Is growing space tourism posing a risk to the climate?

 

A segment of space travel, space tourism allows lay people to travel to space for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The aim is to make space more accessible to those people who are not astronauts and want to travel to space for non-scientific reasons.

Rocket launches amid a growing space tourism race among commercial players like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin can negatively impact the climate and the ozone layer, a new study has found.

In an article published in the journal, Earth’s Future on June 9, researchers from University College London (UCL), the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that the soot emissions from rocket launches are far more effective at warming the atmosphere compared to other sources.

The researchers state that routine launches by the rapidly growing space tourism industry “may undermine progress made by the Montreal Protocol in reversing ozone depletion.” They argue that there is an urgent need for environmental regulation to reduce the climatic damage from this fast growing industry.Space tourism industry

In the 20th century, the Soviet Union and United States were engaged in an intense competition to attain complete domination of spaceflight technologies. Today, it is private companies that are taking part in their very own commercial space race, initiated with Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson’s journeys to space in July 2021.

A segment of space travel, space tourism allows lay people to travel to space for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The aim is to make space more accessible to those people who are not astronauts and want to travel to space for non-scientific reasons.

Less than a year after Bezos and Branson’s escapades, The New York Times reports that global space tourism has been thriving, with various companies offering bookings for zero-pressure balloon trips for short flights, astronaut boot camps and simulated zero-gravity flights.

According to the authors of the recent study published in Earth’s Future, “The space industry is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors”.

From $350 million in 2019, the industry is forecasted to grow to more than $1 trillion by 2040. With companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and Blue Origin launching commercial space flights, space tourism has become, at least theoretically, a possibility for enthusiasts. Tickets remain tremendously expensive however, with tickets for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic beginning from a whopping $450,000.

What is the new study?

Researchers from University College London (UCL), the University of Cambridge and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in their new study, claim that the burgeoning space tourism industry can have a far bigger cost on the environment.

They calculated their findings by compiling an inventory of the chemicals from all the 109 rocket launches and re-entries into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2019.

They also projected the growth of space tourism by corporations like Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin and SpaceX. These were then incorporated into a 3D model to examine the possible impact on the climate and the protective stratospheric ozone layer.

The number of rocket flights today is rather small when compared to the sheer size of the aircraft industry.

While in 2020, there were only 114 orbital launches in the world, more than 100,000 flights travel each day, as reported by The Guardian.

What are the study’s findings?

Unlike other sources of pollution, the study finds that environmental damage caused by rockets is far greater, as they emit gaseous and solid chemicals directly into the upper atmosphere.

The space tourism’s current growth trends also indicate a potential for the depletion of the ozone layer above the Arctic. This is because the pollutants from rocket fuel and heating caused by spacecraft returning to Earth, along with the debris caused by the flights are especially harmful to the ozone layer, University College London (UCL) stated in a press release.

What is of great concern is the black carbon (BC) soot that is emitted by rockets directly into the atmosphere. These soot particles have a far larger impact on the climate than all other sources of soot combined, as BC particles are almost 500 times more efficient at retaining heat.

The low figure of rocket launches, compared to the large scale air pollutant emissions caused by the massive aircraft industry, is at times invoked to downplay the environmental damage caused by rockets. Dr Eloise Marais, the co-author of the study argues that this comparison is incorrect.

“Soot particles from rocket launches have a much larger climate effect than aircraft and other Earth-bound sources, so there doesn’t need to be as many rocket launches as international flights to have a similar impact. What we really need now is a discussion amongst experts on the best strategy for regulating this rapidly growing industry.” she said in a press release.

The team of researchers showed that within only 3 years of additional space tourism launches, the rate of warming due to the released soot would more than double.

This is because of the use of kerosene by SpaceX launches and hybrid synthetic rubber fuels by Virgin Galactic.

Undermining Montreal Protocol

While the loss of ozone from current rocket launches is “small”, the researchers argue that in the likelihood of weekly or daily space tourism rocket launches, the recovery of the ozone layer caused by the Montreal Protocol could be undermined.

“The only part of the atmosphere showing strong ozone recovery post-Montreal Protocol is the upper stratosphere, and that is exactly where the impact of rocket emissions will hit hardest. We weren’t expecting to see ozone changes of this magnitude, threatening the progress of ozone recovery,” said the study’s co-author Dr Robert Ryan in a press release.

The Montreal Protocol is a landmark international treaty that was adopted in Montreal in 1987, and was aimed at protecting the Earth’s ozone layer by regulating the production and consumption of nearly 100 chemicals called ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

The treaty phases down the consumption and production of various ODS in a stepwise manner.

As per the Montreal Protocol, developing and developed countries have but equal and differentiated responsibilities, however all countries have to follow binding, time-targeted and measurable commitments.

Considered to be one of the most successful environmental interventions on the global scale, it is the first treaty to achieve universal ratification by all countries in the world.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) states that without this treaty, ozone depletion would have increased by more than ten times by 2050, as compared to current levels.

The recovery of ozone layer caused by the Montreal Protocol has been estimated to save around 2 million people each year from skin cancer. Between 1990-2010, the treaty led to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by an approximate 135 gigatons of CO2.

Written by Raghu Malhotra

Source: Indian Express, 3/07/22

Quote of the Day July 1, 2022

 

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is: Try to please everybody.”
Herbert Bayard Swope

“मैं आपको सफलता का सूत्र नहीं दे सकता हूं, लेकिन मैं आपको असफलता का सूत्र बता सकता हूं- जो इस प्रकार से है- हर व्यक्ति को खुश करने का प्रयास करना।”
हर्बर्ट बेयार्ड स्वोप

National Statistics Day

 The National Statistics Day is observed on June 29, each year. It aims to raise public awareness on value of statistics in everyday life and planning & development process.

History of the Day

The National Statistics Day is being observed in India since 2007. It is celebrated to honour exceptional contributions made by Professor Mahanlanobis in statistical research & economic planning. June 29 also marks the birthday of Professor PC Mahalanobis. Indian Gazette initially published a notification about observing the “National Statistics Day” on June 5, 2007.

Theme of the day

The National Statistics Day 2022 was observed under the theme– “Data for Sustainable Development”.

Significance of the Day

The National Statistics Day is observed to honour Professor Mahalanobis as well as to promote the use of statistics in daily life. It main goal is to raise public awareness on the role played by statistics in formulating and affecting public policy.

Which is the implementing authority?

The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI) is in charge of planning for “National Statistics Day”.

Who is PC Mahalanobis?

In post-independent era, Mahalanobis became a significant figure in the field of collecting essential statistical data. It further allowed the government in setting policies. PC Mahalanobis graduated with honours in physics in 1912, from Presidency College of Calcutta. He then moved to England for studying physics and mathematics at University of Cambridge. After returning, he taught at the Presidency College and established Indian Statistical Institute in Calcutta in 1931. He established National Sample Survey in 1950, in a bid to provide comprehensive socio-economic statistics. He was also a member of Planning Commission of India during 1955-1967. Second Five-Year Plan was based on Mahalanobis’s mathematical description of Indian economy and it later came to be known as Mahalanobis model.

Current Affairs-July 1, 2022

 

INDIA

– Maharashtra: Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde sworn in as new CM, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as Deputy CM

– Uddhav Thackeray resigned as CM after SC refused to stay the floor test in the Assembly

– ISRO successfully launches PSLV-C53 with three Singapore satellites onboard

– India successfully tests high-speed expendable aerial target Abhyas off Odisha coast

– KK Venugopal to continue as Attorney General for 3 more months

– UK offers 75 fully-funded scholarships for Indian students one-year master’s programme on the occasion of India’s 75th anniversary of independence

– Punjab Assembly passes resolution against Centre’s Agnipath defence recruitment scheme

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman releases Business Reform Action 2020; seven states — Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana and Tamil Nadu – named Top Achievers

– PM launches ‘Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance’ (RAMP) scheme at Udyami Bharat Programme in New Delhi

– Gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio of banks declined to six-year low of 5.9% in March 2022: RBI

– Govt.’s total liabilities rose 3.74% to Rs 133.22 lakh crore in the March quarter: Finance Ministry

– Output of eight core infrastructure sectors (coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity) expands by 18.1% in May

– Mercer’s 2022 cost of living city ranking: Mumbai is the most expensive city in India for foreign employees; Hong Kong in the world

– Govt to create ecosystem for skill development training in capital goods sector through collaboration between heavy industries ministry and the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship

– ASCI releases advertisement complaints report; educational, healthcare products advertisements found most objectionable

– PM virtually inaugurates Bosch India’s first smart campus in Bengaluru

– L’oreal profiteered ₹186 crore by not passing GST rate reduction benefits to consumers: National Anti-Profiteering Authority

– Hydrogen demand in India expected to increase fourfold by 2050: Niti Aayog report

– Niti Aayog releases report titled “Harnessing Green Hydrogen: Opportunities for Deep Decarbonisation in India”, says green hydrogen will achieve cost parity with natural gas-based hydrogen by 2030

WORLD

– Israel: Parliament (Knesset) dissolved; election on Nov 1

– International Asteroid Day observed on June 30

– International Day of Parliamentarism observed on June 30

– Ukraine: 16 killed in Russian missile strike on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk city

– NASA launches CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) satellite weighing just 25 kg to test elliptical lunar orbit

SPORTS

– Gujarat to host National Games in Sept-Oct in 6 cities including Ahmedabad

Dalits and Access to Higher Education

 Oppressed, broken, or crushed is the direct translation of the word Dalit, which is used to describe the class of citizens that are lowest on the caste system’s social ladder. Previously considered “untouchables” by the standards of the caste, their goal is to eliminate this oppression that they have experienced going back to the beginning of the Hindu religion and second century BCE. However, during the time of Mahatma Gandhi, he called the groups Harijans and promoted keeping the caste system in place while changing the stigma behind calling almost 25 percent of the country’s population. Currently, there are over 200 million Dalits in India alone, according to Paul Diwakar, from the National Campaign of Dalit Human Rights.

Dr. Ambedkar, a lawyer and Dalit from the 1950’s initially called for the caste system to be ripped apart to limit the “untouchability” of the Dalits, but eventually gave up on this and converted to Buddhism. He had the right idea, however, as the Indian Constitution abolished the untouchability status by law, but socially, many still treat Dalits as such. It has disproportionately affected them in a 2004 tsunami, their sanitation facilities and sewage systems have been worse than the higher castes, and even politically have been undermined by the higher caste systems. Specifically, a good amount of Dalit injustice stems from education, especially higher education akin to college and other sorts.

When looking at the data, there is a misrepresentation in Dalit education in many states and villages, with only few states actually educating them past a certain point at a reasonable rate. This is due to the socio-economic hardships of not only being poorer and unable to get certain jobs, but also because they are not socially accepted by everyone in India.

In a study conducted by Kathryn Lum at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, which shows at the most elite universities in India, the discrimination of Dalits is similar to students in the LGBT community, and really focuses on the inner struggles of their life, both institutionally and socially at college. They actually have some pressure to not reveal their caste status, called the “Dalit Closet” which is why Lum compares them to this group. The students are well aware of the disadvantage that they have been given, and use it to motivate and mask themselves off, facing many internal challenges with fitting in as well. Ultimately, the author suggests change in the systems, admission of Dalit students, and talks of how a middle class of Dalits has actually emerged. There are now state legislature spots reserved for Dalits, and they are apt to pass at elite universities, but almost because of a societal impostor syndrome, some have developed a lot of mental issues.

To combat these injustices, the Indian government has mostly done its job on eradicating the unequal distribution of equity that the caste system had created. Now, it is more so up to private businesses, schools, and other institutions to not discriminate against Dalits. Yes, public buildings in certain areas most likely have some stigma toward the Dalit population, and some villages almost segregate Dalits from higher classes with specific areas for them, it is really a collective social change that needs to be made: Dalits need to be accepted as touchable, or accepted in society. While this defeats the purpose of caste, to break up groups, caste is stagnant, and does not allow for anyone to move up, meaning that these same groups will continually be institutionally discriminated against.

Since the beginning of the caste system, Dalits have been labeled untouchable. They have been oppressed, been unemployed for, given the worst treatment possible. This treatment has been mitigated in previous years, with people such as Gandhi, and legislation such as making it illegal to discriminate against Dalits. Similar to prior and current situations in American politics with the treatment of many systematically oppressed groups, Dalits will continually be oppressed against. To change this, an entire social change among all members of society to bolster a better, positive treatment for the previously untouchable Dalit class in India.
Source: educationforindia.org

Role of technology in conservation

 When we hear the word “conservation”, which professions comes to mind? If you answered ecologists and biologists, you are correct. However, what if we added engineers, data scientists and statisticians? Unlikely as it may seem, they all play a vital part in a multifaceted approach toward the mission of wildlife and landscape conservation.

These specialised roles allow conservation efforts to leverage the power of modern technology. With these, monitoring natural areas, making real-time observations, and managing field operations are possible. The result? We gain new, better and predictive insights into the health of an ecosystem

Improved understanding

One key factor in implementing a conservation solution through technology is understanding the “Where” of it. Our ecosystems are grounded in the fabric of geography, and one solution combining all of these roles is using the power of geospatial technology. This uses location information to create, manage, and analyse all types of data. It connects data to a place and provides a better foundation for understanding patterns, relationships and geographic relevance. This, in turn, improves our understanding of the complex threats, opportunities and challenges facing our natural world.

With the ongoing efforts for conservation, we can benefit from this technology as it the most basic process of gaining insights into the health of a landscape, using aerial imagery. Satellites or low-flying UAVs help gather information about the area’s physical characteristics. This process is known as remote sensing and is used widely in conservation efforts to access areas where physical contact is impossible. These images combined with location information for a place give us geospatial data, which help significantly widen conservation efforts' reach.

Forest fires have unfortunately become increasingly frequent in recent years. Satellites use a visible, infrared instrument onboard NASA’s and NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) to detect locations of fire incidents in near real-time. Combing this location information with areal images allows us to compute how much forestland has been damaged by fire incidents. Gauging the location of these incidents also helps establish the cause of such occurrences and helps establish if it was natural or man-made. This is geospatial technology at work!

Field observations

While satellite technology is very much an “Eye in the Sky”, it is always supported by technology on the ground through field observations. Today most ecologists use the power of the web and mobile devices like smartphones and tabs to collect ground information and update an interconnected database using the power of the internet. The GPS of a mobile device allows the ecologists to enrich their observations and have them stored in a centralised database allowing their teams to access the information as soon as it is collected. Integrating this helps managers plan their strategies better and coordinate their field workforce in real-time.

Environmentalists now enhance their on-ground observations with technologies such as camera traps and acoustic monitoring devices. These help measure wildlife activity and understand their connectivity, distribution and relationship with local and global biodiversity, immensely adding to the knowledge body.

Advancements in computing and remote technologies have provided conservation professionals with the tools to reveal insights with optimised software, algorithms, applications and scientific workflows. Indeed, conservation efforts today are data-driven, and these technologies allow us to augment and enrich our understanding of the interdependent factors that lead to a healthy ecosystem.

Are you excited by technology, yet love Nature enough to work actively in shaping a better environment? The conservation world needs youth who will constantly propel technological innovation, keeping their role in making conservation data science better and more meaningful. This sector invites youth from all backgrounds in ecology, engineering, data science, mathematics and statistics. As budding professionals, we must consider using our skillset to contribute to humanity’s efforts toward conservation.

The writer is the Director, IGCMC (Remote Sensing and GIS) and Coordinator- ENVIS (MoEF and CC)

Areendran Gopala

Source: The Hindu, 25/06/22

Fallout of policy failure: On the U.S. migrant tragedy

 

The U.S. must humanely manage the inflow of migrants across its southern border

In what appears to be the worst episode in recent times of migrant deaths associated with dangerous border crossings into the U.S., the bodies of at least 53 people were recovered from an abandoned tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas. Reports suggested that the migrants, hailing from Mexico, the Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, died from the extreme temperatures inside the truck, amidst a lethal heat wave. The grim episode highlights yet again the perils faced by those seeking asylum or better economic prospects in the U.S., who come up against the country’s immigration policies, which are yet very much a work-in-progress. On the one hand, the latest crisis underscores the serious lacunae in border policy enforcement. Despite the searing summer, border crossings in this region have remained stubbornly high over the past two years. In May 2020, the U.S. Border Patrol encountered 23,237 migrants, whereas in May 2022, that number was 2,39,146 — said to be more than in any single month in the past three years. Even worse, Mexican officials have confirmed that the truck passed through a federal immigration checkpoint within the territory of the U.S. and yet was not inspected. With approximately 20,000 trucks passing through the commercial corridor from Laredo to San Antonio every day, and even more across U.S.-Mexico crossing routes overall, there is a woeful shortage of manpower and surveillance systems.

Nevertheless, it is the bigger questions behind cross-border migration into the U.S. and its fallout, as shown above, that are troubling. Democrats and Republicans have locked horns over comprehensive immigration reform in a multitude of negotiations and across hundreds of bills proposed in Congress. Yet there is a fundamental unwillingness to find bipartisan solutions for immigration policy, in the way that the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act came out of a collaborative effort and now offers a glimmer of hope towards containing gun violence. While Democrats have dug in their heels on subjects such as a path to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented workers in the U.S. who meet certain conditions, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Republicans have tended to focus more on keeping undocumented migrants out at the border. The problem with their refusing to hammer out compromise solutions is that the resultant failure to evolve a well-funded yet enlightened immigration policy leads to avoidable deaths of the kind seen in San Antonio. Whatever they cede or do not cede politically to liberals, conservatives must realise that there is no resisting the “melting pot” effect coterminous with the U.S.’s social and economic progress, and for that process to work smoothly, the U.S. must rationally and humanely manage the inflow of migrants across its southern border.