What is driving the Global Biofuels Alliance? (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, on the sidelines of the annual G-20 summit, an India-led grouping came together to give impetus to the production and use of biofuels, an alternative to fossil fuels like petroleum and diesel.
- The grouping, called the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) would attempt to bring countries together to co-develop, accelerate technological advances in production processes, and advocate for the use of biofuels particularly in the transport sector.
- The three founding members, India, the U.S. and Brazil, were joined by Argentina, Canada, Italy and South Africa, who are also G-20 member countries.
What are biofuels?
- The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines biofuels as “liquid fuels derived from biomass and used as an alternative to fossil fuel based liquid transportation fuels such as gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels.”
Are biofuels an alternative to fossil fuels?
- Experts in the field make a distinction between biofuels and sustainable biofuels. The former is derived from crops grown specifically to produce biofuels such as sugarcane, corn, or soybean, and the latter is from agricultural waste, used cooking oil and processed animal residues like fats.
- The former is colloquially referred to as 1G ethanol, or first-generation biofuel, and the latter as 2G, that is second-generation.
- This distinction has now come into sharp focus as climate change accelerates, with fears of threat to food security and increased loss of forests and biodiversity due to greater land required for farming.
- Estimates suggest that well over half of all vegetated land is under cultivation today, and that agriculture is one of the world’s largest carbon emitters.
- The GBA has emphasised that its focus would be to develop 2G ethanol.
Why is there a renewed focus on biofuels?
- With severe disruptions to global crude oil supplies following the Ukraine war, several countries have been scrambling to find alternatives to the import dependence on petrol and diesel.
- India, for instance, imports 87% of its crude oil, and it is the main reserve currency expenditure for the country.
- With transport accounting for about one-quarter of global carbon emissions, there have been renewed attempts to accelerate the decarbonising of this sector, with several countries announcing battery production and electric vehicle (EV) policies and legacy automakers entering the now thriving EV sector.
- But some modes of transport like aviation, shipping and long-haul trucking will find it harder to reduce carbon emissions. It is here that 2G ethanol could be a valuable substitute.
Do biofuels aid energy transition?
- Most biofuels today are blended with petrol or diesel at varying degrees. For instance, India blends about 10% of biofuels and has plans to double this in the coming years.
- While some experts feel that accelerating EV adoption and developing alternatives like green hydrogen must be the focus of the ongoing energy transition, others argue that 2G ethanol would soften the impending disruption.
- It would do so by allowing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions even while stretching the life of internal combustion engines, giving time for automakers to develop robust alternatives, while increasing farmers’ incomes and providing jobs.
What happens next?
- The three founding members of the GBA produce 85% of global biofuels and consume about 81% of it.
- In line with the renewed push to enhance biofuel use and production, the U.S. announced its latest amended “Renewable Fuel Standard” to substantially increase the production of biofuels and substitute about 1,40,000 barrels per day of crude oil imports by 2025.
- Similarly, India had announced the setting up of 12 new refineries as early as 2018 with the aim to meet 20% ethanol blending by 2025. This becomes even more significant following India’s announcement to become net zero (removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as human activity emits) by 2070.
- The IEA predicts that about two-thirds of the global biofuel demand will come from three emerging economies; India, Brazil and Indonesia, and that they have “ample domestic feedstocks, additional production capacity, relatively low production costs and a package of policies they can leverage to increase demand.”
- However, it remains to be seen if this would indeed hasten decarbonising of the energy sector.
Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Prahari on an overseas deployment to ASEAN countries
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Prahari, a specialized Pollution Control Vessel, is currently on an overseas deployment to ASEAN countries.
Marine Pollution Response:
- This deployment is part of India's ASEAN initiatives for Marine Pollution Response, showcasing the Pollution Response capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and its commitment to addressing marine pollution issues and enhancing capacity in the region.
- The ship is equipped with a Chetak Helicopter in Pollution Response configuration, enhancing its capabilities in this area.
Background:
- This initiative was announced by Raksha Mantri during the ASEAN Defence Minister Meeting Plus meeting in Cambodia in November 2022.
Key Highlights:
- During this deployment, the ship is scheduled to make port calls in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, and Jakarta.
- It will demonstrate the ICG's pollution response capabilities and its dedication to collaborative efforts for marine pollution response.
- As part of an overseas exchange program, the ship has embarked 13 NCC cadets to participate in "Puneet Sagar Abhiyan," an international outreach program focused on beach clean-ups and similar activities in coordination with partner nations.
Way Forward:
- This visit holds significant importance in strengthening bilateral relationships with key maritime agencies, including the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre and BAKAMLA (Indonesia Maritime Security Agency).
- The visit's agenda includes professional exchanges, cross-deck visits, planning and tabletop exercises, joint exercises, as well as official and social engagements including visits to capacity-building facilities.
Deadly Nipah virus strikes India
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- India is currently grappling with a rare outbreak of the Nipah virus, a dangerous disease that has high mortality rate.
- Taking pre-emptive action against the threat, authorities in the Southern state of Kerala have shut down some schools and offices to halt the spread of the virus.
What is the Nipah virus?
- The virus is zoonotic in nature, which means it can be transmitted from animals to humans.
- Nipah usually spreads to humans from bodily fluids of animals; infected bats and pigs, or through contaminated food, but it can also be transmitted directly between people.
- The virus triggers severe fever, often leading to a high mortality rate. It is named after the village where it was discovered.
- Nipah Ebola, Zika and COVID-19 has been listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the diseases deserving of priority research for the potential to lead to a global epidemic.
Symptoms and treatment of Nipah:
- Symptoms of Nipah virus include high fever, headache, vomiting, and respiratory issues.
- In severe cases, seizures and brain inflammation can lead to a coma.
- Regrettably, no vaccine is currently available for Nipah, and the WHO reports that the virus has a mortality rate ranging from 40 to 75 per cent.
Monoclonal antibodies:
- To combat the current outbreak, India has taken a significant step by procuring 20 doses of monoclonal antibodies from Australia.
- These antibodies are vital for the treatment of Nipah virus infections, a disease with a high mortality rate. Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight harmful pathogens.
- Globally, monoclonal antibodies have been used to successfully treat 14 patients infected with the Nipah virus outside India.
Previous outbreaks:
- The first Nipah outbreak in Malaysia resulted in over 100 fatalities. It also spread to Singapore, causing illness.
- Subsequently, the majority of cases have been documented in Bangladesh and India, with both countries experiencing their initial outbreaks in 2001.
- Bangladesh has borne the brunt of Nipah in recent years, with over 100 fatalities since 2001.
- India grappled with two initial outbreaks that claimed over 50 lives before they were contained.
- Most recently, the state of Kerala in India has reported two fatalities and four confirmed cases within the past month, marking its fourth outbreak in five years.
- In 2018, Nipah claimed 17 lives in Kerala, reports AFP. Previous outbreaks there were successfully quelled within a matter of weeks through extensive testing and the strict isolation of individuals in contact with patients.
Zoonotic virus:
- Scientists suspect that the Nipah virus has existed among flying foxes for close to a millennium. They also fear that a highly transmissible, mutated strain may emerge from bats.
- The first Nipah outbreak was recorded in 1998 after the virus spread among pig farmers in Malaysia.
- Fruit bats are the natural carriers of the virus. These bats have been identified as the most likely cause of subsequent outbreaks.
Animal-to-human viruses:
- Zoonotic diseases, which are diseases capable of jumping from animals to humans, have seen a notable increase over the past few decades, the last 20 to 30 years in particular.
- The increase of international travel has accelerated their spread. Furthermore, human encroachment into natural habitats has led to a disruption of ecosystems, which in turn has caused an elevation in the likelihood of random virus mutations that can be transmitted to humans.
- Industrial-scale farming too heightens the risk of pathogens spreading among animals, while deforestation intensifies interactions between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans.
