From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: Impact of Climate change on Panama Canal;
Why in the News?
The Panama Canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama, opened to ships 110 years ago. Now, it is facing a serious threat to its existence.
System of Water Elevators
The Panama Canal utilizes a sophisticated lock system that functions as water elevators, allowing ships to navigate the elevation difference between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This system is essential because the two oceans are at different elevations, with the Pacific being slightly higher.
Operation of the Locks
Ship Enters: A ship approaches the first lock chamber, which is at sea level. The gate opens to allow the ship into the chamber and then closes behind it.
Water Level Adjustment: The valve between the first and second chamber (at a higher elevation) is opened, allowing water to flow into the first chamber from the adjacent higher chamber. This increases the water level in the first chamber.
Transition: Once the water levels between the two chambers are equalized, the gate between them opens, allowing the ship to move into the next chamber. This process is repeated until the ship reaches the desired elevation of 85 feet at Gatun Lake.
Lowering: The reverse process occurs when lowering ships back to sea level at the other end of the canal.
Note: Each passage requires over 50 million gallons (approximately 200 million liters) of freshwater, primarily sourced from Lake Gatun, which is vital for the canal’s operation.
Threat of Climate Change
Recent droughts have led to significantly lower water levels in Lake Gatun because droughts were exacerbated by climate change and the El Niño phenomenon, which have led to significantly reduced water levels in the lake.
In 2023, rainfall was 43% lower than average, making it one of the driest years on record for the region. which reduced the number of ships able to transit the canal.
In December, traffic dropped to as low as 22 ships per day, highlighting the vulnerability of the canal to climatic variations.
Contentious Solution
Proposed Dam: This $1.6 billion project aims to create an additional water source for the canal on the Rio Indio, potentially securing water availability for the next 50 years. However, it has sparked controversy due to its social implications.
Displacement Issues: The dam would flood the homes of approximately 2,000 residents, predominantly from lower socio-economic backgrounds, forcing them to relocate and lose their livelihoods. This raises significant ethical concerns regarding the balance between infrastructure needs and the rights of affected communities
Conclusion:
Before proceeding with the Rio Indio dam project, engage in thorough consultations with the affected communities, ensuring their voices are heard in the decision-making process. Need to develop a fair compensation and resettlement plan that prioritizes the socio-economic well-being of displaced residents, offering alternative livelihoods and housing options to minimize the negative impact on vulnerable populations.
Do you know about another elevation-based canal system?
Kiel Canal (Germany): The Kiel Canal features locks that raise and lower vessels to navigate the elevation differences between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It is one of the busiest artificial waterways in the world.
Welland Canal (Canada): This canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and includes a series of locks that lift ships approximately 43 meters (141 feet) to bypass Niagara Falls. It is an essential part of the Great Lakes shipping route.
Trade from Panama Canal:
The Panama Canal moves roughly $270 billion worth of cargo annually, which is the trade route taken by 40% of all U.S. container traffic alone. It handles about 5% of all global maritime trade.
Mains PYQ:
Q Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade. (UPSC IAS/2022)
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: Challenges related to air pollution in India;
Why in the News?
India has 83 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities. Air pollution caused 2.1 million deaths, with 99% breathing air below WHO standards.
Share of Road Transport in India’s CO2 Emissions as per the International Energy Associates
Road transport is responsible for approximately 12% of India’s total CO2 emissions. Within this sector, heavy vehicles are a significant contributor to particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions, which are particularly harmful due to their ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Studies indicate that heavy vehicles contribute to about 60-70% of total vehicular PM emissions and 40-50% of total Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions in urban areas. This highlights the critical role that road transport plays in India’s overall air pollution problem.
Why has the vehicular scrapping policy not been effective in States like Karnataka and Maharashtra?
Insufficient Scrapping Facilities: Both states have a limited number of registered vehicle scrapping facilities (RVSFs). For instance, Karnataka has only two authorized RVSFs located in Devanahalli and Koratagere, which are unable to handle the volume of vehicles eligible for scrapping.
Voluntary Compliance: The policy’s reliance on voluntary participation has resulted in low engagement from vehicle owners. For example, the policy targets around 20 lakh vehicles for scrapping, but without mandatory compliance, many older, polluting vehicles continue to operate on the roads
Lack of Awareness and Less Incentives: There is a lack of awareness regarding the benefits of scrapping old vehicles among the public. Although the policy offers incentives, such as tax relief for scrapping vehicles may not be sufficient to encourage widespread participation.
Bureaucratic delays: The implementation of the scrapping policy has faced bureaucratic delays and inconsistencies. In Maharashtra, despite announcing incentives for scrapping old vehicles, the actual impact has been limited due to slow bureaucratic processes and a lack of effective enforcement.
Steps taken:
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) has taken several significant steps towards enhancing fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector through the implementation of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms.
Introduction of CAFE Norms: The BEE has proposed the CAFE III and CAFE IV norms, which aim to set stringent targets for carbon emissions from passenger vehicles.
CAFE III, effective from 2027 to 2032, sets a target of 91.7 grams of CO2 per kilometer, while CAFE IV, from 2032 to 2037, aims for 70 grams of CO2 per kilometer. These targets are designed to drive innovation and encourage the adoption of cleaner technologies in the automotive sector.
Transition to WLTP Testing: A significant step is the commitment to transition from the Modified Indian Driving Cycle (MIDC) to the World Light Duty Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) by March 31, 2027.
The WLTP provides a more accurate and globally harmonized measure of a vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions, ensuring that the targets reflect real-world driving conditions more effectively.
Penalties for Non-Compliance: The BEE has outlined financial penalties for manufacturers that fail to meet the established fuel efficiency standards.
For instance, if a manufacturer’s average fuel efficiency exceeds the limit by up to 0.2 liters per 100 km, a penalty of ₹25,000 per vehicle applies. If it exceeds by more than 0.2 liters, the penalty increases to ₹50,000 per vehicle.
Way forward:
Enhance Infrastructure and Accessibility: Need to increase the number of registered vehicle scrapping facilities (RVSFs) across states like Karnataka and Maharashtra to make the process more accessible.
Strengthen Policy Enforcement and Incentives: Transition from voluntary to mandatory compliance for the scrapping of old and polluting vehicles. This can be supported by enhancing public awareness campaigns that highlight the environmental and financial benefits of vehicle scrapping.
Mains PYQ:
Q Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three Megacities of the country but air pollution is a much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so? (UPSC IAS/2015)
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: Challenges related to Data Access;
Why in the News?
Recently, corporations adopting stakeholder capitalism are focusing on products like Generative AI, which require governance models that balance profit-making with broader social responsibilities, reflecting a shift in corporate priorities.
Data Access Issues
Dependence on Data for AI Development: The advancement of AI technologies necessitates access to vast amounts of data, including personal and sensitive information. This reliance raises significant privacy concerns, as improper handling of this data can lead to breaches of privacy rights.
Regulatory Scrutiny: Companies like Meta have faced regulatory challenges regarding data usage for AI training. For example, Meta was asked to pause its plans to train large language models using public content from Facebook and Instagram due to privacy concerns raised by regulators, highlighting the tension between data access and compliance with privacy laws.
Algorithmic Bias: AI systems can perpetuate existing biases present in the data they are trained on, leading to discriminatory outcomes. For instance, Amazon discontinued a recruiting algorithm that displayed gender bias.
Purpose vs. Strategy
Conflict Between Purpose and Profit: Many companies, including OpenAI, initially adopted governance structures aimed at public benefit but faced challenges when profit motives clashed with their social objectives. The dismissal of CEO Sam Altman over concerns about prioritizing commercialization over user safety exemplifies this conflict.
Shareholder Primacy: Despite the adoption of alternative governance models, the underlying shareholder primacy often prevails. The pressure to generate profits can overshadow the intended social benefits, leading to a situation where public good becomes secondary to financial gains.
Corporate Governance issue: The governance issues faced by OpenAI, particularly the internal conflict that led to Altman’s firing, raise questions about the effectiveness of public benefit corporate structures in balancing profit and purpose, especially in tech companies reliant on investor capital.
Potential Shift to For-Profit Structures: Rumors about OpenAI considering a transition to a for-profit governance model indicate a trend where companies may abandon their social objectives in favour of profit maximization.
Workable Strategy (Way forward)
Framing Ethical Standards: Developing comprehensive ethical guidelines for AI product companies is crucial. These standards should address data privacy, algorithmic fairness, and accountability, ensuring that AI technologies are developed responsibly and equitably.
Incentivizing Public Benefit Objectives: Corporations should be incentivized to adopt public benefit purposes that align with their business strategies. This could involve financial incentives for companies that demonstrate long-term profit gains from socially responsible practices.
Reducing Compliance Costs: To encourage adherence to public benefit objectives, it is essential to lower the compliance costs associated with implementing ethical practices.
Mains PYQ:
Q The emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Digital Revolution) hasinitiated e-Governance as an integral part of government”. Discuss. (UPSC IAS/2020)
Space weather refers to the varying conditions within the solar system and its heliosphere, influenced by the Sun and solar wind.
The main components of space weather include: solar wind, coronal mass ejections, and solar flares.
These components can compress the Earth’s magnetosphere, triggering geomagnetic storms.
This can disrupt communication, power transmission, damage spacecraft electronics, and pose threats to astronauts.
Solar Cycle and Its Importance
The activity of the Sun follows an approximately 11-year periodic cycle, marked by variations in the number of sunspots on the Sun’s surface.
This solar cycle influences space weather, Earth’s atmosphere, and climate variations.
Predicting the amplitude of the solar cycle is a major challenge in astrophysics, as it directly affects related phenomena and space weather.
Research Findings
IIA researchers discovered that the width of supergranular cellson the solar surface during the minimum year of the solar cycle is correlated with the number of sunspots observed during the subsequent solar cycle maximum.
This simple method can be used to predict the strength of the upcoming solar cycle, which is valuable for space weather forecasting.
What are Supergranular Cells?
Supergranular Cells are large convective cells on the Sun’s surface, with diameters of about 30,000 km.
These cells are part of the solar convection zone where hot plasma rises, cools as it reaches the surface, and then sinks back down in a continuous cycle.
Characteristics:
Supergranular cells are larger than granules, another type of convective cell on the Sun. Its borders, known as supergranular lanes, are about 5,000 km thick.
Plasma within these cellsmoves from the center of the cell toward the edges, where it sinks back into the Sun’s interior. This movement creates a network of lanes that can be observed on the solar surface.
Supergranular cells are associated with the magnetic field concentrations on the Sun’s surface, often where sunspots and other magnetic features appear.
PYQ:
[2022] If a major solar storm (solar flare) reaches the Earth, which of the following are the possible effects on the Earth?
GPS and navigation systems could fail.
Tsunamis could occur at equatorial regions.
Power grids could be damaged.
Intense auroras could occur over much of the Earth.
Forest fires could take place over much of the planet.
Orbits of the satellites could be disturbed.
Shortwave radio communication of the aircraft flying over pola-regions could be interrupted.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2, 4 and 5 only
(b) 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 only
(c) 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS)
Why in the News?
The Centre has launched the AI-based National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS) to help farmers connect with agriculture scientists and experts for pests’ control.
What is the National Pest Surveillance System (NPSS)?
The NPSS is an AI-based platform launched by the government on August 15, 2024.
It is designed to help farmers connect with agricultural scientists and experts for effective pest control using their phones.
It aims to reduce farmers’ dependence on pesticide retailers.
It provides data for selected crops i.e. Rice, Cotton, Maize, Mango and Chilies.
How will farmers use it?
Farmers can take photos of infested crops or pests using the NPSS platform, which are then analyzed by scientists and experts.
Then they will suggest the correct quantity of the pesticide at the right time, reducing excessive pesticide use.
Target Groups: Approximately 14 crore farmers across India.
Significance
It will reduce crop damage, improve pest management practices, and reduce the risk of soil damage by minimizing excessive pesticide use.
PYQ:
[2014] With reference to Neem tree, consider the following statements:
1. Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the proliferation of some species of insects and mites.
2. Neem seeds are used in the manufacture of biofuels and hospital detergents.
3. Neem oil has applications in pharmaceutical industry.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
