DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 23rd November 2024

Syllabus:

• Mains – GS 3

Context: Delhi is witnessing poor air quality prompting questions regarding the future of city.

Background: –

• Delhi is perhaps going to become, if it has not already, an uninhabitable city for two different reasons. In winters (October-February), pollution levels peak, while during summers (April-June), the heat waves are unbearable, both affecting Delhi’s poor disproportionately

Why is Delhi’s air quality so poor?

• The government often tells that stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and U.P. is responsible for Delhi’s pollution. It’s a half-truth.
• A 2023 report prepared by IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi, TERI New Delhi, and Airshed Kanpur shows that, even during winter months, when sources of pollution external to Delhi are at their peak, half of the PM2.5 levels can be apportioned to Delhi itself .
• Vehicles alone contribute 58% to this total. The only realistic solution to air pollution is a massive shift in the way Delhi travels, that is, from private (cars and motorcycles) to public transport running on cleaner energy, with last mile connectivity, a step which will bring the number of vehicles on the road down significantly.

Why are the winters so much worse?

• The concentration of pollutants in the air depends not just on emissions but also on many meteorological factors — temperature, wind direction/speed, and rain, among other things. 
• Hot air, being lighter, moves up (thereby carrying the pollutants with it), whereas cold air traps pollutants and keeps them closer to the ground. Similarly, wind can disperse the pollutants, while rain can force the most common air pollutants, like PM2.5 and PM10, to the ground. Cold air with slow wind speed and no rains make Delhi a pot of pollution with a lid on.
• Evidence shows that for the months which have a moderate AQI, either the wind speed is relatively higher (February-June) or rainfall is greater (July-September) than the rest of the year. Both these factors, aided by warmer air, lift the air quality of Delhi from poor/severe to moderate. 
• Given that Delhi’s own emissions are not winter-specific, its air quality would have been poor throughout the year but for these favourable factors from March through September.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Gallant, and a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Background: –

• In granting the warrants, ICC judges stated there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bore criminal responsibility for the starvation of Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians.

Key takeaways

• Israel, which does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, has condemned the warrants, with Netanyahu labeling them as false and unjust. 
• The United States, also not a member of the ICC, has criticized the court’s decision, expressing concerns over its implications for international relations.
• The warrants obligate the 124 ICC member states to arrest the individuals if they enter their territories, potentially restricting their international travel. 
• However, enforcement remains uncertain, as the ICC lacks its own police force and relies on member states for execution.

About International Criminal Court

• The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, was established under a 1998 treaty called the “Rome Statute”.
• It investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
• At present, 124 countries are party to the Rome Statute, including Britain, Japan, Afghanistan, and Germany. India is not a member, nor are China and the US.
• Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which deals with countries and inter-state disputes, the ICC prosecutes individuals.
• Additionally, the offences should be committed either in a country that ratified the agreement or by a national of a ratifying country. The ICC can also practise its jurisdiction over cases referred by the UN Security Council to it.
• Israel is not party to the Rome Statute, but Palestine is.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – CURRENT EVENT

Context: A day before the scheduled close of talks, the COP29 meeting in Azerbaijan stared at a major crisis with almost every country and bloc rejecting the latest draft negotiating text.

Background:

• Several countries, including India and Saudi Arabia, objected to references being made to one particular paragraph in Global Stock Take (GST) which had asked all countries to transition away from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy by 2030, reduce emissions of non-CO2 gases including methane, and phase-down coal, among other things.

Key takeaways

• The Global Stocktake (GST) is a key mechanism under the Paris Agreement (2015) to assess the world’s collective progress toward achieving the Agreement’s goals, particularly limiting global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
• Key Objectives:
  • Review Climate Actions: Assess the implementation of countries’ climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
  • Evaluate Support: Examine the support provided to developing countries, including finance, technology transfer, and capacity-building.
  • Promote Transparency: Enhance transparency and accountability in reporting climate actions and support.
• Process and Timeline
  • Periodicity: The GST is conducted every five years, with the first stocktake completed in 2023 and the next one scheduled for 2028.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Days after night temperatures dipped across Telangana, a public advisory has been issued for cold wave conditions.

Background: –

• The advisory has been issued by the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, for Telangana and 16 other states and Union Territories about cold wave conditions.

Key takeaways

• The cold wave conditions signify a certain amount of fall of temperature at a given place with respect to normal climatological value.
• According to the Indian Meteorological Department, a cold wave occurs when the minimum temperature is 10°C or less for plains and 0°C or less for the hilly regions and negative departure from normal day temperature is 4.5 to 6.4°C. If negative departure is more than 6.4°C, it is a severe cold wave. Which means that day temperatures play an important role in cold waves.
• Additionally, the plains suffer a cold wave when minimum temperature is 4°C or less and a severe cold wave when minimum temperature falls to 2°C or less. Coastal areas suffer cold waves when the minimum temperature is 15°C or less and the negative departure from the minimum is 4.5 °C.
• The advisory highlights that the cold wave season extends from November to March, with December and January witnessing the highest frequency of extreme cold events. 
• The affected States and Union Territories, identified as the ‘Core Cold Wave Zone,’ include Telangana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha.
• Certain population groups are particularly vulnerable. These include the homeless, the elderly, economically disadvantaged individuals, pregnant and lactating women, children, outdoor workers & farmers.
• The advisory cautions that prolonged exposure to cold can cause severe health issues, including hypothermia and frostbite. Non-freezing cold injuries, such as Immersion Foot—caused by prolonged exposure to cold, wet conditions—are also a risk.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – ENVIRONMENT

Context: The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI 2025) report was released at the UN climate conference in Baku.

Background: –

• Published annually since 2005, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) tracks countries’ efforts to combat climate change.

Key takeaways

• The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) is an independent monitoring tool that tracks the climate mitigation performance of 63 countries and the European Union (EU).
• It is published by think tanks Germanwatch, New Climate Institute, and Climate Action Network International.
• Categories: The CCPI assesses each country’s performance in four  categories: GHG Emissions (40%), Renewable Energy (20%), Energy Use (20%), and Climate Policy (20%).
• Countries are scored on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting better performance.

Key takeaways from Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI 2025) report

• India ranks 10th in this year’s CCPI, remaining among the highest performers.
• India has made considerable progress in renewable energy policy, particularly with large-scale solar power projects and the launch of the Rooftop Solar Scheme.
• Energy efficiency standards have been introduced, but their coverage remains inadequate, the report said, adding, India is also advancing in electric vehicle deployment, especially with two-wheelers.
• Despite these positive developments, India remains heavily reliant on coal.
• The report leaves the first three places empty, as no country performed well enough across all index categories to achieve an overall “very high” rating.
• Denmark ranks at the top (but technically fourth place), followed by the Netherlands and the U.K. The U.K., this year’s big climber, benefitted from its coal phase out and the government’s pledge to halt new licenses for fossil fuel projects, the report said.

Source: The Hindu

Q1.) Which of the following statements about the Global Stocktake (GST) under the Paris Agreement is correct?

1. It is conducted every year to assess the progress made by individual countries toward achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
2. GST aims to enhance transparency and accountability in climate actions and support provided to developing countries.
3. The first GST was completed in 2023.
4. It evaluates progress in limiting global warming to well below 3°C above pre-industrial levels.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 4 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 2, and 4 only

(d) 2, 3, and 4 only

Q2.) Consider the following statements about the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI):

1. It is published by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
2. The four categories assessed in the CCPI include GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use, and Climate Policy.
3. India ranks in the top 10 globally due to its progress in renewable energy policies, particularly large-scale solar power projects.
4. The CCPI leaves the first three spots vacant.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1, 2, and 3 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2, 3, and 4 only

(d) 1, 3, and 4 only

Q3.) With reference to Cold Wave conditions, consider the following statements:

1. A cold wave in plains is declared when the minimum temperature is 10°C or less, with a negative departure of 4.5°C to 6.4°C from the normal.
2. Severe cold waves occur in coastal areas when the minimum temperature falls below 5°C.
3. The core cold wave zone in India includes states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Odisha.
4. The frequency of extreme cold events is highest in January.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 1, 3, and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3, and 4

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

ANSWERS FOR ’  Today’s – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs

Q.1) – a

Q.2) – b

Q.3) – a