DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – Pandemic Accord: GS II – International issues:
Context:
- Representatives from 28 nations recently wrapped up the seventh round of discussions on the Pandemic Accord.
About:
- The agreement intends to improve disease outbreak response, prevention, and readiness on a worldwide scale.
- The negotiators were unable to agree on intellectual property rights and patent relaxation.
- The United States reiterated that eliminating intellectual property rights (IPR) will not provide impoverished nations with better access in times of need, maintaining its position on the matter.
- Different perspectives were held by developed and developing nations; the former prioritized prevention, while the latter insisted that a pact guarantee equal access to medical supplies.
- The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations was likewise in agreement when it came to retaining patent rights.
Source The Hindu
2 – Maldives terminates Hydrography Agreement with India: GS II – International Relations:
Context:
- Rejecting the ‘India First’ approach, the current Maldivian administration has chosen not to extend the hydrography agreement with India, citing national security and sensitive data protection as reasons.
- On June 8, 2019, the Indian Prime Minister signed the hydrographic survey agreement while visiting the Maldives.
- In accordance with the agreement, India was permitted to carry out an extensive investigation of the island nation’s territorial waters, encompassing beaches, lagoons, reefs, ocean currents, and tidal levels.
- The third Joint hydrographic survey by the Indian Navy and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) was carried out by an Indian Naval Ship Investigator (INS Investigator) from 19th January to 26th February 2023.
- Previous to this, the Maldives’ present administration asked India to remove its armed forces from the island.
Source The Hindu
3 – Vishwanath Corridor in Kashi: GS I – Indian Culture:
- The Indian Prime Minister recently commemorated the second anniversary of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
- The famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Ganga ghats are connected by the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
- The temple is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest Shiva temples, and it is located on the western bank of the sacred Ganga.
- With a record 12.9 crore pilgrims visiting the temple in just two years, Kashi Vishwanath Dham has emerged as one of India’s most popular pilgrimage destinations.
Source The Hindu
4 – India’s Solar-Electric Maritime Boat – Barracuda: GS III – Science and Technology:
- The fastest solar-electric boat in India, the Barracuda, was launched in Alappuzha, and its launch represents a major advancement in environmentally friendly maritime transportation.
- The 14-meter-long, environmentally friendly sailboat, designed by Navalt Solar and Electric Boats, can transport up to 12 people and goods across choppy waters.
- It is designed to maneuver over waves up to four meters high and runs noiselessly, vibration-free, and emission-free.
Source The Hindu
5 – NOAA’s Annual Arctic Report Card: GS III – Environmental Conservation
Context:
- The 18th Annual Arctic Report Card, just released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), emphasises the significant effects of extreme weather and climate events on the Arctic.
- The United States government’s NOAA is in charge of delivering precise and timely information regarding climate, oceans, coasts, weather forecasts, and even space research.
The Arctic Report Card: What is it?
- Since 2006, the Arctic Report Card has been issued annually. It is a timely, peer-reviewed source of accurate, dependable, and succinct environmental information about the state of several Arctic environmental system components as of the present in comparison to historical data.
Which aspects of the Arctic Report Card stand out the most?
Record High Heat Levels:
- In the Arctic, which has warmed roughly four times faster than the rest of the world since 1979 due to climate change, the summer of 2023 was the warmest on record.
- According to credible sources, this year was the sixth warmest in the Arctic since 1900.
Effects of Temperature Increases:
- Rising temperatures brought about severe flooding, food insecurity, a reduction in sea ice extent, unprecedented wildfires that forced community evacuations, and an increase in sea levels.
- Ecosystems, public health, and cultural customs are all directly impacted by these effects.
Subsea Permafrost Thawing:
- Methane and carbon dioxide are being released as subsea Permafrost thaws more quickly due to warmer ocean temperatures.
- This process aggravates ocean acidification and adds to global warming. The amount and potential effects of these released greenhouse gases are unknown, which raises concerns.
Food Insecurity Owing to Decline in Salmon:
- Significant declines in Chinook and Chum salmon populations (81% and 92% below the 30-year mean, respectively) have affected Indigenous communities in Western Alaska who depend on these species for their subsistence.
- This downturn affects food security, culture, and the economy.
Wildfires in the Arctic:
- Canada had the worst wildfire season ever, affecting 40% of the country’s Arctic and Northern landmass.
- Over 10 million acres burned in the Northwest Territories due to high temperatures and dry weather, which resulted in evacuations and worsened air quality.
Flooding and Glacier Thinning:
- Over the past 20 years, rising temperatures have caused the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska to dramatically thin.
- As a result, the region has seen yearly floods because to the meltaway water over time.
- In August 2023, a glacial lake on a tributary of the Mendenhall Glacier broke through its ice dam, causing enormous floods and significant property destruction in Juneau, Alaska. This was one such calamity.
Ice Sheet Melting in Greenland:
- Melting of Greenland’s ice sheet occurred just five times in the 34-year record. Furthermore, the ice sheet lost almost 350 trillion pounds of mass between August 2022 and September 2023, even despite above-average winter snow accumulation. Remarkably, the second-largest cause of sea level rise is the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet.
What is the Arctic region?
- The northernmost polar region on Earth is called the Arctic.
- The amount of snow and ice on land varies periodically in the Arctic region.
- It comprises of the Arctic Ocean, nearby seas, and sections of Alaska (United States), Canada, Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.
Source The Hindu
