UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on WHO’s Pandemic Treaty and CubeSats (Week 53)

QUESTION 2

In light of NASA’s recent advances in Earth observation technology, critically assess the importance of CubeSats in understanding and addressing climate change problems, particularly in polar regions.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

QUESTION 1: Critically examine the World Health Organization’s proposed Pandemic Treaty’s objectives, probable problems, and effects.

Introduction:

What is Pandemic Treaty?

— The WHO already has binding rules known as the International Health Regulations (2005) which set out countries’ obligations where public health events have the potential to cross national borders.

— These include advising the WHO immediately of a health emergency and measures on trade and travel.

— The treaty was adopted after the 2002/3 SARS outbreak, these regulations are still seen as functional for regional epidemics such as Ebola but inadequate for a global pandemic.

Body:

— Article 12 proposes conserving approximately 20% of tests, treatments, and vaccines for the WHO to deliver to poorer countries during emergencies, however the exact percentage is still debated.

— It would be only the second such health deal, following the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which attempts to reduce smoking through taxing, labelling, and advertising guidelines.

— Currently, the WHO has just one level of emergency: a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), whereas the new approach includes an intermediate stage known as a “early action alert”.

— Negotiators are also discussing declaring a “pandemic emergency” for the most catastrophic public health concerns, filling a gap in the present system that does not use the term pandemic at all.

— Negotiations have been marked by significant schisms between affluent and poorer countries’ viewpoints, which have thwarted mediators’ efforts to bridge them.

— Aside from the sharing of treatments and vaccinations, one of the most contentious issues is money, including whether to establish a specialised fund or use existing resources, such as the World Bank’s $1 billion pandemic fund.

Conclusion:

— The new IHR norms and the pandemic pact are intended to complement each other, and opinions differ on whether one could exist without the other.

— Unlike the treaty, which might take years to ratify, the IHR modifications go into force automatically after 12 months unless governments opt out.

(Source: How close is the World Health Organization to agreeing on pandemic response rules?)

Points to Ponder

What are IHR rules?

How do countries view the pact?

WHO

Related Previous Year Questions

What is the basic principle behind vaccine development? How do vaccines work? What approaches were adopted by the Indian vaccine manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines? (2022)

COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented devastation worldwide. However, technological advancements are being availed readily to win over the crisis. Give an account of how technology was sought to aid management of the pandemic. (2020)

QUESTION 2: In light of NASA’s recent advances in Earth observation technology, critically assess the importance of CubeSats in understanding and addressing climate change problems, particularly in polar regions.

Introduction:

— NASA deployed one of two climate satellites to monitor heat emissions at Earth’s poles.

— The two shoebox-sized cube satellites, or CubeSats, will measure how much heat the Arctic and Antarctica — two of the world’s coldest locations — emit into space and how this affects the planet’s climate.

— NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (US) collaborated to construct the PREFIRE mission (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment).

Body:

What are CubeSats?

— CubeSats are essentially miniature satellites with a basic shape of a 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (which equals “one unit” or “1U”) cube — just slightly larger than a Rubik’s cube — with a weight of no more than 1.33 kilogrammes. According to NASA, the number of CubeSat units can range from 1.5 to 12U, depending on the mission.

— However, due to their inexpensive cost and low bulk in comparison to regular satellites, they began to be placed in orbit for technology demonstrations, scientific study, and commercial use.

— Each PREFIRE satellite is a 6U CubeSat. When the solar panels that will power the spacecraft are deployed, they measure approximately 90 cm in height and nearly 120 cm in width. The two satellites will be put in a near-polar orbit (a form of low Earth orbit) at a height of around 525 kilometres.

What is the PREFIRE mission?

— The PREFIRE mission’s observations will help us understand the principles of Earth’s heat balance, helping us to better predict how our ice, oceans, and weather will change in response to global warming.

— Each PREFIRE CubeSat is outfitted with a thermal infrared spectrometer (TIRS) to measure the amount of infrared and far-infrared radiation from the Arctic and Antarctica.

— NASA said the spectrometer uses specially curved mirrors and detectors to separate and measure infrared light.

— The CubeSats will also measure the amount of far-infrared radiation trapped by atmospheric water vapour and clouds at the poles and how this influences the greenhouse effect in the region.

(Source: Why has NASA launched a tiny satellite to measure heat lost from Earth’s poles? by Alind Chauhan)

Points to Ponder

Why do researchers want to measure heat emissions at Earth’s poles?

Who discovered CubeSats?

Other important missions of NASA

Related Previous Year Questions

Launched on 25th December, 2021, James Webb Space Telescope has been much in the news since then. What are its unique features which make it superior to its predecessor Space Telescopes? What are the key goals of this mission? What potential benefits does it hold for the human race? (2022)

What is the main task of India’s third moon mission which could not be achieved in its earlier mission? List the countries that have achieved this task. Introduce the subsystems in the spacecraft launched and explain the role of the Virtual Launch Control Centre’ at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre which contributed to the successful launch from Sriharikota. (2023)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 51)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 52)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 52)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 51)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 51)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 52)

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