CURRENT AFFAIRS 7 NOVEMBER 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS

7 NOVEMBER 2019

1.Madrid Meeting on Climate Change(gs-3)

Context:India to raise demand for clean technology at affordable cost at Madrid Summit- Prakash Javadekar
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar today said that India will put forward the demand for clean technology at affordable cost and liberal financing from developed countries to developing countries during the forthcoming Madrid Meeting on Climate Change.
Mr Javadekar said that in the meeting he spoke about India being on track to fulfill its commitment given at Paris on the issues like emission intensity reduction, share of renewable power in India’s power-mix and other issues such as increasing the forest cover.
In all these fields India is leading by example, he said. However, he also pointed out the need to make behavioural change in the public for which public awareness and participation is needed.
The Minister also called upon the developed world to provide clean technology not for making a profit but at cost price to spread the new technology. He said developing world suffers from climatic change the most and the developed world should provide financial aid as promised.

Madrid Meeting on Climate Change:

It’s Official: Madrid Will Host COP25(source: eco watch)
Despite Chile's last-minute announcement that it could no longer host the COP25 UN Climate Change Conference, the talks will continue as scheduled in Madrid, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa confirmed Friday.
The announcement came one day after Chilean President Sebastián Piñera of Chile said that acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had volunteered his country's capital city as an alternative venue

COP25 UN Climate Change Conference:2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP25, is to be the 25th United Nations Climate Change conference. It is planned to be held in Madrid, Spain, from 2 to 13 December 2019 under the presidency of the Chilean government. The conference is supposed to incorporate the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 15th meeting of the parties for the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15), and the second meeting of the parties for the Paris Agreement (CMA2).

2.OFFICE OF PROFIT(gs-2)

Context:Office-of-profit case: Prez Kovind rejects plea to disqualify 11 AAP MLAs in Delhi
President Ram Nath Kovind has rejected a petition demanding disqualification of 11 Delhi MLAs belonging to Aam Aadmi Party for allegedly holding office of profit. The decision of the President rejecting the plea is based on an opinion rendered by the Election Commission.
In March 2017, a petition was filed before the President seeking disqualification of the lawmakers claiming that they were enjoying office of profit by being co-chairpersons of district disaster management authorities in 11 districts of Delhi.
The issue was referred to Election Commission which gave an opinion in August this year that holding the office of co-chairperson of a district disaster management authority does not attract disqualification as MLA since there is no remuneration by way of salary and allowances.
As per law, the President accepts the opinion of the Election Commission in cases of office of profit.

OFFICE OF PROFIT:
What is an ‘office of profit’?

If an MLA or an MP holds a government office and receives benefits from it, then that office is termed as an “office of profit”.
A person will be disqualified if he holds an office of profit under the central or state government, other than an office declared not to disqualify its holder by a law passed by Parliament or state legislature.

What are the basic criteria to disqualify an MP or MLA?

Basic disqualification criteria for an MP are laid down in Article 102 of the Constitution, and for an MLA in Article 191.
They can be disqualified for: a) Holding an office of profit under government of India or state government; b) Being of unsound mind; c) Being an undischarged insolvent; d) Not being an Indian citizen or for acquiring citizenship of another country.

What is the underlying principle for including ‘office of profit’ as criterion for disqualification?

Makers of the Constitution wanted that legislators should not feel obligated to the Executive in any way, which could influence them while discharging legislative functions. In other words, an MP or MLA should be free to carry out her duties without any kind of governmental pressure.

3.Cyclonic storm ‘Maha’ (gs-1,3)

Context:Cyclonic storm ‘Maha’ may fizzle out, not hit Gujarat coast on November 7: IMD
Severe cyclonic storm ‘Maha’ may not hit the Gujarat coast and is likely to fizzle out into the Arabian sea as a ‘depression’ by Thursday evening, the Met department said on Wednesday.
At present, ‘Maha’ is still a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ hovering over the east-central Arabian sea, and is located around 400 km away from coastal Porbandar in Saurashtra region of Gujarat

Cyclonic storm ‘Maha’ :

A depression that developed in the Comorin Sea (near the southernmost end of India) has intensified into a cyclonic storm, named ‘Maha’.
The name has been given by Oman.
It lies centered over Lakshadweep and the adjoining southeast Arabian Sea and the Maldives area.
Cyclone storm ‘Maha’ is the second in the 2019 northeast monsoon season, following close on the heels of super cyclone Kyarr which took its way towards the Arabian peninsula.

***4.Bay of Bengal(gs-1,3)Why Is The Bay of Bengal So Prone To Cyclones?***

Context:Depression over Bay of Bengal likely to turn into cyclonic storm
The depression over the Bay of Bengal has turned into a deep depression on Wednesday and is set to intensify into a cyclone, an IMD official said.
As it is likely to trigger widespread rainfall, the Odisha government has already put 15 of the state’s 30 districts on alert asking them to remain prepared for possible flood-like situation and waterlogging, a state government official said.
The deep depression lay centred over eastcentral and adjacent southeast Bay of Bengal, about 810 km south-southeast of Paradip in Odisha and 920 km south-southeast of Sagar Islands in West Bengal.

Why Is The Bay of Bengal So Prone To Cyclones?

Both the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea experience cyclonic events, thanks to their proximity to the Indian Ocean, where cyclones are a common phenomenon. However, when the two are compared, the Bay of Bengal sees approximately five times as many cyclones as its Western counterpart. In addition, cyclones in the Bay are stronger and deadlier. And what's more, nearly 58% of cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal reach the coast as compared to only 25% of those formed in the Arabian Sea. But why is that?

How cyclones work

Tropical cyclones—also called typhoons or hurricanes—are intense water-rotating systems formed by strong winds (of speeds at least 62 kilometres/hour) around low-pressure areas. They have a spiral, anticlockwise movement. Additional weather conditions like high sea surface temperature, vertical changes in wind speed inside the spiral, and high relative humidity help cyclones form and intensify.
Since sea surface temperatures and humidity both directly correlate with chances of cyclone formation, the Bay of Bengal is a more likely target because it gets higher rainfall, and because the sluggish winds around it keep temperatures relatively high: about 28 degrees around the year. Warm air currents enhance this surface temperature and aid the formation of cyclones.

In addition, the Bay receives higher rainfall and constant inflow of fresh water from the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers. This means that the Bay’s surface water keeps getting refreshed, making it impossible for the warm water to mix with the cooler water below, making it ideal for a depression. On the other hand, the Arabian Sea receives stronger winds that help dissipate the heat, and the lack of constant fresh water supply helps the warm water mix with the cool water, reducing the temperature.
But not all cyclones are formed in the Bay of Bengal. The basin is also host to cyclones that are formed elsewhere but move towards the water body, especially those formed in the Pacific Ocean. Cyclones usually weaken if they encounter a large landmass. However, due to the lack of any such presence between the Pacific and the Bay, cyclonic winds easily move into the Bay of Bengal. Once here, the winds encounter the Western Ghats and the Himalayas, either becoming weak or getting blocked in the Bay, but never reaching the Arabian Sea.

Exception to the rule

Since high water and air temperatures are crucial to the formation and intensification of cyclones, they are most commonly reported, or expected, in summer. However, the Bay witnesses cyclones both pre-monsoon and post-monsoon.
The post-monsoon period sees a higher number of cyclones than the pre-monsoon period. This is because summers and pre-monsoons see dry and hot air moving from north-western India towards the Bay. This blocks the rise of air from the water, and the subsequent formation of clouds, preventing cyclone-friendly conditions. But the absence of this air movement in the post-monsoon phase increases the chances of cyclones.
All these factors make the Bay of Bengal the one of the most sensitive areas in the world when it comes to cyclones. It also explains why people in the coastal states along the Bay live in perpetual risk of this destructive weather phenomenon

5.Red chillies most profitable for farmers, potato the least, shows RBI report(gs-3)

The survey was conducted in December 2018 and covered 9,403 farmers, traders and retailers across 18 States.
Input costs for agriculture have been rising over the past few years, while food inflation has been declining.
This indicates that farmers are getting lower returns for some types of produce while investing more than before. An RBI survey shows that farmers get widely varying returns based on the crops.
The survey was conducted in December 2018 and covered 9,403 farmers, traders and retailers across 18 States.

6.Global climate emergency(gs-3)

Context:Over 11,000 scientists worldwide declare global climate emergency
More than 11,000 scientists from 153 countries have declared a global climate emergency, warning that “untold suffering” is inevitable without deep and lasting shifts in human activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and other factors related to climate change.
In a paper published on Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal BioScience, 11,258 signatories, including 69 from India, presented climate change trends and provided a set of methods to mitigate the threat

Global climate emergency(source:rstv)

Introduction:

Lawmakers in the UK Parliament have declared “an environment and climate emergency,” making it the first country in the world to do so. The motion was called by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. The move comes a week after 16-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg addressed UK lawmakers to demand more climate action, and in the wake of protests by climate action group Extinction Rebellion, who blocked major landmarks in London. Earlier this week the Welsh and Scottish governments had both declared a climate emergency. There’s no clear definition of what declaring a “climate emergency” means, but several cities, including Bristol and London, have already declared their own. This week’s Labour motion also called on the government to set a target of reaching zero emissions before 2050.

What is Climate Emergency?

There is no single definition of what that means but many local areas say they want to be carbon-neutral by 2030. It’s a much more ambitious target than the UK government’s, which is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% (compared to 1990 levels) by 2050.

Why declare an emergency?

The United Nations says we could have just 11 years left to limit a climate change catastrophe. It’s not just about reducing carbon emissions on a local scale, but also raising awareness about climate change and trying to convince MPs so that changes can be made.
The national government needs to declare an emergency and put resources in place to enable councils to help reduce carbon emissions. It’s the first step to radical action.

Failures on our end:

This proposal, which demonstrates the will of the Commons on the issue but does not legally compel the government to act, was approved without a vote.
The governments are not acting sufficiently and actively to tackle this issue
The commitment of environment action particularly climate has come down.
Every assessment of climate change which we are receiving is more and more alarming than the previous one.
Response to the lack of action particularly in the West.
After 2015 Paris agreement= we have slided down on many parameters across the world
Change in Attitude is noticed:
1980-92= movement rapid because of NGOs which lead to UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol.
2008= economic crises, emigration in Europe raised due to which government lost enthusiasm and public pressure too came down.
2014= Weak Paris Agreement
Present= public opinion and pressure is back.
It is the very serious issues which the civilized, contemporary, industrial world is facing for which we donot have solution.

Consequences of Climate Change:

With the planet to experience further warming from the heat held by the oceans, there is increasing international focus on meeting the United Nation’s Paris Agreement which was signed by 197 countries in 2016. This ground-breaking agreement has the ambitious global aim of preventing global temperatures from reaching 2˚C above pre-industrial levels (the late nineteenth century) by 2100, and ideally should be no more than 1.5˚C.
From economic point of view too it is going to cost us a lot.
2018 records to be the warmest year and worst calamities we have seen like cyclones, drought, hot spots events, wild fires etc.
Threat to global biodiversity.
Water table falling, glaciers melting, pollution are some of the other consequences.
Immediate impact on water system and agriculture

Meanwhile!

There is a change in market system, investment in renewable sector exceed than that of fossil fuel which is a welcome step.
We are now focusing on electric vehicles and energy efficiency.
Markets, corporations and public are moving faster in a positive way in many areas to tackle the issue.

Solution:

It is not power or energy sector which is responsible for today’s scenario but even land use changes which is far more serious too.
Every sector has to work in a time bound manner.
We need to take action regardless of what international agreements are.
Infrastructure should be planned taking into consideration climate change.
Research needs to be done on system of agriculture which accounts for 24% of carbon dioxide emission
There is a closing window of time available with us and the time is limited.
When a 16-year-old speaks (in Europe protest) with far greater clarity and conviction than the thousands of dithering policy wonks who have been debating for over three decades, we know the politics of the climate crisis must undergo a radical transformation.

7.Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs)(gs-3)

Context:Government approves Rs 25,000 crore alternate fund for stalled housing projects: Nirmala Sitharaman
The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) of rs 25,000 crore to provide lastmile funding for stalled affordable and middleincome housing projects across the country, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Wednesday. The Minister had announced the proposal to create this fund in midSeptember, which the Cabinet has now approved. All affordable and middleincome housing projects that are net worth positive and are registered with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) and that have not been deemed liquidationworthy will be eligible

Alternative Investment Funds :

An alternative investment is a financial asset that does not fall into one of the conventional investment categories. Conventional categories include stocks, bonds, and cash.
Most alternative investment assets are held by institutional investors or accredited, high-net-worth individuals because of their complex nature, lack of regulation, and degree of risk.
Alternative investments include private equity or venture capital, hedge funds, managed futures, art and antiques, commodities, and derivatives contracts.
Real estate is also often classified as an alternative investment.

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