UNESCO: A Third of Glaciers in Word Heritage Sites will Disappear in 2050

 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned that several world heritage sites may become glacier-free by 2050.

What are the findings of the UNESCO survey?

• A survey of 18,600 glaciers at 50 World Heritage Sites found that the glaciers at one-third of these sites will perish because of global warming regardless of the global efforts towards limiting the temperature rise.
• According to the report, all of Africa’s World Heritage Sites, including Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro National Park, will become ice-free in three decades.
• In Europe, some of glaciers of Pyrenees and Dolomites will also disappear. This holds true for glaciers in Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks in America.
• These glaciers have been depleting at a high rate since the year 2000 because of carbon emissions.
• Currently, glaciers are losing 50 billion tonnes of ice per annum. This is equal to the total water consumption by France and Spain. It has contributed to 5 per cent rise in the global sea level.
• According to UNESCO, there is a possibility of saving the remaining two-thirds of sites if the global temperature is maintained below 1.5°C compared to the pre-industrial period. Countries have set a target of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2030. However, the current trend predict that this goal is unlikely to be reached.
• At the business-as-usual scenario, about half of the world heritage glaciers will completely disappear by the end of this century.
• The report stated that only rapid action to reduce emission levels will prevent the glaciers from completely melting and save the unique biodiversity that depends on them.
• It recommended local governments to make glaciers a priority area for policymaking. It also called for increasing monitoring and research focusing on glaciers.
• Currently, the fast-paced melting of ice is causing glacier lakes to get filled up. This may lead to the bursting of glacial lakes and cause devastating flooding downstream. Therefore, the report also recommended strengthening disaster risk reduction measures.

Quote of the Day September 23, 2022

 

“The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool.”
Epicurus

“मूर्ख व्यक्ति की समृद्धता से समझदार व्यक्ति का दुर्भाग्य कहीं अधिक अच्छा होता है।”
एपिक्यूरस

September 21: International Day of Peace

 

Key facts

• The International Day of Peace is observed to strengthen the ideals of peace through the observance of 24-hours of non-violence and ceasefire.
• Its main objective is to create a world where compassion and empathy overcome suspicion and hatred.
• The theme for 2022 is “End racism. Build peace.” It aims to eradicate racism and put an end to race-based discrimination.
• It highlights the plights faced by people who were displaced by conflicts because of racism.
• It also recognized the issues faced by certain racial groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect on certain races during the economic crisis.
• This year, International Day of Peace was observed on September 16, 2022 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
• The programme commenced with the traditional Peace Bell Ceremony at the Peace Garden

Background

The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly in the year 1981. In 2001, the UNGA adopted a resolution to designate this day as a period of non-violence and ceasefire.

About Peace Bell

The Peace Bell was donated by the United Nations Association of Japan in June 1954. It was created as a symbol of hope for peace. The bell was made from coin and medals donated by the representatives of member states, the Pope and people, including children from 60 countries. The bell tower was modelled based on the Hanamido (a temple decorated with flowers) that symbolizes the place where Buddha was born. It is rung twice a year – once at the Vernal Equinox and on the occasion of the International Day for Peace. It has an inscription on its side that reads “Long Live Absolute World Peace”.

Current Affairs- September 23, 2022

 International Day of Sign Languages to be celebrated on Sept 23

– 10th IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum) Trilateral Ministerial Commission meeting held in New York

– 106 activists of PFI (Popular Front of India) arrested in raids by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 11 states over terror funding charges

– Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi unveils ‘Wall of Delhi’ mural depicting 75 historical sites

ECONOMY & CORPORATE

– PSU REC accorded with ‘Maharatna’ company status

– UCO Bank becomes first lender to get RBI’s approval for rupee trade

– RBI cancels licence of Solapur-based Laxmi Co-operative Bank

– Over Rs 58,000 crore in taxes lost in 2019-20 due to illicit trade in FMCG, mobile, tobacco, alcohol industry: FICCI report

– First consignment of plant-based meat products under Vegan food category exported to USA from Gujarat

– Atul Chaturvedi elected as first chairman of Asian Palm Oil Alliance

WORLD

– Global Clean Energy Action Forum-2022 being held in Pittsburgh (US) on Sept 21-22

– International Space Station gets 3 new residents (I from US, 2 Russians) after Russian Soyuz rocket launch from Kazakhstan

– US Senate ratifies international climate deal (Kigali Amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on ozone pollution) to limit use of refrigerants

– Germany nationalises country’s largest gas importer Uniper for energy security against the backdrop of Russia’s gas supply freeze

– Ukraine announces high-profile prisoner swap that frees Ukrainian fighters who defended a steel plant in Mariupol during Russian siege

INDIA

– Defence Ministry signs deal for dual role (land as well as anti-ship) Surface-to-Surface BrahMos missile with BAPL (BrahMos Aerospace Pvt. Ltd)

– NCC (National Cadet Corps), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) sign MoU in New Delhi to tackle the issue of plastic pollution

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Applications are open till 27 September 2022

 For young, liberal-minded Indians, the Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections provides a rare chance to understand politics and elections in India. Campaigns, research, political strategy, and communications are just a few of the areas that the Fellowship intends to expose participants to in a way that is both unprecedented and practical. The Fellows might also get the chance to work in an election war room or in a senior politician's office.

The Fellowship will give Fellows the opportunity to build multidisciplinary expertise on a range of topics and industries that have an impact on societal development and the economy.

A 12-month, full-time program, the Fellowship will be situated in Hyderabad. The Fellows will be required to visit additional places as needed. Fellows will be paid a stipend of Rs. 75,000 per month.

Over the course of a year, fellows will work in a variety of departments inside a political consulting firm, such as campaigns, research, political strategy, and communications, to get practical experience.

An initial two-week training course will precede the Fellowship. Following training, fellows will work in three distinct capacities for six months (two months per function). Afterward, Fellows will spend the following six months specializing in one functional area of their choice. Fellows would have mastered the critical skills necessary to conceptualize, implement, and manage an election campaign at the end of the Fellowship, as well as a deeper understanding of how a political party handles elections.

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Application Deadline

The last date to apply for the fellowship is 27 September 2022.

Direct Link to Apply for Nehru Fellowship 2023

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Eligibility Criteria

The Fellowship's main objective is to give young Indians a platform to get involved in the planning and running of electoral campaigns.

The following eligibility requirements should be met by applicants:

• Must possess a bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Must be younger than 30 years old (born after 03.09.1993 ).
• Must be a citizen of India.

Nehru Fellowship 2023: Selection Process

A two-stage evaluation procedure will be used to select Fellows.

Applicants will be shortlisted in the first round based on the data they supplied in their applications. A candidate's resume, employment history, and statement of purpose will all be taken into account.

The candidates that made the second round will be contacted for a video or in-person interview.

On the basis of the interview performance, final decisions will be made.

Source: The Telegraph, 22/09/22

Fine balance: Editorial on Supreme Court’s humane approach to reduce death penalties

 The apex court has referred the issue of the presentation and analysis of mitigating circumstances to a five-judge Constitution bench for clear guidelines to be followed by all courts

When the law takes the extreme step, it must do so with the greatest care. Capital punishment, therefore, demands that a finely balanced process precedes it. The Supreme Court has reportedly been examining death penalty jurisprudence with the aim of clarification, especially in its procedural aspects. One of these aspects is the presentation of mitigating circumstances. Sometimes trial courts deliver the guilty verdict and the sentence of death on the same day, so the convict does not get enough time to present the mitigating circumstances that could prevent death. The sentence cannot be quashed just because it was delivered on the same day. The Supreme Court reportedly said that aggravating circumstances are part of the prosecution’s arguments, but mitigating circumstances cannot be presented till after sentencing, and that takes time. This puts the convict at a disadvantage, eliminating his chances of life imprisonment. Differences of opinion as to the time needed to present mitigating circumstances — even if the sentencing is not on the same day — cause an unevenness of procedure far from desirable in any legal system, let alone in a life-and-death matter. A meaningful and effective hearing of mitigating circumstances from the convict’s side, not just a formal one, would right the balance. The Supreme Court has referred the issue of the presentation and analysis of mitigating circumstances to a five-judge Constitution bench for clear guidelines to be followed by all courts.

This decision appears to follow from the three principles governing capital punishment that emerged from a much earlier case: individualised sentencing, ‘rarest of rare’ cases and principled sentencing. It is the last that deals with aggravating and mitigating circumstances. The Supreme Court’s emphasis has been on rehabilitation and reformation whenever possible, even when life imprisonment is without remission or with curtailed remission. This humane approach may help reduce death penalties further; the ongoing clarifications are crucial for that. But as critics of capital punishment point out, statistics worldwide indicate that the fear of the death penalty does not lessen crime. So the question would be, why continue with an extreme punishment that could turn out to be wrong too late? Such tragedies occur everywhere: all human beings are fallible. Ironically, the fear of being wrong lowers the conviction rate. So the need for capital punishment must be understood clearly too.

Source: The Telegraph, 23/09/22

Noncommunicable diseases caused 66% deaths in India in 2019: WHO

 Every year 17 million people under the age of 70 die of NCDs – one every two seconds, and 86% of them live in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), WHO said

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – chief among them, cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – along with mental health, cause nearly three-quarters of deaths in the world, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Every year 17 million people under the age of 70 die of NCDs – one every two seconds, and 86% of them live in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), WHO said in its report titled ‘Invisible numbers: The true extent of noncommunicable diseases and what to do about them’.

“NCDs are noncommunicable diseases, which include some of the world’s biggest killers: cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory
diseases,” it said.

41 million deaths

In India, according to the report, over 60.46 lakh people died due to NCDs in 2019 and the percentage of total deaths due to NCDs was 66%. And, the probability of 30-year-old-people in the country who would die before their 70th birthday due to NCDs is 22% while it is 18% at the global level. The four major NCDs – cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases – along with mental health, account for a very high proportion of deaths and ill health. In total, 41 million people – 74% of all deaths – die of an NCD each year, according to the report

“Most of these premature deaths are preventable. NCDs affect all countries and regions, but by far the largest burden falls on low- and middle-income countries, which account for 86% of these premature deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic took an especially heavy toll on people living with NCDs, highlighting how these diseases undermine the very foundations of good health,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, said in the report.

“This report is a reminder of the true scale of the threat posed by NCDs and their risk factors… The clock is ticking towards the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target to reduce premature mortality from NCDs by one third. Currently, we are far off track… NCDs are everyone’s business. Working together, we can build a healthier, safer and fairer world for all,” he added.

Relatively small additional investments in NCD prevention and treatment could make a big difference long before 2030: spending an additional $18 billion per year across all LMICs could generate net economic benefits of $ 2.7 trillion over the next seven years. This is an investment, not simply a cost, with the benefits of action going far beyond health, the report said.

Many of these early deaths are not inevitable. Addressing major risk factors that can lead to them – tobacco use, unhealthy diet, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and air pollution – could prevent or delay significant ill health and a large number of deaths from many NCDs, it added.

According to WHO, millions of people – especially in lower-income settings – cannot access the prevention, treatment and care that could prevent or delay NCDs and their consequences. This huge inequity undermines the human right of everyone, in all countries, to the best available standard of health.

Four major NCDs

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) affect the heart and blood vessels and are the cause of more deaths globally than any other disease. CVDs account for one in three deaths – 17.9 million people a year, and 86% of CVD deaths could have been prevented or delayed by eliminating risks to health through prevention and treatment, as per the report. Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells are rapidly created and spread out of control to affect other parts of the body. One in six deaths – 9.3 million people a year are due to cancer, and 44% of cancer deaths could have been prevented or delayed by eliminating risks to health, WHO said.

Chronic respiratory diseases: The most common chronic respiratory diseases are asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide with one in 13 deaths (4.1 million people a year), and WHO said 70% of chronic respiratory disease deaths could have been prevented or delayed by eliminating risks to health.

Diabetes occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough of the hormone insulin (type 1 diabetes) or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (type 2 diabetes). One in 28 deaths (2 million people a year) is due to diabetes and as WHO, more than 95% of diabetes cases globally are of type 2 diabetes.

COVID-19 and NCDs

COVID-19 highlighted the links between NCDs and infectious diseases, with serious impacts on NCD care. In the early months of the pandemic, 75% of countries reported disruption to essential NCD services because of lockdown restrictions and channelling of resources, including cancellation of elective care, reductions in screening and redeployment of staff, the report said.

Also during the pandemic, exposure to NCD risk factors changed. Public health measures such as lockdowns often led to less physical activity, and economic insecurity meant many people could not afford to eat a healthy diet.

People living with NCDs are at greater risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. Current evidence suggests, for example, that people with obesity or diabetes have a greater chance of being hospitalised or dying from COVID-19; people with coronary artery disease and COPD are also at higher risk of severe outcomes; and smoking increases the chance of dying from COVID-19.

This implies that protecting people from NCDs and their risk factors will also build resilience to other health conditions, including infectious diseases, minimising the health and economic consequences of future epidemics, the report said.

Noting that too many people are getting sick and dying from NCDs that could have been avoided, WHO warned that inaction on NCDs is not an option for any government that cares about its people or its economy.

“Countries have the power to turn the tide on NCDs. This requires a few ingredients – political will, right policies and interventions, stronger health care delivery and protection for the vulnerable,” it said.

Source: The Federal, 23/09/22