Environment

G7 Climate and Environment Ministers’ commit to decarbonize power grids by 2035

Context: The G7 nations agreed to accelerate the phase-out of "domestic unabated coal power" and decarbonize their power systems by 2035 at the conclusion of their climate and environment ministers conference on Sunday in Sapporo, Japan.

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  • The G7 states further stated that there is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 43 per cent by 2030 and 60 per cent by 2035, aligned to 1.5 degrees in light of the most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The Group of 7 (G7) is an informal group of seven countries - the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, the heads of which hold an annual summit with European Union and other invitees.India, Australia, South Korea and South Africa were invited to 47th G7 summit hosted by UK.

Together the G7 member countries represent 40% of global GDP and 10% of the world’s population.G7 has no legal existence, permanent secretariat or official members.Leaders of G7 countries meets annually and discusses emerging global issues.The presidency of G7 meetings is held by each of the 7 countries in turn, each year.

Condemning Russia’s attempts at ‘geopolitical coercion’

  • In its communiqué, the G7 has condemned Russia’s “illegal unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and disregard to the impacts that its war is having on people worldwide’’.

Unprecedented triple global crisis

  • The G7 has said that they are facing an “unprecedented triple global crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution that are mutually reinforcing and intrinsically linked, as well as an ongoing global energy crisis of unprecedented scale which has worsened economic and social disruptions, health threats and environmental damage.

Limitations of these discussion

  • The group failed to say how it will increase its efforts to assist other countries scale up their energy transition and energy efficiency.
  • Though G7 committed to decarbonising their power sector by 2035, they failed to agree to a proposal made by the UK and Canada to phase out coal by 2030. This proposal saw objections from Japan, the US and the European Union. 
  • Japan’s attempt to promote ammonia co-firing as a form of clean technology in the power sector domestically and in Asia via the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) was degraded by the rest of the group.

How to address these challenges 

  • Multilateral cooperation can steadfast their commitment to the Paris Agreement, keeping a limit of 1.5°C global temperature rise within reach through scaled up action in this critical decade
  • Full, swift and effective implementation of the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP15) with its mission to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030
  • And, to welcome the landmark international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).

About Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

  • In 2021, 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNCBD was held virtually in Kunming, China. The COP 15's major goal was to create and accept a post-2020 "Global Biodiversity Framework" to replace and update the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (SPB) 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.
  • The first draft of the GBF was released in July 2021, containing 21 targets for 2030 and 4 Goals to achieve humanity “living in harmony with nature,” vision by 2050.
  • Parties will reconvene in 2022 for further negotiations and to come to a final agreement on the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Kunming Declaration

  • The declaration called for immediate and comprehensive action in all areas of the global economy to reflect biodiversity concerns.
  • More than a hundred countries, including India, have pledged to
  • Work together to design, adopt, and implement a viable post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
  • Reverse the current biodiversity loss.
  • Ensure that biodiversity is on the mend by 2030 at the very latest.
  • China established the Kunming Biodiversity Fund with a budget of around USD 230 million to fund programs that safeguard biodiversity in underdeveloped nations.
  • It also praised many countries' efforts and commitments to safeguard 30% of their land and sea regions by 2030 (30 by 30 objective), which is crucial for reversing a major cause of environmental degradation.
  • Global Environment Facility, UNDP, and UNEP have pledged to expedite financial and technical assistance to developing countries to help them implement the Global Environment Facility.

 About BBNJ Treaty also known as the “Treaty of the High Seas”

  • The United Nations General Assembly decided, in 2015, to develop an international legally binding instrument under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)  on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction(BBNJ). 
  • This “BBNJ Treaty”, also known as the “Treaty of the High Seas”, is an international legally binding agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, currently under negotiation at the United Nations.

G7 Ministers commit to work for carbon free electricity by 2035

Context: The G7 countries' Climate and Energy Ministers and envoys committed to working towards carbon-free electricity production by 2035 and accelerating the phase-out of coal. The participants also agreed to accelerate solar and wind energy investments to produce 1,000 GW of solar power and 150 GW of wind power from offshore platforms by 2030, in line with the IPCC's recommendation to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

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To prevent global warming it is necessary to change into the carbon-neutral energy system, and many countries have declared that they aim for a carbon-neutral society. The focus is on transition of energy source from fossil fuels to carbon-free energies. Carbon-free energy sources are nuclear power and renewable energy, including synthetic fuel called “e-fuels.” E-fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, methane, and DME are made by renewable energy.

About Carbon free energy

Energy sources that are considered carbon-free do not generate any carbon emissions during their production, and are usually sourced from resources like nuclear or large hydroelectric. While these resources can play a crucial role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, their usage can also have adverse effects on the environment and economy. For instance, nuclear power plants produce radioactive waste that requires long-term safe storage, which can be expensive. Similarly, building new large hydroelectric resources requires dam construction that can have lasting negative impacts on the surrounding ecosystems.

What is Renewable energy?

Renewable energy refers to naturally replenishing resources that generate zero emissions during their production. Examples of renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and biowaste, as well as certain forms of hydroelectricity. 

While all renewable energy is carbon-free, not all carbon-free energy is renewable. Only naturally-replenishing sources are renewable.

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About G7

  • The G7 (Group of Seven) is an intergovernmental organisation of the world's seven largest so-called "advanced" economies, which dominate global trade and the international financial system. 
  • Its members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States. 
  • Russia joined in 1998, creating the G8, but was excluded in 2014 for its takeover of Crimea. 
  • China has never been a member, despite its large economy and having the world's biggest population. 
  • Japan took over the G7 presidency in 2023, which means it will host the organisation's annual summit in May 2023 at Hiroshima. 
  • The EU is not a member of the G7 but attends the annual summit.
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Initiatives of G7

  • The G7 played crucial role in setting up a global fund to fight malaria and Aids in 2002. 
  • Ahead of the 2021 G7 summit in the UK, the G7 finance ministers agreed to make multinational companies pay more tax. 
  • It has also provided financial aid to developing countries, and addressed climate change.
  • The G7 countries, have officially launched the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), a joint initiative to fund infrastructure projects in developing countries. 

Kaziranga National Park & One Horned Rhino

Context: The Kaziranga National Park has requested the Eastern Command chief for the Army's assistance in building three Bailey bridges to replace wooden structures in flood-prone areas.

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The Eastern Command chief, has received a request from Kaziranga National Park to build three Bailey bridges to replace wooden structures in vulnerable areas that are frequently flooded. The bridges would improve connectivity and shorten routes to the vulnerable areas, making it easier for forest guards to coordinate and protect the one-horned rhino population. The bridges, which would be built in Mihi, Kathparaghat, and Rongamotia, would be 4 meters wide and between 30-100 meters long.

Kaziranga National Park

  • It is a national park which is located in the state of Assam, India. 
  • It hosts two-thirds of the world's Indian rhinoceroses and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 
  • It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. 
  • It is home to large populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
  • It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

Greater One horned Rhino

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  • It is the largest of the rhino species and identified by a single black horn and a grey-brown hide with skin folds. 
  • The species is solitary, except when adult males or rhinos nearing adulthood gather at wallows or to graze. 
  • They primarily graze, with a diet consisting of grasses as well as leaves, branches of shrubs and trees, fruit, and aquatic plants.
  • IUCN Status: Vulnerable

Sumatran Rhino

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  • They are the smallest species of Rhino.
  • They have two horns that are dark grey to black in colour. 
  • They are fast runners and are very agile. 
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Javan Rhino

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  • They are most threatened of the five rhino species, with only around 60 individuals that live only in Java, Indonesia. 
  • It has a dusky grey colour and a single horn of up to about 10 inches. 
  • It is very similar in appearance to the closely-related greater one-horned rhinoceros.
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

Black Rhino

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  • Among black and white rhinos, black rhinos are the smaller of the two African rhino species. 
  • It is native to eastern and southern African countries.
  • Black and white rhinos can be distinguished by the shape of their lips. 
  • Black rhinos are browsers, rather than grazers, meaning they are herbivores who do not feed on low-growing vegetation.
  • They have two horns, which grow continually from the skin at their base throughout the rhino’s life (like human fingernails).
  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered

White Rhino

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  • They are the second-largest land mammal and also known as the square-lipped rhinoceros.
  • The majority (98.8%) of the southern white rhinos occur in just four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. 
  • They are the only of the five rhino species that are not endangered. 
  • IUCN Status: Near Threatened

Understanding Cyclones

Context: Meteorologists say Tropical Cyclone Ilsa is forecast to be the most powerful storm to hit Australia in eight years, bringing wind gusts of up to 196 miles per hour as it crosses the northwest coast.

About Cyclones

  • Cyclones are the centres of low pressure surrounded by closed isobars having increasing pressure outward and closed air circulation from outside towards the central low pressure. 
  • The winds move anti clockwise in northern hemisphere and clockwise in southern hemisphere. 
  • Based on location, cyclones are classified in two major types:

Tropical Cyclones

  • Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large scale destruction caused by violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surges. 
  • This is one of the most devastating natural calamities. They are known as Cyclones in the Indian Ocean, Hurricanes in the Atlantic, Typhoons in the Western Pacific and South China Sea, and Willy-willies in the Western Australia. 
  • Tropical cyclones originate and intensify over warm tropical oceans. 
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The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are

(i) Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C; 

(ii) Presence of the Coriolis force; 

(iii) Small variations in the vertical wind speed; 

(iv) A pre-existing weaklow-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation; 

(v) Upper divergence above the sea level system. 

Mechanism

  • The energy that intensifies the storm, comes from the condensation process in the towering cumulonimbus clouds, surrounding the centre of the storm. 
  • With continuous supply of moisture from the sea, the storm is further strengthened. 
  • On reaching the land the moisture supply is cut off and the storm dissipates. 
  • The place where a tropical cyclone crosses the coast is called the landfall of the cyclone. The cyclones, which cross 20 ° N latitude generally, recurve and they are more destructive.
  • A mature tropical cyclone is characterised by the strong spirally circulating wind around the centre, called the eye. The diameter of the circulating system can vary between 150 and 250 km. The eye is a region of calm with subsiding air. 
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  • Around the eye is the eye wall, where there is a strong spiralling ascent of air to greater height reaching the tropopause. Torrential rain occurs here. 
  • From the eye wall rain bands may radiate and trains of cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds may drift into the outer region. The cyclone creates storm surges and they inundate the coastal low lands. The storm peters out on the land.

Extra-Tropical Cyclones

  • The systems developing in the mid and high latitude, beyond the tropics are called the middle latitude or extra tropical cyclones. 
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  • The passage of front causes abrupt changes in the weather conditions over the area in the middle and high latitudes
  •  Extra tropical cyclones form along the polar front. Initially, the front is stationary.
  •  In the northern hemisphere, warm air blows from the south and cold air from the north of the front. When the pressure drops along the front, the warm air moves northwards and the cold air move towards, south setting in motion an anticlockwise cyclonic circulation. 
  • The cyclonic circulation leads to a well-developed extra tropical cyclone, with a warm front and a cold front. 
  • There are pockets of warm air or warm sector wedged between the forward and the rear cold air or cold sector.
  •  The warm air glides over the cold air and a sequence of clouds appear over the sky ahead of the warm front and cause precipitation. 
  • The cold front approaches the warm air from behind and pushes the warm air up. As a result, cumulus clouds develop along the cold front. 
  • The cold front moves faster than the warm front ultimately overtaking the warm front. 
  • The warm air is completely lifted up and the front is occluded and the cyclone dissipates.
  •  The processes of wind circulation both at the surface and aloft are closely interlinked. 

Similarities between tropical cyclones and extra tropical cyclones: 

  • Tropical cyclones and extratropical cyclones are both symmetrical. 
  • They also have surface areas of low pressure with winds that rotate counter-clockwise.
  • Both produce very heavy precipitation and often results in flooding. 
  • Both tropical cyclones and mid-latitude cyclones can last for several days, and sometimes if a week or more. 
  • Often, a tropical cyclone will transform into an extra-tropical cyclone as it recurves poleward.

Differences between tropical cyclones and extratropical cyclones: 

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Read also: ITCZ - Fluctuations and Impact on Monsoon

Climate Change increasing cyclonic intensity and frequency 

According to Council on Energy, Environment and Water, in last 50 years India has recorded a 12-fold surge in number of associated cyclonic events such as extreme rainfall, floods, sea-level rise, and thunderstorms.

  • Increased sea surface temperature: Over the past 50 years, the global ocean has absorbed 90% of the excess heat generated due to man-made climate change leading to higher convection and rapid intensification of cyclones.
  • Rising sea level: on account of Antarctic melting has increased the moisture availability for cyclones.
  • Micro-climatic changes on land: local heating of coastal land is pulled by the adjacent ocean further heating it up.
  • Changing weather events: El-Nino and rising marine heat waves lead to prolonged warm periods over oceans by reducing the ocean upwelling.
  • Higher Atmospheric moisture: due to anthropogenic global warming increase cyclonic precipitation rates thereby increasing the frequency.
  • Changes in wind systems: Occasionally intense winds drive the low-pressure regions to other areas rising the frequency in those areas. E.g.- Gulab cyclone shifted to Arabian sea from B.O.B
  • Rapid Intensification: According to NOAA, when the speed of a storm increases by 55km/hr within the span of 24 hours.

Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala tops 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE)

Context: According to the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Centre alongside the Tiger Census, the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is the best-maintained of all tiger reserves in the country, followed closely by the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Bandipur in Karnataka and Nagarhole in Karnataka.

More facts about MEE Report

  • The government has been using the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) to assess tiger reserves across the country since its inception in 2006.
  •  The MEE exercise, adopted from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' (IUCN's) World Commission on Protected Areas.
  • Periyar reserve has obtained an MEE score of 94.3%
  • Of these 53 tiger reserves, however, only 51, were evaluated as two newly declared tiger reserves, Ramgarh Visdhari(Rajasthan) and Ranipur(Uttar Pradesh), have not been included in the current cycle of MEE.
  • In the 5th cycle, there are 12 Tiger Reserves that have scored 90% in the new category of ‘Excellent’, followed by 20 in the ‘Very Good’ category, 14 in the ‘Good’ category, and 5 in the ‘Fair’ category. None of the country’s tiger reserves was graded as ‘Poor’.
  • The report, however, points out that the headline indicator — ‘carbon capture and climate change’ — has received the lowest score in the current cycle, as there is no mandate for it in Tiger Conservation Plans.

About Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary

  • It is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. 
  • The park is located high in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills of the south Western Ghats along the border with Tamil Nadu. 
  • It forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala: The Periyar and the Pamba. (Pamba River is the third longest river in the Kerala after Periyar and Bharathappuzha).
  • One of the main attractions is the Periyar Lake, which was formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River.
  •  It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. 
  • Fauna:  It is valuable for Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, and a few white tigers. Other mammals include the gaur, sambar, wild pig, Indian giant squirrel, Travancore flying squirrel, jungle cat, Dhole, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr and Nilgiri marten.
  • Flora: The vegetal cover is tropical evergreen and deciduous, with patches of dense forest including jackfruit, teak, and kokam (tropical evergreen [Garcinia indica]) trees that produce a dark purple, plumlike fruit). Most of the grassland is now planted with eucalyptus.

About Periyar River

  • Periyar is the longest river and the river with the largest discharge potential in the Indian state of Kerala.
  • It originates from Sivagiri hills of Western Ghats and flows through the Periyar National Park.
  • It flows into Vembanad Lake and finally into Arabian Sea.
  • The main tributaries of Periyar are Muthirapuzha, Mullayar, Cheruthoni, Perinjankutti.

Read: Tiger reserve in India

Framework for acceptance of Green Deposits

Context: Climate change has been recognised as one of the most critical challenges faced by the global society and economy in the 21st century. The financial sector can play a pivotal role in mobilizing resources and their allocation thereof in green activities/projects. Green finance is also progressively gaining traction in India. Deposits constitute a major source for mobilizing of funds by the banks and some financial intermediaries are already offering green deposits for financing green activities and projects. With a view to fostering and developing green finance ecosystem in the country further, it has been decided to put in place a Framework for acceptance of Green Deposits by the banks.

What are Green Deposits?

  • A green deposit is a fixed-term deposit for investors looking to invest their surplus cash reserves in environmentally friendly projects. Green bonds used to be the most common fixed-income ESG product in India earlier, and now products like green deposits are gaining significance.
  • Corporates looking for inclusion of a sustainability agenda into their treasury activities or those that have limited opportunities for investment in environmentally beneficial projects can invest in these green deposits.

Purpose of the framework:

To encourage banks to offer green deposits to customers, protect interest of the depositors, aid customers to achieve their sustainability agenda, address greenwashing concerns and help augment the flow of credit to green activities/projects.

Key Guidelines:

  • Applicability: The provisions of these instructions shall be applicable to Scheduled commercial banks (excluding payment banks, RRBs), deposit taking NBFCs and Housing finance companies (HFCs)
  • The Banks shall issue green deposits as cumulative/non-cumulative deposits. On maturity, the green deposits would be renewed or withdrawn at the option of the depositor. The green deposits shall be denominated in Indian Rupees only.
  • The eligible banks shall put in place a comprehensive Board-approved policy on green deposits covering all aspects in detail for the issuance and allocation of green deposits.
  • Allocation of funds: The proceeds raised form the green deposits shall be allocated to the following activities

Projects involving nuclear power generation, generating energy from biomass and hydropower plants larger than 25MW are excluded from eligible projetcs. 

The banks shall ensure that the funds raised through green deposits are allocated to the eligible green activities/projects.

  • Third party verification: Allocation of funds raised through green deposits shall be subject to an independent Third-Party Verification/Assurance which shall be done on an annual basis. The third-party assessment would not absolve the bank of its responsibility regarding the end-use of funds.
  • A review report shall be published by the banks covering the details about amount raised under green deposits, amount of funding to the eligible green projects and third-party verification report. 

What is a normal Monsoon and what factors lead to the weakening of the Monsoon?

Context: According to the private weather forecasting agency Skymet, India is likely to get "below normal" monsoon rains in 2023 with an increased likelihood of El Nino, which typically brings dry weather to Asia.

About Normal Monsoon

  • The IMD predicts a “normal”, “below normal”, or “above normal” monsoon in relation to a benchmark “long period average” (LPA). 
  • According to the IMD, the “LPA of rainfall is the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given interval (like month or season) average over a long period like 30 years, 50 years, etc”.
  • The IMD’s prediction of a normal monsoon was based on the LPA of the 1971-2020 period, during which India received 87 cm of rain for the entire country on average.
  • The IMD maintains five rainfall distribution categories on an all-India scale. These are:
    • * Normal or near normal, when the percentage departure of actual rainfall is +/-10% of LPA, that is, between 96-104% of LPA;
    • * Below normal, when departure of actual rainfall is less than 10% of LPA, that is 90-96% of LPA;
    • * Above normal, when actual rainfall is 104-110% of LPA;
    • * Deficient, when departure of actual rainfall is less than 90% of LPA; and
    • * Excess, when the departure of actual rainfall is more than 110% of LPA.

Factors which affect the Monsoon

El Niño

  • The warming in the tropical Pacific Ocean because of El Niño weakens the southeast trade winds flowing to the intertropical convergence zone over India. 
  • Since these winds are the main driving force of the Indian summer monsoon, El Niño events are associated with weak monsoons and lower than average rainfall. 
  • The location of the El Niño event also influences its effects on the Indian monsoon – warming in the central Pacific Ocean affects the Indian monsoon more than if the warming is in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
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La Niña

  • The La Niña has the opposite effect to the El Niño and is responsible for stronger monsoons and above-average rainfall.
  • Equatorial Indian Ocean Oscillation (EQUINOO): 
  • It is thought to arise as an effect of the Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD) and refers to increased and decreased cloud formation between the western and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean. 

Although the IOD was discovered only in 1999, and the EQUINOO in 2002, both have been recognised as important modulators of the Indian summer monsoon. Positive Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD) and EQUINOO events are associated with more rainfall as these events increase moisture transport from the southeastern parts of the Indian Ocean.

Indian Ocean Dipole(IOD):

  • IOD measures differences in sea surface temperatures between the western and eastern parts of the Indian Ocean.
  • Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is basically similar to the El Nino weather system that develops in the Pacific Ocean. It is characterized by an irregular oscillation of sea-surface temperatures in the eastern and western Indian Ocean

Atlantic sea surface temperature(SST) variability

  • The Atlantic SST variability affects the Indian summer monsoon in the same way that the ENSO does. 
  • A warming of the surface of the Atlantic Ocean weakens the monsoon, just as cooling of the ocean’s surface has the opposite effect. 
  • The effects of this phenomenon, also known as the Atlantic Niño on the Indian summer monsoon is thought to be mediated through perturbations in the jet streams above India.

Mascarene High

  • The Mascarene High is a semi-permanent high-pressure zone in the south Indian Ocean, about 4,000 km from India, near the Mascarene Islands. 
  • The Mascarene High begins developing in mid-April and is a major factor in driving the circulation between the northern and southern hemispheres that powers the summer monsoon winds towards the Indian subcontinent from the Indian Ocean.
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Irrigation

  • One of the rather surprising local factors that affects the Indian monsoon, is irrigation. 
  • According to a 2019 study in the journal Climate Dynamics, the trend of decreasing rainfall over the Indo-Gangetic plains could be due to the extensive irrigation in this area. 
  • This is likely because irrigation affects soil moisture levels and temperature simultaneously, which affects atmospheric stability. Since the irrigation is over vast tracts of land, these changes shift the moisture convergence zone to the south, during the active phase of the monsoon.
  • The study finds that winter irrigation (November-March) actually strengthens the monsoon rains over the region for the following year and also reduces intra-seasonal variations in rainfall. 
  • However, with year-round irrigation, there is a noticeable decrease in the summer monsoon rainfall (June-September).

Aerosols and dust

  • Aerosols and dust are other local factors that have been shown to affect the monsoon rainfall in India. 
  • In a recent study in 2022, researchers at IIT Bhubaneswar have shown that dust transported to the Arabian sea from the Middle-Eastern deserts (the Sahara and the Sinai) could increase rainfall in India and south Asia over short time scales of one or two weeks. 
  • In a similar study in 2014, scientists showed that dust aerosols likely heat up the atmosphere over north Africa and west Asia, which increases the flow of moisture over India. This results in rainfall, usually within a week of the event, over central India.

Monsoon Impact

  • The monsoon is critical for a healthy rural economy as 51% of the country’s farmed area, accounting for 40% of production, is rain-fed, according to the agriculture ministry. 
  • As much as 47% of the country’s population is dependent on agriculture, one of the mainstays of India’s economy, for livelihood, according to Economic Survey 2022-23.
  • It spurs farm produce and improves rural spending besides impacting inflation, jobs, and industrial demand, for ex. Good farm output keeps food inflation under check and ample harvests raise rural incomes and help inject demand into the economy.

El Nino and the monsoon

La Niña: 

  • La Niña basically refers to an abnormal cooling of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean waters off the coasts of Ecuador and Peru. 
  • Such cooling (sea surface temperatures i.e. SSTs falling) is a result of strong trade winds blowing west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia. 
  • The warming of the western equatorial Pacific, then, leads to increased evaporation and concentrated cloud-formation activity around that region, whose effects may spread to India as well.

Latest La Nina event:

  • The latest La Nina event was one of the longest ever, lasting from July-September 2020 to December-February 2022-23. And it brought copious rains to India – just as two previous “strong” La Nina in 2007-08 and 2010-11, followed by one “moderate” episode in 2011-12, had done.

El Niño:

  • It is a climate pattern that describes the unusual warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. 
  • El Niño is the “warm phase” of a larger phenomenon called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). La Niña, the “cool phase” of ENSO, is a pattern that describes the unusual cooling of the region’s surface waters. El Niño and La Niña are considered the ocean part of ENSO, while the Southern Oscillation is its atmospheric changes.
  • During El Niño, the trade winds weaken or even reverse: 
  • Instead of blowing from east (South America) to west (Indonesia), they could turn into westerlies. 
  • As the winds blow from the west to east, they cause the masses of warm water to move into the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. 
  • The rise in SSTs there, thus, produces increased rainfall along western Latin America, the Caribbean and US Gulf Coast, while depriving Southeast Asia, Australia and India of convective currents.
  • El Niño occurs simultaneously with the Southern Oscillation. The Southern Oscillation is a change in air pressure over the tropical Pacific Ocean. When coastal waters become warmer in the eastern tropical Pacific (El Niño), the atmospheric pressure above the ocean decreases.
  • An El Niño event can be identified by the variations in sea surface temperature (SST) over the equatorial Central Pacific (the Nino 3.4 region). 
  • El Niño events are classified as weak, moderate, strong, and very strong depending on the strength of the positive SST variations. 
  • An El Niño event is announced when monthly Nino 3.4 SST deviations reach +0.50 °C, along with consistent atmospheric features, and when these anomalies persist for three consecutive months.

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Impact on Indian Monsoon:

  • El Nino may result in a weakening of the Indian monsoon, leading to drier conditions and reduced rainfall. 
  • On the other hand, La Niña events, which bring cooling to the Pacific Ocean, can result in stronger monsoons and more precipitation in India.

El Niño years and its trends in India

  • According to statistics, about 60 per cent of the time there will be a probability of drought in India during an El Niño year.
  • Chances of below-normal rain will be 30 per cent, while the prospect of normal rain remains very rare at 10 per cent.
  • However, El Niño conditions have been known to be unpredictable as well. For instance, even the strongest El Niño has given normal Monsoon rains of 102 per cent in 1997, while weak El Niño conditions resulted in severe drought in 2004 to the tune of 86 per cent.
  • Drought years:
  • Statistics from the year 2000 till 2019 show that there have been four instances of drought years. 
El nino
  • In 2002 and 2009, the countrywide deficiency was 19 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, which were considered severe drought years. 
  • While in 2004 and 2015 the deficiency stood at 14 per cent each, which was again a drought.
  • Surplus: 
  • There has been only one instance in the last 25 years, since 1997, when the country saw surplus rain of 2 per cent despite El Niño.
  • Recent research indicates that the frequency of extreme El Niño events increases linearly with the global mean temperature, and that the number of such events might double (one event every 10 years) under 1.5°C of global warming. 
  • This pattern is projected to persist for a century after stabilisation at 1.5°C, indicating continuing high risks.
  • Changes to the frequency of extreme El Niño and La Niña events may also increase the frequency of droughts and floods in South Pacific islands.

International Big Cat Alliance(IBCA)

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) during his visit to Karnataka.

Objective:

  • The alliance aims to reach out to 97 range countries covering the natural habitats of Tiger, Lion, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar, and Cheetah. 
  • It aims to provide a platform for “dissemination of information on benchmarked practices, capacity building, resources repository, research and development, awareness creation”, etc., on the protection and conservation of big cats.

Significance:

  • The alliance will strengthen global efforts and partnerships on big cat conservation while creating a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices. 
  • It will support existing species-specific inter-governmental platforms and provide direct support to recovery efforts in potential range habitats.
  • The alliance aims to strengthen global efforts and partnerships to preserve the natural habitats of big cats, secure ecosystems, and provide food security, livelihood, and sustenance to forest communities. 
  • Big cats will now serve as mascots for sustainable development, leading to environmental resilience and climate change mitigation. 

Governance structure:

  • The IBCA’s governance structure will comprise a General Assembly consisting of all member countries, a council of at least seven but not more than 15 member countries elected by the General Assembly for a term of 5 years, and a Secretariat. 
  • Upon the recommendation of the Council, the General Assembly will appoint the IBCA Secretary General for a specific term.

Funding:

  • After the first five years, which will be supported by India’s “total grant assistance” of $100 million, the IBCA is expected to sustain itself through membership fees, and contributions from bilateral and multilateral institutions and the private sector.

Biomethanation plants

Context: In her Budget 2023-24 speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the setting up of 500 biogas plants across the country under the Gobardhan scheme. Of these, 75 plants were to be set up in urban areas. The Budget announcement of setting up 75 biomethanation plants, which convert wet waste into biogas, in cities has got underway, with the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry approving plans for 42 such facilities.

More on News: While waste-to-energy plants, nine of which with capacity of 12,000 TPD are functional currently, use dry waste to produce power, the biomethanation plants use wet waste to produce biogas or bio-CNG, depending on the quality of the waste provided.

Biomethanation plants use anaerobic digestion to convert organic waste into biogas and biofertilizer. Anaerobic bacteria break down waste in the absence of oxygen to produce methane-rich biogas and nutrient-rich digestate.

Feedstocks for biomethanation plants

  • Food waste from households, restaurants, hotels, etc.
  • Crop residues like stover, straw, stalks, etc.
  • Livestock manure and dairy waste
  • Sewage and wastewater from industries

The anaerobic digestion process involves 4 stages

  1. Hydrolysis - Bacteria break down complex organic matter into simple soluble organic compounds like fatty acids.
  2. Acidogenesis - Acid-forming bacteria further convert the hydrolyzed products into organic acids, alcohols, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
  3. Acetogenesis - Acetate-forming bacteria convert the products from acidogenesis into acetic acid, hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
  4. Methanogenesis - Methane-forming archaea use acetic acid and hydrogen to produce methane and carbon dioxide.

Benefits of biomethanation

  • Produces biogas which can generate heat, electricity or bioCNG/ bioLNG for vehicles. This provides renewable energy and reduces fossil fuel use.
  • Reduces waste volumes by up to 95% and produces nutrient-rich fertilizer for soil and plants. This supports a circular economy. 
  • Lowers greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane, a potent GHG. The remaining digestate also produces little to no methane when applied as fertilizer. 
  • Requires low investments and provides quick returns as multiple revenue streams are possible from energy, fertilizer and waste disposal.
  • Provides rural and city waste management solutions. Decentralized small-scale plants can also meet local energy needs. 
  • Additional benefits include reducing pollution in water bodies and odour in the vicinity. The fertilizer can cut down chemical fertilizer costs for farmers.

However, there are also some challenges like lack of segregation of waste at source, shortage of skilled manpower, lack of standards and policies, etc. Capital and operating costs can be high for large centralized plants. Irregular supply of feedstocks also poses problems.

GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) DHAN scheme is an initiative by the Government of India to effectively manage and convert cattle dung and solid waste in farms into useful compost, biogas and bio-CNG. It was launched in April 2018.

Key objectives of GOBAR-DHAN scheme

  • Improve livestock health and productivity by providing doorstep animal waste collection service to farmers. This helps in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in villages.
  • Produce enriched organic manure using cattle dung to promote organic farming. This can reduce farmers' expenditure on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
  • Generate income from waste - Farmers can sell enriched compost and generate biogas for cooking requirements. Excess biogas can also be sold. 
  • Create new business and job opportunities through bio-gas plants, compost production units and biodegrading units. This boosts the rural economy.
  • Promote a circular economy by converting waste into resources and wealth. This supports sustainable development.
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions like methane by using cattle dung and waste to produce biogas and compost. This helps to mitigate climate change.
  • Improve sanitation and hygiene in rural areas by processing cattle dung and other waste. This prevents open defecation and reduces breeding of flies and mosquitoes.

Key components of GOBAR-DHAN scheme

  • Gobardhan Gram Panchayat Plant: Setting up of community bio-gas plants at Gram Panchayat level to collect and process cattle dung and waste to generate bio-gas for cooking and enriched compost.
  • Gobar Bank: Storage of cattle dung at Panchayat level and selling it to farmers and other buyers as per their requirements. This ensures regular supply of raw material to plants.
  • Galvanizing Organic Bio Agro Resources Fund: Provides financial assistance and capital subsidy for establishing biogas plants and composting units.
  • Awareness and outreach: Conducting training, campaigns and demonstrations to promote scheme benefits and encourage farmers and entrepreneurs to adopt waste management practices.
  • Monitoring: Reviewing the progress and impact of the scheme through periodic monitoring of physical and financial achievements. Taking corrective actions as needed.

The scheme utilizes appropriate technologies for waste management and treatment like anaerobic digestion technology, composting techniques, etc. It adopts a decentralized, cluster based approach for effective implementation across the country. Local bodies and village panchayats also actively support the scheme.

De-commissioning of dams

Context: Recently Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water, points out that though 234 large dams are 100-300 years old, none has been decommissioned.

Why decommissioning of dams is required?

  • Even after the enactment of the Dam Safety Act in 2021, the threat to the life, property, and livelihood of millions of people from dam-related perils remains unabated.
  • Retiring a dam has seldom been deemed an option in India even if the structure turns highly hazardous — as is the case with the nearly 130-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, which is not being replaced with a new one despite having been declared unsafe by the Kerala government.
  • Decommissioning vulnerable dams is now common practice to avert dam-related disasters in developed countries, notably in Europe and the US.
  • The parliamentary panel on dam safety has recommended decommissioning unsafe old dams. 
  • Nearly 20 per cent of 5740 large dams have outlived their rated life span of 50 years.
  • Besides, most of these old dams were constructed with locally available materials so, they are more vulnerable.
  • The situation has since undergone a dramatic change because of further development of the water-use infrastructure and global warming-induced uncertainties of the volume of water flows.
  • Risk factors like flash floods, landslides, and increased sedimentation are much more pronounced now than in the past. The country has witnessed more than 40 major dam failures in recent decades.
  • The Jal Shakti ministry conceded before this parliamentary committee that it did not have any methodology to assess the viable lifetime of dams.

What should be the way forward?

  • It is imperative to evolve a mechanism, as recommended by the parliamentary panel, to precisely estimate the potential life span of dams and decommission the over-aged ones to minimise the risk of their crashing down.
  • Routine maintenance work is done on the basis of the health evaluation of the structure.
  • Follow the US system of risk appraisal through a web-based integrated risk management model — called Dam Safety Analysis Tool — using variables from dam bursts in the past.
  • Develop an indigenous system for this purpose, using the expertise available in scientific institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology.

Read also: List of Major Important Dams in India

What was discussed at the UN water conference?

Context: The United Nations held its first water conference in 46 years to address the urgent need for action to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal for water.

United Nations 2023 Water Conference

  • The first UN Water Conference in almost five decades held in New York on 22-24 March, co-hosted by the Netherlands and Tajikistan. 
  • It focused on the urgent need for action to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for water, "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all". 
  • The conference resulted in 713 voluntary commitments by philanthropic donors, governments, corporations, and NGOs, including a $50 billion commitment from India to improve rural drinking water services.
  • The conference showcased innovative technologies in wastewater treatment and proposed incubation platforms for water management.
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The Conference has five themes that support the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework: 

1. Water for Health: Access to 'WASH' (Global Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene) including the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation. 

2. Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing water, the water-energy-food nexus and sustainable economic and urban development. 

3. Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source to sea, biodiversity, climate, resilience and disaster risk reduction. 

4. Water for Cooperation: Transboundary and international water cooperation, cross sectoral cooperation and water across the 2030 Agenda. 

5. Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade for Action, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan.

Why should we pay attention to the UN 2023 Water Conference?

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  • Only 1% of the earth's surface water is accessible drinking water, while one in 10 people struggle to access it. 
  • According to the World Bank, climate change-related disasters could displace up to 216 million people from their countries by 2025. 
  • From India to Africa and beyond, girls and young women bear the burden of retrieving water for their families, hindering their educational development. 
  • Meanwhile, a lack of water hygiene has negative health implications – an issue prevalent in developing countries.
  • The risk of water insecurity poses a grave threat to human life and can cause mass migration across different regions.

About UN Water Conference

The first UN Water Conference was held in Argentina in 1977, was the most important water event in a generation. In particular, it resulted in the first global ‘Action Plan’ which acknowledged that the access to drinking water in sufficient quantities and of adequate quality is a fundamental human right, regardless of a person's developmental, social, or economic circumstances. It led to several decades of global funding and concerted effort to provide drinking water and sanitation for all. The first global 'Action Plan' 

Other International Efforts for Water Security

  • The W12+ Blueprint, a UNESCO platform, is a tool which hosts city profiles and, technologies, and programmes addressing common water security challenges. 
  • 'Making Rights Real' an initiative aimed to help marginalized communities and women exercise their rights.
  • 'Water for Women Fund' offered mechanisms for sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene outcomes.