Current Affairs Reverse Engineering – CARE (18-06-2024)
| News at a Glance |
| Environment: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2024 |
| EU Environmental Council adopts nature restoration law in historic win for continent’s environment |
| DDT levels have declined in humans, environment since 2004; but those of other persistent organic pollutants rising: UN |
| Defence: HAL receives request for proposal from Defence Ministry for 156 light combat helicopters worth ₹45,000 crore |
| Health: How climate change is helping the spread of dengue in Europe |
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2024
Source: Down to Earth
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 3 (Environment)
Context: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Why in News
- Three decades after the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was adopted, the United Nations on June 17 urged support from all generations for sustainable land stewardship.
Key Highlights
- Ten youngsters, who have worked to restore land, boost resilience to drought, develop sustainable agricultural businesses, and harness technology and innovation to tackle global environmental challenges worldwide, were felicitated as ‘Land Heroes’ at the event in Bonn.
- The statement noted that engaging youth to restore land could create the estimated 600 million jobs needed in the next 15 years.
- This, in turn, could contribute to both economic growth and environmental sustainability.
- The future of our land is the future of our planet. By 2050, 10 billion people will depend on this vital resource. Yet we are losing the equivalent of four football fields to land degradation every second.
About United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- The UNCCD was adopted on June 17, 1994, in Paris.
- The date is now observed as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
- This year’s event commemorating the day was held in Bonn, Germany.
- The UN call comes ahead of the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Significance
- Healthy soils form the basis of our future.
- No matter whether we are talking about climate change, biodiversity loss, or food crises — soil quality plays a central role for meeting these global challenges.
- Soils retain water and allow trees and plants to grow.
- We will only be able to feed humankind and deal with the climate crisis and its impacts if we have healthy soils.
- As we mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention, the world must dramatically pick up the pace of implementation; Build momentum towards UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh; And ensure young people are heard in the negotiations.
- Up to 40 per cent of the world’s land and nearly half the world’s population are affected by land degradation.
- The highest costs are borne by those who can least afford it: indigenous communities, rural households, smallholder farmers, and especially youth and women.
- Over 1 billion young people living in developing countries depend on land and natural resources.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
- Established in 1994, it is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.
- It addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
- The Convention’s 197 parties work together to improve the living conditions for people in drylands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought.
- The UNCCD works with the other two Rio Conventions to address the interlinked challenges of land, climate and biodiversity:
- The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2024
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- World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated on June 17 annually and this year, in 2024, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is being observed on Monday.
- It was celebrated under the theme – United for Land. Our Legacy. Our Future.
World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought 2024 – History
- During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, desertification, loss of biodiversity and climate change were recognised as the greatest challenges to sustainable development.
- In 1994, The UN General Assembly established the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – the legally binding international agreement linking environment, development and sustainable land management.
- In 2007, the UN General Assembly declared the decade of 2010 to 2020 as the United Nations Decade for Deserts and the fight against Desertification.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q1. Consider the following statements with regards to World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought:
Select the correct answer using the code given below: A. Only one B. Only two C. Only three D. None |
Q. What is/are the importance/importances of the ‘ United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’ ? (2016)
Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Ans: (c) |
| Answer 1 – C
Explanation:
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EU Environmental Council adopts nature restoration law in historic win for continent’s environment
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Relevance: GS3- Environment and Ecology
Context: EU Environmental Council adopted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL)
Why in News
- The EU Environmental Council adopted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) on June 17, 2024, in what is being described as a win for the continent’s environment.
Key Highlights
- Member States followed through with their commitments and with a majority of 20 countries, representing 66.07 per cent of the population.
- The law was officially endorsed, thanks to Austria’s Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler stepping up at the last minute, changing the country’s previous stance and safeguarding the law.
- The regulation will now be published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force.
- It will become directly applicable in all member states.
- By 2033, the Commission will review the application of the regulation and its impacts on the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, as well as its wider socio-economic effects.
- After years of intense campaigning and many ups and downs, we are jubilant that this law is now reality – this day will go down in history as a turning point for nature and society.
- At the end of the day, nature can rebounce, for the benefit of our climate, biodiversity and people!” The #RestoreNature coalition, consisting of BirdLife Europe, ClientEarth, EEB and WWF EU.
Need of Nature Restoration Law (NRL)
- It was the European Commission that proposed the NRL on June 22, 2022, under the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, part of the European Green Deal.
- Over 80 per cent of European habitats are in poor shape. Past efforts to protect and preserve nature have not been able to reverse this worrying trend.
- This is why, for the first time ever, the regulation sets out to adopt measures to not only preserve but to restore nature.
- Member states must establish and implement measures to restore at least 20 per cent of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030, under the legislation.
Key Recommendations
- A host of ecosystems are covered by the NRL, ranging from terrestrial, coastal and freshwater to forest, agricultural and urban.
- They include wetlands, grasslands, forests, rivers and lakes, as well as marine ecosystems, including seagrass and sponge and coral beds.
- All European ecosystems in need of restoration must be restored by member states by 2050.
- Special attention must be paid to the continent’s pollinators.
- Europe, like the rest of the world, has been witnessing an ‘insect apocalypse’ in recent decades, with abundance and diversity of wild insect pollinators declining dramatically.
- To address this, the regulation introduces specific requirements for measures to reverse the decline of pollinator populations by 2030 at the latest.
- Member states must put in place measures to increase grassland butterflies, stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils and share of agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features.
- They must also aim to increase numbers of forest birds and make sure there is no net loss on urban green spaces and tree canopy cover until end of 2030.
- Drained peatlands must be restored and at least three billion additional trees by 2030 at the EU level.
- States should also remove human-made barriers so that at least 25, 000 km of rivers become free-flowing rivers by 2030.
- This decision restores trust in the EU institutions by honouring the compromise agreement that was already made with the European Parliament.
- It shows that nature can come back strong, like the Nature restoration Law has today.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
| Q2. Consider the following statements:
Statement I: Nature Restoration Law (NRL) was proposed by United Nations as part of the Green Deal. Statement II: The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) aims to reverse the drastic decline of ecosystems, ranging from terrestrial, coastal and freshwater to forest, agricultural and urban. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? [A] Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. [B] Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. [C] Statement-l is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. [D] Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct. |
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Recently, the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU) have launched the Trade and Technology Council”. Statement-II: The USA and the EU claim that through this they are trying to bring technological progress and physical productivity under their control. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? [A] Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. [B] Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. [C] Statement-l is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. [D] Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct. Answer: C |
| Answer 2– D
Explanation –
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DDT levels have declined in humans, environment since 2004: UN
Source: Down-To-Earth
UPSC Relevance: GS3- Environment and Ecology
Context: Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and 11 other Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Why in News
- According to a new study released on June 17, 2024, strict global regulations have significantly reduced the presence of Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and 11 other Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in both humans and the environment since 2004.
Key Findings
- The study was conducted across 42 countries in regions where data on POPs is limited, in order to monitor 30 POPs listed under the Stockholm Convention as of 2021.
- The regions included Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.
- Samples were collected between 2016 and 2019.
- The 30 POPs to be monitored included pesticides and industrial chemicals.
- Also, among them were unintentionally released POPs, which are by-products of industrial processes and from incomplete combustion (e.g., open burning of waste).
- The levels of 12 POPs including DDT have declined globally, according to the data. These 12 were initially listed in the 2004 Stockholm Convention.
- The report attributes the decline to regulatory actions implemented since 2004 to control the levels of such chemicals.
- For instance, DDT has decreased in human milk samples by over 70 per cent since 2004 on global average.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
- POPs are linked to cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, and increased risk of asthma and thyroid disease due to their endocrine disrupting properties.
- POPs remain omnipresent, despite efforts to reduce their use and production.
- However, other POPs are present everywhere. Worse, replacements for lethal POPs have also been detected at high levels, according to the report.
Behind the Global Monitoring Plan
- In conversation about monitoring persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
- It has been published as governments gather this week in Geneva for an ad hoc open-ended working group on the establishment of a science-policy panel on chemicals, waste and pollution prevention.
- The report stressed the importance of POP monitoring, caution in introducing alternatives, and addressing gaps in awareness and regulation.
Concerns
- Other POPs continue to be present everywhere.
- For instance, dieldrin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have been regulated for long, were detected at elevated levels in the air across the African continent, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
- But even more worryingly, the chemical replacements for banned POPs — which were found to have similar properties later — have also been detected in high levels.
Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of thousands of chemicals used in hundreds of types of products.
- PFAS in the environment can enter the food supply through plants and animals grown, raised, or processed in contaminated areas.
- The report particularly highlighted per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
- Of the thousands of PFAS, three key chemicals (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS) are listed under the Stockholm Convention.
- All of them were found in human milk.
- PFAS were also found in drinking water in remote islands, in levels far exceeding European Union and United States standards.
- It added that newly listed POPs were increasingly difficult to monitor, even by the world’s top laboratories.
Recommendations
- While data collection is improving, with more labs in low-income countries participating in POPs monitoring, including in the UNEP global interlaboratory assessments, the quality of POPs analysis must continue to improve.
- Governments need not be pulled into a toxic game of hide and seek, where one regulated POP is replaced with a new one.
- This troubling pattern means these substances are still present in products we use, eat, wear, as well as in our air and water.
- This highlights the risk of regrettable substitutions of banned POPs and the need to prioritise sustainability in industrial product design and consumer behaviour.
Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT)
- Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) is a synthetic pesticide that gained widespread use after World War II for its effectiveness in controlling pests like mosquitoes and agricultural insects.
- It was instrumental in combating diseases such as malaria and typhus.
- However, due to its persistence in the environment and potential harmful effects on wildlife and humans, especially as a suspected endocrine disruptor and carcinogen, DDT has been heavily regulated and banned in many countries since the 1970s and 1980s.
- Its use is now restricted to specific cases under strict international guidelines.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q3. Consider the following statements as per latest UN Study:
Which of the above statements are incorrect?
|
Q. With reference to ‘Global Environment Facility’, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2014)
(a) It serves as financial mechanism for ‘Convention on Biological Diversity’ and ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’. (b) It undertakes scientific research on environmental issues at global level. (c) It is an agency under OECD to facilitate the transfer of technology and funds to underdeveloped countries with specific aim to protect their environment. (d) Both (a) and (b) Ans: (a) |
| Answer 3 B
Explanation
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HAL receives request for proposal from Defence Ministry for 156 light combat helicopters worth ₹45,000 crore
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 3- Defence, Science and Technology
Context: The draft rules stipulate that radar equipment installed after the final rules are notified must be verified and stamped within one year.
Why in News
- Defence public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received the Request for Proposal (RFP) from the Defence Ministry for 156 indigenous Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) estimated to cost ₹45,000 crore.
Key Highlights
- In terms of Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, we would like to inform that RFP has been issued by the Ministry of Defence for procurement of 156 Light Combat Helicopter.
- Now, HAL will get back with price quote to MoD following which cost negotiations will be held to finalise the deal.
- Once the final deal is ready, it has to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security before the deal can be signed.
- The Army and the IAF have already contracted 15 LCH of Feb limited series production variants, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in March 2020 at a cost of ₹3,887 crore along with infrastructure sanctions worth ₹377 crore, 10 for the IAF and five for the Army.
- The deal for 156 LCH was approved by the Defence Acquisition Council last November.
- The Army is also gearing up to induct the first lot of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, six of which have been contracted, from May onwards and will be deployed in the desert sector.
Indigenous attack helicopter
- The twin-engine LCH designed and developed by the HAL is a 5-8 tonne class dedicated combat helicopter, conceptualised after the 1999 Kargil conflict when the need for a dedicated platform capable of operating in high altitudes was felt.
- It is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take-off at an altitude of 5,000 m (16,400 ft) with considerable load of weapons and fuel, significantly augmenting the firepower of the IAF and the Army in high altitude areas.
- The helicopter has a combat radius of 500 km and can go up to a service ceiling of 21,000 feet, which makes it ideal to operate at high altitude areas of the Siachen glacier.
- The LCH is armed with 20mm nose gun, 70 mm rockets, anti-tank guided missile ‘Dhruvastra’ and air-to-air missile ‘Mistral-2’ of MBDA whichever has a maximum interception range of 6.5 km.
What is the Light Combat Helicopters (LCH)?
- Light Combat Helicopter is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel.
- The helicopter uses radar-absorbing material to lower radar signature and has a significantly crash-proof structure and landing gear.
- A pressurised cabin offers protection from Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) contingencies.
- The helicopter is equipped with a countermeasure dispensing system that protects it from enemy radars or infrared seekers of enemy missiles.
- LCH is powered by two French-origin Shakti engines manufactured by the HAL.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ | ||||||||||||
Q 4. Consider the following pairs:
Which of the above pairs are correctly matched?
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Q. With reference to Agni-IV Missile, which of the following statement(s) is/are correct? (2014)
Select the correct answer using the codes given below. (a) Only 1 (b) 2 and 3 (c) 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3 Ans. (a) |
| Answer 4 A
Explanation
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Climate change is helping the spread of dengue in Europe
Source: Indian Express
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/dengue-europe-local-mosquitos-9396083
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 3- Health
Context: Climate change helping the spread of dengue in Europe.
Why in news
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently said European countries had reported an increased number of imported dengue cases.
Background
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- Travel-related cases of dengue, like travel-related cases of malaria, are not uncommon in Europe.
- People get home from a trip to a hotspot, they come down with dengue, rest for a few days and then get back to their normal lives.
- Problems arise when dengue-infected individuals find themselves in a statistically unlikely situation: the weather in their home country is warm, they live in an urban area, or they get bitten — at home — by an Aedes mosquito, which then carries the dengue virus to another person.
- The chance of all these circumstances coming together in Europe is very low.
- Cases of locally transmitted dengue on the European mainland were rare, as statistics collected between 2015 and 2019 show: European countries where the mosquito that spreads dengue is established, saw about 3,000 cases of travel-related dengue, but only 9 cases of local transmitted dengue.
- But in 2022, cases rose higher than in the past seven decades on the European mainland combined — with 65 cases in France alone.
- In 2023, the number of cases rose even higher to 130 cases, largely in France and Italy, and a handful in Spain.
- By June 2024, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said countries had already reported an increased number of imported dengue cases.
Spread of dengue in a non-endemic region
- Dengue is not endemic in Europe — the virus cannot live on its own here, it needs a so-called “vector”, a body in which to live, such as someone who is bitten by a mosquito in a dengue-endemic region and comes home with dengue in their blood.
- Increased international travel from dengue-endemic countries will also increase the risk of imported cases, and inevitably also the risk of local outbreaks.
- Dengue is generally transmitted through the Aedes mosquito.
- In order for local transmission to occur in Europe, the mosquito needs to have established itself in the community.
- That means, it needs to be able to live, breed and survive there. There are different types of Aedes mosquito, but the one most widespread in Europe is the aedes albopictus.
- Temperatures need to be high — between 15 and 35 degrees Celsius — for the mosquitos to thrive, so the threat is restricted to warmer months.
- Because dengue is not endemic in Europe, this occurs when a traveler brings the virus from abroad.
- Dengue is a viral infection that can involve high fever, headache and nausea, but the majority of cases are asymptomatic.
- Death is extremely rare but can occur in situations in which severe illness — also rare — goes untreated.
Why are numbers so high?
- Experts say there are a lot of potential explanations for 2023’s rise in locally transmitted dengue cases, but that there’s no clear answer yet.
- Research conducted by Jaenisch helped provide evidence for the WHO’s dengue classification of 2009, which distinguishes between severe and non-severe dengue.
- The weather, growing mosquito populations, increased occurrence of the virus abroad and vector control all offer some potential explanation of the trend observed over the past two years.
Higher temperatures
- Higher temperatures, not only during the day but also at night, may contribute to the spread of dengue in southern Europe.
- Longer stints of high temperatures offer more time for the mosquitoes to breed, ultimately resulting in more mosquitoes as summers start early and stretch late into fall.
Expansion of established mosquito populations
- The Aedes albopictus mosquito was first detected in Europe in the early 2000s.
- It has since spread to many more areas around the Mediterranean and Central Europe and has increased in abundance in areas close to larger population centers.
- The Aedes mosquito population is currently established in all of Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Slovenia, Hungary and in the majority of France.
- Since 2017, it has been established in Switzerland, parts of southern Germany and Austria.
- However, unlike other types of mosquitoes, the Aedes doesn’t venture far from its breeding area over its lifetime — only around 100 meters — which means it may take longer for it to spread to other areas.
Vector control and awareness
- Increased spread of dengue in Europe also depends on the increased spread of dengue in countries where the virus is endemic.
- The more dengue in a place, the more likely travelers are to become infected and bring it home.
- Cases reported to the WHO increased from around 500,000 cases globally in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. So far, cases reported in 2023 total more than 4.5 million.
- But the WHO says cases are under-reported and estimates the actual number per year is probably closer to nearly 400 million worldwide.
- Vector control describes measures used to limit or eradicate human contact with the “vector,” the thing that transmits a disease — in this case the mosquito.
- Research suggests that European communities do not know how to respond to emerging public health threats.
- Europe should increase their awareness of the symptoms of dengue, because most cases are mild or asymptomatic and therefore hard to spot if you don’t know what to watch out for.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q5. Consider the following statements with regards to Aedes mosquito:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
|
Q. “Wolbachia method’ is sometimes talked about with reference to which one of the following? (2023)
Ans: (a) |
| Answer 5 D
Explanation
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