India Pavilion at COP 27 (GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, inaugurated India Pavilion at the 27th Session of Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP 27) Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
- The Conference of Parties (COP27) is scheduled from 6-18 November, 2022.
LiFE @ India Pavilion at COP 27:
- India is hosting a pavilion with the theme of LiFE- Lifestyle for Environment at COP 27.
- The Pavilion has been designed to send out the message of LiFE through various audio-visuals, Logo, 3D models, set up, décor and side events.
- The guiding thought in the design of the pavilion is that for centuries, Indian civilizations have practised and led sustainable lifestyles. Eco-friendly habits are encoded in the Indian culture.
Logo:
- In respect of the Pavilion logo, the color green which is indicative of Green Earth has been used in gradient shades in the logo.
- The leaf on the periphery represents nature and icons represent how balance and harmony with nature can be achieved through various initiatives of the Government of India.
- The central part of the logo represents a balanced nature with the Sun encompassing trees, mountains, water and biodiversity. The slogan has been inspired from the core messaging of Life “सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिना” (May everyone be happy).
About Mission LiFE:
- The Prime Minister of India gave the mantra of LiFE to the world in 2021 at COP 26 in Glasgow and this movement has since been widely supported by world leaders.
- India has spearheaded Mission LiFE as a global mass movement that harnesses the power of individual and collective action across the world to address the climate crisis.
- It aims to resurrect the delicate balance between man and nature by encouraging a shift from mindless and wasteful consumption to mindful and deliberate utilisation to protect and preserve the environment.
Objective:
- Mission LiFE is designed with the objective to mobilise at least one billion Indians and other global citizens to take individual and collective action for protecting and preserving the environment in the period 2022 to 2027.
- Within India, at least 80% of all villages and urban local bodies are aimed to become environment-friendly by 2028.
IMF identifies three crucial areas for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), also known as COP 27, will hold its 27th session in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
Why it matters?
- In the backdrop of multiple extreme weather disasters, including typhoons in Bangladesh, huge floods in Pakistan, heatwaves in Europe, wildfires in North America, dry rivers in China, and droughts in Africa, this year's COP27 conference assumes even more importance.
Three crucial areas:
- In the run up to the COP27, the International Monetary Fund has highlighted three crucial areas where the world needs to work for tackling the rising greenhouse gas emissions. These three areas are:
- steadfast policies to reach net zero by 2050,
- strong measures to adapt to the global warming that’s already locked in, and
- staunch climate finance to help vulnerable countries.
Key Highlights:
- According to IMF, the good news is that 140 countries, or 91 per cent of the world's emitters of greenhouse gases, have already proposed or established net-zero targets by the middle of the century.
- The bad news, however, is that reality and net-zero rhetoric do not align.
- IMF stressed that doing more on climate financing is important. It said that advanced economies must meet or exceed the pledge of $100 billion in climate finance for developing countries.
- India is expected to raise matters such as climate finance for the developing world where per capita emissions are comparatively quite low against the developed world in order to address carbon mitigation.
Way Forward:
- COP27 must lead to a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, including no new fossil fuel developments, and more support for countries dealing with the biggest climate change impacts.
- Countries must be on a credible path to reach global net-zero emissions within the next few decades.
8 warmest years on record witness upsurge in climate impacts: WMO
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, the World Meteorological Organization's provisional’ State of the Global Climate in 2022’ report was released.
- As per it, extreme heatwaves, drought and devastating flooding have affected millions and cost billions in 2022.
Impacts of climate change:
- The rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993. It has risen by nearly 10 mm since January 2020 to a new record high this year.
- The past two and a half years alone account for 10 per cent of the overall rise in sea level since satellite measurements started nearly 30 years ago.
- The year 2022 took an exceptionally heavy toll on glaciers in the European Alps, with initial indications of record-shattering melt.
- The Greenland ice sheet lost mass for the 26th consecutive year and it rained (rather than snowed) there for the first time in September.
Warmest year:
- The global mean temperature in 2022 is currently estimated to be about 1.15 (1.02 to 1.28) degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. A rare triple-dip cooling La Nina means that 2022 is likely to "only" be fifth or sixth warmest.
- However, this does not reverse the long-term trend; it is only a matter of time until there is another warmest year on record.
- The 10-year average for the period 2013-2022 is estimated to be 1.14 (1.02 to 1.27) degrees above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline. This compares with 1.09 degrees from 2011 to 2020, as estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment report.
- Ocean heat was at record levels in 2021 (the latest year assessed), with the warming rate particularly high in the past 20 years.
About WMO State of the Global Climate report:
- The WMO State of the Global Climate report is produced annually. It provides an authoritative voice on the current state of the climate using key climate indicators and reporting on extreme events and their impacts.
- The temperature figures used in the provisional 2022 report are until the end of September. The final version will be issued next April.
AnSI builds tribal hut replicas to help preserve, promote unique heritage
(GS Paper 1, Culture)
Why in news?
- In a first-of-its-kind bid to showcase the heritage of tribal communities, especially those of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI) has recreated the huts of several communities at its different regional centres.
- These huts have come up outside five regional centres of AnSI in consultation with the local communities.
Glimpse of various tribes:
- The huts are not only authentic in design, and built using the same materials used by the tribal people, but also contains artefacts which they use, thus offering a rare glimpse into the lives of these communities who reside in locations which are not easily accessible to others.
- For instance, the traditional Jarawa hut, called a chadda, has traditional baskets, bows and arrows, and other artefacts used by the community. It is crafted with leaves of junglee supari with a cage for wild pigs built beneath it.
- The Shompen hut contains a store of a paste made using the pandamus fruit which members of the tribe eat when there is shortage of food.
- A Nicobarese hut is made using the thin stems of local cane covered by thick dry grasses.
- Both the Jarawa and Shompen communities are PVTGs living in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While the population of Shompen people is said to be less than 300, there are about 500 members of the Jarawa tribe.
Reviving traditional craftsmanship:
- Many huts of the Nicobarese tribe built in the traditional beehive shape were submerged by the tsunami that hit the islands in 2004.
- Building these huts is also an attempt to revive such traditional craftsmanship and maintain the cultural heritage of the tribe.
- Other huts at the regional centers include the replica of a Dorla tribal community’s home at Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.
- Members of the community participated in plastering mud over the bamboo wattle or slender twigs used for the side walls, while using date palm leaves to thatch the hut.
Similar initiatives:
- At the regional Centre in Mysore, anthropologists had invited the people from the Betta Kuruba tribal community to construct their traditional hut.
- In an attempt to bring out the beauty of the Khasi culture, the AnSI regional office at Shillong erected traditional monoliths in the office premises, including the Mawbynna or Mawnam’ which consists of three upright stones with a flat table stone in front, and the Maw Shongthait which are flat table stones, accompanied by vertical stones which serve as seats for weary travellers.
