Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for December 6, 2023. If you missed the December 5, 2023 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here GOVT & POLITICS India announces $250 mn line of credit to Kenya in agri sector Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-India Tuesday announced a $250 million line of credit to Kenya for modernisation of its agricultural sector as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto agreed to strengthen bilateral ties in the field of defence, trade, energy, digital public infrastructure and healthcare. • India and Kenya bilateral relations-Know the background • After Modi-Ruto talks, the two sides signed five pacts-What are those? • Map Work-Kenya • What is in a line of credit? • What is line of credit by Govt of India? • What is the role of Exim Bank in line of credit? • What is the difference between line of credit and a loan? • How line of credit will help? • What are the advantages for India? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Strengthening Diplomatic Ties: Kenyan President’s pivotal visit to India 📍PM Modi says close ties between Kenya and India will strengthen “all our efforts in the Indo-Pacific” 22 nations pledge to triple nuclear installed capacity by 2050, India not a part of pact Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-In a bid to attain a net-zero emissions status, more than 20 countries have pledged to triple the global nuclear installed capacity by 2050, at the COP28 climate meeting. Just as in the case of the pledge tripling renewable energy, India is not a part of the nuclear energy commitment as well, in keeping with its position not to join alliances outside the COP process. • What is net zero? • Why is net zero important? • How can net zero be achieved? • Is there a global effort to reach net zero? • Are we on track to reach net zero by 2050? • Difference between ‘Net Zero’ and ‘Carbon Neutral’? • How can net zero be achieved? • “More than 20 countries have pledged to triple the global nuclear installed capacity by 2050”-Discuss • Is India a part of the nuclear energy commitment? • For Your Information-Led by the United States, 22 countries including France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, South Korea and Ukraine, pledged last week to “work together” to advance a “global aspirational goal” of tripling nuclear energy capacity from 2020 to 2050, recognising the key role that nuclear energy can play in keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times, and in ensuring net-zero transitions. Nuclear energy is a clean but non-renewable source of energy. As of now, about 370 GW of operational nuclear power capacity is installed in 31 countries, providing about 10 per cent of the world’s total electricity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A tripling would see this go up to at least 1,000 GW by the middle of the century. Nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases and are an essential part of almost every pathway that takes the world to a net-zero emissions state by 2050. “Studies confirm that the goal of global net-zero carbon emissions can only be reached by 2050 with swift, sustained and significant investment in nuclear energy,” a statement from IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said. A recent study by the International Energy Agency said nuclear power had avoided nearly 70 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions — in the last 50 years. Former chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar said India must also be planning a rapid expansion of its nuclear energy sector in pursuit of its net-zero goal by 2070. India currently has 6,780 MW of installed nuclear capacity, and is constructing eight new reactors, which will add almost an equal amount – 6,800 MW, thereby doubling its capacity in the near future. At the COP28 event, the IAEA director general also announced that a first of its kind Nuclear Energy Summit would be held in Brussels in March next year to discuss the role of nuclear energy in reducing the use of fossil fuels, enhancing energy security and boosting economic development. • What are discussed in the first draft of negotiating texts at the COP28 climate conference? • What are those three issues that are among the most keenly-watched and contentious ones to be decided at the conference? • “Reduction of methane emissions is a much more contentious issue, with countries like India completely opposed to it”-Discuss • “The annual study of Global Carbon Project has revealed that the India is likely to register the largest growth in carbon dioxide emissions among the major economies”-Analyse • India’s carbon dioxide emissions-Know in detail • Do You Know-Carbon dioxide is the most important and extensive but only one of the six greenhouse gases whose rising concentrations in the atmosphere is leading to global warming. The 8.2 per cent rise in India’s annual CO2 emissions for 2023 would be more than double the expected increase in China, which is set to see a 4 per cent growth this year. Last year, India’s emissions had grown by 6 per cent while China had seen a decline of one per cent. However, China’s CO2 emissions, which accounts for 31 per cent of the global CO2 emissions, are about 4 times that of India. In absolute amounts, therefore, China’s increase in emissions in 2023 would be much higher than that of India. “In India, the growth is largely driven by the high growth in demand for power, with new renewable capacity far from sufficient to meet the demand. Consolidated data now confirms that India’s CO2 emissions are now above those of the European Union since 2022,” the study said. China’s growth, it said, was partly caused by a delayed rebound from the significant Covid-19 lockdowns. India’s CO2 emissions are expected to be 233 million tonnes higher than previous year, 176 million tonnes of which is expected to be contributed by the coal-fired power plants. Global CO2 emissions are expected to touch 36.8 billion tonnes — a new record — and 1.1 per cent over last year, the study said. Emissions from all kinds of fossil fuels — oil, gas and coal — are expected to rise, with oil likely to register a growth of 1.5 per cent, the highest. Emissions were expected to decline in 26 countries this year, accounting for about 28 per cent of global emissions. Last year, it had declined in 22 countries. “If current CO2 emission levels persist, the remaining carbon budget for a 50 per cent chance to limit warming to 1.5 degree Celsius could be exceeded in seven years, and in 15 years for 1.7 degree Celsius would also be breached. Returning global temperatures below these thresholds after they have been crossed would require a massive scale-up of carbon dioxide removal after global net zero emission has been reached,” the study said. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍3 contentious issues — rise in green energy capacity, fossil fuels phase out, reducing methane — discussed for 1st time 📍India’s CO2 emission may register biggest rise for 2nd yr: study THE IDEAS PAGE India & geopolitics of AI Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-C Raja Mohan writes: All current discussions on the geopolitics of Artificial Intelligence inevitably hark back to the nuclear experience. As the world recalls the lessons from the nuclear age to cope with the problems and opportunities presented by AI, India too could benefit from a reflection on its complex nuclear history. • “Although nuclear and AI are very different, there are similarities too”-Discuss • “The AI revolution threatens an even bigger catastrophe than nuclear”-Comment • “The broader impact of the AI revolution is likely to be far more sweeping; while nuclear technology never lived up to its economic promise of “delivering electricity too cheap to meter”, AI promises to transform the economy, society and polity in fundamental ways”-Discuss • Why AI governance is required? • “There is talk of international norms to manage the potential negative consequences of the AI revolution”-Know in detail • India hosts the GPAI summit in Delhi, what kind of lessons can it draw from its own nuclear history in dealing with AI? • For Your Information- For one, the disarmament idealism of the kind that animated India’s approach to nuclear weapons is fortunately behind us when it comes to AI. The endless drumbeat from Delhi about the “time-bound elimination of nuclear weapons” prevented India from thinking clearly about the role of atomic weapons in the international system. The too-clever-by-half posture of “keeping the nuclear weapon option open” imposed massive political, economic and technological costs for India. Unlike in the nuclear domain, India does not have the luxury of taking things easy until it’s too late in the AI domain. Second is the importance of building on the current momentum in the partnership with the US on AI and other critical and emerging technologies. Independent India began with expansive technological cooperation with the US and the West that were eager to shore up Delhi’s position vis a vis Communist China. But an India that was determined to befriend China dropped the ball. As told by the former foreign secretary and one of India’s most distinguished diplomats, Maharaj Krishan Rasgotra, US President John F Kennedy had sent a hand-written note in the early 1960s to help India build a nuclear weapon. The idea was to ensure that democratic India beat the PRC in the race to become the first Asian country to possess nuclear weapons. India nearly dropped the ball again in 2005. After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh negotiated a historic civilian nuclear deal with the US in July 2005, the Congress leadership developed cold feet about going forward. The fear of offending Beijing and ideological worries about getting too close to Washington prevented Delhi from taking full advantage of the possibilities that the civil nuclear initiative had opened up. The NDA government is less inhibited and has put technological cooperation with the US and the West at the very top of India’s national agenda. However, it needs to move on multiple policy fronts quickly to raise its position in the global AI hierarchy. Third, one danger persists on the downside. It is Delhi’s traditional temptation to find a “third way” in technological development and proclaim India’s exceptionalism. While their application can be country-specific and context-dependent, science and technology are universal. There is no such thing as “Indian physics”. Delhi’s political posturing on technological development in the 1970s set India back badly, and it can’t afford to make the same mistake on AI today. Building strong domestic capabilities in AI is critical to making the best out of international cooperation. That, in turn, calls for a larger role for the private sector. If technological progress in the second half of the 20th century — especially in nuclear and space — were led by governments, it is the private sector that leading AI research, development and innovation in the West. The NDA’s recent efforts to open up the S&T sectors is a welcome first step. But the agenda of reforming India’s technology sector is at once large and urgent. • How is artificial intelligence (AI) currently governed? • What are the use of AI in different areas? • ‘AI is not intelligence and idea that AI will replace human intelligence is unlikely’-Comment • Why AI regulation is needed? • If Regulated then what should be the limit? • If regulated, then what are the risks associated with regulating AI? • What has been India’s Response to demands for AI Regulation? Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍The 360° UPSC Debate: Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated? 📍AI threat demands new approach to security designs EXPRESS NETWORK One-third of India’s coastline vulnerable to erosion: minister Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World. Mains Examination: General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story- Over one-third of India’s coastline is vulnerable to erosion, Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey told Lok Sabha on Monday, citing a study by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR). • National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR)-Know in detail • What exactly study by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) says about India’s coastline? • What is the erosion of the coastline? • What are the types of coastal erosion? • What is formed by coastal erosion? • What are the Factors causing Coastal Erosion? • What are the Indian Initiatives for Coastal Management? • What is National Coastal Management Programme? • What is the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management? • What are the Methods for Coastal Protection? • For Your Information-Over one-third of India’s coastline is vulnerable to erosion, Union minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey told Lok Sabha on Monday, citing a study by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR). Choubey also mentioned in his reply a state-wise study on beaches facing erosion, carried out by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM). According to this study, of the 116 beaches surveyed in Andhra Pradesh, 35 beaches are vulnerable to erosion and the rest are under accretion, while of the 50 beaches surveyed in Goa, 22 are facing erosion and 28 accretion, he said. As many as 21 beaches out of the 31 surveyed in Maharashtra, 13 of 22 surveyed in Kerala, nine of 21 in Tamil Nadu and 13 out of 18 surveyed in Karnataka face erosion, according to the study. “It is observed that 33.6 per cent of the Indian coastline is vulnerable to erosion, 26.9 per cent is under accretion (growing) and 39.6 per cent is in a stable state,” Choubey said. The study by NCCR – an attached office of the Ministry of Earth Sciences – revealed that the shoreline changes were a combined effect of natural and human activities, and that the receding coastline would adversely affect the livelihoods of fishing communities, the minister said. Choubey said the ministry had brought the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, 2019 with a view to conserve and protect coastal stretches and marine areas, and to ensure livelihood security to fisherfolk and other local communities. “The notification also provides for No Development Zones (NDZ) along various categories of coastal areas to protect India’s coastline from encroachment and erosion,” the Union minister said. He also said chief secretaries of all the coastal states and Union Territories have been requested to finalise the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), which also includes mapping of erosion prone areas and preparation of a shoreline management plan for identified eroding stretches. “Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has delineated the hazard line for the entire coast of the country…Coastal erosion mitigation measures have been taken up at Puducherry and Chellanam in Kerala, which helped in restoration and protection of coastal areas lost at Puducherry and flooding at Chellanam fishing village,” Choubey said. “Technical support has been extended to the coastal states in the design of coastal protection measures at vulnerable stretches and preparation of shoreline management plans,” he said. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍How climate change can erode Indian coastline more intensely than ever EXPLAINED This flood, that flood: Deluge in Chennai and memories of 2015 Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Key Points to Ponder: • What’s the ongoing story-The official death toll due to the unprecedented deluge rose to eight in Chennai on Tuesday (December 5). More than 18,000 people were displaced and moved to relief camps around the city, according to the officials. The floods were triggered by Cyclone Michaung, which began its landing process between Nellore and Kavali in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday afternoon. • What happened in 2015? • What’s different this time? • How has Cyclone Michaung impacted Chennai? • Why is Cyclone Michaung’s impact so severe? • How have authorities responded? • For Your Information-The 2015 flood in Chennai was markedly different from the deluge on Monday. The deluge killed more than 200 people and submerged lakhs of homes. The crisis began when the Chembarambakkam reservoir, near its full capacity, started discharging water into the Adyar river at an alarming rate. On December 1, 2015, consistent rains had filled the reservoir to 3,396 million cubic feet. By evening, engineers, fearing a breach, released water at 29,400 cusec (1 cusec unit equals 28.317 litres of liquid flow per second), a drastic increase from the 900 cusec outflow recorded at the month’s end. This release, without adequate public warning, led to widespread chaos. By midnight of December 2, areas within a 4-km radius of the Adyar river were submerged. Notably, the first heavy rain warning was issued on November 28, with a forecast of 50 mm rainfall, yet the outflow from Chembarambakkam wasn’t gradually increased. The situation exacerbated when two days later, Chennai received 200 mm of rainfall over 14 hours, exacerbating the situation. The poor reservoir management was severely criticised — questions were raised regarding the overlook of earlier warnings and the sudden release of huge amounts of water without alerting the public or emergency services. Therefore, the 2015 flood was more a result of reservoir mismanagement rather than natural climatic conditions, like this time. Unlike the 2015 floods, the current flooding is a direct result of the cyclonic storm. Chennai experienced a single-day rainfall of 24 cm on Monday, slightly less than the 29 cm recorded in 2015. However, the IMD categorises rainfall of 21 cm and above as “extremely heavy,” underscoring the severity of the current situation. In a span of 35 hours starting from Sunday 8.30 am, Nungambakkam recorded a staggering 43 cm of rainfall till Monday evening, exemplifying the extraordinary nature of this climatic event. As Chennai faced an onslaught of rain on Sunday night and Monday, the city’s water management became critical. The WRD was closely monitoring the Chembarambakkam Lake, a crucial reservoir. Responding to the escalating situation, the WRD increased the release of surplus water from 6,000 cusecs to 8,000 cusecs. This was followed by a phased discharge strategy, as the inflow surged to an alarming 12,000 cusecs. The department then began discharging water at an increased rate of 500 cusecs every half hour, eventually ramping it up to 1,000 cusecs. Additionally, at the Poondi reservoir, another significant water body, authorities discharged 17,000 cusecs of water due to an inflow of around 6,000 cusecs from its catchment area. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Explained: Why is Chennai under water? For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.com The Indian Express UPSC Hub is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates. Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.
