UPSC Essentials: Weekly news express with MCQs — ‘Carbon Billionaires’, Mother Tongue Survey and more

—This report is based on the fact that every human on Earth has a carbon footprint, which can be divided into “personal consumption emissions, emissions through government spending and emissions linked to investments.”

Scope 1 emissions: These are a direct result of the company’s operations.

Scope 2 emissions: They constitute indirect emissions, for example, energy to operate machines.

Scope 3 emissions are other indirect emissions such as those resulting from a company’s supply chains.

—To focus on investments and sectors where billionaires have a massive influence, their final research database involved 183 corporates, with investments by 125 billionaires worth $2.4 trillion. They utilised the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which “provides the world’s most widely used GHG accounting standards”, to calculate the carbon footprint of these companies.

Why does the report matter?

—The report comes at a time when discussions to meet the globally agreed target of limiting the world’s temperature to below 1.5℃ is underway at COP 27 in Egypt and has significant implications for climate policymaking. It takes a critical look at the relationship between economic inequality and climate crisis.

—The idea is that since billionaires hold significant wealth and stakes in globally recognised corporations, they hold the power to influence the ways in which those corporations behave. As people from low and middle-income backgrounds do not exercise much control over their energy choices, the report says it is imperative for world leaders to ensure that “those who emit the most carbon also do the most to reduce those emissions.”

—One can also gauge the ways in which the conduct of investors in the global economy impacts our environment. The decisions made by the investors — whether to invest in corporations failing to reduce carbon emissions, or to fund fossil fuel and similar industries — can further determine the intensity of future emissions.

What are billionaires’ ‘personal consumption emissions’?

—Apart from investments by billionaires, their personal consumption also adds up. For example, in 2018, emissions from the private yachts, planes, helicopters and mansions of 20 billionaires generated, on average, about 8,194 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂e). As evident in the billionaire space race, a single space flight can emit as much carbon dioxide as a normal person will in their lifetime, the report highlighted.

—In 2021, research conducted by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute revealed: “The richest 1 per cent (around 63 million people) alone were responsible for 15 per cent of cumulative emissions and that they were emitting 35 times the level of CO₂e compatible with the 1.5°C by 2030 goal of the Paris Agreement.”

What can be done to curb their carbon footprint?

—Corporations are failing to cut emissions and avert climate change, as per the report. To make the 2050 climate change plans of ‘net-zero’ total carbon emissions, they are heavily relying on using land in low-income countries to plant trees but the report points out some flaws in that plan. “In 2021 Oxfam revealed that using land alone to remove the world’s carbon emissions to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050 would require at least 1.6bn hectares of new forests, an area equivalent to five times the size of India,” it said.

—“At present,” the report states, “no state in the world compels corporates to reduce their carbon footprints.” It is the responsibility of governments to create climate policies that work towards green transition, mainly, through the regulation of corporate investments in highly polluting industries.

—They should aim to set strong and binding science-based GHG reduction targets and demand greater transparency. Governments should also include workers’ rights, protection of their livelihoods and that of marginalised communities who are adversely affected by climate change in policy decisions.

—Most importantly, the report suggests that a wealth tax on the richest could aid the urgent climate finance needs of developing countries and “raise hundreds of billions of dollars to help and protect those already suffering the impacts of catastrophic climate change.”

(Source: What an Oxfam report says about carbon emissions of the world’s richest people by Ariba )

Point to ponder: The advanced industrial economies need to act now to decarbonise rapidly on a war footing. Why?

1. MCQ

The “Common Carbon Metric” supported by UNEP, has been developed for (2021)

(a) Assessing the carbon footprint of building operations around the world
(b) Enabling commercial farming entities around the world to enter carbon emission trading
(c) Enabling governments to assess the overall carbon footprint caused by their countries
(d) Assessing the overall carbon foot-print caused by the use of fossil fuels by the world in a unit time

—“In order to preserve and analyse the original flavour of each indigenous Mother Tongue, it has been planned to set up a web-archive at the National Informatics Centre (NIC),” says the Home Ministry’s annual report for 2021-22.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

What is the MTSI?

—According to the report, the Mother Tongue Survey of India is a project that “surveys the mother tongues, which are returned consistently across two and more Census decades”. It also documents the linguistic features of the selected languages.

How many “mother tongues” does India have, and what is spoken the most?

—As per an analysis of 2011 linguistic census data in 2018, more than 19,500 languages or dialects are spoken in India as mother tongues, PTI had reported earlier.

—The category “mother tongue” is a designation provided by the respondent, but it need not be identical with the actual linguistic medium. After subjecting the 19,569 returns to linguistic scrutiny, edit and rationalisation, they were grouped into 121 mother tongues, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, had earlier said.

—According to the 2011 linguistic census, Hindi is the most widely spoken mother tongue, with 52.8 crore people or 43.6 per cent of the population declaring it as the mother tongue. The next highest is Bengali, mother tongue for 9.7 crore individuals, and accounting for 8 per cent of the population.

Where does the mother tongue feature in the education of children?

—The new National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for the foundational stages of education, launched by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan last month, has recommended that mother tongue should be the primary medium of instruction in schools for children up to eight years of age.

—While the focus on mother tongue as the medium of instruction, especially for primary schooling, has been a feature of education policies for years, the latest push for the use of mother tongue has come after repeated policy articulations in its favour from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

—The new NCF, which deals with pre-school and classes I-II, emphasises the virtues of the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction, saying that by the time children join pre-school, they acquire significant competence in the “home language”.

—According to the NCF, evidence from research confirms the importance of teaching children in their mother tongue during the foundational years and beyond.

—“Since children learn concepts most rapidly and deeply in their home language, the primary medium of instruction would optimally be the child’s home language/ mother tongue/ familiar language in the Foundational Stage,” it states.

What is the status of the population census?

—The forthcoming decennial population census will be the 16th since the first exercise was conducted in 1872. It will be the eighth census since independence. The census was supposed to take place in 2021, but was postponed due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. To ensure efficient processing and quick release of data, the Home Ministry has said that it has adopted some new initiatives, which include digital data processing and the use of geospatial technology.

—According to the report, pre-census mapping activities like preparation and updation of maps that show administrative units will be carried out. Census results will be disseminated via web-based interactive maps.

—Jurisdictional changes that occurred in the country after Census 2011 till 31.12.2019 have been updated in the geo-referenced database and more than 6 lakh maps (district/sub-district/village level) have been prepared and uploaded for census functionaries.

Point to ponder: Mother tongue must be the medium of instruction to preserve India’s cultural diversity, heritage. Comment.

3. MCQ:

Which of the following statements is not true?

1. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India lists the official languages of the Republic of India and English is not one of them.

2. There were only 12 languages mentioned in the 8th schedule at the time of writing the Constitution of India. 

a) Only 1                   b) Only 2

c) Both 1 and 2          d) Neither 1 nor 2

—This has been India’s stance since the beginning of the war that has upended global order and is now threatening to push the world towards recession. However, the Indian position articulated by Jaishankar had a new element — he positioned India’s request from the vantage point of the “Global South”.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

—The Global South refers to the developing and less developed countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Jaishankar said this region is “feeling the pain acutely” due to food, fertiliser and fuel shortages. Jaishankar’s Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov did not address the issue, but appreciated India’s position on the Ukraine situation.

—From New Delhi’s point of view, it has once again conveyed its disapproval of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, without condemning Russian actions explicitly. India’s position that the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states is an essential element of the international order has been perceived as a euphemism for New Delhi conveying to Moscow that it has violated these basic norms.

—Indian officials point out that though New Delhi has abstained at UN votes, it is different from China and other countries that abstained — it has taken a clear position on respect for the UN Charter and international order.

—As India has walked the diplomatic tightrope in the last eight months, many in South Block believe it has gained credibility on both sides by not parroting the talking points of either.

An Indian mediating role?

—This has led to a perception that India is positioning itself as a neutral player that can mediate between the two warring sides.

—The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had at least five phone conversations with President Vladimir Putin and at least three phone calls with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is indication that New Delhi has communication channels with both sides. Modi has also spoken with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

—Mexico had suggested that Modi, Pope Francis and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres mediate the Russia-Ukraine crisis, but there has been no progress on the proposal. Guterres has, however, reached out to India for help in defusing the crisis.

—In September this year, Jaishankar disclosed that India had “weighed in” with Russia on grain shipment from ports in the Black Sea.

—Taking questions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken by his side, Jaishankar said, “I remain in very active touch with a lot of my colleagues. Just as an example, during the grain shipment discussions in the Black Sea. At that time, we had been approached to weigh in with Russia at a particularly delicate moment, which we did,” he said.

— Jaishankar had also said that, “I had a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ukraine. He did mention some very specific concerns… they thought we could be of some use. I had, on a different set of issues, discussions with the UN Secretary General… So it’s not necessarily the overarching peace… but even in the current scenario, other issues which we can solve or in some way mitigate or ameliorate. I don’t think I can be too specific.”

—India is concerned over the rising oil price amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which is “breaking our back,” Jaishankar said.

—In Moscow this week, he again offered help with issues including food grains and fertiliser shipments, and support for any initiative that de-risks the global economy.

Four questions to consider

For India to be a mediator, four key questions need to be answered.

* First is the bandwidth. India needs to have an understanding of the dynamics within Russia and Ukraine, and Russia and the European players, including Russia’s neighbours Moldova, Finland, and Poland. The dynamic between Ukraine and European partners also has to be understood well. And, of course, what Russia wants in the end, and what are the shared interests of NATO, Europe and the US.

* Second will be the question of experience in negotiating amid a global crisis. Indian diplomats have effectively negotiated in bilateral and multilateral formats, but negotiating in a crisis is a different question. In the early 1950s, India had played a role throughout the Korean War, proposing the creation of a commission to facilitate the repatriation of prisoners. Despite initial resistance from China and Russia, India’s resolution was accepted in December 1952 at the UN General Assembly, and the Neutral Nations Repatriation Committee was set up with India at the helm.

In recent decades, India has sought to mediate in affairs closer home, but has burnt its fingers — like in Sri Lanka when it was going through a civil war.

* The third question will be the risk-taking ability of the Indian establishment. While New Delhi has been audacious about risky manoeuvres in its immediate region, such as the surgical strikes in Pakistan and Myanmar, inserting itself into a geopolitical crisis of this magnitude is very different. Especially in a situation where, as a broker of peace, there is no guarantee of a win.

* Fourth is the question of credibility, which India feels it has gained by walking the tightrope. But some in the West may view India as closer to Russia. Also, both Ukraine and Russia have to agree to Delhi having the credibility to be the mediator.

A crucial bilateral relationship

—India has made it clear that Jaishankar’s visit was a bilateral affair. While the minister gave out a full list of possible deliverables in the India-Russia context — nuclear, space, defence, energy, connectivity, Afghanistan, terrorism, Iran, among others — he was most articulate on the issue of energy. Faced with criticism for buying Russian oil at discounted prices, he made it clear that India would continue to do so to cater to the needs of its citizens.

—What Jaishankar did not articulate is that India has strategic stakes in defence ties with Russia. And that a closer Russia-China strategic embrace is detrimental to India’s interests, given the US-China rivalry.

—As former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale says in a new book, Strategic Challenges: India in 2030, “India might become a frontline state in the 21st century rivalry between China and America, in a manner similar to what western Europe faced during the era of Soviet American competition.”

—In this context, India needs Moscow to keep its defence supplies going strongly with India, and not share sensitive technologies with China.

—National Security Advisory Board chairman PS Raghavan, a former Indian ambassador to Russia, says in the same book, “Putin has said that Russia does not transfer to any other country the military technologies shared with India. This is an assurance that India must constantly verify in respect of the weaponry and technologies that Moscow supplies to Beijing, as also the nature of their intelligence-sharing arrangements.”

—With 60,000 troops in a border standoff along the India-China border, this is a relevant bilateral ask from India’s strategic perspective.