“When a man finds no peace within himself, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.”
L. A. Rouchefolicauld
“जब तक आप आंतरिक रूप से शांति नहीं खोज पाते तो इसे अन्यत्र खोजने से कोई लाभ नहीं है।”
एल. ए. रोशेफोलिकाउल्ड
Monday, November 06, 2023
Quote of the Day
Ecological Threat Report 2023
A recent report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) warns that the number of people living in countries facing severe ecological threats is expected to surge to 2.8 billion by 2050, up from the current 1.8 billion. These alarming findings come as a result of increasing environmental challenges and climate-related events.
Hotspots in Sub-Saharan Africa
The IEP’s Ecological Threat Report 2023 highlights that over half of the countries facing severe threats are located in sub-Saharan Africa. The report assesses global ecological threats, pinpointing countries and regions most susceptible to conflict, civil unrest, and displacement due to environmental degradation.
Scope of the Study
Covering 221 countries and independent territories, the report further delved into 3,594 sub-national areas, encompassing nearly the entire global population. Out of these areas, 66 countries currently confront at least one severe ecological threat.
Rising Concerns
The report reveals that the number of countries grappling with severe ecological threats and limited societal resilience has surged from 27 to 30 in the past year. Sub-Saharan Africa particularly stands out as a region with significantly heightened ecological threats.
Hotspot Nations
Among the 30 countries identified as hotspots for severe ecological threats and low societal resilience, 19 are located in sub-Saharan Africa. Ethiopia, Niger, Somalia, and South Sudan are considered the most vulnerable, with Ethiopia and Niger newly emerging as hotspots. The report also adds Myanmar to the list of countries facing heightened ecological threats.
Regions of Relative Safety
In contrast, Europe and North America remain the only regions where no country currently faces a severe ecological threat, according to the report.
Key Threat Categories
The report categorizes ecological threats into four main areas: food insecurity, natural disasters, demographic pressure, and water risk. Currently, 42 countries are experiencing severe food insecurity, affecting nearly four billion people, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
Water Risk and Conflict
Water risk emerges as a significant global ecological threat, with two billion people lacking access to safe drinking water. While sub-Saharan Africa faces the highest water risk, the Middle East, North Africa, Russia, and Eurasia are also witnessing increasing challenges in this regard. The report highlights that a 25% increase in food insecurity, lack of access to clean drinking water, or natural disasters raises the risk of conflict by 36%, 18%, and 21%, respectively.
Call for Action
The report underscores the urgency for world leaders to take action, invest in resilience-building, and address ecological threats, especially as the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change approaches. Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of IEP, emphasizes the need for proactive measures to combat these threats and support affected communities.
Investment for Resilience
The report underscores the need for substantial investment to enhance resilience against ecological threats, reducing the risk of conflict and forced migration. It also outlines various policy recommendations aimed at assisting local communities in improving water resources, agricultural yields, and overall resilience.
Current Affairs-November 3, 2023
INDIA
- Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal launches the domestic sailing of the first International Cruise Liner ‘COSTA SERENA’ in India at Mumbai.
- Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals organises 5th Edition of ICC Sustainability Conclave 2023.
- Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurates ‘India Manufacturing Show’ in Bengaluru.
- ECI signs MoU with the Ministry of Education to bring Electoral Literacy to Classrooms across the country.
- Kerala government moves Supreme Court against Governor over pending Bills.
- NCERT to introduce electoral literacy content in textbooks.
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent notice to tech giant Apple about ‘state-sponsored attacks’ alert on iPhones.
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
- Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), launched its groundbreaking National Efficient Cooking Programme (NECP) and Energy Efficient Fans Programme (EEFP).
- People can send their Rs 2,000 banknotes to specified regional offices of the Reserve Bank through the insured post for credit in their bank accounts.
WORLD
- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will travel to New Delhi next week for the India-US ‘2+2’ meeting.
- U.N: International funding for climate resilience in developing countries slumped in 2021 despite increasingly ferocious impacts.
- More than 1,65,000 Afghans fled Pakistan in the month since its government ordered 1.7 million people to leave or face arrest and deportation.
- Israeli troops advanced toward Gaza City, as the Palestinian death toll rose above 9,000.
SPORTS
- India beats Sri Lanka by 302 runs, in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
- Cricket: Nepal and Oman qualify for T20 World Cup 2024.
Current Affairs-November 4, 2023
INDIA
- The Karnataka Health Department, is closely monitoring the situation after a mosquito pool in Thalakayalbetta village was found to be positive for Zika.
- Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has cleared a proposal to take up a comprehensive caste-based census in the State.
- A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.4 hit Nepal sending waves of tremors across parts of North India.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the West Asia situation with the President of the UAE.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second edition of the Mega food event ‘World Food India 2023’ in New Delhi.
- The 7th edition of Ganga Utsav was organized by National Mission for Clean Ganga in New Delhi.
ECONOMY & CORPORATE
- The Finance Ministry has offered an amnesty scheme for filing appeals against Goods and Services Tax (GST) demand orders.
- Overall Coal production in October 2023 touches 78.65 Million Tonnes.
- Net new female staff additions under EPFO rise 120 per cent to 2.8 million.
WORLD
- Bhutan’s fourth parliamentary elections set to be held in January.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a Bill, revoking Russia’s ratification of global nuclear test ban.
- Storm Ciaran hits north-west Europe with torrential rains and winds up to 200 kilometres per hour.
- India and Italy sign Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement to facilitate movement of workers, students.
SPORTS
- Olympian Srihari Nataraj finished the 37th National Games with eight golds, including four in the team relays.
- Akshay Bohra wins India’s first-ever F4 championship at Indian Racing Festival in Chennai.
UNESCO names Kozhikode ‘city of literature’: What this tag means
The city of Kozhikode in Kerala was added in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) on Wednesday. Gwalior from Madhya Pradesh was also among the 55 new cities to join the network.
These cities have been handpicked to represent seven creative fields — crafts and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music. Kozhikode was included in the category of literature and Gwalior in the category of music.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN)
The UCCN was created in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. It now includes 350 cities in over a hundred countries.The network is aimed at leveraging the creative, social, and economic potential of cultural industries. It was launched to promote UNESCO’s goals of cultural diversity and strengthen resilience to threats such as climate change, rising inequality, and rapid urbanisation. It encourages a culture of creativity in urban planning and solutions to urban problems.
Indian cities in the network
Apart from Kozhikode and Gwalior, Varanasi (music), Srinagar (crafts and folk arts) and Chennai (music) are part of the network.
Kozhikode’s literary tradition
The North Kerala city of Kozhikode is home to many promiment personalities of the state’s literary and cultural world. The city, where several leading media houses are headquartered, has hundreds of publishing banners and several libraries enriching its literary tradition.
The first Malayalam novel Kundalatha was born in Kozhikode in 1887. It was authored by Appu Nedungadi. Several illustrious writers like S K Pottekkatt, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Uroob, Thikkodiyan, NN Kakkad, P Valsala, Akbar Kakkattil, Punathil Kunjabdulla and MT Vasudevan Nair have brought laurels for Kozhikode. The city has also produced many film and theatre professionals in the last half a century.
Objective of the CCCN
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network allows member cities to recognise creativity as an essential component of urban development, notably through partnerships involving the public and private sectors and civil society. It envisages to develop hubs of creativity and innovation and broaden opportunities for creators and professionals in the cultural sector. These cities have to achieve the UN agenda of sustainable development.
Areas of action
The objectives of the network are implemented both at the level of the member cities and at the international level, notably through sharing experiences, knowledge and best practices. There are professional and artistic exchange programmes, research and evaluations on the experience of the creative cities, among other activities.
The annual conference of network cities
A highlight of the network is the annual conference of mayors and other stakeholders of network cities, which offers a unique occasion to strengthen ties between creative cities from across the world. The main objective of the conference is to exchange practical information on policies and activities carried out by cities and stimulate inter-city collaborations.
The last conference was held in Santos, Brazil, and this year’s conference was in Istanbul. The next conference will be held in July 2024 in Braga, Portugal.
What members have to do
Every four years, member cities are required to submit a Membership Monitoring Report, with the aim of demonstrating their steadfast commitment towards the implementation of the UCCN Mission Statement. They present an action plan for the following four years, providing insights into their achievements and lessons learnt, as well as the impact of the designation.
Written by Shaju Philip
Source: Indian Express, 2/11/23
Monday, October 30, 2023
Quote of the Day October 30, 2023
“Attitude determines altitude.”
Anonymous
“आपकी मनोवृत्ति ही आपकी महानता को निर्धारित करती है।”
अज्ञात
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)