Tiny plants to digest plastic
- Researchers from University of Madras and Presidency College, Chennai, have isolated an alga species that shows promise as an agent of biodegradation of plastic sheets.
- It is a preliminary study that has been published in Scientific Reports.
- According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s annual report for the year 2011- 12, the plastic waste generated in a year amounted to 5.6 million metric tonnes. Only 60% of the plastic used in India was collected and recycled.
- The usual means of disposal of plastic waste involves incineration, land-filling and recycling.
- These methods have limitations and also sometimes produce side-effects that are hazardous to the environment.
- In earlier studies, species of bacteria that degrade plastic have been studied. In the present study, this role is played by the microalga Uronema africanum Borge.
- This is a species of microalgae that is commonly found in Africa, Asia and Europe.
- In Rangoon, Burma, it was noted to be an epiphyte, attaching itself to other algae and plant
- “The microalgae produce different kinds of extra cellular polysaccharides, enzymes, toxins such as cyanotoxins, hormones which react with the polymer sheets (polymer bonds) and break them up into the simpler monomers which will not have harmful effect in the atmosphere.
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IAO HANLE
- The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) located at Hanle near Leh in Ladakh is becoming one of the globally promising observatory sites, according to a recent study.
- This is due to its advantages of more clear nights, minimal light pollution, background aerosol concentration, extremely dry atmospheric condition and uninterrupted monsoon.
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Coral microbiome
- Bacteria, fungi and viruses that comprise the microbiome of corals may play a role in the ability of corals to resist global warming and avoid bleaching, according to a new study by Penn State researchers.
- This study, published in Nature Communications, observed three species of corals: the shallow water starlet coral, shown in the picture, the knobbly brain coral and the mountainous star coral.
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Gaming Disorder
- Sudden behaviour changes in teenager — insomnia, withdrawal from social contacts, academic failure, and extreme anger and irritability.
- In India, legal focus has been on recent laws in the southern States seeking to ban online games such as rummy, poker or even fantasy sports which offer prize money or financial stakes.
- The Kerala High Court quashed such a law in the State, accepting the industry’s stance that, as games of skill rather than chance, they should not trigger bans on gambling.
- However, worried parents, psychiatrists and mental health advocates warn that the dangers go well beyond monetary motivations
- “We have seen gaming addictions cause physical, social and emotional damage, impairing sleep, appetites, careers and social live
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Food system
- The first and historic United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) 2021 which was held in September this year, concluded after an intense ‘bottomup’ process conceived in 2019 by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to find solutions and ‘catalyse momentum’ to transform the way the world produces, consumes, and thinks about food and help address rising hunger.
- In terms of larger goals, the food system transformation is considered essential in achieving the sustainable development agenda 2030.
- This makes strong sense as 11 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) out of 17 are directly related to the food system
- Global food systems — the networks that are needed to produce and transform food, and ensure it reaches consumers, or the paths that food travels from production to plate — are in a state of crisis in many countries affecting the poor and the vulnerable.
- The flaws in food systems affect us all, but most of all they are affecting 811 million people in the world who go to bed hungry each night
- One of India’s greatest contributions to equity in food is its National Food Security Act 2013 that anchors the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), the Mid-Day meals (MDM), and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS).
- Today, India’s food safety nets collectively reach over a billion people.
- Food safety nets and inclusion are linked with public procurement and buffer stock policy
- Climate change and unsustainable use of land and water resources are the most formidable challenges food systems face today.
- The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has set the alarm bells ringing, highlighting the urgency to act now.
- Dietary diversity, nutrition, and related health outcomes are another area of concern as a focus on rice and wheat has created nutritional challenges of its own.
- India has taken a bold decision to fortify rice supplied through the Public Distribution System with iron.
- Agricultural research institutes are about to release varieties of many crops having much higher nutrition as a long-term solution for undernutrition and malnutrition
- It is ironic that despite being a net exporter and food surplus country at the aggregate level, India has a 50% higher prevalence of undernutrition compared to the world average.
- But the proportion of the undernourished population declined from 21.6% during 2004-06 to 15.4% during 2018-20.
- The high prevalence of undernutrition in the country does not seem to be due to food shortage or the low availability of food
- Reducing food wastage or loss of food is a mammoth challenge and is linked to the efficiency of the food supply chain. Food wastage in India exceeds ₹1-lakh crore.
- An alarming escalation in global hunger is unfolding, with the ‘dramatic worsening’ of world hunger in 2020, much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19
- It is important to reiterate that hunger and food insecurity are key drivers of conflict and instability across the world.
- ‘Food is peace’, is a catchphrase often used to highlight how hunger and conflict feed on each other.
- The Nobel Peace Prize 2020 conferred on the United Nations WFP highlighted the importance of addressing hunger to prevent conflicts and create stability.
- We must collaborate to invest, innovate, and create lasting solutions in sustainable agriculture contribution to equitable livelihood, food security, and nutrition.
- India has so much to offer from its successes, and learning also, to prepare itself for the next 20 to 30 years.
- This surely requires reimagining the food system towards the goal of balancing growth and sustainability, mitigating climate change, ensuring healthy, safe, quality, and affordable food, maintaining biodiversity, improving resilience, and offering an attractive income and work environment to smallholders and youth.
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Nord stream
- While the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, the Iran-India undersea pipeline, and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline remain pipe dreams, the Nord Stream 2 (NS2) running from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea is now complete despite controversy. NS2’s manufacture began in 2016 and construction in 2018.
- The 1,224 km, $11-billion underwater link is the shortest, most economical and environment-friendly route to double Russia’s gas export to Germany.
- The pipeline offers stability to the strategically important energy trade because Russia’s dependence on the European Union and vice-versa are increased and this should promote realism
- Behind the argument of protecting Western interests against Russia, the Ukraine case is that if Russia cuts its transportation of gas through Ukraine, Kiev would lose billions of dollars in transit fees, and fears that Russia could reduce energy supplies by cutting those needed for Ukraine’s own consumption.
- Ukraine has not diversified its economic fundamentals, whose viability is dependent on Russia moving fossil fuels through its territory
- To enable a consensus on NS2, Germany has promised assistance to Ukraine for development of hydrogen energy, but such commitments are less robust in their detail.
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Education and peace
- In ‘Pathways for peace’, a flagship 2018 report by the World Bank and the United Nations, it was shown that many of the world’s conflicts arise from exclusion and feelings of injustice.
- For UNESCO, education is a significant part of the answer because it can impart the skills and values necessary to recognise and prevent potential conflicts and promote tolerance
- “Preventing war is the work of politicians, establishing peace is the work of educationists”.
- Education for peace has a rich history in India.
- The philosophies of various religions, cultures and of Gandhi have non-violence, and tolerance at their core
- The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 also presents a unique opportunity to contribute to strengthening equity, justice and social cohesion.
- The policy has a broad focus on value-based and experiential education, including promoting critical thinking, cultural exchanges, teaching in regional languages, and a commitment to education for all.
- Global best practices, promoted through UNESCO, can offer a way forward.
- Our organisation’s approaches to global citizenship, education and intercultural dialogue reinforce the idea that peaceful societies are those that embrace diversity and difference.
- UNESCO’s work to promote media and information literacy and sports for peace equips youth with skills to eradicate harmful stereotypes and stand up against injustice.
- Focusing on inclusion, UNESCO highlights the need to recognize and improve opportunities for disadvantaged groups, like women and girls and persons with disabilities.
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Pandora papers
- The so-called “Pandora Papers” investigation— involving some 600 journalists from media including The Washington Post, the BBC and The Guardian — is based on the leak of some 11.9 million documents from 14 financial services companies around the world.
- Some 35 current and former leaders are featured in the documents analysed by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) — facing allegations ranging from corruption to money laundering and global tax avoidance.
- Over 700 Pakistanis, including some Ministers and key members of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s inner circle, were among the individuals whose names were linked with the “Pandora Papers”
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