National Current Affairs – UPSC/IAS Exams- 20th August 2019

by Mentors4ias · August 20, 2019

Basic Ministerial Meeting On Climate Change

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: Recently 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held in New Delhi.

Important Decisions of the Meeting:

On global climate change:

To promote a global green and low carbon transition.
To work together with all parties in an open, transparent, inclusive and party-driven manner to achieve a balanced and comprehensive outcome to finalize the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) at COP 24.

On finance and technology transfer:

It underlined that the developed countries need to step up their action on climate technology transfer which are part of the pre-2020 actions before the Paris Climate Agreement (2015) comes into effect.
It urged developed countries to fulfill their climate finance commitments of mobilizing USD 100 billion per annum by 2020. It called on developed countries to scale up resources pledged to the GCF for mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.
It urged developed countries to take urgent actions to close the pre-2020 implementation gaps by 2023 which can be a useful input for the first Global Stock take (GST) (It refers to a proposed five-yearly review of the impact of countries’ climate change actions. Under the Paris Agreement, every country must present a climate action plan in five-yearly cycles. The first global stocktake will happen in 2023.)

Other commitments:

Unequivocal commitment to support Egypt, as the Chair of the Group of 77 and China, with a view to advance the common interests of developing countries.
They stressed that the GST process should be comprehensive, considering mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation.
That global climate action should promote Climate Justice and a just transition by recognizing the fundamental equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development.

About BASIC Grouping:

It is a bloc of four developing countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) formed in the year 2009 by an agreement to act jointly at the COP15-Copenhagen Climate Summit (CCS).
The alliance was formed to negotiate with developed countries regarding the further course of action to be taken on climate change after the end of first mandate of Kyoto Protocol.
Subsequently, the CCS resulted in Copenhagen Accord between US and BASIC countries. Since then, the BASIC countries have met regularly and address the common concerns and interests of the developing countries vis-a-vis developed countries regarding climate change.

Source: The Hindu

India Biggest Emitter of Sulphur dioxide in the world

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: According to a new report by Greenpeace India is the largest emitter of Sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the world, contributing more than 15 per cent of global anthropogenic emissions.

More on the Topic:

The analysis is based on hotspots detected by NASA Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite data that captured more than 500 major source points of SO2 emissions across the globe including natural sources such as volcanoes.
However, the analysis excluded all natural sources and only anthropogenic sources of SO2 were investigated.
SO2 emissions are a significant contributor to air pollution. Its direct exposure and exposure to particulate matter PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) produced when SO2 reacts with other air pollutants to form sulphate particles both affect human health.
The greatest source of SO2 in the atmosphere is the burning of fossil fuels in power plants and other industrial facilities. Other sources include industrial processes such as extracting metal from ore, natural sources such as volcanoes, and locomotives, ships and other vehicles and heavy equipment that burn fuel with high sulphur content.

Indian Scenario:

The primary reason for India’s high emission output is the expansion of coal-based electricity generation over the past decade.
Five of the top 10 SO2 emission hotspots from coal/power generation industry across the world are in India.
The study found the thermal power plants or clusters at Singrauli, Neyveli, Talcher, Jharsuguda, Korba, Kutch, Chennai, Ramagundam, Chandrapur, and Koradi to be the major emission hotspots in the country. The vast majority of plants in India lack flue-gas desulfurisation (FGD) technology to reduce air pollution.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had, for the first time, introduced SO2 emission limits for coal-fired power plants in December 2015. But a Supreme Court order changed the deadline for installation of FGD technology in power plants from 2017 to December 2019 in Delhi-NCR and till 2022 for other parts of the country.
In India, there has been an increase of SO2 emissions at already existing hotspots and new sites generating emissions are emerging across the country

Global Scenario:

Rising emissions have made India overtake China whose success in reducing emissions has also made Russia the number two emitter. China reduced their SO2 emissions through stringent emission norms and implementation of technologies like FGD.
When it comes to individual hotspots, the Norilsk smelter site in Russia continues to be the largest anthropogenic SO2 emission hotspot in the world. Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh is at number five.

Source: Hindu, Wikipeida

India- Gulf Relations

Topic: International Relations

In News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain underlines Delhi’s continuing commitment to the transformation of India’s relations with the Gulf region.

More on the Topic:

India used to see the relationship between gulf region through the prism of Pakistan in the past. It has now learnt that the conservative Gulf Kingdoms are quite eager to develop an independent relationship with Delhi.

Three areas highlight the region’s new approach to India:

First, some Gulf countries have expanded counter-terror cooperation with Delhi, extending support to India in the unfolding conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, and have sought to open the OIC platform for India despite Pakistan’s objections. Delhi has long chafed at Pakistan’s routine mobilisation of the Organisation Islamic Cooperation against India.
Second, recognising Modi’s special interest in the welfare of the Indian diaspora and expatriate labour, the Gulf kingdoms have begun to address many of the long-standing Indian concerns.
Third, the oil rich Gulf has begun to see India, one of the world’s leading energy importers, as a major economic partner. The recent Saudi decision to pick up 20 per cent stake in the oil business of Reliance Industries Limited and UAE’s support for the construction of India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve are two examples of deepening energy interdependence.

What Delhi can do for the Gulf:

The first is about paying greater attention to the domestic dynamics in the different kingdoms of the Gulf amidst the region’s deepening political turbulence. One important new trend has been the effort to promote moderate Islam in the region. Delhi should offer strong public support for the reform agenda in the region.
Second, Delhi must reciprocate more productively to the enthusiasm in the Gulf region for strategic economic cooperation with India, ranging from energy and digital innovation to arms production and space technology. While the region is ready to deploy its considerable amounts of capital in India’s growth story, Delhi has been tardy in facilitating investments from the Gulf.
Third, security cooperation, where the unrealised potential remains huge. Amidst the current domestic turmoil in the Anglo-American world, President Donald Trump’s talk on downsizing America’s role in the Gulf is encouraging the region to diversify its security partnerships. It is time Delhi showed some initiative to develop a more pro-active strategy for defence cooperation in the region. Inaction now will necessarily lead to reaction as other Asian powers like China carve out a larger security role in the Gulf.
India can play a great role in encouraging the intra regional co-operation among the gulf countries. The question for India is no longer about taking sides; it is about contributing to the regional security in whatever manner it can.

Model Mains Question: Comment on the evolving India – Gulf Region Relations.

Source: Indian Express

Iceland’s Okjokull glacier

Topic: Environment and Ecology

In News: As the world recently marked warmest July ever on record, Iceland held funeral for Okjokull glacier, country’s 1st glacier lost to climate change.

More on the Topic:

Okjokull is 1st Icelandic glacier to lose its status as glacier and in next 200 years countries all main glaciers are expected to follow same path.
The glacier was officially declared dead by Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) when it was no longer thick enough to move.
Scientists warn that hundreds of other ice sheets on subarctic island risk same fate. Iceland loses about 11 billion tonnes of ice/year. Scientists fear that all of island country’s 400-plus glaciers will be gone by 2200.

The Real Picture of Glacier melting:

Everywhere on Earth ice is changing. The famed snows of Kilimanjaro have melted more than 80 percent since 1912. Glaciers in the Garhwal Himalaya in India are retreating so fast that researchers believe that most central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035. Arctic sea ice has thinned significantly over the past half century.
When temperatures rise and ice melts, more water flows to the seas from glaciers and ice caps, and ocean water warms and expands in volume. This combination of effects has played the major role in raising average global sea level between four and eight inches (10 and 20 centimeters) in the past hundred years, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Rising sea leRvel, sinking land, eroding coasts, and temperamental storms, Salt water intrusion in to fresh water systems, Reduction in arable land due to increase in salinity are some cascading effects of glacier melting and facts of climate change.

Source: The Guardian, National Geographic

Mangdechhu Project

Topic: International Relations

In News: In his second visit to Bhutan, the Indian Prime Minister has inaugurated the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant.

More on the Topic:

The Mangdechhu hydroelectric project is a 720MW run-of-river power plant built on the Mangdechhu River in Trongsa Dzongkhag District of central Bhutan.
Mangdechhu is one of the ten hydroelectric projects planned under the Royal Government of Bhutan’s initiative to generate 10,000MW hydropower by 2020 with support from the Indian Government.

Source: Hindu and Wikipedia

Legislative Council

Topic: Polity and Governance

In News: Recently Madhya Pradesh has indicated that it plans to initiate steps towards creation of a Legislative Council.

More on the Topic:

Article 71 of the Constitution provides for the option of a state to have a Legislative Council. As in Rajya Sabha, the Members of a Legislative Council (MLC) are not directly elected by voters.The tenure of a MLC is 6 years, with 1/3rd of members retiring every 2 years.
Legislative councils help to check hasty actions by the directly elected House, and also enable non-elected individuals to contribute to the legislative process.
It can also be used to delay legislation, and to park leaders who have not been able to win an election.

Constitutional Mandates:

Under Article 169, a Legislative Council can be formed if the Legislative Assembly of the State passes a resolution.
The resolution has to be a majority of the total membership of the Assembly and by a majority of not less than 2/3rd of the members of the Assembly present and voting.Parliament can then pass a law to this effect.
Under Article 171 of the Constitution, the Legislative Council of a state shall not have more than 1/3rd of the number of MLAs of the state, and not less than 40 members. In that, 1/3rd of the MLCs are elected by the state’s MLAs,Another 1/3rd by a special electorate comprising sitting members of local governments such as municipalities and district boards 1/12th by an electorate of teachers and Another 1/12th by registered graduates.The remaining members are appointed by the Governor for distinguished services in various fields.
The legislative power of the Councils is limited, Unlike Rajya Sabha which has substantial powers to shape non-financial legislation, Legislative Councils lack a constitutional mandate to do so.
Assemblies can override suggestions/amendments made to a legislation by the Council. MLCs cannot vote in elections for the President and Vice President.
The Vice President is the Rajya Sabha Chairperson; an MLC is the Council Chairperson.
Currently, 6 states have Legislative Councils,A.P, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telengana, U.P. Jammu and Kashmir had it, until the state was bifurcated into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
The Odisha Assembly recently passed a resolution for a Legislative Council. Proposals to create Councils in Rajasthan and Assam are pending in Parliament.