13 June 2021: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

B. GS 2 Related

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. Reviving the spirit of multilateralism

Context:

• The ongoing 47th edition of the “Group of seven” summit in Carbis Bay, southwest England.

Background:

Group of Seven:

• The Group of Seven (G7) is an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• The member countries figure in the list of the world’s largest IMF-advanced economies and wealthiest countries. As of 2018, the G7 accounts for close to 60% of global net wealth.
• The G7 was formed in 1975 in the aftermath of the 1973 Oil Crisis. The G7 became the G8 with Russia’s admission into the group in 1998. But it reverted to the G7 in 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
• The G7 is not based on a treaty and has no permanent secretariat or office. The G7’s presidency rotates annually among the members.

Details:

• The following are the major takeaways from the second day of the summit.

“Build Back Better World” (B3W) project:

• The “Build Back Better World” (B3W) project envisages to collectively mobilize hundreds of billions of infrastructure investment for low- and middle-income countries.
• The B3W project aims to offer a “values-driven, high-standard and transparent” partnership.

Carbis Bay Declaration:

• In the light of the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing summit seeks to address such future global health challenges.
• The ‘Carbis Bay Declaration’ is a landmark global health declaration aimed at preventing future pandemics under which G7 leaders have committed to use all their resources.
• The declaration based on the independent report titled ‘100 Days Mission to Respond to Future Pandemic Threats’ contains actionable recommendations on how governments and others can quickly respond to any future outbreaks.
• The G7 Carbis Bay declaration includes the following interventions:
  • Slashing the time taken to develop and licence vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for any future disease to under 100 days
  • Reinforcing global surveillance networks and genomic sequencing capacity
  • Support for reforming and strengthening the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Under the Carbis Bay Declaration, the UK, which holds the presidency for the G7 Leaders’ Summit 2021, will establish a new centre to develop vaccines to prevent zoonotic diseases spreading from animals to humans.
• The G7 nations are expected to collectively agree to provide a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine in an effort to end the pandemic in 2022.

Tackling China:

• The second day of the summit saw leaders addressing the issue of “strategic competition” with China. The various initiatives announced during the summit can be viewed as moves to counter China and its moves.
  • The B3W project is aimed to counter China’s Belt and Road infrastructure (BRI) initiative. The emphasis on a transparent partnership stands in strong contrast to China’s BRI which has been widely criticized for pushing countries with unsustainable debt levels.
  • The G7 Carbis Bay declaration on reinforcing global surveillance networks to identify early threats from diseases appears as a veiled reference to China’s failure to notify the world early regarding the COID-19 pandemic.
  • The UK which holds the presidency for G7 Leaders’ Summit 2021, has invited India, along with Australia, South Korea and South Africa, as guest countries. The presence of India, Australia and South Korea at the G7 summit is seen as a nod to the recognition of their discontent with the influence of China.

Strengths of the G7:

• The group is officially organized around shared values of pluralism, representative government, and globalism. It steadfastly promotes liberal democracy.
• Though it began as a forum for economic cooperation, over the years, the G7 has taken up a host of issues ranging from economic growth to environmental issues and terrorism.
• The G7 has been a formal, high-profile venue for discussing and coordinating solutions to major global issues in varied areas like trade, security, economics, and climate change. It has catalyzed or spearheaded several major global initiatives. The G7 agreement on a global minimum corporate tax being such an example.

For more information on this topic refer to:

UPSC Comprehensive News Analysis 06th June 2021

• Given the significant economic prosperity they enjoy, the member countries wield enormous power and international influence in global affairs.

Challenges:

Internal differences:

• The transactional approach to international relations under the Trump administration of the U.S. had cast doubts over the future of the G7.
• The Brexit issue has cast a shadow over the ties between the U.S. and the U.K. The current U.S. administration has steadfastly opposed Brexit and has raised concerns over Britain’s dispute with the EU over Northern Ireland.
• There continue to be some differences over economic issues between the member countries. Example- Taxation of the Big Tech.

Decline in economic dominance:

• From collectively producing around 70% of the world’s GDP during the initial years, this number has come down to 40% over the years.

The rise of other groupings:

• The group has been criticized for its outdated and narrow global representation. The narrow global representation has also resulted in its ineffectualness to an extent.
• The larger G20 has become a more relevant multilateral body due to the inclusion of developing economies such as Brazil, China, India and South Africa.

Conclusion:

• The ongoing summit coming after a tumultuous period marked by transactional approach to international relations under the Trump administration of the U.S. is an indication of the new administration’s intent to build closer coordination with traditional allies in the Global North and renewed multilateralism.
• Despite the existing challenges to the G7, the G7’s ability to set the tone for cooperation on global issues has not diminished and this needs to be used to revive the emphasis on multilateral co-ordination and co-operation in the spirit of globalization.
• The G7 will have to take along other nations in the broader G20 to increase the effectiveness of its initiative.

C. GS 3 Related

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. ‘Operation Olivia’ to the rescue of Olive Ridleys

Context:

• Indian Coast Guard’s “Operation Olivia”.

Olive Ridley turtle:

• The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae.
• The species is one of the most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.
• It is primarily found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but also in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Nesting habits:

• Mating occurs in the offshore waters of the breeding grounds and females then come ashore to nest. Sea turtles generally return to their natal beach, or where they were born, to lay eggs as adults.
• The Olive Ridley have a unique nesting habit. They indulge in mass nesting called
  • An arribada is a mass-nesting event when thousands of turtles come ashore at the same time to lay eggs on the same beach.
• Breeding and nesting of the Olive Ridley Turtles is observed from November to December.

Threat:

• Heavy predation of Olive Ridley turtle eggs by dogs and wild animals
• Dense fishing activity along the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Bengal, especially ocean-going trawlers, mechanized fishing boats and gill-netters pose a severe threat to turtles.
• Beach soil erosion

Conservation status:

• The Olive Ridley is listed as vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red list.
• It is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and in the Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Details:

• The annual “Operation Olivia” helps protect Olive Ridley turtles as they congregate along the Odisha coast for breeding and nesting.
  • There are three beaches along the Odisha coast including Gahirmatha, the mouth of the Devi river, and Rushikulya.
• The Coast Guard carries out round-the-clock surveillance from November till May utilising Coast Guard assets and helps enforce laws near the rookeries
• Measures taken include the enforcement of the following laws near the rookeries.
  • The compulsory use of turtle excluder devices (TED) by trawlers in the waters adjoining nesting areas
  • Prohibiting the use of gill nets on turtle approaches to the shore
  • Curtailing turtle poaching.

D. GS 4 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

F. Prelims Facts

1. Meet Bharitalasuchus tapani, a carnivorous reptile that lived 240 million years ago

• The Yerrapalli Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Basin in Telangana has had several fossils unearthed from it.
• One of the species identified includes a carnivorous reptile that lived 240 million years ago. It has been named Bharitalasuchus tapani.
• Studies have revealed that the reptile belonged to a family of extinct reptiles named Erythrosuchidae.
• The Bharitalasuchus tapani were robust animals with big heads and large teeth, and these probably predated other smaller reptiles. They were approximately the size of an adult male lion and might have been the largest predators in their ecosystems.
• Apart from this erythrosuchid reptile, the fossil assemblage of the Yerrapalli Formation includes many other extinct creatures such as ceratodontid lungfish, rhynchosaur and allokotosaurian.

G. Tidbits

1. Great apes in peril

• A recent study notes that the African great apes, which includes chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas are under threat from massive habitat reduction and destruction.
• The study looked at the impact of climate change, human population growth and human land use on great ape habitat range, and developed estimates for habitat loss in the best and worst case scenarios.
• The researchers predict that Africa’s great apes, which include gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos, will lose 85 per cent of their habitat range by 2050.
• Climate change, human land use and population growth push vegetation and other food sources uphill, leaving the survival of Africa’s great apes, as well as other land animals, up to their ability to climb and adapt to new environments.
• African ape populations are currently endangered, largely due to habitat loss, poaching, pet trades and climate change.

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the following is/are correctly matched?

1. Operation Blue Star: eliminate armed militants who were holed up in the Golden Temple.
2. Operation Pawan: Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF’s) operation to wrest control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
3. Operation Vijay: Indian operation to push back the infiltrators from the Kargil Sector
4. Operation Olivia: Indian armed forces ended the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad

Options:

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 2, 3 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. Consider the following statements with respect to Olive Ridleys:

1. Olive Ridleys are found in Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic and Indian Ocean.
2. The Olive Ridley is listed as vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red list.
3. Coast of Odisha is the largest mass nesting site for them

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 2 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Consider the following statements:

1. Coral reefs occur in Shallow waters of the tropics
2. Only hard corals build reefs

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both
4. None

Q4. Recently, Bharitalasuchus tapani was in the news. What is it?

1. A new species of wasp from the genus Kudakrumia identified by scientists in Goa
2. A carnivorous reptile that lived 240 million years ago
3. A Zingiber from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
4. A newly discovered fish fossil from Assam

Q5.Consider the following statements:

1. The Chief Secretary in a State is appointed by the Governor of that State.
2. The Chief Secretary in a State has a fixed tenure.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

1. Bitcoin has seen greater formalization and mainstreaming in the last one year. In this context, explain how cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin work? Why are governments and central banks wary of them? (15 marks, 250 words)[GS-3, Economy]
2. The G7 countries seek to overcome internal differences and strengthen their economic and geopolitical bond to face multiple challenges from fighting COVID­-19 to tackling the rise of China. Discuss in the context of its latest summit. (15 marks, 250 words)[GS-2, International Relations]