Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Ocean acidification may hit unprecedented levels: Study

News

• Ocean acidification is likely to hit the levels not seen in the past 14 million years, under a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to a study.

Beyond News

• Ocean acidification occurs when CO2 from the atmosphere is absorbed by seawater, resulting in more acidic water with a lower pH, said researchers.
• The rapid influx of CO2 in to the oceans is severely threatening marine life, with the shells of some animals already dissolving in the more acidic seawater.
• Around a third of the CO2 released by burning coal, oil and gas gets dissolved into the oceans.
• Since the beginning of the industrial era, the ocean has absorbed around 525 billion tonnes of CO2, equivalent to around 22 million tonnes per day, researchers said.
• In the study the researchers set out to reconstruct levels of ocean acidity and atmospheric CO2 levels over the past 22 million years.
• They did so by studying the fossils of tiny marine creatures that once lived near the ocean surface, specifically using the chemistry of their shells to monitor the acidity of the seawater in which the creatures lived.
• Based on this information, the researchers were able to put their new records of pH (a scale of acidity) and CO2 levels.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

SC pulls up Centre for its delay in appointing a Lokpal

News

• The Supreme Court said the government’s stand on completing the appointment of the Lokpal, an ombudsman to protect the common man from corruption in public service and power centres, is “wholly unsatisfactory”.

Beyond News

• The court was reacting to an affidavit filed by the government, aiming to specify the exact timeframe by which it would appoint the Lokpal. Instead, the government, represented by Attorney-General, said it is a “complicated” process.
• The eight-page affidavit said the Selection Committee, led by Prime Minister, met on July 19 on the choice of a Search Committee for Lokpal. This Search Committee would prepare a panel of names for Lokpal.
• On July 19, the Selection Committee discussed that the Search Committee would comprise seven persons, including the Chairperson. These persons have to be from expertise as diverse as anti-corruption policy, public administration, insurance, banking, law and management.
• Besides, 50% of them should be drawn from the SC/ST category, the OBCs, minorities and women. The Selection panel decided to discuss this further the next time they meet at a convenient time.

Lok Sabha clears amendment Bill

News

• The Lok Sabha passed the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2018, that seeks to punish bribe-givers and bribe-takers.

Beyond News

• The Bill provides for a jail term of three to seven years, besides a fine, to those convicted of taking bribes and those giving bribes to public officials.
• It extends the ambit of public servants who would be protected by sanction from prosecution.
• In a departure from the earlier anti-corruption law, the current law makes a distinction between “collusive bribe givers” and those who are “coerced.” In such cases, the Bill seeks to protect those who report the matter within seven days.
• The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill last week.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Shape-changing robot can help find people trapped in debris

News

• Scientists have developed a robot that can change its shape to crawl through tight spaces and climb over rough terrain, an advance that may help search and rescue teams locate people trapped under debris.

Beyond News

• The Rising Sprawl-Tuned Autonomous Robot (RSTAR) utilises adjustable sprawling wheel legs attached to a body that can move independently and reposition itself to run on flat surfaces, climb over large obstacles and up closely-spaced walls, and crawl through a tunnel, pipe or narrow gaps.
• The RSTAR is ideal for search and rescue operations in unstructured environments, such as collapsed buildings or flooded areas, where it must adapt and overcome a variety of successive obstacles to reach its target.
• Researchers designed RSTAR to function simply and reliably, change shape and overcome common obstacles without any external mechanical intervention.
• Its speed and relatively low energy consumption make the robot ideal for a broad range of applications that may require longer work time.
• The robot uses its round wheels to travel more than three feet per second on hard flat surfaces and switches to spoke wheels to traverse extremely soft or granular surfaces, like thick mud or sand, without getting stuck.
• It also climbs vertically and crawls horizontally by pressing its wheels to walls without touching the floor.
• The team is working on a larger STAR robot version that will climb over larger obstacles, including stairs, and carry more than four pounds of sensors and supplies.
• A smaller STAR or RSTAR will piggyback on the larger robot to use in hard-to-reach areas and sneak in between narrow cracks and passages.

Karnataka pips T.N. to become top State in renewable energy

News

• With 27% of its power generation coming from renewable energy,Karnataka has emerged the leading State for renewable energy in India this year, pipping Tamil Nadu.

Beyond News

• According to a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the State reached 12.3 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity as of March 2018, having added 5 GW in 2017-18 alone.
• Currently, it has 5 GW of solar capacity and 4.7 GW of wind capacity. The remainder of its renewable portfolio (2.6 GW) includes small hydro, biomass, plus heat and power cogeneration,” the report said.
• The Pavagada industrial solar park said to be the second largest solar development currently under construction in the world  has been credited with reversing the State’s fortunes in renewable energy, along with “positive renewable energy policies” such as open access, the introduction of a hybrid wind-solar development policy and “significant steps to reverse Karnataka’s historic reliance on energy imports.”
• However, the report mentions certain “threats” to solar energy in the State, including lack of transmission network infrastructure and policies such as repealing the zero wheeling charge order.

State’s forest policy talks tough on encroachments

News

• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister released the State’s forest policy. Forest Minister received the first copy of the document, which aims to conserve the biodiversity and protect the ecology and environment of the State.

Beyond News

• The policy says that the norms stipulated by the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, would be strictly enforced to preserve the existing forest cover for ecological security.
• The policy also looks to increase forest and tree cover to at least 30% by 2025 and enhance participation of women in village forest committees (VFCs).
• Accordingly, encroachments inside the reserved forests will be removed and no encroachment on forest land will be regularised.
• The State government has decided to provide adequate facilities including weapons, communication facility and vehicles for the forest protection staff to enable them to discharge their duties effectively.
• Special forces engaged in anti-poaching operations will be well trained and armed.
• These staff will also be made aware of the existing laws and procedures and the prosecution side will be strengthened to ensure offenders are brought to book. Towards this, the government will seek cooperation from national and international agencies.
• The State will look for the willing participation of the local people living near open forest land (with crown density of less than 40%) in re-afforestation and protection initiatives through the village committees.
• The State government will progressively increase the budget allotment for the Forest Department every year to fulfil the goals of the policy.

Plastic waste poses threat to deer

News

• When the State government has set the target of eradicating non-biodegradable plastic by December 31, indiscriminate dumping of plastic waste near Gangaikondan Spotted Deer Sanctuary near is posing a serious threat to the wild animals.

Beyond News

• Since the reserve forest covering 441.16 hectares between Gangaikondan and Thazhaiyoothu in Tamil Nadu is the southernmost habitat of spotted deer in the country, Forest department decided to convert it into a full-fledged deer park so as to protect the animals, which are facing a threat from poachers and being hit by vehicles on Tirunelveli Madurai national highway when they move out in search of food and water.
• The absence of predators here has resulted in an increase in the population of spotted deer to over 500, but now food and water for the animals have become scarce.
• As a result, the spotted deer, after scaling the compound wall on the western side of the habitat and the wire fence on the other three sides, are now migrating to the surrounding areas, even up to Abhishekapatti, where they face threat from poachers and street dogs.
• Since the fence is damaged at a few spots on the southern and eastern sides, the animals come out of the enclosure and stray up to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University at Abhishekapatti.
• Similarly, after coming out of the sanctuary, they move towards Thathanoothu intersection, where plastic waste is being dumped.

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