Zealandia: The Hidden Continent And Its Discovery
- Zealandia is Earth’s hidden, eighth continent.
- The majority of Zealandia is submerged underwater.
- A team of international geologists and seismologists have created a new map of Zealandia.
- They used data from rock samples picked up from the ocean floor.
- Their findings are published in the Tectonics journal.
- The published work provides deep insights into Zealandia’s unique geological history.
Nepal Refuses To Join China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI)
- During his visit to China, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ of Nepal declined to join China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI).
- Despite this, Nepal and China agreed on September 26 to proceed with an ambitious cross-border connectivity project.
- The joint statement released emphasised numerous border infrastructure initiatives.
- There was no mention of the GSI in the joint statement.
India Ageing Report 2023
- The “India Ageing Report 2023” is a recent publication.
- UNFPA India and the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) have jointly published the report.
- The report focuses on elderly care in India.
- It provides insights into India’s demographic shift towards an older population.
Bihar To Get New Tiger Reserve
- Bihar is eagerly anticipating the establishment of its second tiger reserve, scheduled to be completed by late 2023 or early 2024.
- Efforts are underway to secure approval from the National Tiger Reserve Conservation Authority (NTCA) for designating the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary as the state’s second tiger reserve, following the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR).
- Shergarh Fort and 58 villages will be in a 1,050 square kilometre buffer zone.
- These areas are not part of the new tiger reserve’s core zone.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) objected to earlier proposals, resulting in changes to the core zone.
- The forest department has identified 450 square kilometres as tiger habitats.
- The existing VTR, near the Nepal border, can manage about 50 tigers and is at capacity.
- The latest Status of Tigers Report by NTCA and Wild Life Institute of India (WII) indicates that there are 54 tigers in VTR, up from 31 in 2018.
- Kaimur forests cover 1,134 square kilometres, including the 986 square kilometres of Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The green cover in Kaimur district is the highest in Bihar at 34%.
- Kaimur forests, the largest in Bihar, connect to forests in neighbouring states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Source: Down To Earth
Women, Power, And Cancer: A Lancet Commission Report
A recent report by the Lancet Commission reveals that the way women engage with cancer prevention, care, and treatment is significantly impacted by the unequal distribution of power in society. Despite women having a similar cancer burden as men, they face greater suffering due to gender inequities.
Gender inequality not only affects women as patients, but also has a detrimental impact on their interactions with the cancer healthcare system. This insight comes from the Women, Power, and Cancer: A Lancet Commission report, which was released on September 27, 2023.
Key Points
- The report finds that women are disproportionately affected by cancer due to gender inequities.
- Women and men have comparable cancer burdens.
- Gender disparity negatively affects a woman’s interaction with the cancer health system.
- The majority of unpaid caregivers in the cancer workforce are women.
- Women are underrepresented in leadership roles in research and policy organisations within the cancer field.
- The report emphasises the immediate need for an intersectional feminist approach to address power imbalances in cancer-related decision-making, knowledge, and economics.
- Cancer is among the top three causes of premature death in women in almost every country.
- The analysis suggests that elimination of key risk factors, early detection, and diagnosis could save nearly 1.5 million lives.
- Access to high-quality cancer care could prevent another 800,000 deaths.
- The Commission recommends the incorporation of sex and gender into all cancer-related policies and guidelines.
- It also emphasises that these policies need to be considerate of the requirements and goals of all women, whether they are patients, caregivers, or researchers.
Source: Down To Earth
Sustainable Methods To Tackle Methane Emissions From Livestock: A Report by FAO
- Global methane emissions have two main sources: livestock and rice paddies. Livestock emissions, coming from microbial processes and manure management, make up 32% of the total. Rice paddies contribute another 8%.
- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released a report on September 25, 2023. This report, titled “Methane emissions in livestock and rice systems: Sources, quantification, mitigation and metrics,” looks at methane production and reduction.
- The report discusses how to measure methane emissions. Also, it introduces a range of strategies to lower these emissions.
Also Read: Agricultural Pollution
- The report further discusses metrics for evaluating both emissions and their impact on the climate.
- Methane is a short-lived greenhouse gas, with a lifespan of about a decade in the atmosphere. Although its lifespan is shorter than carbon dioxide (hundreds of years), methane traps heat far more effectively – over 25 times more so.
Source: Down To Earth