Q.1. Which of the following statements is/are true about Prof Saleemul Huq?
- He was named the top 10 scientists in the world by Nature in 2022.
- He was the director of the International Centre for Climate Change & Development (ICCCAD)
- ICCCAD is based in The Hague
- He was best known for his support for loss and damage funds at climate change negotiations
Choose your answer from the choices given below:
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 1, 2 and 4
- (c) Only 1
- (d) All of the above
Ans: (b)
Explanation:
- Prof Saleemul Huq passed away on 28th October 2023 at the age of 71.
- He was an acclaimed scholar and climate activist.
- He headed ICCCAD, a climate change research and development center in Bangladesh.
- Huq championed community-based adaptation efforts in rural Bangladesh.
- This approach empowers communities to devise their own solutions to climate change.
- For example, they could enhance flood defences or alter crop cycles according to the changing weather.
- Huq insisted that communities impacted by climate change should have control of their situation.
- By the 1990s, he actively participated in global climate negotiations.
- He helped climate-exposed countries voice their unique needs at UN-level talks.
- One of Huq’s significant achievements was advocating for loss and damage funds.
- This concept urges wealthy countries, primarily responsible for global warming, to financially assist developing nations cope with its impacts.
- Despite gaining momentum before the 2015 Paris climate agreement, a deal was only signed in 2022.
- Huq clarified that loss and damage is not aid, as aid can create an unequal power dynamic between the donor and recipient.
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Q. 2. Consider the following statements:
- Strategic and security related projects of national importance need to be fast-tracked to ensure development of vital security infrastructures
- Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act 2023 exempts land situated within 50 km of international borders.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
- (a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
- (b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
- (c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
- (d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Ans: (c)
Source: Forest act amendments to take effect from December 1 (HT, November 7)
Explanation:
- The Forest (Conservation) Act has been amended, and the amended act exempts strategic national security projects on land within 100 km of international borders, the Line of Control, and the Line of Actual Control from environmental clearance requirements..
- The amendment proposes that strategic projects related to national security within 100 km of these borders and lines are exempt.
- The Supreme Court received a plea on October 20, challenging the constitutionality of these amendments.
- The government claims the amendment’s purpose is to modernise the 40-year-old forest conservation laws, eliminate unclear definitions, support development and national security, and assist India in fulfilling its climate commitments.
- The amendment only applies to land declared or notified as a forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or any subsequent law, and only recognises forest lands recorded as such on or after October 25, 1980.
- Experts express concern that this could pose risks to sensitive ecosystems in the Northeast, as entire states could fall under the 100km exemption.
- The act also excludes zoos and eco-safaris from green guidelines.
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Q.3. Consider the following statements:
- The focus of development projects in the northeast region is based on the concept of HIRA
- In HIRA, H stands for Himalayan
- HIRA model is aimed at connecting North-eastern states within and with the neighbouring countries
How many of the above statements is/are true?
- (a) 1 and 3
- (b) 1 and 2
- (c) All of the above
- (d) None of the above
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
- The HIRA model stands for Highways, i-ways, railways, and airways.
- The purpose of the HIRA model is to enhance connectivity within the north-eastern region.
Read More: Agartala Akhaura Rail Link Project
Q.4. Consider the following statements:
- The BBNJ Treaty’s objective is to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
- The “BBNJ Treaty” is also known as the “Treaty of the High Seas”
- BBNJ Treaty will replace United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
How many of the above statements is/are true?
- (a) 1 and 3
- (b) Only 1
- (c) Only 2
- (d) 1 and 2
Ans: (d)
Source: A New Treaty Can Create a More ‘Human’ Ocean (The Wire; October 28)
Explanation
- The “BBNJ Treaty”, also known as the “Treaty of the High Seas”, is about conserving and using marine biodiversity sustainably. This applies to areas beyond national jurisdiction under the UNCLOS framework.
- BBNJ refers to the high seas, which are outside the exclusive economic zones or national waters of countries.
- The new BBNJ Agreement was approved in March 2023 at the UN in New York. This wrapped up nearly 20 years of negotiations.
- On September 20, 2023, the BBNJ Agreement became available for signature. This Agreement implements the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as UNCLOS.
- After the 60th instrument of ratification is deposited, the Agreement will take effect.
- The BBNJ Agreement brings new aspects to ocean governance, mirroring sociological and political shifts.
- This agreement opens up new conceptual, regulatory, and procedural collaborations under the UNCLOS.
- A significant advancement is the concept of marine biological diversity, which could bridge the gap in genetic resources between marine life and the high seas.
- Even non-UNCLOS parties can participate in the BBNJ agreement without needing to join UNCLOS.
- The BBNJ Agreement aims to change how non-state actors interact in international law.
- It achieves this by including them in decision-making processes and assigning them advisory roles within institutions.
Read More About High Seas Treaty
Q.5. Consider the following statements:
- Nitrous oxide is 310 times more effective at trapping heat compared to CO2
- Approximately 30% of N2O in the atmosphere is attributed to agricultural practices
- N2O is a major contributor to the depletion of stratospheric ozone and global warming
- Unlike CFCs, use and emission of Nitrous oxide are not regulated by the Montreal Protocol
How many of the above statements is/are true?
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 1 and 3
- (c) 1, 3 and 4
- (d) All of the above
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are chemicals that have caused a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica.
- Nitrous Oxide (N2O) also depletes the ozone layer. It comes from both natural and man-made sources.
- Unlike CFCs, the use and emission of N2O are not regulated by the Montreal Protocol. The Protocol has helped to slow the growth of the ozone hole.
- N2O is a powerful greenhouse gas. It is third in potency after carbon dioxide and methane.
- N2O traps heat 310 times more effectively than CO2. It stays in the atmosphere for approximately 120 years.
- Around 30% of atmospheric N2O comes from agriculture, especially from the excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers like urea.
- The levels of N2O in the atmosphere started to increase rapidly during the “Green Revolution” of the 1960s.
- High food production through excessive use of nitrogen (N) fertilisers, such as urea, increases the rate at which soil microbes convert N into N2O.
- This process contributes to global warming and its related environmental problems, such as low rainfall, soil degradation, groundwater depletion, and more.
- The “Cradle” of the Green Revolution, Punjab, has experienced significant land damage as a direct result of these practices.
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