08 Mar 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 08 March 2023:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
1. Is heat in India set to get worse?
ENVIRONMENT
1. How did the treaty on the high seas come through?
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
POLITY AND GOVERNANCE
1. Home and away
HEALTH/GOVERNANCE
1. Challenging dogma
F. Prelims Facts
1. Parrot Lady of Khajuraho
G. Tidbits
1. The concerns over linking Aadhaar with voter IDs
2. India sending 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

A. GS 1 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

B. GS 2 Related

Nothing here for today!!!

C. GS 3 Related

Category: DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Is heat in India set to get worse?

Syllabus: GS-3, Disaster and disaster management

Mains: Increasing temperatures in India, challenges associated with it and possible remedies

Context

In India, the month of February in 2023 has been regarded as the hottest so far since 1901.

Background

• A study published in July 2021 in The Lancet, which took into account the data from two decades (2000-2019), notes that about 50 lakh people die every year (on average) across the world due to extreme temperatures. 
• Further, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) highlights the fact that extreme heat events would continue to grow with the rise in global warming and that every increment of warming matters.

Increased temperatures in India

Image Source: The Hindu

• According to a study on the historical climate in India by the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), the temperature in the country has been increasing steadily both during summer as well as winter months. 
  • The study further recorded an increase in maximum and minimum temperatures over 30 years (1990-2019) at 0.9°C and 0.5°C, respectively.
• In India, the temperatures during summer months have increased by 0.5°C to 0.9°C in several districts in States such as the Northeastern States, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
• Similarly, the temperatures in winter months have also increased by 0.5°C to 0.9°C in about 54% of districts in the country.
  • The Northeastern States have experienced higher levels of warming as compared to the southern States. 
• This significant increase in temperatures has led to suffering and death in extreme cases and it further adversely impacts agriculture and other climate-sensitive sectors which play a key role in ensuring the livelihoods and well-being of people.
• A joint report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre says that an extreme-heat event which would happen only once in every 50 years without the influence of humans on climate is now likely to happen five times on account of human-induced climate change.
  • Further, the report states that such extreme-heat events would occur 14 times if the warming is under 2°C and occur 40 times if the warming is kept under 4°C.

Climate projections

Image Source: The Hindu

• As per the climate projections by the CSTEP study for a 30-year period between 2021-2050, the maximum temperature during the summer months would increase even under a “moderate emissions” scenario. 
  • The increase would be much higher in case of “higher emissions” scenarios and would likely be more than 2°C and up to 3.5°C in about 100 districts of the country and 1.5°C to 2°C in around 455 districts. 
• Further, the minimum temperatures in winter months are expected to increase by 0.5°C to 3.5°C in the future. 
  • The highest warming of 2.5°C to 3°C is estimated in less than 1% of the districts, and an increase of 1°C to 1.5°C is estimated in over 485 districts of the country.
• Further, there has been a change in the diurnal temperature range (DTR), which is the variation between high temperature and low temperature in a single day.
  • A recent study supported by the Department of Science and Technology has highlighted an alarming rate of decline in DTR between 1991 and 2016, especially in the northwest parts of the Gangetic plain, and central India agro-climatic zones. 

Implications of heat stress

• The increase in summer maximum and winter minimum temperatures in the coming years can negatively impact the growth of plants, ecology, and the carbon economy as extreme variations in temperature affect the quality of the soil.
• The decline in the DTR indicates an asymmetrical increase in the minimum temperature compared to the maximum, which ultimately could increase the risk of heat stress which could result in droughts, instances of crop failures, and higher morbidity and mortality rates.
• A joint report by IFRC and others also predicts that heat waves would surpass human threshold levels to withstand them physiologically as well as socially.
  • This could result in large-scale suffering, death, and migration. 
• In the context of urban areas, the combined effects of warming coupled with the rapid rate of urbanisation would increase the number of people at risk of extreme heat.
• As per an International Labour Organization (ILO) report, India would lose about 5.8% of working hours in 2030 on account of heat stress and the loss in escorts such as agriculture and construction would be close to 9.04%, which translates to 3.4 crore full-time jobs. 

Way forward

• It has become important for the States to involve and share responsibility with other stakeholders to fully implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and improve early warning systems, public awareness, and come up with heat action plans.
• District-level heat hotspot maps must be prepared which can help various departments of the State in formulating long-term actions to reduce the impact of extreme heat.
• The policymakers and the stakeholders must also look at innovative strategies to address the challenges of extreme heat. Some of the innovative strategies adopted across the world include:
  • Setting up emergency cooling centres similar to those in Toronto and Paris.
  • Public awareness through survival guides that are strategically displayed in Athens. 
  • Installing –
    • White roofs like in Los Angeles
    • Green rooftops similar to those in Rotterdam
    • Self-shading tower blocks like in Abu Dhabi 
    • Green corridors in Medellin

Nut graf: Recent reports indicate that the instances of extreme heat would increase significantly by the end of the century and its associated death rates could be similar in magnitude to cancers or other infectious diseases. This has made it imperative for us to act immediately and come up with long-term measures that can prevent death and suffering due to extreme heat.

Category: ENVIRONMENT

1. How did the treaty on the high seas come through?

Syllabus: GS-3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation

Prelims: About high seas and treaty on the high seas

Mains: Threat to high seas, the need for protection and the significance of the High Seas Treaty

Context

The members of the United Nations (UN) have recently agreed on a treaty for protecting marine life in international waters that lie outside the jurisdiction of any country.

Background

• The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was adopted in 1982 and came into force in 1994.
  • UNCLOS set out rules to govern the oceans and the use of its resources, but there was no comprehensive legal framework that covered the high seas.  
• As climate change and global warming became global concerns, there was a need to formulate an international legal framework to safeguard high seas and marine life.
• The UNGA after years of informal talks decided to develop a legally binding instrument within the framework of UNCLOS in 2015. 
• An Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) was convened to come up with a legal instrument on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). 
• Recently, the UN members reached an agreement on this treaty to protect the world’s oceans after about 15 years of negotiations. However, the treaty has still not been formally adopted as members are yet to ratify it.

What are the high seas?

Image Source: The Guardian

• As per the Geneva Convention on the High Seas (1958), those parts of the sea that are not included in the territorial waters or the internal waters of a country are called the high seas.
• No individual country is responsible for the management, conservation and protection of resources on the high seas as they do not come under their jurisdiction.
• Close to about two-thirds of the world’s oceans are considered international waters, wherein all countries have the right to undertake fishing and research.
• However, only about 1% of these waters have been protected which leaves the marine biodiversity in these high seas at risk of exploitation.

Significance of high seas

• Since the high seas account for over 60% of the world’s oceans they cover about half of the Earth’s surface.
• The high seas are a hub of marine life and they house close to 2.7 lakh known species and many are yet to be discovered.
• Due to their sheer scale, the high seas have become extremely crucial for human survival and well-being.

Threat to the high seas

• Since the oceans absorb the majority of the heat from the atmosphere they are affected by phenomena such as El Nino, and ocean acidification.
• Studies have revealed that thousands of marine species would be at risk of extinction by 2100 if current trends in ocean warming and acidification persist.
• Climate change has also increased marine heat waves 20-fold which could cause extreme events like cyclones and mass mortality events.
• Further, the high seas are increasingly under threat from various anthropogenic activities such as pollution, seabed mining, overfishing, chemical spills, geoengineering, disposal of untreated waste and introduction of invasive species which endanger marine flora and fauna. 

The High Seas Treaty

• The draft agreement of the Treaty acknowledges the need to combat the issues of biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystems of the ocean. 
• The High Seas Treaty is a legally binding pact that aims to conserve and ensure the sustainable use of ocean biodiversity.
• The treaty provides a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) to protect against the loss of wildlife and share out the genetic resources of the high seas.
  • The treaty places 30% of the world’s oceans into protected areas and includes provisions to increase investments in marine conservation.
• The treaty will facilitate the constitution of an access- and benefit-sharing committee to frame guidelines to manage and look after the conservation of ocean life. 
• The treaty will introduce arrangements for sharing marine genetic resources like biological material from plants and animals in the ocean. 
• The treaty also mandates that activities concerning marine genetic resources on the high seas must be carried out in the interests of all States, for the benefit of humanity and exclusively for peaceful purposes.
• The treaty further puts in place various rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.

Significance of the treaty

• The treaty also helps strengthen multilateral cooperation to preserve crucial marine life and biodiversity.
• The treaty will play a critical role in enforcing the 30×30 pledge and historic Biodiversity Deal made by the member nations at the UN biodiversity conference in December 2022, to protect a third of the sea (and land) by 2030. 
  • Without such a treaty, the target would fail since there was no legal mechanism to set up MPAs on the high seas.
• Furthermore, the treaty is also vital for achieving ocean-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

Read more about – the High Seas Treaty and its significance

Nut graf: The High Seas Treaty is regarded as a historic and pathbreaking development as it finally opens the door to providing protection to marine biodiversity across the high seas and a significant platform for governments to work together and protect global ocean health which is crucial for socioeconomic wellbeing and food security across the globe.

Category: HEALTH/GOVERNANCE

1. Challenging dogma

Syllabus: GS-2, Issues related to health; Government policies and interventions and issues arising from it.

Mains: Menace of Dog-bites in India

Details:

• In Rajasthan, an infant was taken away by stray dogs. In Telangana, a four-year-old child was attacked by dogs with a fatal result.
• According to the 2019 livestock census, India has a population of nearly 1.5 crore stray dogs.
• Moreover, India has the distinction of being the dog-bite-and-rabies-capital of the world.
• Despite the knowledge of the crisis by the authorities (Municipalities, State, Centre, Judiciary, and NGOs), the problem still persists.

Associated Concerns:

• There is a moral dilemma between being responsible for the welfare of animals and focusing on public safety.
• Much of the world has derecognized the rights of stray animals. If the animals are leashed and registered, human custodians are mandated to take care of them. Otherwise, as a last resort, in the public interest states can even euthanise them.
• It is argued that the existing laws aim to limit the stray population, but are largely silent on public safety.
  • The two existing laws are the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001.
  • Both rules acknowledge that unchecked stray animals should be controlled.
• The draft (proposed) Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules have only put forth procedural changes in sterilization and vaccination. Moreover, it permits only “incurably ill and mortally wounded” dogs to be euthanised.
• Furthermore, leaders of resident welfare associations are made responsible for feeding strays in their pockets.
• It is also found that the laws do not factor in the magnitude of the problem. For instance, there is one stray for every 100 humans.
• There is inadequate infrastructure and mechanisms in India to ensure the accessible treatment to vulnerable sections like the poor and their children.

Conclusion:

India has committed to eliminating rabies by 2030. However, without considering the threat of stray dogs as a public health crisis, the target seems to be a distant dream and will also hamper poor people’s right to safe public spaces.

Also read: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis. Sep 24th, 2022

Nut Graf: The issue of stray animals is a serious concern, especially for the vulnerable section of society. The threat from stray dogs must be framed as a public health issue to achieve the target of eliminating rabies by 2030.

F. Prelims Facts

1. Parrot Lady of Khajuraho

Syllabus: GS-1; Art and Culture; Salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture

Prelims: About Parrot Lady of Khajuraho sculpture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

Context

• About 26 repatriated Indian antiquities will be exhibited and displayed in the national capital in order to spread awareness on the prevention of illicit trafficking of antiquities.
• Among the antiquities displayed, the “Parrot Lady of Khajuraho” sculpture was a major attraction.

Parrot Lady of Khajuraho sculpture

Image Source: The Hindu

• The “Parrot Lady of Khajuraho” is a 900-year-old sandstone sculpture.
• This is a three-foot-long sculpture that is exquisitely carved and depicts a lady with a parrot near her right ear which symbolises love.
• A few historians believe that the “Parrot Lady” may have been the queen of Khajuraho portrayed as the majestic ‘Abhisarika’ or cupid-struck lady, always engaged in conversation with her pet parrot.
• The sculpture was smuggled from Delhi to Canada (Toronto) and was brought back to India from Canada in 2015 in accordance with the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the nodal agency for dealing with antiquities and about 244 stolen or missing artefacts have been repatriated to India to date.

Learn more about – The Parrot Lady

2. India sending 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar

• India is looking to send its next consignment of wheat to Afghanistan as aid via the Chabahar port in Iran.
• This decision was announced during the first meeting of the India-Central Asia Joint Working Group (JWG) on Afghanistan in Delhi, as the agreement with Pakistan for sending the wheat over the land route has expired and talks to extend the time have not yielded any results.
  • This JWG meeting was held after the India-Central Asia summit in January 2022.
  • At the JWG, India also agreed to offer “customised capacity building courses” for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) officials and cooperate on initiatives to counter drug trafficking and rehabilitation efforts for Afghan drug users, especially women.
• In the wake of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, India had announced its partnership with the UN World Food Programme (UNWFP) for the delivery of 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan.
  • India had sent around 40,000 tonnes out of the 50,000 tonnes promised after an agreement with the previous Pakistan government. However, the shipments were halted after the floods in Pakistan, and the time allowed by Pakistan expired.
• India in the past has used the Chabahar port route to send shipments of wheat to Afghanistan.

Q1. The prestigious ‘Pritzker prize’ is conferred in the field of (Level – Moderate)

Q2. Consider the following statements with regard to India’s carbon sink: 
(Level – Difficult)

Q3. Consider the following statements with regard to the National Assessment and 
Accreditation Council (NAAC) Assessing System: (Level – Moderate)

Q4. Consider the following statements with regard to the Chabahar Port: 
(Level – Easy)

Q5. Bisphenol A (BPA), a cause of concern, is a structural/key component in the manufacture 
of which of the following kinds of plastics? (Level – Difficult) [PYQ (2021)]

CNA 08 March 2023:- Download PDF Here