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As many as 118 countries signed a pledge to triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030 during the ongoing COP-28 climate summit here and India is among those countries whose name is not on the list.
The other conspicuous absence is that of China, the country that has the world’s largest installed renewable energy capacity.
Though the plan to substantially increase renewable energy capacity and energy efficiency and firm it up into a declaration at COP-28 was first floated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this April, it was first mentioned as a concrete proposal in the New Delhi G-20 declaration in September.
The Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, as of today, has committed to tripling worldwide installed renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts (GW) and to double the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements to more than 4% by 2030.
News
In 2022, 66% of malaria cases in Southeast Asia were from India (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
In 2022, India accounted for 66% of malaria cases in the WHO Southeast Asia Region, noted the World Malaria Report, 2023, published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
It adds that almost 46% of all cases in the region were due to Plasmodium vivax, a protozoan parasite and human pathogen which is the most frequent and widely distributed cause of recurring malaria.
Released earlier this week, the report highlights that despite strides in expanding access to insecticide-treated nets and medicines to help prevent malaria in young children and pregnant women, more people were getting sick with malaria.
After COVID break, Centre approves fourth phase roll-out of GIAN scheme (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Eight years after its inception, past its brief discontinuation during the COVID period, the Education Ministry is gearing up to restart the fourth phase of the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project to rope in eminent scholars from across the world to teach at Indian universities.
The Union government has spent at least ₹126 crore in payment to support foreign faculty’s travel and honorarium since the inception of GIAN.
Each foreign faculty member is paid a sum of $8000 (₹7 lakh) for a week of teaching and $12,000 (₹12 lakh) for conducting a two-week course. As many as 1,073 academics have taught the one-week course, while 553 experts have held two-week courses.
Among these are experts like David Shulman, an Indologist from Hebrew University in Jerusalem; Bhanu Pratap Jena, an American cell biologist; and Subir Sarkar, an Oxford University-based physicist who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Tabish Khair, a noted author and Professor at Aarhus University in Denmark, taught postcolonial world literature at the IIT- Bhubaneshwar.
World
U.S., U.K., Australia defence chiefs tout deep space radar and AI in joint deal (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The defence chiefs of the U.S., Australia and Britain met in California, touting high-tech cooperation on deep space radar, AI and quantum computing systems aimed at bolstering their forces in the face of global threats, including from China.
The three men huddled in Silicon Valley — the heart of the U.S. tech sector — to build on the so-called AUKUS (Australia, U.K., U.S.) partnership launched in September 2021.
“Today just underscores that AUKUS is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that will promote peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters.
The focus was on the cutting edge, including the development of what they called a “Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability” program, which will see radar detection sites in all three countries by the end of the decade, with the capacity to peer 35,000-km into space.
Science
Six exoplanets found orbiting a nearby bright star (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Six exoplanets orbiting around a nearby bright star (HD 110067) in the Coma Berenices constellation has been discovered.
The planets have radii between that of Earth and Neptune. A study published inNaturehas calculated the orbit details, along with estimates of their masses and densities, which offer clues about the formation of the system and compositions of the planets’ atmospheres.
Planets with radii between that of the Earth and Neptune (referred to as ‘sub-Neptunes’) are found in close-in orbits around more than half of all Sun-like stars, but details of their composition, formation and evolution are not well understood. HD 110067 is a bright star in the Coma Berenices constellation (around 100 light-years away), which is visible from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere.
BCG revaccination study in adults to begin in 23 States (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Twenty-three States have consented to participate in the BCG revaccination study in adults that will be undertaken in a “programme implementation study mode”to evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccine in reducing TB disease incidence.
The study will target some high-risk groups — those older than 50 years, prior TB disease, underweight adults, diabetics, and those who smoke and consume alcohol.
The phase-1 of the study will be conducted in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, says a Delhi-based official.
No clinical trials have been carried out in India to study the efficacy of BCG revaccination in adults to prevent TB disease, andstudies in other countries have thrown up mixed results.
Two clinical investigation studies by St. John’s Research Institute, Bengaluru have found BCG revaccination in adults to be significantly immunogenic.
FAQ
Why is COP-28 summit focusing on health? (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
On December 3, for the first time in 28 years of climate change negotiations, the climate-health nexus will take centre stage at the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP-28) summit in the UAE.
Unabated greenhouse gas emissions are triggering extreme weather events, air pollution, food insecurity, water scarcity and population displacement, which in turn, are altering the trajectory of vector-borne diseases.
And Africa, Asia, South and Central America, and small island states, which have contributed the least to climate change, are bearing the brunt. Addressing these issues, on December 2, 123 governments endorsed the COP-28 Declaration on Climate and Health.
The ‘ground breaking Health Day at COP-28’, as COP-28 president Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber put it, is expected to pose two questions: how public health can become resilient to climate change, and who will finance this transformation.
India also highlighted the intricate link between climate change and public health during the health talks held under its G-20 presidency this year. In September, Dr. Al Jaber spoke in the backdrop of the New York Climate Week: “The connection between health and climate change is evident, yet it has not been a specific focus of the COP process — until now.
This must change.” Health is not a stranger to climate change talks. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recognises the health impacts of climate change.
This is also the first time there will be a health inter-ministerial meeting, with ministers of health, environment, finance and other types of ministries joining in.
While the Declaration text is final, the health ministers will be able to add supplementary comments during the meeting.
Wooing Indian tourists with visa-free entry (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Malaysia has become the latest country to extend the advantage of visa-free travel to Indian citizens. The facility will be extended to Indian travellers till December 31, 2024 and will be valid for 30 days from the date of entry.
The initiative is aimed at ensuring hassle-free travel for Indians who have emerged as one of the major tourist groups visiting Malaysia in the recent past. According to industry sources, at present there are around 26 countries that extend visa-free entry to Indian citizens for various reasons.
Tourism has emerged as one of the key focus areas for Malaysia’s post-COVID recovery strategy. Renowned for its scenic locations like the Langkawi beaches, Malaysia’s tourism sector was hit hard during the COVID period when travel restrictions and visa problems nearly decimated its tourism industry.
But under the Anwar Ibrahim government, Malaysia is taking serious steps to recover its leadership in the tourism sector.
According to the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, 10.7 million visitors chose to visit the country in 2022 bringing in more than $28 billion to the economy.
The recovery can be measured by the fact that during the peak COVID period of 2021, only 0.13 million tourists visited Malaysia.
The visa-free facility to Indian (and Chinese) travellers is, therefore, aimed at making the country a more attractive destination for recreation seekers from two of the major Asian economies.
Business
‘India will be largest cotton producer’ (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
India will strive to become the largest cotton producer globally, Minister for Textiles, Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, said in Mumbai, inaugurating an annual global meeting of a UN recognised body of cotton producing and consuming nations.
At the 81st plenary session of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), the Minister said India has the largest area under cotton cultivation and is the second largest producer.
We need to become the world’s largest producer,” Mr. Goyal stressed, adding that the textile advisory group on cotton will work towards improving productivity similar to the level in countries like Australia.
India will provide leadership in cotton textiles and technical textiles. It has two advisory groups - for cotton and manmade fibre.
These groups have representation from the entire textile value chain and take policy decisions with inputs from sector representatives. India has also launched PM MITRA - a Central government scheme to set up mega textile parks and promote the entire value chain.