Current Affair 1:

Aichi biodiversity target

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We all know Earth Summit,

The Earth Summit was not the first international conference to address environmental issues. In 1972 the United Nations convened the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden. This conference, often called the Stockholm Conference, was the first international conference to address environmental problems directly.

The Earth Summit produced a number of outcomes including:

1. The Convention on Biological Diversity.
2. The Framework Convention on Climate Change.
3. Principles of Forest Management.
4. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; and
5. Agenda 21

Aichi Targets later adopted under Convention on Biological Diversity. See below.

 

The ‘Aichi Target’ adopted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its Nagoya conference. In the COP-10 meeting, the parties agreed that previous biodiversity protection targets are not achieved, So we need to do come up with new plans and targets The short term plan provides a set of 20 ambitious yet achievable targets, collectively known as the Aichi Targets.

Aichi Targets= 20 targets divided into 5 sections (A to E).

Strategic goal A

Address the causes of biodiversity loss

1. Make people aware about the values of biodiversity
2. Integrated biodiversity values in development + poverty reduction plan
3. Subsidies which are harmful to biodiversity and eliminate them, phase them out or reform them
4. Sustainable production and consumption.

Strategic Goal B:

Reduce the direct pressure on biodiversity and promote sustainable use

1. Reduce the rate of natural habitat loss + forest loss by at least 50%
2. Reduce overfishing
3. Agriculture, aquaculture and forestry in sustainable manner
4. Reduce pollution and excessive use of fertiliser
5. Prevent invasive alien species (non-native)
6. Minimize the choral reflow destruction, ocean acidification

Strategic Goal C

Safeguard ecosystems, species and genetic diversity

1. Conserve terrestrial and inland water, coastal – marine areas
2. Prevent extinction of threatened species
3. Maintain genetic diversity of agro-plants, domesticated animals and minimizing genetic erosion

Strategic Goal D

Biodiversity benefits to all

1. Safeguard ecosystems for women, tribals, and poor.
2. Combat desertification and restore the degraded ecosystem
3. Operationalize the Nagoya protocol on genetic resources, via national legislations

Strategic Goal E

Participatory planning, capacity building

1. National biodiversity strategy and action plans – update for participation
2. Integrate the knowledge of tribal communities
3. Scientific and technological knowledge sharing application
4. Financial resources mobilization

Current Affair 2:

Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems: DPIIT

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The Results of the 2nd edition of Ranking of States on Support to Startup Ecosystems were released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Ministry of Commerce & Industry). DPIIT has recently released the Ease of Doing Business Rankings of the States-2019 based on the State Business Reform Action Plan, which we have already covered.

Before starting the Report, see the startup landscape in India:

 

Definition of Start-up in India:

So, we will start with Introduction. If we will write in paragraph such report, you will never remember, nor you will read. So, we have covered the report through images:

 

The framework is spread across 7 areas of intervention with a total of 30 action points, as compared to the 38 action points in previous years’ Ranking Framework. See 7 Framework.

Results of the Report:

1. Gujarat was the Best performer in Category X followed by Karnataka and Kerala. Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu occupied the lowest positions.
2. Andaman and Nicobar Islands was the Best performer in Category Y. Sikkim secured the bottom place.
3. Gujarat had secured the Best Performer position previous year as well.

Few Government Initiatives regarding Start-ups:

1. Start Up India Fund: Under the Startup India program, the Government created the 'Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) with a corpus of INR 10,000 crore.
2. Policy Reforms for Startups: These include requirement of distributable profits for three years for a company to be eligible to issue shares with differential voting rights.
3. Start-up Cells: The Cell will work towards redressal of grievances & tax-related issues of Startups with respect to the administration of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
4. National Startup Advisory Council: To advise the Centre on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and start-ups in the country.
5. Aatmanirbhar Bharat ARISE-Atal New India Challenge: It is a national initiative to promote research & innovation and increase competitiveness of Indian startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

AIM-iCREST: It is an Incubator Capabilities Enhancement program launched by NITI Aayog for a Robust Ecosystem focused on creating high performing Startups.

Current Affair 3:

Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0

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Be precise and read relevant contents with clarity here.

The Climate Centre for Cities under National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) is supporting Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in implementation of CSCAF.

We have two CSCAF 1.0 and CSCAF 2.0 TILL NOW:

What is CSCAF?

The framework has 28 indicators across five categories namely:

1. Energy and Green Buildings.
2. Urban Planning, Green Cover & Biodiversity.
3. Mobility and Air Quality.
4. Water Management.
5. Waste Management.

You can watch 2 minute video on Climate Smart Cities Assessment Framework (CSCAF) 2.0

Here, also see in brief Smart Cities Mission:

Smart Cities Mission

 

It is an innovative initiative under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local development and harnessing technology as a means to create smart outcomes for citizens.

It was launched in the year 2015 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

Objective: To promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of Smart Solutions.

Develop areas step-by-step with the help of these three models: Retrofitting., Redevelopment, Greenfield.

Current Affair 4:

13-million-year-old tooth found in Uttarakhand leads to discovery of new ape species

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A 13-million-old fossil from Uttarakhand’s Ramnagar has led to the discovery of a new species of ape, also the earliest-known ancestor of the modern-day gibbon, a primate species found in tropical forests of Southeast Asia, according to researchers.

The fossil is a complete lower molar tooth and belongs to a previously unknown genus and species, which has now been classified as Kapi ramnagarensis. It is the first ape species discovered at the location in nearly a century. It predates the oldest-known fossil record of gibbons by at least five million years.

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.

Current Affair 5:

The Moon is rusting

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Earlier this month, researchers published evidence of hematite at the Moon’s higher latitudes, and hematite — or Fe2O3 — is an oxide of iron that turns red when it begins to rust. But the question is:

Why would there be rust on the lunar surface? We know there are trace amounts of water, and we know there’s plenty of iron, but where’s the oxygen coming from? And why is the rust heavily on the side of the moon facing us — that is, the side where the water isn’t?

1. Usually the Moon, like the rest of the solar system, is bathed in solar wind.
2. But for five days out of every lunar orbit, the Moon is shielded from solar wind … by the Earth.
3. In 2017, researchers studying the observations from Japan’s Kagura spacecraft announced that during the periods when the Earth shielded the Moon, a high concentration of oxygen ions was found in the lunar soil.
4. The simplest answer: an “Earth wind” effect, in which solar activity peels tiny particles from the atmosphere, many of which strike the lunar surface.
5. The researchers suggest that this transfer of ions, including biogenic oxygen, might have been going on for over two billion years. That’s a truly exciting hypothesis. If true,
6. it would mean that by studying the Moon’s crust, we’d be able to better map the physical and biological history of our own planet.

But there’s a considerable gap between stray water molecules and enough oxygen ions to cause visible rust. Does the “Earth wind” theory seem plausible enough to explain the phenomenon? Perhaps rust on the Moon is best seen as a reminder of how much we still don’t know about our closest neighbor. Wait for more revelation about this study.

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