was boiling since February 2023
Manipur has been restive since February when the state government launched an eviction drive seen as targeting a specific tribal group.
The drive led to protests but not on the scale of the one seen recently.
High Court’s order as a trigger point
The recent protests were triggered by the Manipur High Court’s direction to the State to pursue a 10-year-old recommendation to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the non-tribal Meitei community.
The Court’s order has brought the historical tensions between the valley-dwelling Meitei community and the state’s hill tribes to a boil.
Violence started
A ‘tribal solidarity march’ was organised by the All Tribal Students’ Union of Manipur (ATSUM) against the order of the High Court.
Violent clashes broke out at various places in Manipur during the course of this march.

Which are the major communities residing in Manipur?

The State is like a football stadium with the Imphal Valley representing the playfield at the centre and the surrounding hills the galleries.
The valley, which comprises about 10% of Manipur’s landmass, is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei.
This area yields 40 of the State’s 60 MLAs.
The hills comprising 90% of the geographical area are inhabited by more than 35% recognised tribes.
This area sends only 20 MLAs to the Assembly.

Why does the Meitei community want ST status?

There has been an organised push in support of this demand since 2012, led by the Scheduled Tribes Demand Committee of Manipur (STDCM).
In their plea before the High Court, it was argued that the Meitei community was recognised as a tribe before the merger of the princely state of Manipur with the Union of India in 1949.
It lost its identity as a tribe after the merger.
The demand for ST status arose from the need to preserve the community, and save the ancestral land, tradition, culture and language of the Meiteis.

As per the arguments forwarded by the community in the court:

The community has been victimised without any constitutional safeguards to date.
The Meitein/Meetei have been gradually marginalised in their ancestral land.
Their population which was 59% of the total population of Manipur in 1951 has now been reduced to 44% as per 2011 Census data.

Why are tribal groups against ST status for Meiteis?

Tribals including Nagas, Zomis, and Kukis against the ST status for Meitei.
They comprise around 40 per cent of the state’s population.TheMeiteis are a dominant group controlling the state and its apparatuses.
Hence, the claim that Meiteis need ST status to protect their culture and identity is self-defeating.
They feel the ST status to the Meiteis would lead to loss of job opportunities and allow them to acquire land in the hills and push the tribals out.
The Manipuri language of the Meiteis is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Sections of the Meitei community — which is predominantly Hindu — are already classified under Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC).

6. Prevention Of Sexual Harassment (Posh) Act 2013

Subject : Polity

Section :Acts / legislation news

Concept :

Half of India’s national sports federations don’t have a sexual harassment panel, as required by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013.

Details

According to a study, half of India’s national sports federations do not have a sexual harassment tribunal as the law requires.
This violates the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act of 2013, which requires every firm with more than ten workers to create an internal complaints commission (ICC) to handle sexual harassment allegation.

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act of 2013

The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, often known as the PoSH Act, was passed in 2013.
The Act defines sexual harassment as any unwelcome act or behaviour (whether directly or by implication) such as;
Physical contact and advances
A demand or request for sexual favours
Making sexually coloured remarks
Showing pornography
Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.
The Act provides a mechanism for the prevention, prohibition, and redressal of complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Key Provisions

The Act covers both organised and unorganised sectors, and applies to all women, irrespective of their age or employment status.
Domestic workers, students, research scholars, patients, customers, clients, and tourists are also included.
Offices, factories, stores, hotels, restaurants, educational institutions, hospitals, sports facilities, transportation services, entertainment venues, and houses are all covered by the Act.

Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)

Every employer is required to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at each office or branch with 10 or more employees.
At least one-half of the members of the ICC should be women.
The ICC is made up of a presiding officer (a senior woman employee), two other workers (ideally committed to women’s rights), and one external member (from an NGO or legal background).
The ICC is in charge of receiving and investigating complaints of sexual harassment from female employees and proposing appropriate action to the employer.

Local Complaints Committee (LCC)

The Act also provides for the constitution of a Local Complaints Committee (LCC) by the District Officer for cases where the complaint is against the employer or where the workplace has less than 10 workers.
According to law, a Company having more than 10 employees is mandated to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC).
For a company having less than 10 employees, it is not mandatory to have ICC.
Any woman who has been subjected to sexual harassment at the workplace can file a complaint within 3 months of the incident or series of incidents to the ICC or LCC, as applicable.
The LCC has the same powers and functions as the ICC.

Investigation and Action

The ICC or LCC is required to complete the inquiry into the complaint within 90 days and submit a report with its recommendations to the employer or district officer.
The employer or district officer is required to take action on the recommendations of the ICC or LCC within 60 days and inform the complainant and respondent about it.

Protection against false Complaints

The Act provides for penalties for false or malicious complaints, non-compliance with the provisions of the Act by the employer or ICC or LCC members, and victimization or retaliation against the complainant or witness.