23 December 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. Draw attention to the problems and worries raised by the UN’s decision to permit deepwater mining operations. Discuss the clauses that govern deep sea mining in national and international conventions as well.

GS II – International Relations

Introduction:

• The process of extracting mineral resources from the ocean’s deep bottom, which is 200 metres below the surface and comprises two thirds of the seafloor overall, is known as deep-sea mining. The area that lies beyond national jurisdictional borders and makes up about 50% of the world’s oceanic surface is known as the international seabed, according to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an organisation mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to oversee all activities related to mineral resources in the deep sea.
• Companies wishing to mine the ocean floor will now be able to apply for permits from the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The international seabed has more than 1.5 million square kilometres designated for resource development.

Concerns raised by deepwater mining:

Impact on the environment:

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) claims that unusual organisms that have evolved to harsh environments like low oxygen and sunshine levels, high pressure, and extremely cold temperatures may reside in these deep, inaccessible areas.
• The biodiversity and ecology of the deep water are still poorly understood, which makes it challenging to evaluate the effects on the ecosystem and create appropriate regulations.
• Environmentalists are particularly concerned about the sediment plumes that may form when the suspended particles damage the filter feeders in the upper water levels by rising to the top.
• Concerns have also been expressed over oil spills from operational vessels and the noise and light pollution caused by mining vehicles.

Technology:

• The deep sea metal extraction process would pose a significant technological barrier due to the specialised drills and extraction gear needed.

Profitability on a commercial level:

• According to the ISA’s most recent estimate, it won’t be economically feasible unless roughly three million tonnes are extracted annually. To learn how the technology may be effectively employed and scaled up, more research is being done.

Conventions from throughout the world that control deep sea mining:

• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) established the International Seabed Authority, which is headquartered in Jamaica. It has jurisdiction over the ocean floors outside of the Exclusive Economic Zones of its 167 members.
• IUCN Members endorsed Resolution 122 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille (September 2021) to safeguard biodiversity and deep-ocean ecosystems by putting a moratorium on deep-sea mining until a number of requirements are completed.
• the UN High Seas Treaty, which aims to safeguard international oceans beyond state borders.

National Gatherings:

• The Indian government has developed the Draft Deep Seabed Mining Regulations, 2021, to establish a legislative framework for the exploration and extraction of natural resources within the nation’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Way Forward:

• An international charter is desperately needed since, in the absence of one, deep sea mining operations run the risk of permanently harming an ecology that is still poorly understood. It is necessary to consider and develop a new set of exploration standards with multiple parties, including the ISA, IUCN, UNCLOS, littoral nations, etc.

Q2. Explain the necessity and difficulties associated with private industry participation in the space sector in the context of Mission Prarambh.

GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Introduction:

• A complicated and enigmatic system of authority and control in society is the patriarchy.
• Prarambh, the first rocket built by Skyroot Aerospace, was launched as part of the company’s inaugural mission in India.
• The Department of Space (DOS) is promoting private company participation in space operations in order to improve the diffusion of space technology and stimulate the space economy within the nation.

About Mission Prarambh:

• Three payloads, including a 2.5-kg payload created by students from many nations, are intended to be carried into space by the Prarambh mission.
• The Hyderabad-based business worked together with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre) to design the Prarambh mission and the Vikram-S rocket.
• The rocket, called Vikram-S, will take out from the Sriharikota launchpad operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with three client payloads.
• Skyroot Aerospace will send a rocket into space and become the first commercial space firm in India if Prarambh succeeds.

Requirement for individual involvement:

• The private sector has traditionally participated in Indian space on a minor basis. The private sector is primarily responsible for the manufacturing and fabrication of satellites and rockets. Research institutions are also becoming more involved.
• However, the Indian space industry held a meagre 3% of the world’s rapidly expanding space economy, which is currently valued at least $360 billion.
• Rocket and satellite launch services, which need a sizable infrastructure and significant expenditure, account for just 2% of this industry.
• The remaining 95% has to do with ground-based and satellite-based systems and services.
• Because Indian industry’s primary function to date has been that of a provider of parts and subsystems, it is unable to compete.
• Indian industry lack the technology and resources necessary to carry out autonomous space initiatives of the kind that US firms like SpaceX have been carrying out or to offer space-based services.
• Even in India, there is a growing need for space-based services and applications, which ISRO is unable to meet.
• Today, satellite imagery, data, and space technology are required in a wide range of industries, including urban development, transportation, agriculture, and weather.
• More widespread adoption of space technology, improved use of space resources, and a rise in the demand for space-based services are all necessary.

Obstacles facing Indian private space entities:

• Monopoly: Indian Space Research Organisation is referred to as “Space” in India. Because of its dual use capability, the technology is fiercely protected globally. If it wasn’t, the cost would be unaffordable.
• Money is a big obstacle when starting a space company in India. The space industry requires a large amount of cash and has a lengthy gestation time for upstream activities.
• Investor’s Dilemma: The investors have difficulties due to a lack of consensus among themselves and the absence of the ecosystem needed for a meaningful contribution.
• Absence of Regulation: India does not have any publicly enacted regulations, while being a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty, which stipulates that one of the basic obligations placed upon states is the supervision of space operations within their borders. This could be a barrier to commercialization.
• Growth Challenges: Obtaining finance, expanding internationally, and scaling up are obstacles.
• Lack of Support: For space start-ups, the Indian ecosystem offers neither incubation support nor guidance on how to approach influential organisations like ISRO for assistance.
• In India, private space operations are restricted by regulatory and political obstacles.
• ISRO’s limited internal capacity limits the number of launches they can do each year. They can operate more productively and unload 30–40% of the workload through privatisation.

The next step:

• National space activities laws in India ought to include all relevant parties.
• In order to actualize ISRO’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), a public-private partnership (PPP) model including a joint venture between ISRO and the commercial sector should be investigated.
• Space initiatives are viewed as an asset, not a rival, to large organisations in the UK. It is also necessary to promote this in India.
• Establishing a space business is aided by like-minded local partners and a supportive foreign partner.
• The plan ought to be to let the private sector to construct its own facilities after it has acquired sufficient knowledge.
• The full array of facilities has been placed up for industry usage within the 25-acre space technology park that ISRO established in Bengaluru.

Way Forward:

• In the upcoming years, a number of large-scale space missions are planned, such as one to watch the Sun, another to travel to the Moon, one including human spaceflight, and perhaps even a lunar landing. And in order to accomplish all of this, ISRO requires support from the private sector as well as assistance.