05 August 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – IPCC assessment cycle: GS III – Environmental Conservation

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) elections have concluded, ushering in the seventh assessment cycle.

Important details:

• The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established the IPCC in 1988 to produce comprehensive assessment reports (ARs) on climate change.
• It has so far released six ARs, with the sixth AR’s final synthesis report due in 2023.

In terms of the IPCC assessment cycles:

• The IPCC has completed six assessment cycles and published six comprehensive assessment reports to date.
• The body also released a number of special reports on various topics during each of these cycles.
• During these cycles, the IPCC also publishes methodology studies that provide guidance to governments on how to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions and removals.

The sixth assessment cycle began in 2015 and concluded with the release of the synthesis report in:

• The synthesis report is a non-technical summary of the previous report issued during the cycle.

Previous reports from the three working groups included:

• The purpose of Working Group I is to look into the physical scientific basis of the climate system and climate change.
• Working Group II analyses the vulnerability of socioeconomic and natural systems to climate change, as well as its ramifications.
• Working Group III investigates methods for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere to combat climate change.
• The IPCC announced the start of its seventh assessment cycle, which will last five to seven years.

Regarding the IPCC:

• It was formed in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• The IPCC advises governments on the current state of climate change knowledge, including potential response choices and environmental, economic, and social impacts and threats.
• It does not conduct original research, but rather evaluates all important scientific papers on a regular and methodical basis.
• On a regular basis, key findings are compiled into “Assessment Reports” for policymakers and the general public.

Source The Hindu

2 – WHO report on tobacco control: GS II – Health related issues

Context:

• The World Health Organisation just published tobacco control research.

WHO Metrics:

MPOWER measures were developed by WHO fifteen years ago:

• monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
• keep children away from cigarette smoke
• provide aid in stopping smoking; raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco
• implement tobacco advertising bans; and
• Tobacco taxation should be increased.
• The paper assesses the efficacy of these measures.

Findings on global progress:

• In the 15 years since the MPOWER measures were first adopted, at least one of the measures has protected 5.6 billion people, or 71% of the global population.
• This proportion has increased from 5% of the population in 2008 to 5% of the population today.
• The number of countries with at least one MPOWER measure in place has increased from 44 in 2008 to 151 by 2022.
• At least four countries have adopted all of the steps: Brazil, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Mauritius.
• Almost 40% of countries now have completely smoke-free public spaces.

Global non-implementation findings:

• MPOWER measures are yet to be implemented in at least 44 nations throughout the world.
• In 53 countries, smoking is not completely forbidden in healthcare settings.
• Only half of the countries have smoke-free workplaces and restaurants.

The significance of the report:

• The study focuses on minimising second-hand smoking (being around someone who is smoking) through creating smoke-free public spaces and de-normalizing smoking in society.
• Nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke account for 1.3 million of the 8.7 million tobacco-related deaths per year.

The following have been linked to secondhand smoke:

• Over 400,000 people have died as a result of cardiac disease.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has claimed the lives of almost 250,000 people.
• Stroke and lower respiratory infections yearly cause over 150,000 fatalities.
• Diabetes causes roughly 100,000 fatalities each year.
• Secondhand smoke exposure increases the risk of severe asthma, respiratory tract infections, and sudden infant death syndrome in children.

India’s findings:

• According to the study, the country has had the most performance in terms of putting health warning labels on tobacco products and providing tobacco dependence therapy.
• In terms of the amount of health warnings, India ranks among the top 10 countries, with 85% of cigarette packs carrying health warnings on both the front and back.
• Cigarette packaging in the country offer a toll-free number for a quit-line.
• India has also forbidden the sale of e-cigarettes as well as smoking in hospitals and educational institutions.
• The inclusion of warnings on OTT platform material when artists are depicted using tobacco products is one of the most significant steps forward.

Bengaluru-specific findings:

• Bengaluru gets singled out in a World Health Organisation (WHO) assessment on tobacco control measures.
• Various public awareness programmes resulted in a 27% decrease in smoking in city public places.

The Indian Future:

• India already has a comprehensive tobacco control law in place, but some revisions are needed.
• Bulk cigarette sales should be forbidden.
• Many people, especially college students, buy one or two cigarettes instead of a complete pack.
• This indicates that they are never subjected to a health warning or a quit line.

Source The Hindu

3 – Anti-Semitism: GS III – Internal Security

Context:

• A visit by an official to China is regarded as evidence of anti-Semitism in China.

In terms of anti-Semitism:

• Anti-Semitism is defined as any form of prejudice directed towards Jews.
• The term “Semitic” is misleading because it refers to a linguistic group rather than a race.
• Though anti-Semitism can relate to hate of speakers of Semitic languages (including Arabs and Ethiopians), it is most commonly used to refer to Jews.
• Antisemitism is a hostile attitude towards Jews that can take the form of hatred.
• Antisemitism shows itself in the form of discourse and physical manifestations directed at Jewish and non-Jewish individuals and/or property, as well as Jewish community institutions and religious buildings.

Anti-Semitism is classified into five types:

Racial:

• Racial anti-Semitism, most commonly associated with the Nazis, is predicated on the belief that Jews are a distinct, inferior race with inherent genetic features.
• This type is usually reflected by the belief that Jews must be fully eradicated.

Religious:

• Anti-Semitism in religion can be traced back to the early days of Christianity, and it is accompanied by the conviction that Jews should be converted to other faiths.

Social:

• Social anti-Semitism is the exclusion of Jews from social situations.
• As an example of the practise, Jews were frequently prohibited from golf and sports clubs in the United States.

Economic:

• The most widespread bias is economic anti-Semitism, which thinks that Jews have disproportionate power over global and national financial institutions and that such dominance should be curtailed.

Political:

• Anti-Semitism in politics is an attempt to keep Jews out of positions of power.
• It is frequently confused with anti-Zionism, which denies Jews the right to a national homeland.

Source The Hindu

4 – GI tags given to various products: GS I – Indian Culture

Context:

• Seven goods from India have received the Geographical Indication (GI) label from the Geographical Indications Registry.

Which products have got the GI Label?

The metal craft, Jalesar Dhatu Shilp:

• Jalesar Dhatu Shilp is made by around 1,200 small companies in Jalesar, Etah district, Uttar Pradesh, which was the capital of Magadha King Jarasandha.
• This region is well-known for its beautiful metal craft and brassware production.

Goan mankurad mango:

• The mango was named Malcorada by the Portuguese, which means “poorly coloured,” and through time, this word evolved into ‘Mankurad’ aamo.
• Aamo is Konkani for “mango.”

Goan Bebinca:

• Bebinca is an Indo-Portuguese dessert that is similar to custard.
• It is commonly known as the “Queen of Goan Desserts.”

Udaipur Koftgari metal craft:

• The Udaipur Koftgari metal craftsmen practise the ancient art of Koftgari, which is used to create exquisite weaponry.
• The weapons are delicately embellished with a complex process of etching design, heating and then cooling, interlaced with embedding gold and silver wire into the metal, pressing and flattening it to a smooth surface using moonstone, and finally polishing.

Bikaner Kashidakari craft:

• Kashidakari work is primarily done on marriage-related objects, notably gift products, and incorporates mirror work.

Jodhpur Bandhej craft:

• The Jodhpur bandhej skill represents the Rajasthani technique of tying and dyeing.
• It is the process of printing various designs on fabrics using the tie and dye method.

Bikaner’s Usta Kala:

• The Bikaner Usta Kala craft is also known as gold nakashi work or gold manauti work due to the prominence of golden colour in an actual fashion generated by gold in the preceding period.
• As a result, the vessel has a long lifespan.

What is a GI Tag, exactly?

• Geographical Indication (GI) Tags are used to identify a certain region, municipality, or state.
• These labels are placed on specific things, such as agricultural or handcrafted items, to show the uniqueness of that region or location.
• The Geographical Indication Registry, which bestows the label, is based in Chennai.
• As a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India passed the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act in 1999.
• It becomes effective on January 1, 2003.
• Indications that designate a good as coming from a member’s territory, or a region or a place within that territory, when a given quality, reputation, or attribute of the good is principally tied to its geographic origin.
• GI tags imply that the designated product, name, or sign is unique, has distinguishing traits, and is created using traditional methods that represent the region’s reputation.
• This tag can also be used to protect against copyright infringement.
• Darjeeling Tea was the first product in India to acquire a GI label around 2004-2005.

Source The Hindu

5 – Pen monument project: GS II – Internal Security

Context:

• The Supreme Court recently denied to hear a case against the off-shore Pen memorial project in Tamil Nadu, which is dedicated to late Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader M. Karunanidhi. Karunanidhi. Karunanidhi.

Regarding the Memorial:

• The Pen Memorial honours Karunanidhi.
• From 1969 to 2018, he was the DMK’s president, and from 1969 to 2011, he was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for five terms.
• He made important contributions to Tamil literature as an orator, poet, and writer of nonfiction and fiction, dramas, and films.

His extensive contributions to the three fundamental foundations of both ancient and modern Thamizh, or Tamil, are commemorated by the pen-shaped memorial:

• Iyal (poetry and literature).
• Isai (music) and others
• Naadagam is a Tamil word for “theatre.”
• The Veena, a classic Carnatic music instrument made with extraordinary accuracy in Tamil Nadu, inspired the design of the monument.
• The Thumba signifies the pen pedestal, the long bridges, the music hole, a pen statue, and the peg, the bridge’s tensile canopy seats.
• The frets indicate the distance between the bridge’s columns, while the strings represent Mount Meru or Mount Kudira.
• The planted garden on the memorial pedestal is inspired by Sikku Kolam, a traditional artwork performed by Tamil women in their homes in which a geometric shape is created using dots and circles.

The Access Bridge:

• The metaphorical catamaran to which Karunanidhi compared himself prompted the idea of a maritime monument.
• The monument will be linked to the current Karunanidhi memorial on Marina Beach by a lattice bridge.

Source The Hindu