Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Greenhouse gas emissions from Indian paddy fields very high: study

News

• Rice farming across the world could be responsible for up to twice the level of climate impact relative to what was previously estimated, according to a study conducted in India.

Findings

• The study, found that intermittently flooded rice farms can emit 45 times more nitrous oxide as compared to the maximum from continuously flooded farms that predominantly emit methane.
• According to a global analysis by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in the US, methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice farms could have the same long-term warming impact as about 600 coal plants.
• The researchers investigated greenhouse gas emissions from rice farms across southern India. They found that nitrous oxide emissions from rice can contribute up to 99 % of the total climate impact of rice cultivation at a variety of intermittently flooded farms.
• These emissions contributed substantially to global warmingpollution  far more than the estimate of 10% previously suggested by multiple global rice research organizations.
• The researchers found an inverse correlation between methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice farming. Water and organic matter management techniques that reduce methane emissions can increase nitrous oxide emissions, they said.
• This, the team said, is crucial because nitrous oxide is a long-lived greenhouse gas that traps several times more heat in the atmosphere than methane over both 20 and 100-year time frames.
• Rice is a critical source of nutrition for the world’s rapidly growing population, providing more calories to humans than any other food, researchers said. However, growing rice is also resource-intensive: rice cultivation covers 11 % of the Earth’s arable land, consumes one-third of irrigation water.
• The researchers found that carefully chosen farming techniques at individual farms reduced net greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation by as much as 90% by integrating shallow (mild-intermittent) flooding with co-management of nitrogen and organic matter.
• If all irrigated rice farmers only used the proposed shallow flooding instead of continuous or intense forms of intermittent flooding, estimates in the accompanying analysis shows that the rice farms with irrigation have the potential to reduce their global climate impact by 60%, researchers said.

Antarctica in new light

News

• Researchers recently announced the release of a new high-resolution terrain map of the southernmost continent, called the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica, or REMA, which they say makes Antarctica the best-mapped continent on Earth.

Beyond News

• Antarctica is the most desolate and inhospitable place on Earth, and its remoteness makes monitoring changes in ice and water levels difficult. Because of the warming climate, seasonal changes at Antarctica are becoming more severe, making the need to understand the loss of ice even more important.
• Previous maps of the continent had a resolution similar to seeing the whole of Central Park from a satellite. With this new data, it is possible to see down to the size of a car, and even smaller in some areas. The data is so complete that scientists now know the height of every feature on the continent down to a few feet.
• The team used 187,585 images collected over six years to create the map. The pictures are so detailed that researchers had to use one of the most powerful supercomputers on Earth to ingest the data.
• Observing snowfall, ice growth and the rate of melt and fissures will allow scientists to monitor sea-level rise and glacial melt with more accuracy. Ice shelves bear the brunt of pressure from flowing rivers pushing against them. The faster the ice melts on the land, the more weight the ice shelf has to contain, resulting in breaks of glaciers into the sea.
• Explorers and scientists stationed at Antarctica will also find the map useful. By having such a detailed topographical map, new routes to science stations can be planned around the continent’s dangerous terrain.
• The 150-terabyte data set is the first that will allow researchers to watch the fracturing of ice shells within a three-week time span, nearly tracking changes on the ice in real time.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Centre hikes ethanol prices

News

• The Centre has hiked ethanol prices, with a special incentive for ethanol directly produced from 100% sugarcane juice, in a dual bid to reduce both surplus sugar production and the fuel import bill. The ethanol produced from sugar is blended with petrol.

Beyond News

• The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs at its meeting.
• Record production of more than 31 million tonnes this year is far higher than domestic consumption rates of 25 million tonnes. As a result, sugar mills have struggled to pay their dues to cane farmers, and despite various government measures to improve liquidity, the arrears to farmers stand at more than Rs. 13,000 crore.
• The price of ethanol derived from 100% sugarcane juice is raised from ₹47.13 to ₹59.13. The rate for ethanol produced from B-heavy or intermediary  molasses has been raised to ₹52.43. The rate of ethanol produced from C-heavy molasses (which has no sugar left), however, has been marginally reduced to ₹43.46.
• By increasing the price difference between ethanol with no sugar left and that of fully made up of sugar to almost 35%, the Centre has given sugar mills a clear incentive to increase ethanol production from sugar.

Health Ministry issues notification to bring HIV/AIDS Act, 2017, into force

News

• Safeguarding the rights of people living with and affected by HIV, the Union Health Ministry has issued a notification to bring in force from Monday the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017.

Beyond News

• Provisions of the Act address HIV-related discrimination, strengthen existing programme by bringing in legal accountability, and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances, noted a release issued by the Ministry.
• The Ministry said the Act seeks to prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS, and prohibits discrimination against affected persons. The Act lists various grounds on which discrimination against HIV positive persons and those living with the condition is prohibited.
• These include the denial, termination, discontinuation or unfair treatment with regard to: employment, educational establishments, health care services, residing or renting property, standing for public or private office, and provision of insurance (unless based on actuarial studies).
• The requirement for HIV testing as a prerequisite for obtaining employment or accessing health care or education is also prohibited.
• Provisions of the Act state that a person between the age of 12 and 18 years who has sufficient maturity in understanding and managing the affairs of his/her HIV or AIDS-affected family shall be competent to act as guardian of another sibling below 18 years of age to be applicable in matters relating to admission to educational establishments, operating bank accounts, managing property, and care and treatment, among others.
• Provisions of the Act state that every person in the care and custody of the State shall have the right to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and counselling services.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

All railway tracks to be electrified

News

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal for electrification of the remaining 13,675 route km of railway tracks at an estimated cost of over ₹12,134 crore, converting the entire railway network into electric.

Beyond News

• The last leg of unelectrified broad-gauge routes comprises 108 sections covering 13,675 route km, or 16,540 track km, an official statement said, adding that the electrification is likely to be completed by 2021-22.
• The government expects the approved electrification to generate direct employment of about 20.4 crore man-days during the period of construction.
• The major trunk routes on the Indian Railways network have already been electrified and are operational, the proposed electrification mainly for missing links and last mile connectivity, will increase the operational efficiency, enhance the line capacity and improve the average speed of trains.
• The approved electrification will reduce the use of imported fossil fuels, thereby improving energy security to the nation. After the planned electrification, there would be reduction in the consumption of high speed diesel oil by about 2.83 billion litres per annum and a reduction in GHG emissions.
• Currently, two-thirds of freight and more than half of passenger traffic move on electric traction.

India’s first missile tracking ship is readying for sea trials

News

• Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is gearing up to undertake sea trials of India’s first missile tracking ship by the first week of October.

Beyond News

• The keel of the ship, which was laid on June 30, 2014, is being built for the National Technical Research Organisation, the technical intelligence agency working directly under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Adviser.
• Considered a “topmost secret project”, a lot of confidentiality is being maintained in executing the project costing about ₹750 crore. It will be named after its induction into the Indian Navy. For now, it is simply referred as VC 11184.
• This will be the first of its kind ocean surveillance ship being built as part of the efforts under the government to strengthen the country’s strategic weapons programme.
• The ship was built inside the covered dry dock. It has the capacity to carry 300-strong crew with hi-tech gadgets and communication equipment, powered by two diesel engines, and a large deck capable of helicopter landing.

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