‘Water And Heritage Shield’
- A site located in Arizona, United States and sacred to the Hopi Native American Nation has been awarded a ‘Water and Heritage Shield’ by the International Committee On Monuments and Sites International Science Committee.
- The Shield was awarded to the Black Mesa Trust (BMT), a Hopi grassroots organisation, on March 25, 2023.
- The purpose of the Shield is to help the public become aware of the significance of water and indigenous sacred sites all over the world.
- ICOMOS ISC is a non-governmental international organisation dedicated to the conservation of the world’s monuments and sites.
- The Sípàapu is a rocky dome made of limestone as well as a spring located on the Little Colorado river, a tributary of the Colorado.
- The Little Colorado joins the main stem of the river within the Grand Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Methane Emissions from Wetlands
- According to a study published in Nature Climate Change, methane emissions from wetlands have been increasing.
Global warming and increased precipitation have been identified as the major causes for increasing methane emissions from wetlands.
- Wetalnds are areas where water covers the soil either seasonally or permanently.
- Emissions in 2020 and 2021 increased by 14-26 Tg per year and 13-23 Tg per year, respectively, compared to 2000-2006.
- Methane is responsible for roughly 30 per cent of the rise in temperature since the pre-industrial period.
- Methane emissions cause a positive climate feedback.
- This means it contributes to global warming.
- Increased rain due to global warming, for instance, creates more wetlands, which increase methane emissions. This, in turn, causes more global warming and rain.
Green Technologies
- According to a report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), developing countries will miss out on the economic opportunities resulting from green technologies, while developed countries benefit the most.
- Green technologies include artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and electric vehicles.
- Green technologies are used to produce goods and deliver services with smaller carbon footprints.
- Green frontier technologies such as electric vehicles, solar and wind energy as well as green hydrogen are expected to reach a market value of $2.1 trillion in 2030.
- The report also prepares the ‘frontier technology readiness index’.
- India rans at 67 position in the index.
Coastal Erosion
- According to a report, submitted by the Parliamentary Standing Committee, if resources are not made available timely, then the vast coastline of the country, the population dependent on it as well as the fragile coastal ecosystem shall face the brunt.
- The panel also expressed displeasure at the 19 per cent reduction in the estimated and revised budget for 2022-23.
- The coastal areas of India are facing major effects of climate impact. About 2,318 kilometres of India’s east and west coasts are facing erosion.
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