DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – Details about Sikkim aiming to go ‘carbon negative’: GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues
Context:
- Sikkim’s tenacious efforts to become a carbon-negative state have recently come to the attention of the general public.
Important details:
- It is a part of the ‘Mero Rukh Mero Santati’ program of the state, which mandates the planting of 100 saplings whenever a new kid is born.
- To become carbon neutral is the goal.
- As part of India’s drive to achieve Net Zero by 2070, it is part of the endeavor to make Sikkim a green state.
What is the mechanism of carbon negativity?
- The term “carbon negative” covers more than just a decrease in carbon emissions.
- It indicates a conscious effort to absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than is created.
- This project aims to significantly contribute to the battle against climate change and counteract the harmful effects of greenhouse gas accumulation.
How to achieve carbon neutrality:
- Reforestation and new tree planting
- The gathering and preservation of carbon emissions from industry.
- Utilizing biomass, which stores CO2 emissions as it grows (BECCS), or carbon dioxide-absorbing bioenergy sources.
- The use of particular minerals in powder form can speed up weathering and the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- Improved soil management practices in agriculture can help in the process of absorbing and storing carbon in the earth, known as soil carbon sequestration.
Benefits:
Health benefits:
- The implementation of a carbon-negative strategy in Sikkim creates a strong foundation for better public health.
- Reducing carbon emissions and air pollutants results in cleaner air, which lowers the prevalence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
- The healthier environment has a favorable effect on the inhabitants’ wellbeing because it increases life expectancy and enhances general quality of life.
Possibility of tourism:
- The fact that Sikkim is carbon-negative increases its appeal as a tourist destination for naturalists and is a game-changer that promotes a greener, more sustainable society, giving eco-tourism a unique selling point.
- This eco-friendly approach might entice environmentally conscious tourists, boosting the state’s economy and opening up employment opportunities in the tourism sector.
- Sikkim provides as an illustration of how ambitious environmental goals can be accomplished with political will, community backing, and innovative methods.
- Other states can take a cue from Sikkim’s achievements and copy or alter analogous eco-friendly initiatives to address their own environmental problems.
Source The Hindu
2 – About the Free Movement regime: GS III – Internal Security Issues
Context:
- During the upheaval in Manipur, concerns have been expressed over the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which makes it simpler for people to cross the Indo-Myanmar Border (IMB).
The Free Movement Regime Consists Of:
- The four states that make up the 1,643 km long border between India and Myanmar are Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Tribes living on either side of the border may enter the other nation for up to 16 kilometers without a visa thanks to the FMR, which was mutually agreed upon by the two countries.
- The FMR went into effect in 2018.
Why FMR Is Important and Needed:
- Without consulting the local population, the British chose to demarcate the border between India and Myanmar in 1826.
- The barrier unintentionally separated people of the same ethnicity and culture into two nations.
- Families and ethnic groups in the area have close ties.
- The FMR was designed to promote personal interaction as well as local business and trade.
- Given the region’s low income economy, such transactions are crucial for maintaining local means of subsistence.
Challenges:
Drug trafficking and armed conflict:
- Numerous insurgent organizations have set up camps in the neighborhood.
- They sought safety there, gathered weapons, developed cadres, and participated in illegal activities like smuggling drugs and selling guns in order to generate money.
- Due to open borders and widespread FMR abuse, this is possible. According to the article, it is crucial to manage and administer border areas appropriately in order to reduce drug trafficking and illegal cross-border migration on unfenced borders. The Free Movement Regime (FMR) Revision’s Challenges and Implications, November 2022).
In the future:
Necessary regulations need to be framed:
- The FMR has to be better regulated.
- In September 2022, India stopped the FMR as the refugee situation in Myanmar got worse and more people were leaving their nation.
Source The Hindu
3 – Details of the Tail strikes: GS III – Science and Technology
Context:
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has penalized an airline as a consequence of a special audit addressing repeated tail strike incidents.
What is a tail strike?
- “Tail strikes” refer to an airplane’s tail colliding with the ground or another fixed object.
- Despite the fact that tail impacts can occur during takeoff, they mostly occur when an aircraft is landing.
- More than 65% of landing mishaps are caused by tail hits.
- Tail impacts can result in significant damage to the aircraft.
- For different-sized aircraft, several “tail strike margins” are applicable:
- As the aircraft’s back extends further than the rear undercarriage, the risk of a tail impact rises with length of the aircraft.
When taking off, tail impacts are brought on by:
- Erroneous take-off speeds.
- Mechanical rotation that is wrong.
- Either a stabilizer that has to be tweaked or an inaccurate center of gravity.
The causes of tail strikes:
- Insufficient approach speed.
- Landing flare that was not correctly placed.
- Incorrect manoeuvring in a crosswind.
Source The Hindu
4 – About the Colombo Security Conclave: GS II – International Issues
Context:
- The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) regional framework recently saw the conclusion of a joint mission.
Important details:
- The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), which just ended, organized a tour for ocean scientists from India, Bangladesh, and Mauritius.
- In addition to gathering ocean data to forecast and manage changes in the environmental conditions of the Indian Ocean region, the expedition’s major objective was to improve capacity for ocean observation and services.
- The expedition made use of the ORV Sagar Nidhi.
- The CSC was established as a result of trilateral discussions between the National Security Advisors (NSAs) and Deputy NSAs of Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives, which started in 2011.
Regarding India:
- India can highlight its own strategic concerns in the Indian Ocean while also allowing the island and littoral nations an opportunity to talk about their own problems.
Remerging participants:
- In 2020, when the CSC was resurrected and given a new name, Mauritius became a member, with Bangladesh and the Seychelles acting as observers.
Secretariat:
- The organization established a secretariat in Colombo in 2021.
- The organization has operationalized practical collaboration under the CSC by organizing periodic security-focused drills.
- India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Bangladesh participated in Exercise Dosti XV in the Maldives in November 2021. Bangladesh and the Seychelles served as observers.
Source The Hindu
5 – Details of the Parkachik Glacier: GS I – Geography-related issues
Context:
- A recent study predicts that three lakes of different sizes will eventually form on the Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh as a result of subglacial over-deepening.
Important details:
- Subglacial over-deepening is a characteristic of glacier-eroded valleys and basins.
- Near Kargil, Ladakh, there is a mountain glacier with the name of Parachik Glacier.
- The object that is gently descending the Nun-Kun slopes is an iceberg.
- This iceberg finally reaches the Suru River.
- The researchers hypothesize that the proglacial lake and the glacier margin’s propensity to calve were responsible for this quicker retreat.
- These findings show how local glaciers are still being impacted by climate change.
Source The Hindu
