MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Discuss the effects of plastic pollution on the economy and environment. Emphasise the global efforts aimed at mitigating the issue of plastic pollution.
GS II – Environmental Conservation related issues
Introduction:
- Plastic pollution is becoming a global problem as a result of the rise in the manufacturing of single-use and throwaway plastics. 79% of the 8.3 billion tonnes of plastics created since the 1950s escaped into the environment or ended up in landfills. A survey by the OECD states that just 9% of plastic garbage is recycled globally, with the remaining 22% being mishandled.
- Plastics have cross-sectoral effects on people and the environment throughout their lifecycle.
Effects on the environment:
- Endangery to Wildlife: Wildlife is being threatened by plastic pollution. Plastic garbage can be mistaken for food by marine creatures like sea turtles, dolphins, and whales, which can then consume it. This may result in harm, disease, or even death. Furthermore, plastic debris can entangle birds and other animals, causing harm or even death.
- Ecosystem Alteration: Mobile animals are not the only creatures directly impacted by marine trash. Marine debris can affect fragile ecosystems, plants, and other immobile living things. Fishing gear left over from previous seasons may shatter or choke coral, harming coral reefs. Plastic bags and fishing nets can suffocate plants. The movement of an abandoned vessel or other marine trash can cause harm and affect the ecosystems on the ocean floor.
- Invasive Species: The spread and migration of invasive species can be facilitated by marine debris. Invasive organisms can spread from one place to another on floating marine trash. Marine debris serves as a kind of “raft” that invasive species utilise to travel from one body of water to another.
- Climate change: As plastic waste decomposes, greenhouse gases (GHG) are released into the atmosphere, endangering efforts by the international community to limit global warming to less than 1.5°C. By 2050, it’s predicted that plastics would account for 13% of the world’s remaining carbon budget in greenhouse gas emissions.
- Risks to Human Health: There is a serious concern that plastic pollution will affect people’s health. Waste made of plastic can leak dangerous chemicals into the environment as it decomposes. After then, these substances may find their way into the food chain and endanger human health.
Financial Effects:
- Tourism: The presence of marine debris can lead to a decline in income as it appears unappealing and unwelcoming to beachgoers. Marine debris may even force beach closures in extreme circumstances.
- Fishing: Marine debris has a major negative economic impact on the fishing industry. When commercial fish and shellfish get caught up in misplaced fishing nets or other fishing gear, it affects the commercial fishery. Due to detrimental effects on the stock’s capacity to reproduce, this kind of bycatch may cause both short-term losses in the amount of available seafood and long-term declines in the stock’s sustainability.
- Navigation: Propellers can become entangled in floating marine debris, which can also jam cooling water input valves. Boat repairs caused by marine debris are costly and time-consuming.
Global efforts to mitigate the issue of plastic pollution:
- The Basel Convention is the primary international tool for controlling the transboundary transport and disposal of hazardous waste in terms of global governance. In an effort to promote improved plastic waste management, the Parties to the Convention established the Plastic Waste Partnership and approved the Plastic Waste Amendments in 2019.
- At the fifth UN Environment Assembly in 2022, nations took a historic step when they decided to form an International Negotiating Committee (INC) and work towards creating a globally enforceable document on plastic pollution by the end of 2024.
- UNEP is implementing activities to lessen marine litter and its detrimental effects through the Clean Seas platform.
- The UNWTO’s Global Tourism Plastics Initiative brings the tourism industry together around a shared goal of tackling the underlying causes of plastic pollution.
- Using a systematic approach, UNEP’s One Plastics Initiative implements national, international, and regional projects in high-impact industries and value chains.
- The IAEA’s main effort to combat the global problem of plastic pollution is called NUTEC Plastics. It focuses on nuclear technology and research for treating current polymers.
- Since plastic pollution is a worldwide issue, coordinated action and effective decision-making require international cooperation to address this serious environmental issue. A meaningful impact on the battle against plastic pollution can be achieved by the creation of sustainable substitutes, cutting back on plastic consumption, recycling plastic trash, and enacting legislation.
Q2. How do mRNA vaccines work? Discuss the benefits that these vaccines offer over more conventional immunisations.
GS II – Science and Technology related issues
Introduction:
- Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is a type of nucleic acid that is used to carry genetic information. The mRNA vaccine, like other vaccines, aims to stimulate the production of antibodies by the immune system to help fight off a live virus infection. However, mRNA vaccines only introduce a portion of the genetic information that corresponds to a viral protein, whereas conventional vaccinations use weaker or dead bacteria or viruses to elicit an immune response. Usually, this is a protein known as spike protein that is present on the virus membrane. As a result, people receiving the mRNA vaccine are not exposed to the virus.
- mRNA is used in both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
mRNA vaccines are an appealing substitute for conventional vaccinations or even DNA vaccines because they have a number of benefits. These are:
- mRNA is more accurate than attenuated or inactivated vaccines because it only expresses a single antigen and induces a targeted immune response. It also triggers the innate immune system and enhances the humoral and cellular immunological responses.
- Since mRNA expression does not require nuclear entrance, it is safer than DNA-based vaccines since there is essentially no chance of random genome integration.
- The body breaks down mRNA quickly, and cells are not good at absorbing foreign mRNA. In order to increase the effectiveness of cell transport, modern science has altered the mRNA molecule to make it more stable and wrapped the molecules in fats, or lipids.
- The mRNA vaccine platform’s flexibility is also helpful for manufacturing since it allows for standardisation of production because modifications to the encoded antigen do not alter the physical-chemical features of the mRNA backbone.
- Furthermore, the use of an in vitro cell-free transcription reaction for synthesis minimises safety concerns about the presence of viral contaminants and cell-derived impurities that are frequently observed in other platforms.
- In addition, it is less expensive than other platforms and will get cheaper even as technology advances.
Problems:
- mRNA is easily damaged because biological processes can degrade it. Moreover, because mRNA and lipid nanoparticles are thermodynamically unstable, they must be stored and transported at low temperatures—some as low as ‥20°C and others as low as ‥80°C—which frequently necessitates the use of specialised ultra refrigeration equipment and thawing before use. For environments unable to achieve these cold chain logistics requirements, this poses significant limits, particularly in low- and middle-income nations.
- mRNA vaccines show great promise as a fast-developing, safe, and inexpensive alternative to traditional vaccination methods due to their high potency and possibility for safe administration. In terms of production, these vaccines may provide a rapid response to epidemic outbreaks. But in order to get there, work needs to be done on creating economical and sustainable production methods.
