Type: Prelims Only

Why in the News?

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) delayed a vote on its 2027 carbon pricing plan under the 2023 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy after U.S. pressure, stalling efforts for net-zero shipping by 2050.

About IMO’s 2023 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy:

• Adoption: Finalised in July 2023 at Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC-80) (London) under the MARPOL Annex VI framework.
• Carbon Intensity Targets: Cut 40 % by 2030 (vs 2008) and strive for 70 % by 2040.
• Net-Zero Timeline: Achieve full sectoral decarbonisation by 2050.
• Zero/Low-Emission Fuels: Ensure 5 % (aspire 10 %) of shipping energy from near-zero-GHG fuels by 2030; expand hydrogen and electrified propulsion.
• Fuel & Emission Standards: Introduce Global Fuel Standard (GFS) and Global Pricing Mechanism (GPM) by 2027, covering ships above 5,000 GT (~85 % of emissions).
• MRV Framework: Strengthen monitoring, reporting, and verification with emission databases and compliance audits.
• Support Mechanisms: Establish GHG Fund to assist developing states in retrofits, technology adoption, and port upgrades.

Significance: 

• Global Climate Milestone: First binding, worldwide roadmap for a high-emission transport sector outside aviation.
• Regulatory Shift: Moves from voluntary action to enforceable standards in maritime law.
• Strategic Impact: Positions the IMO as a key climate-governance body, linking trade regulation and environmental responsibility.

Why in the News?

The Supreme Court of India has temporarily permitted the sale and bursting of green crackers in the Delhi–NCR region from October 18 to 21 for Diwali celebrations.

About Green Crackers:

• Overview: Green crackers are eco-friendly fireworks developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) to curb air pollution during festive celebrations.
• Chemical Composition: Manufactured using modified formulations that exclude barium nitrate and significantly reduce sulphur and aluminium content, thereby cutting toxic emissions.
• Emission Reduction: These crackers emit about 30 % less particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀) and 10 % less sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NO₂) than conventional firecrackers.
• Identification & Legality: Each authorised packet carries the Green Fireworks logo and a QR code verifiable through the CSIR-NEERI Green QR Code App; crackers without codes are illegal.
• Purpose: Designed to retain the cultural and festive appeal of fireworks while mitigating health and environmental impacts in pollution-prone regions such as Delhi-NCR.

Types of Green Crackers:

1. SWAS (Safe Water Releasable): Releases water vapour during combustion to reduce dust and temperature, lowering particulate emissions.
2. STAR (Safe Thermite Cracker): Uses thermite-based reactions instead of conventional oxidisers, producing bright light and sound with reduced toxic output.
3. SAFAL (Safe Minimal Aluminium): Limits metallic fuel content, maintaining luminosity and sound intensity while reducing aluminium and sulphur emissions.

All three maintain sound levels around 100–120 dB, comparable to traditional fireworks but with a cleaner emission profile and shorter atmospheric residence time.

Why in the News?

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations reached a record 423.9 ppm in 2024, marking the highest annual increase (3.5 ppm) since global measurements began in 1957.

About WMO Report 2025:

• Publisher: Issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN specialised agency for weather, climate, and water systems.
• Document: The 2025 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin presents global atmospheric data for carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O).
• Global Record: Confirms 2024 as the warmest year ever, with average temperatures 1.55 °C above pre-industrial (1850–1900) levels.
• Context & Timing: Released ahead of COP30 (Belém, Brazil) to guide mitigation policies and national climate commitments.
• Key Warning: Notes a record surge in CO₂ and the weakening of natural carbon sinks such as oceans and forests.

Key Highlights about Greenhouse Gases:

• Carbon Dioxide (CO₂): Global mean reached 423.9 ppm in 2024, up 3.5 ppm from 2023, the largest annual rise since 1957. Concentrations are 152 % above pre-industrial (278.3 ppm); land and ocean sinks are declining in efficiency.
• Methane (CH₄): Climbed to 1,942 ppb, 166 % above pre-industrial levels; ~60 % of emissions stem from livestock, fossil fuels, and rice cultivation.
• Nitrous Oxide (N₂O): Reached 338 ppb, 25 % higher than pre-industrial; emitted mainly from fertiliser use, biomass burning, and industry; the third major long-lived GHG.
• Drivers of Increase: Human emissions, El Niño-linked droughts and wildfires, and reduced oceanic absorption, especially from the Amazon and southern Africa in 2024.

Implications and Risks:

• Warming Acceleration: CO₂ causes ~66 % of total warming and 79 % over the last decade; persistent buildup locks in long-term temperature rise.
• Weakening Carbon Sinks: Warmer seas and drought-stricken lands absorb less CO₂, reinforcing a feedback loop of accumulation.
• Extreme Events: Intensified heatwaves, floods, droughts, and wildfires signal proximity to irreversible tipping points like ice-sheet loss and coral die-off.

Why in the News?

The Chhattisgarh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the cancellation of Community Forest Rights (CFRs) granted to villagers of Ghatbarra in the Hasdeo Arand forest, an area where Adani Enterprises–linked coal mines operate.

About the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006:

• Overview: The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, commonly called the Forest Rights Act (FRA).
• Purpose: Enacted to correct historical injustices faced by forest-dwelling communities deprived of traditional land and resource rights during colonial rule.
• Core Objective: Ensures tenurial security, livelihood protection, and ecological stewardship of forest-dependent populations.
• Beneficiaries: Covers Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (OTFDs) who have lived in and depended on forests for generations.
• Scope: Recognises both individual and collective rights over forest land and produce, extending to cultivation, habitation, and minor forest produce use.
• Governance Principle: Empowers Gram Sabhas as the central authority for recognising and managing forest rights, reinforcing local autonomy.
• Integration Goal: Aligns forest governance with tribal self-rule, complementing the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA).

Key Features of the FRA:

• Individual & Community Rights: Legal recognition for occupation, cultivation, residence, and use/sale of minor forest produce.
• Community Forest Resource (CFR) Rights: Grants Gram Sabhas control to protect, regenerate, and manage community forests.
• Habitat Rights: Protects Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) and pre-agricultural forest communities.
• Governance Structure: Multi-level verification, Gram Sabha → Sub-Divisional Committee → District-Level Committee, for rights adjudication.
• Development Provisions: Allows limited diversion of forest land for public utilities with Gram Sabha consent.
• Eviction Safeguard: No eviction until claims are fully processed and rights recognised.
• Decentralised Oversight: Empowers Gram Sabha as the final decision-making authority on forest rights and management.
• Legal Integration: Reinforces PESA’s participatory governance and community-led conservation in Scheduled Areas.

Why in the News?

The SAIME Initiative, developed by the Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, has been conferred Global Technical Recognition by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

What is SAIME Initiative?

• Concept: A multi-stakeholder partnership model integrating shrimp aquaculture with mangrove restoration in the Sundarbans.
• Implementing Agencies: Developed by the Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS) with support from the Global Nature Fund (Germany), Naturland, and Bangladesh Environment & Development Society (BEDS).
• Purpose: Promotes climate-adaptive, conservation-linked livelihoods balancing ecological health with local economic growth.
• Implementation: Covers 29.84 hectares with 42 fish farmers, achieving 100% rise in net profits through low-input, eco-friendly methods.
• Target Group: Focuses on climate-vulnerable coastal communities, encouraging chemical-free shrimp farming to build coastal resilience.

Core Features and Approach:

• Ecosystem Integration: Maintains 5–30% mangrove cover within aquaculture ponds, directly linking productivity with ecosystem restoration.
• Community Participation: Adopts a bottom-up co-management model, involving local farmers in planning, monitoring, and benefit-sharing.
• Sustainable Practices: Utilises mangrove litter as shrimp feed, cutting chemical dependence and improving natural nutrient cycles.
• Climate Resilience: Mitigates cyclones, salinity intrusion, and erosion, functioning as a nature-based adaptation system.
• Economic Efficiency: Promotes low-input, high-yield aquaculture, enhancing smallholder profitability and resource efficiency.
• Environmental Benefits: Supports carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and blue carbon economy objectives.
• Global Alignment: Advances SDG-13 (Climate Action), SDG-14 (Life Below Water), and SDG-15 (Life on Land) through integrated coastal sustainability.