Pusa-2090: A Possible Solution to Stubble Burning
Context:
As a response to the challenge posed by stubble burning, the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has introduced Pusa-2090, an enhanced iteration of Pusa-44. Pusa-2090 delivers comparable yields but matures more quickly.
Details about Pusa-2090
- Development Process: IARI created Pusa-2090 through a crossbreeding of Pusa-44 and CB-501, a Japonica rice line known for its early maturation, robust stems, and increased grain production.
- Advantages: Pusa-2090 not only matches the high yields of Pusa-44 but also matures in a shorter period of 120-125 days, directly addressing the stubble-burning concern.
- Field Trials: Successful trials in Delhi and Odisha, coupled with positive feedback from Punjab farmers, demonstrate the viability of Pusa-2090.
- Economic Advantages: The potential of Pusa-2090 to equal Pusa-44’s yields in a shorter time frame makes it an appealing choice for farmers.
Replacement of Pusa-44
- Pusa-44 in Punjab: In the current kharif season, Pusa-44 occupies 5.48 lakh hectares in Punjab, constituting over 17% of the state’s total paddy area.
- Extended Maturation Period: Pusa-44 takes 155-160 days to mature, delaying the availability of fields for the subsequent wheat crop.
- Stubble Burning Issue: The extended maturation of Pusa-44 leads farmers to resort to stubble burning to prepare fields for the next crop, contributing to air pollution.
Alternative Varieties: Although there are alternatives like PR-126 with a shorter maturation period, their yields fall short of Pusa-44, affecting farmers’ income.
Challenges and Uncertainties in Biotechnology Policy for GM Insects
Context:
In April 2023, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) released the ‘Guidelines for Genetically Engineered (GE) Insects.’
These guidelines aim to assist Indian researchers in navigating regulatory requirements related to the global availability of GE insects.
However, they lack specificity regarding the approved purposes for GE insects in India and the DBT’s vision for their use in biotechnology.
Genetically Modified Insects (GE Insects)
A genetically modified insect refers to an insect whose genetic material has been altered through genetic engineering techniques.
These insects offer various benefits, such as reducing disease, ensuring food security, and preserving the environment.
GE insects play a crucial role in India’s goal to achieve a 5% contribution to the bioeconomy by 2030, with applications in vector management, crop pest control, healthcare product production, and genetic enhancement of beneficial insects.
Guidelines for GM Insects
The DBT, under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), is the nodal agency for biotechnology in India.
The guidelines serve as procedural roadmaps for those interested in creating GE insects.
They have been harmonized with the World Health Organization’s guidance on GE mosquitoes, focusing on their potential in disease control.
Why is this important?
India aims to increase its bioeconomy contribution from 2.6% to 5% of GDP by 2030, requiring significant investment and supportive policies. However, the DBT faces challenges in funding and aligning policies with these goals.
Challenges in Biotechnology Funding
- Biotechnology funding in India has stagnated, remaining at 0.0001% of the GDP, insufficient for meaningful growth.
- This stagnation impacts pandemic preparedness, national interests, and health security.
- The lack of private investment adds to the challenge, necessitating increased funding efforts.
Policies for a Thriving Bioeconomy
The April 2023 guidelines for GE insects reveal three key issues:
- Uncertainty of Purpose: The guidelines lack clarity on the approved purposes for GE insects in India, hindering alignment with bioeconomy commitments. The economic potential of GE insects is underemphasized.
- Uncertainty for Researchers: The guidelines only apply to research, limiting options for trials or deployment. Criteria for approval, community engagement, and monitoring during deployment are unclear, discouraging research investment.
- Uncertainty of Ambit: Ambiguity in defining ‘beneficial’ GE insects creates uncertainty for funders and scientists. Lack of precise guidelines hampers progress, particularly with limited public and private funding. Inadequate consideration of potential misuse adds to the uncertainty.
The Way Forward
To achieve the ambitious bioeconomy goals set in the Bioeconomy 2022 report, India must address challenges in biotechnology funding and policy alignment.
Essential steps include increased funding, private sector engagement, and clear, supportive policies. The guidelines for GE insects should emphasize economic opportunities and research priorities, fostering a thriving bioeconomy benefiting India’s society, economy, and environment.
Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) talks leave developing nations at new disadvantage
Context:
In the ongoing climate crisis, the focus has shifted to the concepts of “adaptation” and “loss and damage” (L&D). Despite initial acceptance at COP 27, efforts to operationalize the L&D fund during Transitional Committee (TC) meetings have faced significant challenges.
Origin of the L&D Fund
The call for wealthier nations to acknowledge their historical pollution responsibility has a history of over 30 years.
The formalization of the L&D fund took place at COP 19 in 2013 in Warsaw, aiming to support economically developing nations dealing with climate change-induced L&D.
Subsequent COPs, including COP 25 and COP 26, introduced additional initiatives like the Santiago Network for L&D and the Glasgow Dialogue on finance for L&D.
COP 27 in November 2022 marked the establishment of the L&D fund and a Transitional Committee tasked with making it operational.
Obstacles in Establishing the L&D Fund
Contentious Topics: TC meetings have grappled with issues such as the fund’s location at the World Bank, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR), climate reparations, and eligibility criteria for developing nations.
Disagreements Between Developed and Developing Nations: These disputes have widened the gap between developed and developing nations, impeding progress.
Results of TC4 and TC5 Meetings
TC4 Standstill: The fourth TC meeting concluded without a consensus on operationalizing the L&D fund, highlighting divisions on key issues.
TC5 Recommendations: An impromptu fifth meeting led to draft recommendations for COP 28. Developing nations agreed to the temporary hosting of the fund by the World Bank, but developed nations, including the U.S., remained non-committal on primary donor status and rejected references to CBDR, equity, and liability in the draft. The draft lacks clarity on the fund’s size due to pressure from certain developed nations.
Impact on Climate Multilateralism
- Trust Erosion: The outcome underscores a significant trust gap between affluent and emerging economies, deepening the divide between wealthy and impoverished nations.
- Failure to Uphold Commitments: The reluctance of wealthy nations to fulfill intended commitments undermines global climate negotiations, cooperation, and climate justice.
- Humanitarian Consequences: Weakening the L&D fund could result in humanitarian crises, food shortages, displacement, conflict, and increased suffering for vulnerable communities.
- Economic and Environmental Ramifications: There are economic consequences, including potential financial crises and environmental degradation, contributing to global economic instability.
- Security Concerns: Climate-induced instability may have security implications as conflicts emerge in vulnerable nations, posing a threat to spill across borders.
L&D in the Context of Climate Justice
Balancing Adaptation and L&D: Adaptation and L&D are interconnected on the continuum of climate resilience.
Moral and Financial Obligations: Addressing L&D is a moral and financial duty of affluent nations, ensuring climate justice, equity, and solidarity.
Global Climate Action: Failing to meet these obligations can derail global climate action, adding pressure to future COP talks.
Conclusion
The prolonged deadlock surrounding the Loss and Damage fund reveals a concerning lack of consensus and trust between nations, hindering climate justice and cooperation. As the world faces the consequences of climate change, finding a balance between adaptation and addressing L&D remains crucial.
EUCLID MISSION
Context:
The inaugural images from the Euclid mission, launched by the European Space Agency in July, have been unveiled, marking a significant step in the study of dark matter and dark energy.
Here is an overview of the Euclid mission:
- Named after the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, the mission centers on exploring the dark Universe and creating a 3D map, treating time as the third dimension.
- The Euclid spacecraft has dimensions of approximately 4.7 meters in height and 3.7 meters in diameter, consisting of the service module and the payload module.
- It operates in a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2 (L2), positioned about 1.5 million kilometers beyond Earth’s orbit.
- The mission’s planned duration is six years, with the potential for an extension.
- The service module houses various satellite systems, such as power generation, attitude control, data processing electronics, propulsion, telecommand and telemetry, and thermal control.
Mission Objectives:
- Euclid’s primary goal is to comprehend the evolution of the dark Universe by mapping the cosmos in three dimensions.
- It aims to investigate the mysterious elements of the Universe, particularly dark matter and dark energy.
- The mission will explore the distance-redshift relationship and the development of cosmic structures by measuring the shapes and redshifts of galaxies.
- Euclid will cover the entire period during which dark energy significantly influenced the expansion of the Universe.
- The image quality provided by Euclid is expected to be at least four times superior to ground-based sky surveys.
- The mission will amass a substantial archive of unique data, serving as a valuable resource for research across various astronomical disciplines.
Telescope Images:
- Perseus Cluster: Euclid captures an image featuring 1,000 galaxies belonging to the Perseus Cluster, along with over 100,000 galaxies in the background. Scientists aim to study the distribution and shapes of these galaxies to understand the impact of dark matter on the universe.
- Spiral Galaxy IC 342: Euclid’s infrared view reveals details about the stars in IC 342, a spiral galaxy similar in appearance to the Milky Way.
- Irregular Dwarf Galaxy (NGC 6822): The mission captures an image of NGC 6822, an irregularly-shaped dwarf galaxy located about 1.6 million light-years away from Earth, serving as building blocks for larger galaxies.
- Globular Cluster NGC 6397: Euclid provides an image of NGC 6397, a nearly globe-shaped cluster of stars located about 7,800 light-years away from Earth.
The Horsehead Nebula: Euclid presents a spectacular view of the Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33), expected to aid astronomers in their search for previously unseen Jupiter-mass planets in early developmental stages.
World Energy Outlook 2023
Context:
In the 2023 World Energy Outlook report by the IEA, India’s Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) for commercial buildings receives praise, distinguishing it from other developing economies with lower building energy efficiency.
The report spans 50 years since the inception of the IEA and emphasizes the role of the COP28 climate conference in pursuing the 1.5°C goal.
It explores three scenarios, evaluating the impact of policy choices, investments, and technology trends:
- Stated Policies Scenario: Considers current policies and industrial support for clean energy supply chains.
- Announced Pledges Scenario: Examines the effects of fully implementing national energy and climate goals.
- Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario: Outlines a pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Findings
- The report delves into energy trends, investment, trade, electrification, and energy access.
- Regional instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is identified as a potential disruptor of energy markets and prices.
- In the Stated Policies Scenario, energy demand is projected to grow at 0.7% annually until 2030, continuing to rise until 2050.
- The Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario anticipates faster electrification and efficiency improvements.
- Solar manufacturing growth outpaces deployment, creating opportunities for accelerating the energy transition. New LNG export projects, particularly from the US and Qatar, are expected to impact gas markets.
- The share of fossil fuels in global energy supply is projected to decrease from 80% to 73% by 2030, with global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions expected to peak by 2025.
- Renewables, especially solar PV, are projected to significantly contribute to new power capacity by 2030.
- Energy market volatility highlights the importance of affordable, reliable, and resilient supply. Several countries, through policies like the Inflation Reduction Act, Net Zero Industry Act, and Production Linked Incentives scheme, aim to encourage clean energy technology supply chain diversification.
- The global economy is forecasted to grow at an average of 2.6% annually until 2050, accompanied by a rising population.
- India, in particular, is importing modern clean energy technologies as it expands its solar and wind power generation capacity.
- The country is on track to achieve its 2030 target of half non-fossil electricity capacity well before the decade ends, with solar PV playing a significant role.
- Additionally, India’s demand for electricity for air conditioning is estimated to increase nine-fold by 2050.
