April 11, 2025

Current Affairs

Arctic Biome rejects more Carbon

Context: The 2024 Arctic Report Card issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that frequent wildfires are turning the Arctic Boreal Zone from a carbon sink to a carbon source.

Relevance of the topic:

Prelims: Key facts about Arctic Boreal Zone.

Mains: Climate change: Key trends.

Arctic Boreal Zone

It is a vast transitional zone, also known as ‘boreal forests’, stretching between Arctic tundra and the temperate forests of the Northern Hemisphere.
It represents 1/3rds of the Earth's forested area- the largest terrestrial biome. Found across: Canada, Alaska (US), Russia, Mongolia and Scandinavian nations (Norway, Finland, Sweden).
It is a significant global carbon sink dominated by coniferous forests, and also comprises tundra, wetlands and permafrost zones.

Why is the Arctic Boreal Zone releasing more carbon dioxide?

Frequent and intense wildfires: A study published in Nature Climate Change reports that more than 30% of the ABZ has shifted from being a carbon sink to a carbon source, largely due to intense and frequent wildfires. Wildfires burn through natural carbon reservoirs like forests and peatlands. This transforms these ecosystems into sources of carbon emissions.
Thawing of tundra permafrost: Permafrost (permanently frozen grounds beneath the tundra) hold 2.5 times the carbon that is currently in the atmosphere. Due to Arctic warming, the permafrost has begun to thaw. This leads to release of carbon dioxide and methane, and thus, has undermined the carbon storage capacity of ABZ.

Increasing intensity and frequency of wildfires:

Multiple regions around the globe including the U.S., Japan, and India — have witnessed a surge in wildfires, dust storms, and extreme weather events.
- According to the Copernicus Air Monitoring Service (CAMS) of the European Union, wildfires in January 2025 alone have released approximately 800,000 tonnes of carbon, nearly four times the emissions from a decade earlier.
India’s wildfires are estimated to emit 69 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. Heat waves are now arriving earlier, lasting longer, and moving slower, creating conditions ripe for forest fires. It has long-term implications for climate change.

Also Read: Forest Fire Incidents in India

India ends Transshipment Facility for Bangladesh

Context: Indian government has terminated the transshipment facility that allowed export cargo from Bangladesh to third countries via Indian Land Customs Stations, en route to Indian ports and airports.

Relevance of the Topic:Mains: India - Bangladesh bilateral relations: Key Developments

India-Bangladesh Transshipment Facility

The transshipment arrangement began in 2020. Under this system, cargo could be transported through Indian borders and shipped from Indian ports or airports, destined for third countries including Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar.
The arrangement facilitated smoother trade flows and reduced logistical costs for Bangladesh, particularly for its vital readymade garment sector.
The move was a goodwill gesture from India to enhance regional trade integration, under India’s Neighbourhood First Policy.

Reasons for withdrawal of the Transshipment Facility:

Following Bangladesh's advocacy of extending China’s economic reach into India's strategically crucial Northeast region, India has terminated the transshipment facility citing significant congestion at Indian ports and airports, leading to logistical delays and higher export costs for India.

Significance of the Move:

India’s balancing Act: The move is widely seen as India’s balancing act— maintaining regional cooperation while safeguarding internal logistical priorities and asserting its stance amid growing Chinese influence in South Asia.
Impacts on India-Bangladesh relations: The move is expected to complicate the already fragile India-Bangladesh relationship; given Bangladesh's increasing ties with China.
Increased efficiency of India’s logistics sector: The suspension could improve the efficiency of logistics, especially at key hubs like New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, which handled a large portion of Bangladesh’s air cargo.

Also Read: India-Bangladesh Border Fencing Issue

India’s revocation of the transshipment facility is a significant shift in bilateral relations with Bangladesh and can have broad implications for regional trade.

Govt plans new Aadhaar law to align with DPDP Act

Context: The government is considering amendments to the Aadhaar Act to align it with the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.

Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023.

Why is a new law Needed?

Original Aadhaar Act (2016): It was enacted in a pre-horizontal-privacy regime, so it focused on identity authentication and welfare delivery and lacked a comprehensive data protection framework.
Horizontal Privacy Law: The DPDP Act, 2023 introduces uniform privacy standards across all sectors, public & private. It provides penalties for data breaches, consent-based data processing, and data fiduciary responsibilities.

Implications of revised Aadhaar Law

Alignment with DPDP Principles:
- It will ensure consent-based usage of Aadhaar data by incorporating data minimisation, purpose limitation, and storage limitation norms. E.g., As per the Aadhaar Act consent is required for enrollment and authentication. But in practice, Aadhaar is often mandatorily demanded for services like bank accounts, school admissions or SIM cards, even when it is supposed to be optional.
- Under the DPDP Act, consent must be free, specific, informed and unambiguous. So, if agencies force people to use Aadhaar for identification, it can be violative of the DPDP Act’s consent framework, thus increasing individual control over data.
Enhance User Rights: Right to access, correct, and erase Aadhaar-related data and Grievance Redressal Mechanisms shall be further aligned with the DPDP Act.
Enhance User-Centricity: The revised law will make life easier for citizens by focusing on reducing repeated consent/authentication hassles and prioritising user convenience and control.
Security & Accountability: It has clear provisions for data fiduciaries, especially in the Aadhaar ecosystem (e.g., banks, telecom, welfare agencies) and stronger mechanisms to prevent data leaks or misuse.
Data Minimisation: DPDP Act emphasises collecting only necessary data. However, Aadhaar collects sensitive biometric data by default, which might not always be necessary for the service being provided.
Resolve conflict between Aadhar Act and DPDP Act: Under the Aadhaar Act, data collected can only be used for authentication and for purposes notified by the government. However, under the DPDP Act, personal data should only be used for the specific purpose for which consent was given. Thus, a conflict arises with the DPDP Act, if Aadhaar data is reused for other purposes like profiling or surveillance without fresh consent.
Right to Erasure: Conflict between the two also arises with regard to the right to erasure and correction. The DPDP Act gives people the right to correct or erase their data. The Aadhaar Act, on the other hand, allows for limited correction, like updating address or phone number, but not deletion of core biometric data. So, Aadhaar does not support full data erasure, which clashes with DPDP rights.

Thus, the proposed revision will remove the conflicts between the two laws and further harmonise them.