Foreign Policy Watch: India-China

China issues ‘official’ names for 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: McMahol Line, Shimla Convention

Mains level: India-China Border Issue

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs has issued standardized names for 15 places in the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, to be used henceforth on official Chinese maps.

MEA clarification

  • The Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed the Chinese “invention”.
  • Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be, an integral part of India, said MEA.

Why is China giving names to places that are in India?

  • China claims some 90,000 sq km of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.
  • It calls the area “Zangnan” in the Chinese language and makes repeated references to “South Tibet”.
  • Chinese maps show Arunachal Pradesh as part of China, and sometimes parenthetically refer to it as “so-called Arunachal Pradesh”.
  • China makes periodic efforts to underline this unilateral claim to Indian territory.
  • Giving Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh is part of that effort.

Earlier unilateral renamings

  • This is the second lot of “standardized” names of places in Arunachal Pradesh that China has announced.
  • Earlier in 2017, it had issued “official” Chinese names for six places spanning the breadth of Arunachal Pradesh

What is China’s argument for claiming these areas?

  • The PRC disputes the legal status of the McMahon Line, the official boundary under the ‘Convention Between Great Britain, China, and Tibet’ — of 1914 (Simla Convention).
  • China was represented at the Simla Convention by a plenipotentiary of the Republic of China, which had been declared in 1912 after the Qing dynasty was overthrown.
  • The present communist government came to power only in 1949, when the People’s Republic was proclaimed.
  • The Chinese representative did not consent to the Simla Convention, saying Tibet had no independent authority to enter into international agreements.

What is the McMohan Line?

  • The McMohan Line, named after Henry McMahon, the chief British negotiator at Shimla, was drawn from the eastern border of Bhutan to the Isu Razi pass on the China-Myanmar border.
  • China claims territory to the south of the McMahon Line, lying in Arunachal Pradesh.
  • China also bases its claims on the historical ties that have existed between the monasteries in Tawang and Lhasa.

Intention behind these renamings

  • This renaming is a part of the Chinese strategy to assert its territorial claims over Indian territory.
  • As part of this strategy, China routinely issues statements of outrage whenever an Indian dignitary visits Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Beijing keeps harping on its “consistent” and “clear” position that the Indian possession of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • These claims have been firmly established and recognized by the world, as “illegal”.

Arunachal not all-alone

  • Laying aggressive claims to territories on the basis of alleged historical injustices done to China is a part of Beijing’s foreign policy playbook.
  • The claim on Taiwan is one such example, as are the consistent efforts to change the “facts on the ground” in several disputed islands in the South China Sea.
  • The aggression is at all times backed in overt and covert ways by the use of China’s economic and military muscle.

Also read:

[RSTV Archive] India-China Ties Post-Galwan

 

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Freedom of Speech – Defamation, Sedition, etc.

Govt. disagrees with India’s rank in World Press Freedom Index

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: World Press Freedom Index

Mains level: Freedom of press in India

The Centre has shown its disagreement with the conclusions drawn by Reporters Without Borders about press freedom in India for various reasons.

World Press Freedom Index

  • The PFI is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders since 2002.
  • It is based upon the organization’s own assessment of the countries’ press freedom records in the previous year.
  • It intends to reflect the degree of freedom that journalists, news organizations, and netizens have in each country, and the efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom.
  • It is careful to note that the index only deals with press freedom and does not measure the quality of journalism in the countries it assesses, nor does it look at human rights violations in general.

India’s ranking

  • India is ranked at 142 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index 2021.
  • In the South Asian neighborhood, Nepal is at 106, Sri Lanka at 127, Myanmar (before the coup) at 140, Pakistan at 145 and Bangladesh at 152.
  • China is ranked 177, and is only above North Korea at 179 and Turkmenistan at 178.

What the report said about India

  • Targeting women: It has been highlighted that the “campaigns are particularly violent when the targets are women”.
  • Criminal prosecutions: Often used to gag journalists critical of the authorities.
  • Draconian laws: It termed various Indian laws such as – laws on ‘sedition,’ ‘state secrets’ and ‘national security’, draconian.
  • Curb on freedom of expression: The report has also highlighted the throttling of freedom of expression on social media.
  • Censorship on social media: It specifically mentioned that in India the “arbitrary nature of Twitter’s algorithms also resulted in brutal censorship”

Reservations held by India

  • India along with many nations has reportedly disgusted the outcomes of this report. It stated that media in India enjoy absolute freedom.
  • The government does not subscribe to its views and country rankings and does not agree to the conclusions drawn by this organization for various reasons:
  1. Non-transparent methodology
  2. Very low sample size
  3. Little or no weightage to fundamentals of democracy
  4. Adoption of a methodology that is questionable and non-transparent
  5. Lack of clear definition of press freedom, among others

Why is the report biased?

  • The report is a subjective measure computed through the prism of western liberals.
  • It tends to default to a homogenous view of mass media which then facilitates comparison between countries.
  • There are no questions about media ownership or about their economic concentration in private hands.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

WTO and India

WTO rules against India’s Sugar Subsidies

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Sugarcane pricing mechanism

Mains level: Issues with Sugarcane Pricing

A World Trade Organization panel ruled that India violated international trade rules when it offered excessive subsidies for the production and export of sugar and sugarcane.

What did WTO say?

  • Under WTO rules, India’s sugar subsidies are capped at a de minimis limit of 10% of the value of production.
  • India’s policies were inconsistent with WTO rules that govern the levels at which nations can subsidize domestic agricultural production.
  • WTO has asked it to withdraw its prohibited subsidies under the Production Assistance, the Buffer Stock, and the Marketing and Transportation Schemes within 120 days.

What was the complaint against India?

Australia, Brazil, and Guatemala said India’s domestic support and export subsidy measures appeared to be inconsistent with various articles against WTO’s:

  1. Agreement on Agriculture
  2. Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM)
  3. Article XVI (which concerns subsidies) of the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT)
  • Domestic Support: All three countries complained that India provides domestic support to sugarcane producers that exceed the de minimis level of 10% of the total value of sugarcane production.
  • Various subsidies: They also raised the issue of India’s alleged export subsidies, subsidies under the production assistance and buffer stock schemes, and the marketing and transportation scheme.
  • Notifying support: Australia accused India of “failing” to notify its annual domestic support for sugarcane and sugar subsequent to 1995-96, and its export subsidies since 2009-10.

India’s reply to WTO panel

  • India rejected the panel’s findings as “erroneous”, “unreasoned”, and “not supported by the WTO rules”.
  • It argued that the requirements of Article 3 of the SCM Agreement are not yet applicable to India.
  • It has a phase-out period of 8 years to eliminate export subsidies under the agreement.
  • India also argued that its mandatory minimum prices are not paid by the governments but by sugar mills, and hence do not constitute market price support.

Must read:

Sugarcane Pricing in India

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Foreign Policy Watch: India-United States

India stands committed to UNCLOS

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: IMBL, EEZ, UNCLOS

Mains level: UNCLOS and the chinese deterrence

India remains committed to promoting a free, open and rules-based order rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, the Centre informed Parliament while reiterating support for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Background of UNCLOS

  • UNCLOS replaces the older ‘freedom of the seas’ concept, dating from the 17th century.
  • According to this concept, national rights were limited to a specified belt of water extending from a nation’s coastlines, usually 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi).
  • This was considered according to the ‘cannon shot’ rule developed by the Dutch rulers.

About UNCLOS

  • UNCLOS is sometimes referred to as the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty.
  • It came into operation and became effective from 16th November 1982.
  • It defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world’s oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.
  • It has created three new institutions on the international scene :
  1. International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,
  2. International Seabed Authority
  3. Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

Note: UNCLOS does not deal with matters of territorial disputes or to resolve issues of sovereignty, as that field is governed by rules of customary international law on the acquisition and loss of territory.

Major conventions:

There had been three major conferences of UNCLOS:

  1. UNCLOS I: It resulted in the successful implementation of various conventions regarding Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zones, Continental Shelf, High Seas, Fishing Rights.
  2. UNCLOS II: No agreement was reached over breadth of territorial waters.
  3. UNCLOS III: It introduced a number of provisions. The most significant issues covered were setting limits, navigation, archipelagic status and transit regimes, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), continental shelf jurisdiction, deep seabed mining, the exploitation regime, protection of the marine environment, scientific research, and settlement of disputes.

The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline.

These terminologies are as follows:

(1) Baseline

  • The convention set the limit of various areas, measured from a carefully defined baseline.
  • Normally, a sea baseline follows the low-water line, but when the coastline is deeply indented, has fringing islands or is highly unstable, straight baselines may be used.

(2) Internal waters

  • It covers all water and waterways on the landward side of the baseline.
  • The coastal state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource. Foreign vessels have no right of passage within internal waters.
  • A vessel in the high seas assumes jurisdiction under the internal laws of its flag State.

(3) Territorial waters

  • Out to 12 nautical miles (22 km, 14 miles) from the baseline, the coastal state is free to set laws, regulate use, and use any resource.
  • Vessels were given the Right of Innocent Passage through any territorial waters.
  • “Innocent passage” is defined by the convention as passing through waters in an expeditious and continuous manner, which is not “prejudicial to the peace, good order or the security” of the coastal state.
  • Fishing, polluting, weapons practice, and spying are not “innocent”, and submarines and other underwater vehicles are required to navigate on the surface and to show their flag.
  • Nations can also temporarily suspend innocent passage in specific areas of their territorial seas, if doing so is essential for the protection of their security.

(4) Archipelagic waters

  • The convention set the definition of “Archipelagic States”, which also defines how the state can draw its territorial borders.
  • All waters inside this baseline are designated “Archipelagic Waters”.
  • The state has sovereignty over these waters mostly to the extent it has over internal waters, but subject to existing rights including traditional fishing rights of immediately adjacent states.
  • Foreign vessels have right of innocent passage through archipelagic waters, but archipelagic states may limit innocent passage to designated sea lanes.

(5) Contiguous zone

  • Beyond the 12-nautical-mile (22 km) limit, there is a further 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the territorial sea baseline limit, the contiguous zone.
  • Here a state can continue to enforce laws in four specific areas (customs, taxation, immigration, and pollution) if the infringement started or is about to occur within the state’s territory or territorial waters.
  • This makes the contiguous zone a hot pursuit area.

(6) Exclusive economic zones (EEZs)

  • These extend 200 nm from the baseline.
  • Within this area, the coastal nation has sole exploitation rights over all natural resources.
  • In casual use, the term may include the territorial sea and even the continental shelf.

(7) Continental shelf

  • The continental shelf is defined as the natural prolongation of the land territory to the continental margin’s outer edge, or 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastal state’s baseline, whichever is greater.

India and UNCLOS

  • As a State party to the UNCLOS, India promoted utmost respect for the UNCLOS, which established the international legal order of the seas and oceans.
  • India also supported freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded commerce based on the principles of international law, reflected notably in the UNCLOS 1982.
  • India is committed to safeguarding maritime interests and strengthening security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to ensure a favorable and positive maritime environment.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Solar Energy – JNNSM, Solar Cities, Solar Pumps, etc.

UN confers Observer Status on International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Mains level: Success of the ISA

The UN General Assembly has conferred Observer Status to the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Significance of  ‘Observer’ Status

  • Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them the ability to participate in the organization’s activities.
  • It is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member parties and international nongovernmental organizations (INGO) that have an interest in the IGO’s activities.
  • Observers generally have a limited ability to participate in the IGO, lacking the ability to vote or propose resolutions.

About International Solar Alliance (ISA)

Hq: Gurugram, India

  • The ISA is an alliance of more than 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
  • The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
  • The alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organization.
  • The initiative was launched by PM Modi at the India Africa Summit and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015.
  • A total of 80 countries have signed and ratified the ISA Framework Agreement and 101 countries have only signed the agreement.

Objectives of the ISA

  • To mobilize investments of more than USD 1000 billion by 2030
  • To take coordinated action for better harmonization, aggregation of demand, risk and resources, for promoting solar finance, solar technologies, innovation, R&D, capacity building etc.
  • Reduce the cost of finance to increase investments in solar energy in member countries
  • Scale up applications of solar technologies in member countries
  • Facilitate collaborative research and development (R&D) activities in solar energy technologies among member countries
  • Promote a common cyber platform for networking, cooperation and exchange of ideas among member countries

What does ISA formation signify?

  • Climate action commitment: It symbolizes about the sincerity of the developing nations towards their concern about climate change and to switch to a low-carbon growth path.
  • Clean energy: India’s pledge to the Paris summit offered to bring 40% of its electricity generation capacity from non-fossil sources (renewable, large hydro, and nuclear) by 2030.
  • Global electrification: India has pledged to let solar energy reach to the most unconnected villages and communities and also towards creating a clean planet.
  • Global cooperation: It is based on world cooperation irrespective of global boundaries.
  • India’s Soft power: For India, possible additional benefits from the alliance can be a strengthening of ties with the major African countries and increasing goodwill for India among them.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Air Pollution

[pib] Global Methane Initiative (GMI)

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Global Methane Initiative, GMI

Mains level: GHGs emission

India has co-chaired along with Canada the Global Methane Initiative leadership meet held virtually.

About Methane

  • Methane is a greenhouse gas, which is also a component of natural gas.
  • There are various sources of methane including human and natural sources.
  • The anthropogenic sources are responsible for 60 per cent of global methane emissions.
  • It includes landfills, oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, wastewater treatment, and certain industrial processes.
  • The oil and gas sectors are among the largest contributors to human sources of methane.
  • These emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, decomposition in landfills and the agriculture sector.

Global Methane Initiative (GMI)

  • GMI is a voluntary Government and an informal international partnership having members from 45 countries including the United States and Canada.
  • The forum has been created to achieve global reduction in anthropogenic methane emission through partnership among developed and developing countries having economies in transition.
  • The forum was created in 2004 and India is one of the members since its inception and has taken up Vice-Chairmanship for the first time in the Steering Leadership along with USA.
  • National governments are encouraged to join GMI as Partner Countries, while other non-State organizations may join GMI’s extensive Project Network.

Focus areas

The initiative currently focuses on five sectors, which are known sources of anthropogenic methane emissions:

  1. Agriculture
  2. Coal mining
  3. Municipal solid waste
  4. Municipal wastewater
  5. Oil and gas systems

Why focus on Methane?

  • The emission of methane is a big concern as it is a greenhouse gas having 25-28 times harmful effect than carbon dioxide
  • According to the UN, 25 % of the warming that the world is experiencing today is because of methane.
  • Methane is the second-most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, after carbon dioxide.
  • According to IPCC, methane accounts for about half of the 1.0 degrees Celsius net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.

Back2Basics: CO2 Equivalents

  • Each greenhouse gas (GHG) has a different global warming potential (GWP) and persists for a different length of time in the atmosphere.
  • The three main greenhouse gases (along with water vapour) and their 100-year global warming potential (GWP) compared to carbon dioxide are:

1 x – carbon dioxide (CO2)

25 x – methane (CH4) – I.e. Releasing 1 kg of CH4into the atmosphere is about equivalent to releasing 25 kg of CO2

298 x – nitrous oxide (N2O)

  • Water vapour is not considered to be a cause of man-made global warming because it does not persist in the atmosphere for more than a few days.
  • There are other greenhouse gases which have far greater global warming potential (GWP) but are much less prevalent. These are sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).
  • There are a wide variety of uses for SF6, HFCs, and PFCs but they have been most commonly used as refrigerants and for fire suppression.
  • Many of these compounds also have a depleting effect on ozone in the upper atmosphere.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

Global Health Security Index, 2021

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Global Health Security Index, 2021

Mains level: Health security

Countries across all income levels remain dangerously unprepared to meet future epidemic and pandemic threats, according to the new 2021 Global Health Security (GHS) Index.

About GHS Index

  • The GHS Index is the first comprehensive assessment and benchmarking of health security and related capabilities across the 195 countries that make up the States Parties to the International Health Regulations.
  • It is a project of the Johns Hopkins Centre for Health Security, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and was first launched in October 2019.
  • It assesses countries across 6 categories, 37 indicators, and 171 questions using publicly available information.
  • It benchmarks health security in the context of other factors critical to fighting outbreaks, such as political and security risks, the broader strength of the health system, and country adherence to global norms.

Parameters assessed

The report is based on a questionnaire of 140 questions, organized across 6 categories, 34 indicators, and 85 sub-indicators. The six categories are:

  1. Prevention: Prevention of the emergence or release of pathogens
  2. Detection and Reporting: Early detection and reporting for epidemics of potential international concern
  3. Rapid Response: Rapid response to and mitigation of the spread of an epidemic
  4. Health System: Sufficient and robust health system to treat the sick and protect health workers
  5. Compliance with International Norms: Commitments to improving national capacity, financing plans to address gaps, and adhering to global norms
  6. Risk Environment: Overall risk environment and country vulnerability to biological threats

Global performance

  • In 2021, no country scored in the top tier of rankings and no country scored above 75.9, the report showed.
  • The world’s overall performance on the GHS Index score slipped to 38.9 (out of 100) in 2021, from a score of 40.2 in the GHS Index, 2019.
  • This, even as infectious diseases are expected to have the greatest impact on the global economy in the next decade.
  • Some 101 countries high-, middle- and low-income countries, including India, have slipped in performance since 2019.

Indian scenario

  • India, with a score of 42.8 (out of 100) too, has slipped by 0.8 points since 2019.
  • Three neighboring countries — Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives — have improved their score by 1-1.2 points.

Conclusion

  • Health emergencies demand a robust public health infrastructure with effective governance.
  • The trust in government, which has been a key factor associated with success in countries’ responses to COVID-19, is low and decreasing, the index noted.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Poverty Eradication – Definition, Debates, etc.

World Inequality Report, 2022

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: World Inequality Report

Mains level: Rich vr Poor divide in India

As per the ‘World Inequality Report 2022’, India is among the most unequal countries in the world, with rising poverty and an ‘affluent elite.’

World Inequality Report

  • This report is published by Mr. Lucas Chancel, the co-director of the World Inequality Lab of the Paris School of Economics.
  • It was coordinated by famed French economist Thomas Piketty.

Key highlights of the report

(1) Income divide

  • The report highlights that the top 10% and top 1% in India hold 57% and 22% of the total national income respectively while the bottom 50% share has gone down to 13%.
  • The average national income of the Indian adult population is Rs 2,04,200.
  • The bottom 50% earns 20 times more than the top 10%.

 (2) Decline in public wealth

  • The report notes that the share of public wealth across countries has been on a decline for decades now.
  • Public assets typically include public buildings housing administrations, schools, universities, hospitals, and other public services.

(3) Inequality during Colonial India

  • Going back in time, the report shows that the income inequality in India under the British colonial rule (1858-1947) was very high, with a top 10% income share around 50%.
  • After independence, due to socialist-inspired five-year plans, this share was reduced to 35-40%.
  • Owing to poor post-Independence economic conditions, India embarked upon deregulation and loosening controls in the form of liberalization policies.

(4) Wealth inequality

  • The average household wealth in India is around Rs 9,83,010.
  • The bottom 50% of the nation can be seen to own almost nothing, with an average wealth of Rs 66,280 or 6% of the total pie.
  • The middle class is relatively poor with an average wealth of Rs 7,23,930 or 29.5% of the total.
  • The top 10% owns 65% of the total wealth, averaging Rs 63,54,070 and the top 1% owns 33%, averaging Rs 3,24,49,360.

(5) Gender Inequality

  • Gender inequality in India is also considered on the higher end of the spectrum.
  • The share of female labor income share in India is equal to 18% which is significantly lower than the average in Asia (21%, excluding China) & is among the lowest in the world.
  • Although, the number is slightly higher than the average share in the Middle East (15%).
  • However, a significant increase has been observed since 1990 (+8 p.p.) but it has been insufficient to lift women’s labor income share to the regional average.

(6) Poor States, wealthy population

  • Countries across the world have become richer over the past 40 years, but their governments have become significantly poorer.
  • The report shows that the share of wealth held by public actors is close to zero or negative in rich countries, meaning that the totality of wealth is in private hands.
  • Following the pandemic, governments borrowed the equivalent of 10-20% of GDP, essentially from the private sector.

(7) Issue over data availability

  • The report goes on to say that over the past three years, the quality of inequality data released by the government has seriously deteriorated.
  • This has made it particularly difficult to assess recent inequality changes.

Conclusions from the report

(1) Wealth is mostly inherited and has a snowball effect

  • People accumulate wealth across generations through inheritance.
  • It has a snowball effect, wherein successive generations will gain more, but in their concentrated section.
  • More capital incentivizes banks to lend. This is why the rich section’s wealth grows faster.

(2) Wealth management is necessary

  • Public wealth has been declining for two reasons:
  1. First, governments have been privatizing assets and natural resources at low costs.
  2. Second, governments contract debt to the private sector, making it richer.
  • Without assets, governments have low resources to invest and to mitigate climate change impacts, particularly in the energy sector.
  • Currently, governments have more debts than assets. This calls for strategic management of the economy.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

G20 : Economic Cooperation ahead

India joins G20’s Troika

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: G20, G7 and its members

Mains level: Not Much

India has joined the G20 ‘Troika’with Indonesia and Italy.

G20 Troika

  • Troika refers to the top grouping within the G20 that consists of the current, previous and incoming presidencies — Indonesia, Italy and India.
  • With this move, India has started the procedure for taking over the G20 presidency.

Significance of the move

  • India will assume the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022 from Indonesia, and will convene the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time in India in 2023.
  • Indonesia took over the G20 presidency this year.

Do you know?

A Sherpa is the personal representative of a head of state or head of government who prepares an international summit, such as the annual G7 and G20 summits.

About G20 Countries

  • Formed in 1999, the G20 is an international forum of the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies.
  • Collectively, the G20 economies account for around 85 percent of the Gross World Product (GWP), 80 percent of world trade.
  • The members of the G20 consist of 19 individual countries plus the European Union (EU).
  1. The 19 member countries of the forum are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.
  2. The European Union is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank.
  • India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

OBOR Initiative

EU unveils Global Gateway Project

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Global Gateway Project

Mains level: Countering projects against Chinese BRI

The European Union has unveiled a project called ”Global Gateway” that is worth 300 billion euros ($340 billion). The project is being seen as a response to China’s Belt and Road strategy.

Global Gateway Project

  • It is the initiative Build Back Better World and the European Global Gateway that are reinforcing each other.
  • The bloc will mobilize the financial aid in public and private infrastructure investment around the world.
  • It is an offshoot of a plan by G7 countries to offer developing countries an alternative to Belt and Road.
  • The project will probably extend the remit of the European Fund for Strategic Investment, or create a similar institution, which can act as a guarantor for riskier investments in the ‘Global South’.
  • The EU has indicated it especially wants to compete for infrastructure development projects in Africa.

About Belt and Road Initiative

  • The Belt and Road is a flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping that was launched in 2013.
  • Beijing has invested $139.8 billion in the project which is the centerpiece of Chinese foreign policy.
  • BRI aims to develop land and sea infrastructure to better connect China to Asia, Europe and Africa for trade and development, and it has found many partners around the world.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Tobacco: The Silent Killer

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), WHO

Mains level: Not Much

The World Health Assembly (WHA) took the historic decision to form a global treaty to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”.

Significance of the launch

  • The launch of putting together this accord is the second such initiative taken under Article 19.
  • The first initiative was the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which came into effect in 2005.

About FCTC

  • The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the world’s first modern-day global public health treaty.
  • It is also the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • The treaty entered into force in February 2005.
  • It was signed by 168 of the 192 WHO member states and more than 180 WHO member states have become parties to the convention.

Highlights of the FCTC

The FCTC provides an internationally coordinated response to combating the tobacco epidemic and sets out specific steps for governments addressing tobacco use, including:

  • Adopting tax and price measures to reduce tobacco consumption
  • Banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
  • Creating smoke-free work and public spaces
  • Putting prominent health warnings on tobacco packages
  • Combating illicit trade in tobacco products

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Iran’s Nuclear Program & Western Sanctions

What is the Iran Nuclear Deal?

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: JCPOA

Mains level: US sanctions on Iran

As Iran has refused to hold direct talks with the U.S., European officials will shuttle between the Iranian and American delegations, exchanging talking points and seeking common ground over the nuclear deal.

Do you know how the enmity between Iran and the US came into reality?  We hope you have watched the Argo (2012) movie for sure!

Context

  • After a gap of five months, Iran, Russia, China and the European countries resumed negotiations in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
  • The 2015 JCPOA agreement sought to cut Iran off a possible path to a nuclear bomb in return for lifting of economic sanctions.

What is JCPOA?

  • The Iran nuclear agreement, formally known as the JCPOA is a landmark accord reached between Iran and several world powers, including the United States, in July 2015.
  • Under its terms, Iran agreed to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to more extensive international inspections in exchange for billions of dollars’ worth of sanctions relief.

Expected outcomes of the deal

  • Curb on nuclear program: Proponents of the deal said that it would help prevent a revival of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
  • Increasing regional engagement: It would thereby reduce the prospects for conflict between Iran and its regional rivals, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Background of the JCPOA

  • Iran had previously agreed to forgo the development of nuclear weapons as a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which has been in force since 1970.
  • However, after the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979, Iranian leaders secretly pursued this technology.
  • In 2007, U.S. intelligence analysts concluded that Iran halted its work on nuclear weapons in 2003 but continued to acquire nuclear technology and expertise.
  • Prior to the JCPOA, the P5+1 had been negotiating with Iran for years, offering its government various incentives to halt uranium enrichment.

Issues with the deal

(1) US withdrawal

  • The deal has been in jeopardy since President Donald Trump withdrew the US from it in 2018.
  • In retaliation for the US, Iran resumed some of its nuclear activities.

(2) Iran’s insistence over sanctions removal

  • In 2021, President Joe Biden said the US will return to the deal if Iran comes back into compliance, though Iran’s leaders have insisted that Washington lift sanctions first.
  • Iran now has indicated that he will take a harder line than his predecessor in nuclear negotiations.

Who are the participants?

  • The JCPOA, which went into effect in January 2016, imposes restrictions on Iran’s civilian nuclear enrichment program.
  • At the heart of negotiations with Iran were the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Germany—collectively known as the P5+1.
  • The European Union also took part. Israel explicitly opposed the agreement, calling it too lenient.
  • Some Middle Eastern powers, such as Saudi Arabia, said they should have been consulted or included in the talks because they would be most affected by a nuclear-armed Iran.

What did Iran agree to?

  • Nuclear restrictions: Iran agreed not to produce either the highly enriched uranium or the plutonium that could be used in a nuclear weapon.
  • Monitoring and verification:  Iran agreed to eventually implement a protocol that would allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog.

What did the other signatories agree to?

  • Sanctions relief: The EU, United Nations, and United States all committed to lifting their nuclear-related sanctions on Iran. However, many other U.S. sanctions on Iran, some dating back to the 1979 hostage crisis, remained in effect.
  • Weapons embargo: The parties agreed to lift an existing UN ban on Iran’s transfer of conventional weapons and ballistic missiles after five years if the IAEA certifies that Iran is only engaged in civilian nuclear activity.

How has the deal affected Iran’s economy?

  • Prior to the JCPOA, Iran’s economy suffered years of recession, currency depreciation, and inflation, largely because of sanctions on its energy sector.
  • With the sanctions lifted, inflation slowed, exchange rates stabilized, and exports—especially of oil, agricultural goods, and luxury items­—skyrocketed as Iran regained trading partners, particularly in the EU.
  • After the JCPOA took effect, Iran began exporting more than 2.1 million barrels per day (approaching pre-2012 levels, when the oil sanctions were originally put in place).

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

International Space Agencies – Missions and Discoveries

Matosinhos Manifesto for accelerated use of space in Europe

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Matosinhos Manifesto

Mains level: Not Much

The European Space Agency (ESA) has approved a Matosinhos Manifesto to accelerate the use of space in Europe.

Matosinhos Manifesto

  • At the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting that was held in Matosinhos, Portugal.
  • The Council of Ministers unanimously adopted this resolution that lays down a vision for the continent in terms of maintaining and expanding its activities in space.
  • The large-scale nature and fast pace of the climate crisis and other challenges means that no European nation will be able to effectively address them alone.

The manifesto defines three “accelerators” to further advance Europe’s space ambitions:

  1. The first of these accelerators is for the ESA to start working towards the “Space for a Green Future”
  2. The second accelerator is called “Rapid and Resilient Crisis Response” to support governments to act decisively on crises facing Europe, from flooding and storms to wildfires
  3. The third accelerator mentioned in the resolution is “Protection of Space Assets”, whose objective is to safeguard ESA astronauts and assets from interference by space debris and space weather

A brief history of the ESA

  • The ESA is an intergovernmental organization that was formed in 1975 with the aim of developing Europe’s space capabilities.
  • The organization has 22 member states — Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
  • Slovenia, Latvia and Lithuania are Associate Members.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Global State of Democracy Report, 2021

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Global State of Democracy Report, 2021

Mains level: Decline of Democracy

The number of countries moving towards authoritarianism in 2020 was higher than that of countries going in the other direction, towards democracy, a/c to the Global State of Democracy (GSD) Report, 2021.

Note: The Global Democracy Index is released by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). One may get confused over this two.

About GSD Report

  • The GSD report is released by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International-IDEA).
  • The International-IDEA, is an inter-governmental organization supporting democracy, is chaired by Australia and includes India as a member-state.
  • The report aims to influence the global debate and analyses current trends and challenges to democracy, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • It offers specific policy recommendations to spark new and innovative thinking for policymakers, governments and civil society organizations supporting democracy.

GSD framework

Highlights of the report

  • The US and three members of the European Union (EU) [Hungary, Poland and Slovenia] have also seen concerning democratic declines.
  • The pandemic has prolonged this existing negative trend into a five-year stretch, the longest such period since the start of the third wave of democratization in the 1970s.
  • Democratically elected Governments, including established democracies, are increasingly adopting authoritarian tactics.
  • This democratic backsliding has often enjoyed significant popular support.

India’s performance

  • The report highlighted the case of Brazil and India as “some of the most worrying examples of backsliding.
  • India is the backsliding democracy with the most democratic violations during the pandemic.
  • Violations include- Harassment, arrests and prosecution of human rights defenders, activists, journalists, students, academics and others critical of the government or its policies; internet obstructions etc.

Resilient democracies

  • The report pointed out that many democracies had proved to be resilient to the pandemic.
  • Despite pandemic restrictions on campaigning and media, the electoral component of democracy has shown remarkable resilience.
  • Countries around the world learned to hold elections in exceedingly difficult conditions and they rapidly activated special voting arrangements to allow citizens to continue exercising their democratic rights.

Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse.

–  Jawaharlal Nehru

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Nuclear Diplomacy and Disarmament

Iran invites UN nuclear body chief to Tehran for talks

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), IAEA

Mains level: Nuclear disarmament

Iran has invited the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for talks after the UN official expressed concern over a lack of contact with Iranian authorities.

What is IAEA?

  • The IAEA is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons.
  • As the preeminent nuclear watchdog under the UN, the IAEA is entrusted with the task of upholding the principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1970.
  • It was established as an autonomous organization on July 29, 1957, at the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
  • Though established independently of the UN through its own international treaty, the agency reports to both the UN General Assembly and the UNSC.

IAEA Missions

The IAEA is generally described as having three main missions:

  • Peaceful uses: Promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy by its member states,
  • Safeguards: Implementing safeguards to verify that nuclear energy is not used for military purposes, and
  • Nuclear safety: Promoting high standards for nuclear safety

What are its safeguards?

  • Safeguards are activities by which the IAEA can verify that a State is living up to its international commitments not to use nuclear programs for nuclear weapons purposes.
  • Safeguards are based on assessments of the correctness and completeness of a State’s declared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities.
  • Verification measures include on-site inspections, visits, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

Basically, two sets of measures are carried out in accordance with the type of safeguards agreements in force with a State.

  1. Verifying state reports of declared nuclear material and activities.
  2. Verifying the non-diversion of declared nuclear material and providing assurances as to the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in a State.

Try this question from CSP 2020:

Q.In India, why are some nuclear reactors kept under “IAEA Safeguards” while others are not?

(a) Some use Uranium and others use thorium.

(b) Some use imported uranium and others use domestic supplies.

(c) Some are operated by foreign enterprises and others are operated by domestic enterprises.

(d) Some are State- owned and others are privately-owned.

 

Post your answers here.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)


Back2Basics: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

  • The NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
  • The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States.
  • Opened for signature in 1968, the Treaty entered into force in 1970.
  • India is one of the only five countries that either did not sign the NPT or signed but withdrew, thus becoming part of a list that includes Pakistan, Israel, North Korea, and South Sudan.
  • India always considered the NPT as discriminatory and had refused to sign it.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Foreign Policy Watch: India-United States

Will U.S. sanction India for S-400 purchase?

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: S-400 Triumf system

Mains level: India's assertion for Strategic Autonomy

The arrival of the $5.4-billion Russian long-range surface-to-air missile defence shield “S-400” is expected next month, which is likely to generate more international headlines.

About S-400

  • The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system, capable of destroying hostile strategic bombers, jets, missiles and drones at a range of 380-km.

US reservations against S-400 purchase

  • The US has made it clear that the delivery of the five S-400 systems is considered a “significant transaction”.
  • Such deals are considered under its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) of 2017.
  • It could trigger sanctions against Indian officials and the Government.

About CAATSA

  • The CAATSA is designed to ensure that no country is able to increase military engagement with Iran, North Korea and Russia without facing deterrent punitive action from the US.
  • The sanctions are unilateral, and not part of any United Nations decision, and therefore no country is bound to accept them.
  • Section 231 says the President shall impose no fewer than five different sanctions on any Government that enters into a significant defence or intelligence deal with Russia.
  • Section 235 lists 12 options, including stopping credit lines from US and international banks such as the IMF, blocking sales of licensed goods and technology, banning banks, manufacturers and suppliers, property transactions and even financial and visa sanctions on specific officials.
  • However, the law also empowers the President to waiver sanctions or delay them if the waiver is in the US’s “vital national security interests”.

Has the US used CAATSA before for S-400 sales?

  • The US has already placed sanctions on China and Turkey for purchase of the S-400.
  • The sanctions included denial of export licences, ban on foreign exchange transactions, blocking of all property and interests in property within the US jurisdiction and a visa ban.

Types of sanctions laid

  • In 2020, the US sanctioned its NATO partner Turkey, which it had warned about CAATSA sanctions for years, besides cancelling a deal to sell Ankara F-35 jets.
  • The sanctions on Turkey’s main defence procurement agency, also included a ban on licences and loans, and blocking of credit and visas to related officials.

Likely impacts after India’s purchase

  • The Biden administration has no firm indication on where it leans on India’s case.
  • However, several senators (US parliamentarians) have called upon the Biden administration to consider a special waiver for India.
  • This is on account of India’s importance as a defence partner, and as a strategic partner on US concerns over China and in the Quad.
  • Other US leaders thinks that giving a waiver to India would be the wrong signal for others seeking to go ahead with similar deals.

Why is the S-400 deal so important to India?

  • Security paradigm: S-400 is very important for India’s national security considerations due to the threats from China, Pakistan and now Afghanistan.
  • Air defence capability: The system will also offset the air defence capability gaps due to the IAF’s dwindling fighter squadron strength.
  • Russian legacy: Integrating the S-400 will be much easier as India has a large number of legacy Russian air defence systems.
  • Strategic autonomy: For both political as well as operational reasons, the deal is at a point of no return.

Conclusion

  • The deal is a way for the Government to assert its strategic autonomy.
  • India had earlier agreed to stop buying Iranian oil over the threat of sanctions in 2019, a move that caused India both financial and reputational damage.
  • Not giving in to the US’s unilateral sanctions would be one way to restore some of that.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Pharma Sector – Drug Pricing, NPPA, FDC, Generics, etc.

Global Drug Policy Index inaugurated

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Global Drug Policy Index

Mains level: Not Much

The first-ever Global Drug Policy Index was recently inaugurated.

Global Drug Policy Index

  • It is released by the Harm Reduction Consortium, ranks Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and Australia as the five leading countries on humane and health-driven drug policies.
  • It is a data-driven global analysis of drug policies and their implementation.
  • It is composed of 75 indicators running across five broad dimensions of drug policy:
  1. Criminal justice
  2. Extreme responses
  3. Health and harm reduction
  4. Access to internationally controlled medicines and
  5. Development

Highlights of the 2021 ranking

  • The five lowest-ranking countries are Brazil, Uganda, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico.
  • Norway, despite topping the Index, only managed a score of 74/100.
  • And the median score across all 30 countries and dimensions is just 48/100.

India’s performance

  • India’s rank is 18 out of 30 countries
  • It has an overall score of 46/100.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Civil Aviation Sector – CA Policy 2016, UDAN, Open Skies, etc.

What is Freedom of Air?

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Freedom of Air

Mains level: Not Much

A flight from Srinagar to Sharjah had to avoid flying over Pakistan after the country denied permission to use its airspace for the said flight. With this refusal, Pakistan has violated the first freedom of air.

Freedom of Air

  • Following the Chicago Convention in 1944, the signatories decided to set rules that would act as fundamental building blocks to international commercial aviation.
  • As a part of these rules, initially, six ‘freedoms of air’ were decided.
  • These freedoms or rights still operate within the ambit of multilateral and bilateral treaties.
  • It allows to grant airlines of a particular country the privilege to use and/or land in another country’s airspace.

‘Freedoms’ accorded

  1. Flying over a foreign country without landing
  2. Refuel or carry out maintenance in a foreign country without embarking or disembarking passengers or cargo
  3. Fly from the home country and land in a foreign country
  4. Fly from a foreign country and land in the home country
  5. Fly from the home country to a foreign country, stopping in another foreign country on the way
  6. Fly from a foreign country to another foreign country, stopping in the home country on the way
  7. Fly from a foreign country to another foreign country, without stopping in the home country
  8. Fly from the home country to a foreign country, then on to another destination within the same foreign country
  9. Fly internally within a foreign country

Why did Pakistan deny use of its airspace?

  • There has been no official explanation given by Pakistan authorities.
  • Indian has approached Pakistan to raise the issue of the refusal to use its airspace for the said flight.
  • Notably, other Indian airlines flying to west Asia from airports such as Delhi, Lucknow, etc have not been barred from using Pakistan airspace.
  • This also raises the concern of Pakistan violating the first freedom of air.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

Principles of Responsible Banking (PRBs)

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Principles of Responsible Banking (PRBs)

Mains level: Not Much

Global banks are pledging to report annually on the carbon emissions linked to the projects they lend to in an extension to the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRBs).

What are PRBs?

  • The PRBs are a unique framework for ensuring that signatory banks’ strategy and practice align with the vision society has set out for its future in the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • It was created in 2019 through a partnership between founding banks and the United Nations.
  • The framework consists of 6 Principles designed to bring purpose, vision and ambition to sustainable finance.
  • Signatory banks commit to embedding these 6 principles across all business areas, at the strategic, portfolio and transactional levels:

Note: India’s YES BANK Limited is the only Indian signatory to this framework.

Significance of the PRBs

  • Banks can contribute to solving the climate crisis from two angles: their lending and their investments.
  • Many bank policies concentrate their investments on securities that were focused on sustainability.

Issues with PRB

  • Being a signatory to the PRBs is a limited commitment.
  • Signatories have four years to comply with the principles.
  • Even then, everything is voluntary and non-binding, so signatories are not penalized or even named and shamed for failing to live up to the principles.

Way forward

  • When signatories to the PRBs are lending money, they are supposed to carry out environmental impact assessments and to measure the greenhouse gas emissions of projects.
  • This is not a minor issue considering that such work is beyond the traditional competencies of banks and will significantly affect their operational costs.
  • Signatories are also supposed to ensure that loans go to projects that are carbon neutral.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

Global Methane Pledge

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: GHGs, CO2 Equivalents

Mains level: Greenhouse Effect

The Global Methane Pledge was launched at the ongoing UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

What is the Global Methane Pledge?

  • Global Methane Pledge is an agreement to reduce global methane emissions.
  • One of the central aims of this agreement is to cut down methane emissions by up to 30 per cent from 2020 levels by the year 2030.
  • The pledge was first announced in September by the United States and the European Union.
  • So far, over 90 countries have signed this pledge.

Why methane?

  • According to the UN, 25 % of the warming that the world is experiencing today is because of methane.
  • Methane is the second-most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, after carbon dioxide.
  • According to IPCC, methane accounts for about half of the 1.0 degrees Celsius net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.

About Methane

  • Methane is a greenhouse gas, which is also a component of natural gas.
  • There are various sources of methane including human and natural sources.
  • The anthropogenic sources are responsible for 60 per cent of global methane emissions.
  • It includes landfills, oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, wastewater treatment, and certain industrial processes.
  • The oil and gas sectors are among the largest contributors to human sources of methane.
  • These emissions come primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, decomposition in landfills and the agriculture sector.

What is Coal-based Methane?

  • CBM, like shale gas, is extracted from unconventional gas reservoirs — where gas is extracted directly from the rock that is the source of the gas (shale in case of shale gas and coal in case of CBM).
  • The methane is held underground within the coal and is extracted by drilling into the coal seam and removing the groundwater.
  • The resulting drop in pressure causes the methane to be released from the coal.

Try this PYQ:

Q. With reference to two non-conventional energy sources called ‘coalbed methane’ and ‘shale gas’, consider the following ‘statements:

  1. Coalbed methane is the pure methane gas extracted from coal seams, while shale gas is a mixture of propane and butane only that can be extracted from fi ne-grained sedimentary rocks.
  2. In India abundant coalbed methane sources exist, but so far no shale gas sources have been found.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

 

Post your answers here.

Why is dealing with methane important for climate change?

  • Methane has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime (12 years as compared to centuries for CO2).
  • However, it is a much more potent greenhouse gas simply because it absorbs more energy while it is in the atmosphere.
  • The UN notes that methane is a powerful pollutant and has a global warming potential that is 80 times greater than carbon dioxide, about 20 years after it has been released into the atmosphere.

Back2Basics: CO2 Equivalents

  • Each greenhouse gas (GHG) has a different global warming potential (GWP) and persists for a different length of time in the atmosphere.
  • The three main greenhouse gases (along with water vapour) and their 100-year global warming potential (GWP) compared to carbon dioxide are:

1 x – carbon dioxide (CO2)

25 x – methane (CH4) – I.e. Releasing 1 kg of CH4into the atmosphere is about equivalent to releasing 25 kg of CO2

298 x – nitrous oxide (N2O)

  • Water vapour is not considered to be a cause of man-made global warming because it does not persist in the atmosphere for more than a few days.
  • There are other greenhouse gases which have far greater global warming potential (GWP) but are much less prevalent. These are sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).
  • There are a wide variety of uses for SF6, HFCs, and PFCs but they have been most commonly used as refrigerants and for fire suppression.
  • Many of these compounds also have a depleting effect on ozone in the upper atmosphere.

 

UPSC 2022 countdown has begun! Get your personal guidance plan now! (Click here)

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Join us across Social Media platforms.

💥Mentorship New Batch Launch
💥Mentorship New Batch Launch