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  • Kashmir’s ancient art of papier-mache

    This newscard is an excerpt of the original article published in The Hindu.

    Tap to know about other Geographical Indicators in news.

    Kashmiri papier-mache

    • It is a handicraft of Kashmir that was brought by Muslims saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani from Persia in the 14th century to medieval India.
    • It is based primarily on paper pulp, and is a richly decorated, colourful artefact; generally in the form of vases, bowls, or cups (with and without metal rims), boxes, trays, bases of lamps, and many other small objects.
    • These are made in homes, and workshops, in Srinagar, and other parts of the Kashmir Valley, and are marketed primarily within India, although there is a significant international market.
    • The product is protected under the Geographic Indication Act 1999 and was registered by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks.

    Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)

    • The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines a GI as “a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin”.
    • GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, handicrafts, industrial products, wines and spirit drinks.
    • Internationally, GIs are covered as an element of intellectual property rights under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
    • They have also covered under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.

  • Paternity Leave in India

    Indian cricket captain has opted for paternity leave amidst an ongoing tournament. This has led to his criticism as well as praise for prioritizing family.

    Q.Paternity leave is one of the solutions which can help in ending the “motherhood penalty”.  Examine with context to working mothers.

    What is Paternity leave?

    • Paternity leave is a short period of leave for the father to take immediately following childbirth to help care for the child and assist the mother.
    • Parental leave is a longer period of leave granted to look after the infant child, usually after the expiration of paternity/maternity leave.

    Legal Aspects of Paternity Leave in India

    There is no specific or explicit law for paternity leave in India.

    • Maternity leave is governed by the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 which was last amended in 2017 to enhance the period of maternity leave to 26 weeks from the previous 12 weeks.
    • The Central Civil Service (Leave Rules), 1972 allows for 15 days of paid paternity leave before childbirth or up to 6 months from the date of the delivery of the child.
    • An attempt was made to introduce a pan India legislation on paternity leave in 2017 as a private member’s bill in Lok Sabha, but it was not successful.
    • The Paternity Benefit Bill, 2017, provided for a paid leave of fifteen days which could be availed up to three months from the date when the child was born.
    • It also included an adopted child below the age of three months and applied to men in the organised i.e. private as well as unorganised sectors.

    Popular trends

    • The longest leave –– six months –– is provided by Ikea, which extends rules from home country Sweden to India.
    • Among Indian companies, Zomato made news in 2019 when it decided to give 26-week paternity leave to its employees.

    Precursors in India

    • The Central Government recently announced that male government employees who are ‘single parents’ which included widowers, divorcees, or unmarried men raising children single-handedly would now be entitled to “child care leave” (CCL).
    • Here, they would receive 100% of the leave salary for the first 365 days of leave and 80% of leave salary for the next 365 days.
    • This leave was previously only available to women employees.

    Why paternity leave matters?

    • Most working new mothers (for those who can make that choice) opt for maternity leave either just before the birth or after childbirth.
    • It paves the way for at least their temporary, and sometimes their permanent exit from the workplace.
    • On the other hand, not many fathers experience much difference in their employment and workplace situation after their child is born, which may either be voluntary by not taking time off or involuntary.
    • This structural difference is one of the key components that influence gender dynamics both in the workplace and at home.

    The gender dynamics behind

    • Lack of paternity leave not only robs new fathers of the crucial chance to bond with their newborn child but also reinforces women’s role as the primary caregiver and underpins the belief that child care is predominantly the mother’s job.
    • Paternity leave is a way to directly address the gender dynamic that prevails both at the workplace and at home.
    • The undue burden of childcare that is placed on women at home is bound to and does, spill over into their workplace and professional lives.
    • The natural effect of it is that it puts hurdles across women’s careers and might slow their growth prospects while some women might choose to quit altogether.

    Way forward

    • By only having maternity leaves and not giving due consideration to paternity leave, the stereotype that women belong at home, taking care of children is reinforced.
    • By no means is the introduction of paternity leave a panacea for gendered workplaces, but it will be a significant step in combating and overcoming stereotype.
    • For India, a decent way to begin would be to have a national policy on paternity leave that would include all fathers and would apply irrespective of whether they worked in the organised or unorganised sectors.
    • Shifting from a purely maternity oriented care framework to a parental care framework which would involve both parents would be beneficial for all stakeholders and is what we need today.

    Conclusion

    • A major benefit that accrues from paternity leave is that it eases pressure and stigma from women at the workplace, as they no longer are the only ones who are taking leave for child care purposes.
    • Paternity leave is also one of the solutions which can help in ending the “motherhood penalty”.
    • The motherhood penalty is a term that describes the disadvantages that women with children face as compared to women who don’t in workplaces.
    • Fathers need to be active co-parents and not just helpers to their female partners/wives.
    • And for ones with feminist’s perspectives, they should not look paternity leave as a sole vacation for men.

  • Lithium deposits in Karnataka

    Alongside a move to tap into the global lithium value chain, India has initiated a concerted domestic exploration in Karnataka’s Mandya district.

    Lithium reserves in Karnataka

    • Preliminary surveys by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), an arm of the Department of Atomic Energy has carried out the exploration.
    • AMD is carrying out surface and sub-surface exploration for lithium in potential geological domains of the country.
    • Their research has shown the presence of 1,600 tonnes of lithium resources in the igneous rocks of the Marlagalla-Allapatna region of Karnataka’s Mandya district.

    Must read:

    Global producers of lithium

    • Australia and Chile have swapped positions as the world’s leading lithium-producing country over the past decade. In 2019, the world’s Top 5 lithium producers were:
    1. Australia – 52.9% of global production
    2. Chile – 21.5%
    3. China – 9.7%
    4. Argentina – 8.3%
    5. Zimbabwe – 2.1%
    • The U.S. ranked 7th with 1.2% of the world’s lithium production.

    In 2019, the world’s Top 5 lithium reserves by country were:

    1. Chile – 55.5% of the world’s total

    2. Australia – 18.1%

    3. Argentina – 11.0%

    4. China – 6.5%

    5. U.S. – 4.1%

    Why is the exploration significant?

    • India currently imports all its lithium needs.
    • The find in Mandya is extremely small in quantitative terms, but it marks some initial success in the attempt to domestically mine the silver-white metal by way of hard-rock extraction of the ore.
    • The domestic exploration push comes at a time when India has stepped up its economic offensive against China, a major source of lithium-ion energy storage products being imported into the country.
    • The Marlagalla-Allapatna area is seen as among the most promising geological domains for potential exploration for lithium and other rare metals.

    What lies ahead?

    • India is seen as a late mover in attempts to enter the lithium value chain, coming at a time when EVs are predicted to be a sector ripe for disruption.
    • 2021 is likely to be an inflexion point for battery technology – with several potential improvements to the li-ion technology, and alternatives to this tried-and-tested formulation in advanced stages of commercialization.

    Back2Basic: Li-Ion battery

    • Whittingham developed the first functional lithium-ion battery in 1976, Goodenough brought in a major improvement in 1980, while Yoshino made the first practical-use lithium-ion battery in 1985.
    • Commercially manufactured lithium-ion batteries, based on what Yoshino had developed, made their first appearance in 1991.

    Its’ working

    • Batteries convert chemical energy into electricity.
    • A battery comprises two electrodes, a positive cathode and a negative anode, which is separated by a liquid chemical, called an electrolyte, which is capable of carrying charged particles.
    • The two electrodes are connected through an electrical circuit.
    • When the circuit is on, electrons travel from the negative anode towards the positive cathode, thus generating an electric current, while positively charged ions move through the electrolyte.

  • Why insects are crucial for ecological balance?

    This newscard is an excerpt from the original article published in the DownToEarth.  It talks about the ecological importance of insects.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following:

    1. Birds
    2. Dust blowing
    3. Rain
    4. Wind blowing

    Which of the above spread plant diseases?

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 3 and 4 only

    (c) 1, 2 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Various threats to insects

    • Insects are increasingly susceptible to extinction due to increasing climate crisis.
    • They form the basal part of the food pyramid and impact our agriculture ecosystems as well as human health.
    • Their extinction can have a cascading effect on the upper levels of the food pyramid.
    • Rampant and indiscriminate use of chemicals in commercial agricultural practices, mainly monocropping systems, has been taking a toll on insects in the vicinity of farmlands and plantations.
    • While everyone is talking about sustainability in agriculture, the role of insects has largely been ignored.

    A few common insects whose existence is taken for granted and their ecological relevance are:

    (1) Butterflies

    • They are important pollinators like bees.
    • Species diversity and density of butterfly indicate a good diversity of plants in an area. Several types of butterflies have specific host plants.
    • Climate change, forest degradation, habitat loss, unavailability of hosts and nectar plant species are among major reasons for a decline in butterfly population.
    • This leads to loss of plants species that depend on the butterflies for pollination.
    • Backyard gardening and growing host plants in public spaces are important strategies to conserve butterfly species.

    (2) Dragonflies

    • They are one of the most widely recognised insects, need clean aquatic systems and are hence a good indicator of the health of local aquatic systems.
    • These, along with damselflies, are well-known biological predators with both larvae and adults acting as natural bio-control agents.
    • They are highly sensitive to changes in their habitats and are declining due to increasing habitat loss, anthropogenic activities, pollutants, climate change and rapid urbanisation.
    • For their conservation, use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has to be prohibited or minimized in agriculture systems.

    (3) Grasshoppers

    • They feed on different plants and can cause serious damage to economic crops.
    • However, in a biodiversity-rich region, they are an important component of the food chain, being an important food source for many birds.
    • Grasshoppers and insects such as crickets are often consumed by people as they are rich in protein.

    (4) Ants

    • They are in the most abundance. Ants act as scavengers/decomposers by feeding on organic wastes and other dead animals.
    • Ants also aerate the soil.
    • Heavy use of chemicals in agriculture causes harm to ants.

    (5) Wild honey bees

    • They play a major role in the pollination of forest species affecting cross-pollination and maintenance of variability within species.
    • Wild honey is also a food source for humans and many wild animals.
    • When forest covers are lost, wild bees tend to migrate to newer areas where they may or may not adapt.
    • With the possibility of commercial apiaries, wild bees need to be left alone and honey tapping from wild hives discouraged.
    • This can help sustain the natural processed of pollination among forest species and maintain diversity in plants conventionally propagated through seeds.

    (6) Rainbow leaf beetles

    • They are found in forests, woodlands and mountain grasslands.
    • They mostly depend on leaves and flowers of some specific plant family like Apocynaceae.
    • These are listed as endangered species in International Union for Conservation of Nature from 1994.
    • The species is also known to be poisonous to its predators for they feed on dogbane that contains poisonous cardenolides.

    (7) Fireflies

    • They are a good indicator of a healthy environment, especially a good aquatic system. They avoid regions with chemical toxicity.
    • They are good pollinators and natural pest control agents in several ecosystems.

  • Antarctic Ozone Hole — one of the largest, deepest — closes

    The Antarctic ozone hole — one of the deepest, largest gap in the ozone layer in the last 40 years — has closed, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Consider the following statements:

    Chlorofluorocarbons, known as ozone-depleting substances are used:

    1. In the production of plastic foams
    2. In the production of tubeless tyres
    3. In cleaning certain electronic components
    4. As pressurizing agents in aerosol cans

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1, 2 and 3 only

    (b) 4 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 4 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

    Antarctic Ozone Hole

    • The Antarctic “ozone hole” was discovered by British Antarctic Survey scientists Farman, Gardiner and Shanklin in 1985.
    • It came as a shock to the scientific community because the observed decline in polar ozone was far larger than anyone had anticipated.
    • It was caused by the chemical reactions on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) in the cold Antarctic stratosphere caused a massive.
    • Though localized and seasonal, an increase in the amount of chlorine present in active, ozone-destroying forms.

    Role of PSCs

    • The polar stratospheric clouds in Antarctica are only formed when there are very low temperatures, as low as −80 °C, and early spring conditions.
    • In such conditions, the ice crystals of the cloud provide a suitable surface for the conversion of unreactive chlorine compounds into reactive chlorine compounds, which can deplete ozone easily.

    An annual process

    • An ozone hole is the thinning of the ozone layer boosted in size by colder temperatures.
    • The formation of the ozone hole in the Antarctic has been an annual occurrence and has been recorded for the last 40 years.
    • Human-made chemicals migrate into the stratosphere and accumulate inside the polar vortex. It begins to shrink in size as warmer temperatures dominate.
    • As the temperatures high up in the stratosphere start to rise, ozone depletion slows, the polar vortex weakens and breaks down.
    • By the end of December, ozone levels return to normal.

    The hole closes after achieving peak

    • The annually occurring ozone hole over the Antarctic had rapidly grown from mid-August and peaked at around 24 million square kilometres — one of the largest so far — in early October 2020.
    • The expansion of the hole was driven by a strong, stable and cold polar vortex and very cold temperatures in the stratosphere.
    • The same meteorological factors also contributed to the record 2020 Arctic ozone hole, which has also closed.

    Note: A polar vortex is a wide expanse of swirling cold air, a low-pressure area, in Polar Regions. During winters, the polar vortex at the North Pole expands, sending cold air southward.

  • World Food Price Index

    World food prices rose for a seventh consecutive month in December 2020, with all the major categories, barring sugar, said the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO).

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business Index’? (CSP 2019)

    (a) Maintenance of law and order

    (b) Paying taxes

    (c) Registering property

    (d) Dealing with construction permits

    World Food Price Index

    • The FAO Food Price Index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
    • It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices [cereal, vegetable, dairy, meat and sugar], weighted with the average export shares.
    • The index has become a critical and timely monthly indicator of the state of international food markets, gauging the change in food commodity prices over time in nominal and real terms.

    Why it matters?

    • High food prices have contributed to a surge in inflation
    • There are social and economic advantages from high food prices for example higher prices are an opportunity to improve farmers’ incomes and to stimulate investments in farming.
    • For developing countries that are major exporters of food, the rise in world prices helped to bring about an improvement in the terms of trade and a strong balance of payments.

    Concerns raised

    • That said higher food prices for domestic consumers created fresh problems of poverty and hunger.
    • Lower-income families spend a higher proportion of their budgets on food.
    • Higher prices hit them hardest causing a fall in real living standards.
    • This means that food price inflation can act as a tax on the poor and have a regressive effect on the distribution of income.

  • Places in the news: New Anubhava Mantapa

    Karnataka CM has laid the foundation stone for the ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ in Basavakalyan, the place where 12th-century poet-philosopher Basaveshwara lived for most of his life.

    Vaishnavism and Shaivism are the two most profound strands of Bhakti Movement in Indian history. Enlist all the Bhakti Saints and their theistic philosophy and teachings. Try to spot the minute differences between them.

    Who was Basaveshwara?

    • Basaveshwara or Basavanna was an Indian 12th-century statesman, philosopher, a poet and Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed Bhakti movement and a social reformer in Karnataka.
    • He lived during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.
    • He was active during the rule of both dynasties but reached his peak of influence during the rule of King Bijjala II in Karnataka, India.

    Founder of Lingayat cult

    • The traditional legends and hagiographic texts state Basava to be the founder of the Lingayats.
    • However, modern scholarship relying on historical evidence such as the Kalachuri inscriptions state that Basava was the poet-philosopher who revived, refined and energized an already existing tradition.

    His Philosophy

    • Basava’s Lingayat theology was a form of qualified nondualism, wherein the individual Atman (soul) is the body of God, and that there is no difference between Shiva and Atman (self, soul).
    • Basava’s views find places in Vedanta school, in a form closer to the 11th-century Vishishtadvaita philosopher Ramanuja.

    Famous works

    • Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry, popularly known as Vachanaas.
    • Basavanna rejected gender or social discrimination, superstitions and rituals but introduced Ishtalinga necklace, with an image of the Shiva Liṅga to every person regardless of his or her birth.
    • As the chief minister of his kingdom, he introduced new public institutions such as the Anubhava Mantapa (or, the “hall of spiritual experience”) which welcomed men and women from all socio-economic backgrounds.

    The New Anubhava Mantapa

    • The New Anubhava Mantapa, as envisaged now, will be a six-floor structure in the midst of the 7.5-acre plot and represent various principles of Basaveshwara
    • It will showcase the 12th Century Anubhava Mantapa (often referred to as the “first Parliament of the world”) established by him in Basavakalyan where philosophers and social reformers held debates.
    • The building will adopt the Kalyana Chalukya style of architecture.
    • The grand structure supported by 770 pillars will have an auditorium with a seating capacity of 770 people.
    • It is believed that 770 Sharanas (followers of Basaveshwara) led the Vachana reformist movement in the 12th Century.
    • The basement is designed for a Dasoha Bhavana (dining hall) where around 1,500 people eat together. On its top, the structure would have a Linga placed on a large pedestal.
    • The project also envisages a state-of-the-art robotic system, open-air theatre, modern water conservation system, terrace garden, library, research centre, prayer hall, yoga centre and so on.

    Back2Basics: Kalyana Chalukya Style of Architecture

    • It is the distinctive style of ornamented architecture that evolved during the rule of the Western Chalukya Empire in the Tungabhadra region of modern central Karnataka.
    • These monuments, regional variants of pre-existing Dravida (South Indian) temples, form a climax to the wider regional temple architecture tradition called Vesara or Karnata Dravida.
    • They are either Ekakuta (one mandapa of one shrine) or Dvikuta (a common hall attached to two shrines).
    • The style has characters of both the Northern as well as Dravidian temple architecture.
    • This combination of both of these styles is known as Vesara Style, also Central Indian Style, which is represented by the Hoysala Temples.
    • Most of the temples of the Western Chalukyas are dedicated to Shiva, some of them dedicated to Vishnu and Jain Tirthankars also.

    Examples: Truketshwara Temple, Gadag; Kasivisvesvara Temple, Lakkundi

  • The Battle of Bhima-Koregaon (1818)

    The history of the Bhima-Koregaon battle should be taught in schools, said the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment.

    Try this PYQ:

    What was the immediate cause for Ahmad Shah Abdali to invade and fight the Third Battle of Panipat:

    (a) He wanted to avenge the expulsion by Marathas of his viceroy Timur Shah from Lahore

    (b) The frustrated governor of Jullundhar Adina Beg khan invited him to invade Punjab

    (c) He wanted to punish Mughal administration for non-payment of the revenues of the Chahar Mahal

    (Gujrat Aurangabad, Sialkot and Pasrur)

    (d) He wanted to annex all the fertile plains of Punjab upto borders of Delhi to his kingdom

    Battle of Bhima-Koregaon

    • The 1818 battle of Bhima-Koregaon, one of the last battles of the Third Anglo-Maratha War culminated in the Peshwa’s defeat.
    • It was fought on 1 January 1818 between the British East India Company (BEIC) and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy, at Koregaon at the banks of River Bhima.
    • A 28,000-strong force led by Peshwa Baji Rao II while on their way to attack the company-held Pune were unexpectedly met by an 800-strong Company force of which 500 belonged to the Dalit community.
    • The battle was part of the Third Anglo Maratha war, a series of battles that culminated in the defeat of the Peshwa rule and subsequent rule of the BEIC in nearly all of Western, Central, and Southern India.

    Mahars under Shivaji

    • Back in the seventeenth century, the community was particularly valued by the ruler Shivaji, under whom Maratha caste identities were far more fluid.
    • The value of the Mahars for military recruitment under Shivaji was noted by the social reformer Jyotirao Phule.
    • The Mahars were not only beneficiaries of the attempt at caste unity under Shivaji but were in fact valued for their martial skills, bravery, and loyalty.

    Mahars after Shivaji

    • The position occupied by the Mahars under Shivaji, however, was short-lived and under later Peshwa rulers, their status deteriorated.
    • The Peshwas were infamous for their Brahmin orthodoxy and their persecution of the untouchables.
    • The Mahars were forbidden to move about in public spaces and punished atrociously for disrespecting caste regulations.
    • Stories of Peshwa atrocities against the Mahars suggest that they were made to tie brooms behind their backs to wipe out their footprints and pots on their necks to collect their spit.

    Why is the battle significant?

    • The battle resulted in losses to the Maratha Empire, then under Peshwa rule, and control over most of western, central, and southern India by the British East India Company.
    • The battle has been seen as a symbol of Dalit pride because a large number of soldiers in the Company forces were the Mahar Dalits, the same oppressed community to which Babasaheb Ambedkar belonged.
    • After centuries of inhumane treatment, this battle was the first time that Mahars had been included in a battle in which they won.

    Dr. Ambedkar’s association

    • It was Babasaheb Ambedkar’s visit to the site on January 1, 1927, that revitalized the memory of the battle for the Dalit community.
    • He led to its commemoration in the form of a victory pillar, besides creating the discourse of Dalit valor against Peshwa ‘oppression’ of Dalits.

  • Why Geo-engineering is still a dangerous, techno-utopian dream?

    Geoengineering has steadily shifted over the last few decades from the margins towards the mainstream of climate action discourse.

    Q.What do you mean by Geoengineering? What are its practical applications? Also, discuss its limitations. (250W)

    What is Geoengineering?

    • Climate engineering aka geoengineering is the deliberate and large-scale intervention in the Earth’s climate system, usually with the aim of mitigating the adverse effects of global warming.
    • It is a deliberate, large-scale intervention carried out in the Earth’s natural systems to reverse the impacts of climate change.
    • Its techniques fall primarily under three categories: Solar radiation management (SRM), carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and weather modification.
    • Solar radiation management refers to offsetting the warming effect of greenhouse gases by reflecting more solar radiation (sunlight) back into space.
    • Carbon dioxide removal refers to removing carbon dioxide gas (CO2) from the atmosphere and sequestering it for long periods of time.

    Debates around geoengineering have burrowed to the deepest roots of our conflict with nature — do we have the right to manage and manipulate nature?

    What are the specificities of geoengineering?

    Specific technologies include-

    • Solar geoengineering or ‘dimming the sun’ by spraying sulfates into the air to reflect sunlight back into space;
    • Ocean fertilization or the dumping of iron or urea to stimulate phytoplankton growth to absorb more carbon;
    • Cloud brightening or spraying saltwater to make clouds more reflective and more.

    CDR technologies being proposed as a means to achieve ‘net zero’ emissions by mid-century involve deliberate intervention in the natural carbon cycle:

    • Carbon capture and storage (CCS), direct air capture (DAC) and
    • Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)

    India and Geo-engineering

    • We had experiments such as LOHAFEX (an ocean iron fertilization experiment to see if iron can cause algal bloom and trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere).
    • LOHAFEX was an ocean iron fertilization experiment jointly planned by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in India and the Helmholtz Foundation in Germany.
    • The purpose of the experiment was to see if the iron would cause an algal bloom and trap carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

    How well did it fetch?

    • As expected iron fertilization led to the development of bloom during LOHAFEX, but the chlorophyll increase within the fertilized patch, an indicator of biomass, was smaller than in previous experiments.
    • The algal bloom also stimulated the growth of zooplankton that feed on them. The zooplanktons in turn are consumed by higher organisms.
    • Thus, ocean fertilization with iron also contributes to the carbon-fixing marine biomass of fish species that have been removed from the ocean by over-fishing.

    The debate over its advocacy

    • Mainstream activists are advocating solar geoengineering as a means to buy “humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions”.
    • Opponents have numerous foundationally solid arguments. They warn against “taking our ecosystems even further away from self-regulation”.
    • They argue that such actions distract attention from the need for deep cuts to gross emissions which is achievable with the right political will and resource mobilization.

    Undesired consequences of geoengineering

    • Conducting tests for geoengineering is a fallacy since these methods need to be deployed at a scale large enough to impact the global climate system to be certain of their efficacy.
    • It is a large risk to take without knowing the potentially harmful consequences of such a planetary scale deployment.
    • Some of these consequences are already known. Solar geoengineering, for example, alters rainfall patterns that can disrupt agriculture and water supplies.
    • Injecting sulfate aerosols in the stratosphere above the Arctic to mimic volcano clouds, for example, can disrupt the monsoons in Asia and increase droughts.

    Geopolitical concerns

    • Manipulating the climate could have the same geopolitical function as nuclear weapons.
    • Even before geoengineering is deployed, it may be used as a threat that will likely incite countermeasures.
    • Say if governments ever gain control of changing the course of potentially damaging storms, diversions that direct storms toward other countries may be seen as acts of war.

    What lies ahead?

    • We all know that climate change is growing more rapidly than anticipated earlier.
    • Hence we should combine it with a program of deep decarbonization. This would help implement a “clean-up process” that will hasten our return to a more habitable environment.
    • Scientists agree that natural climate solutions such as forest sinks cannot be relied upon for the scale of mitigation needed.
    • Therefore, a socially just application of such technologies for carbon capture with geological sequestration offers ‘negative emissions’.

    Conclusion

    • Geoengineering cannot be treated as a magical mechanism to escape the heightening concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) while accepting the viewpoint that rapid decarbonization is impossible.
    • It also cannot be treated as a license to continue emitting more GHGs with no changes to current consumption and production patterns.
    • Specific technologies that can help us achieve negative emissions need to be publicly funded and democratically administered to ensure that they serve the public interest.
    • And they can only act as a supplement to scaling back of GHG emissions in all sectors, not a substitute.

  • Argentina’s legalizes Abortion

    Argentina has legalized abortions up to the 14th week of pregnancy, in what was a ground-breaking decision in a country that has some of the world’s most restrictive abortion laws.

    In 2009 the Supreme Court of India gave a landmark judgement in Suchita Srivastava vs Chandigarh Administration case where it was held that right to reproductive autonomy is an integral part of Right to Life under Article 21 of Constitution of India.

    The Apex Court stressed that a medical procedure of abortion cannot be carried out on a woman if she has not consented to it.

    Hence, the right to reproductive autonomy was held as a Fundamental Right.

    About the ban

    • Prior, abortions were only permitted in cases of rape or when the woman’s health was at serious risk.
    • Activists have been campaigning for years, calling for an overturning of this law that has been in existence since 1921.
    • The bill calls for greater autonomy for women over their own bodies and control of their reproductive rights, and also provides better healthcare for pregnant women and young mothers.

    Why is it a landmark move?

    • Prior to this, girls and women were forced to turn to illegal and unsafe procedures because abortion was against the law in Argentina.
    • For girls and women from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the scope of access to safe medical procedures for abortion was even narrower.
    • According to Human Rights Watch, unsafe abortion was the leading cause of maternal mortality in the country.
    • The Catholic Church and the evangelical community wield immense power and influence in Argentina and had strongly opposed the passing of this bill.
    • In fact, for several decades, following the beliefs of the Catholic Church, even the sale of contraceptives was prohibited in the country.

    Debate over abortions

    • There are differing opinions with regard to allowing abortions.
    • One opinion is that terminating a pregnancy is the choice of the pregnant woman and a part of her reproductive rights.
    • The other is that the state has an obligation to protect life, and hence should provide for the protection of the foetus.
    • Religiosity of the issue (as in case of Catholics) is another aspect.

    What impact will this have in Latin America?

    • Activists are hopeful that the passage of this law will have an impact in other countries in Latin America.
    • At present, abortions are illegal in Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
    • In Uruguay, Cuba, Guyana, and in some parts of Mexico, women can request for an abortion, but only in specific cases, and each country has its own laws on the number of weeks.
    • The countries also have varying degrees of punishment and penalties meted out to girls and women, including jail.

    Welcome move

    • Women’s rights activists have acknowledged that despite the new law in Argentina, the fight is far from over in the region.
    • Anti-abortion groups and their religious and political backers have attempted to stall any progress in the process.

    Back2Basics: Abortion in India

    The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971 has governed women’s right to access abortion and their reproductive autonomy.

    • The 2020 amendment bill provides for legal abortion procedure.
    • The Act regulates the conditions under which a pregnancy may be aborted. The Bill increases the time period within which abortion may be carried out.
    • Currently, abortion requires the opinion of one doctor if it is done within 12 weeks of conception and two doctors if it is done between 12 and 20 weeks.
    • The Bill allows abortion to be done on the advice of one doctor up to 20 weeks, and two doctors in the case of certain categories of women between 20 and 24 weeks.
    • The Bill sets up state-level Medical Boards to decide if pregnancy may be terminated after 24 weeks in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities.