DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 5th August 2024

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: Recently, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a broad climate change act.

Background:-

• The Climate Change Bill aims to enable South Africa to meet its emissions reduction commitments under the Paris climate agreement. South Africa, is the world’s most carbon-intensive major economy.

What is the significance of this law?

• South Africa relies on coal as its primary fuel source for electricity generation and is one of the world’s top 15 greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters.
• The energy sector represents roughly 80% of gross emissions, with energy industries ~60% and transport ~12%.
• As an economy which is dependent on agriculture and tourism, South Africa has faced increasing Western pressure to accelerate its transition away from fossil fuel.
• New law impose mandatory curbs on the emissions from large, fossil-fuel heavy industries and, require climate-adaptation plans from towns and villages.

What about India?

• India does not have a comprehensive legislation on climate change.
• Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP, had moved a Private Member’s Bill, called the Council on Climate Change Bill, most recently in 2022. This proposed setting up a Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, for advising the Union government on all matters related to climate change but there has been no significant movement on this so far.
• However, climate change features in multiple Acts and subordinate legislation. These include the Environmental Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act, Energy Conservation Act, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act among others.
• Supreme Court recently ruled that citizens have a right against the adverse effects of climate change, and referred to the fact that India did not have an omnibus legislation on climate change.
• Despite Constitutional guarantees that give the citizens equality before the law and right to life and personal liberty, it was now necessary, in the Court’s view, to explicitly link the impact of climate change as something which impedes rights of liberty, life and equality.

Source: Hindu

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – SCIENCE & TECHNOLGY

Context:  A blood cancer patient recently got cured with the help of  special treatment called  Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy.

Background:

• This advanced method helps fightcancer by using the patient’s own immune system.

Key takeaways

• CAR-T cell therapy, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is an immunotherapy-based cancer treatment that uses the power of a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.
• The immune system is the body’s defence network against infections and diseases. White blood cells (WBCs) play a pivotal role in the immune system.

How does the immune system work

• The immune system protects the body from infections using two main strategies: innate and adaptive immunity.
  • Innate immunity provides immediate, non-specific defence through barriers (skin, mucous membranes), phagocytic cells (neutrophils, macrophages), and inflammatory responses.
  • Adaptive immunity involves lymphocytes – a type of white blood cells. Adaptive immune responses are carried out by different classes of lymphocytes called B-cells and T-cells.
• B-cells (originate and mature in the bone marrow) produce antibodies targeting specific pathogens (antigens), while T-cells (originate in the bone marrow and mature in the thymus) destroy infected cells.
• Upon pathogen entry, the immune system recognises antigens, activates immune cells, eliminates the threat, and forms memory cells for faster future responses.

Why T-Cells

• T-cells are primarily used in CAR-T cell therapy because of their pivotal role in the immune system’s response to pathogens. These cells can be genetically engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which are specifically designed to recognise and bind to antigens on the surface of cancer cells. Once bound, these modified T-cells can efficiently kill cancer cells.
• Other cells like B cells also play roles in immunity but don’t have the same adaptability and memory capabilities as T cells.

Procedure

• The CAR-T cell therapy starts by collecting a patient’s T-cells through a process called apheresis, which separates these cells from the blood. These T-cells are then sent to a lab where scientists modify them to add special receptors called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
• These receptors help the T-cells find and kill cancer cells. The modified T-cells are grown in large numbers before they are given back to the patient’s bloodstream.
• It represents a form of personalised medicine, as the therapy is tailored to each individual’s specific cancer.
• CAR-T cell therapies are also called “living drugs” because they use a patient’s own living T-cells, genetically engineered to target and destroy cancer cells.
• These cells actively seek out, proliferate, and persist in the body, providing a dynamic and personalised defence against cancer, unlike traditional static drugs.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: In the past few days, Wayanad district of Kerala has been in the news for a devastating landslide that claimed hundreds of lives.

Background:

• Over the past decade, Kerala has witnessed numerous climate-induced disasters, underscoring the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure.

Key causes & takeaways

• Landslide Trigger: Extremely heavy rainfall triggered by the warming of the Arabian Sea caused the landslide. The southeast Arabian Sea is becoming warmer, leading to atmospheric instability over large parts of the Western Ghats, including Kerala.
• Ecologically Sensitive Area: In 2011, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, designated the region as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA). The Gadgil Committee recommended banning construction, mining, and quarrying activities in large parts of the Western Ghats, one of the world’s eight hottest biodiversity hotspots.
• Recurring Disasters: A similar tragedy struck Kerala’s hilly regions in 2019. Despite clear warnings from experts, unchecked construction and tourism-related activities have continued unabated. Construction of roads and other infrastructure in such regions should be undertaken with scientific precision, considering the environmental impact.
• Landslide-Prone Areas: Nearly half of Kerala comprises hills and mountainous regions with slopes exceeding 20 degrees, making these areas particularly prone to landslides during heavy rains. Evaluating land use changes and development activities in landslide-prone areas is crucial for climate resilience.
• Impact of Depleting Forests: A 2022 study on depleting forests in Wayanad revealed that 62% of the district’s green cover disappeared between 1950 and 2018, while plantation cover rose by around 1,800%.
• The Wayanad tragedy is a stark reminder of the delicate balance between nature and human activity. It highlights the dire consequences of neglecting ecological warnings and the pressing need to adopt sustainable development practices to safeguard the environment and the lives that depend on it.

Source: Indian Express

 Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: As the rescue operations continue in Wayanad following the catastrophic landslides, the Kerala Police have issued a stern warning, urging people to avoid “dark tourism” in the disaster-stricken areas.

Background:

• The warning was posted on social media to prevent disruptions in the ongoing rescue efforts

About Dark tourism :

• Dark tourism, also known as black tourism, thanatourism or grief tourism, is tourism that is associated with death, suffering and tragedy.
• Dark tourism encompasses travel to sites linked to events such as genocide, assassination, incarceration, ethnic cleansing, war, or natural disasters.
• Visitors are drawn to these locations for various reasons, including historical value and curiosity.
• While some view dark tourism as an act of respect, others consider it controversial.

Dark tourism sites Examples:

• Chernobyl, Ukraine – Known for the 1986 nuclear disaster, Chernobyl has become a prominent dark tourism destination with guided tours available.
• Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland – The largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp of World War II, Auschwitz-Birkenau attracts numerous visitors annually who come to learn about the Holocaust.
• Pompeii, Italy – The ancient city of Pompeii, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, provides a preserved glimpse into life and death in the Roman Empire.

Source: NDTV

 Syllabus

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Alarming cases of tiger deaths and hunting incidents in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and its surrounding forest divisions have been reported by a top official.

Background:

• The report highlights severe negligence in handling tiger cases and raises serious concerns about wildlife conservation in the region. Madhya Pradesh, known as the ‘Tiger State,’ is home to some of the highest concentrations of tigers in the country.

About BANDHAVGARH TIGER RESERVE

• The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, India.
• It lies in the heart of India, between the Vindhya Range and the eastern flanks of the Satpura hill ranges.
• Bandhavgarh boasts one of the highest tiger densities globally.
• The core area of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve covers a total of 716 km².
• Apart from tigers, the reserve is home to various other wildlife species, including leopards, deer, langurs, and numerous bird species.
• Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve was declared a national park in 1968 and later in 1993, it was declared a tiger reserve under the Project Tiger initiative.
• The reserve is also crisscrossed by several small rivers and streams, including the Charanganga River, the Dammer River, and the Johilla River.

Conservation Challenges:

• Mining Activities: Rising mining activities around the park pose a threat to the tigers.
• Human-Wildlife Conflict: Historically, villagers and their cattle faced danger from tigers.

Source: NDTV

 Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: According to a 2020-21 report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India generates four million tonnes of plastic waste annually.

Background:

• Unfortunately, only a quarter of this waste is recycled or treated, with the rest ending up in landfills or being disposed of unsustainably.

About Plastic Pollution:

• Plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment, leading to negative impacts on ecosystems, wildlife, human health, and overall ecological balance.

Challenges/Issues associated with plastic waste in India:

• Like much of the world, India is struggling to dispose of its growing quantities of plastic waste given how ubiquitous it has become- from our toothbrushes to debit cards. A little over 10,000 tonnes a day of plastic waste remains uncollected.
• India’s packaging industry is the biggest consumer of plastics. A 2020 study on packaging in India projects a loss of almost 133 billion dollars’ worth of plastic material value over the next decade due to unsustainable packaging. Unsustainable packaging involves general packaging through single-use plastic.
• The popularity of online retail and food delivery apps is contributing to the rise in plastic waste in cities. India’s biggest online delivery start-ups Swiggy and Zomato are each reportedly delivering about 28 million orders a month.
• Polluting plastics can affect the world’s tiniest organisms, such as plankton. When these organisms become poisoned due to plastic ingestion, this causes problems for the larger animals that depend on them for food. Larger items, such as plastic bags and straws, can choke and starve marine life, while smaller fragments (microplastics) can cause liver, reproductive, and gastrointestinal damage and can directly impact the blue economy as well.
• The World Health Organisation published shocking research in 2018 that exposed the presence of microplastics in 90% of bottled water. Plastic toxicity in humans can lead to hormonal disruption and adverse reproductive and birth outcomes.

Efforts/Initiatives by India to tackle Plastic Pollution:

• India launched a nationwide awareness campaign on single-use plastics on World Environment Day in June 2022. A mobile app for Single Use Plastics Grievance Redressal was also launched to empower citizens to check the sale/usage/manufacturing of SUP in their area and tackle the plastic menace.
• Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules of 2022 prohibits the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of several single-use plastic items as of July 1, 2022. It has also mandated Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) that incorporates circularity by making manufacturers of products responsible for collecting and processing their products upon the end of the product’s lifetime.
• India Plastics Pact is the first of its kind in Asia. The Plastics Pact is an ambitious and collaborative initiative to bring stakeholders together to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics within the material’s value chain.
• Project REPLAN (stands for REducing PLastic in Nature) launched by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) aims to reduce the consumption of plastic bags by providing a more sustainable alternative.

Way Forward:

• Plastic Leakage Hotspots : Identify key hotspots of plastic leakage in the production, consumption, and disposal phases to help governments create effective policies addressing the plastic problem.
• Plastic-Eating Bacteria: Highlight the discovery of plastic-eating bacteria in Japan that have been modified to digest polyester plastics, such as food packaging and plastic bottles.
• Alternative Materials: Identify plastic items that can be replaced with non-plastic, recyclable, or biodegradable materials. Promote alternatives to single-use plastics and reusable designs, including oxo-biodegradable plastics that degrade faster through ultraviolet radiation and heat.
• Zero-Waste Efforts: Encourage investment in sustainable, ocean-friendly products like reusable coffee mugs, water bottles, and food wraps to champion zero-waste initiatives.
• Plastic Recycling Value Chain: Emphasize the value of waste, particularly plastic, as a resource. Note that recycling creates a value chain, with examples like Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai, which patented a process for making tiles and blocks from waste plastic.
• Circular Economy: Advocate for a circular economy to reduce material use, redesign materials to be less resource-intensive, and recapture waste as a resource for manufacturing new materials and products, contributing to sustainable development goals.
• Collaborative Policy Development: Stress the importance of collaboration among government ministries at national and local levels, along with industrial firms, NGOs, and volunteer organizations, for developing, implementing, and overseeing effective policies.

Source: Hindu

Q1.) With reference to the Dark tourism, consider the following statements:

1. Dark tourism is associated with death, suffering and tragedy.
2. Dark tourism encompasses travel to sites linked to events such as genocide, assassination, incarceration, ethnic cleansing, war, or natural disasters.
3. Chernobyl has become a prominent dark tourism destination with guided tours available.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 1 and 2 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1,2 and 3

Q2.) The Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, recently seen news is located in

1. Maharashtra
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Assam

Q3.) Consider the following statements about Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy

1. CAR-T cell therapies are also called living drugs.
2. Its a form of personalised treatment.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  5th August 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) –  d

Q.2) – a

Q.3) – a