11 November 2023

• Environment: The Loss and Damage Fund for climate-vulnerable nations, formally established at COP 27 in 2022, faced an impasse with developed nations resisting commitment on fund size.
• Agriculture: IARI developed the Pusa-2090 rice variety that matures in 120-125 days versus Pusa-44's 155-160 days, potentially ending the stubble burning crisis in Punjab.
• Society: Tuvalu became the first country projected for complete submersion from climate change, signing the Falepili Union with Australia that offers its citizens residency rights.
• Polity: Criminal cases against legislators: the Supreme Court issued directions to speed up disposal of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs; 43 per cent of 2019 Lok Sabha members had pending cases.
• Culture: Andhra Pradesh's traditional leather puppetry, using goat skin to depict mythological characters, is facing extinction.

GS area: Environment (Climate Finance, International Negotiations)

The Loss and Damage Fund, created to help climate-vulnerable developing nations deal with irreversible climate impacts, reached an impasse in the Transitional Committee's negotiations. No consensus was reached on the fund's size.

• Origin: the concept of Loss and Damage was first acknowledged at COP 19 in Warsaw in 2013.
• COP 27 (Sharm el-Sheikh, 2022): formally established the Loss and Damage fund. A Transitional Committee was tasked with its operationalisation.
• Earlier milestones: the Santiago Network for Loss and Damage was created at COP 25 (Madrid, 2019). The Glasgow Dialogue was launched at COP 26 (2021).
• Core dispute: where to host the fund. Developing nations resisted placing it under the World Bank, which they see as dominated by developed countries. The issue of who is eligible and whether historical emitters have a reparations obligation remained unresolved.
• CBDR principle: Common But Differentiated Responsibilities. Developed nations have historically emitted more cumulative greenhouse gases. Developing nations argue this creates an obligation to finance adaptation and loss and damage.

Static linkage: Environment (Climate Change, International Negotiations).

GS area: Agriculture (Science and Technology, Environment)

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) developed Pusa-2090, a rice variety that matures in 120-125 days. The current dominant variety, Pusa-44, takes 155-160 days to mature.

• Stubble burning link: Pusa-44's long maturation means harvesting finishes late in October, leaving farmers with only a narrow window before the rabi season must begin. Burning stubble is the cheapest way to clear fields quickly. The shorter Pusa-2090 cycle opens more time for mechanical alternatives.
• Punjab action: Punjab's Chief Minister announced a ban on Pusa-44 cultivation effective from 2024.
• IARI: established in 1905, relocated to Delhi in 1936, administered by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• Stubble burning and air quality: Punjab and Haryana stubble fires are the dominant contributor to Delhi's severe winter smog. The October-November window is when AQI regularly exceeds 400-500.

Static linkage: Agriculture (Environment, Science and Technology).

GS area: Society (International Relations, Climate Change)

Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation, signed the Falepili Union with Australia. The agreement offers 280 Tuvaluan citizens per year rights to live, work and study in Australia.

• Tuvalu geography: in Polynesia, between Hawaii and Australia. The fourth smallest country in the world by area. Its highest point is 4.6 metres above sea level.
• Why it is first: Tuvalu is the first country projected to be completely submerged by rising sea levels from climate change.
• Australian funding: A$17 million for climate adaptation and a planned 6 per cent expansion of Tuvalu's main island through land reclamation.
• Significance for climate policy: Tuvalu's situation is a direct consequence of cumulative greenhouse gas emissions primarily from developed nations. The Falepili Union is in part a recognition of responsibility.

Static linkage: Environment (Climate Change), International Relations, World Geography.

GS area: Polity (Judiciary, Elections)

The Supreme Court issued fresh directions for expediting disposal of criminal cases against legislators. About 43 per cent of Lok Sabha members elected in 2019 had pending criminal cases. Approximately 5,000 criminal cases against MPs and MLAs were pending in December 2021.

• Section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act 1951: disqualifies a legislator convicted with a sentence of two or more years from contesting elections for six years from release.
• Supreme Court measures: authorised Chief Justices of High Courts to register suo motu cases for speedier disposal. Established special benches for cases involving death sentences, life imprisonment, or five or more years.
• The structural problem: cases against politicians drag on for decades. Conviction rates are low. The Lily Thomas case (2013) removed the protection of sitting legislators from immediate disqualification on conviction but the trial pace remains the bottleneck.

Static linkage: Polity (Elections, Judiciary, Governance).

GS area: Geography (Geology, World Geography)

A new island emerged near Japan's Ogasawara (Bonin) island chain in late October 2023, created by phreatomagmatic eruptions where rising magma meets seawater in explosive steam bursts.

• Phreatomagmatic eruption: the explosive interaction of magma with water. Common in shallow marine environments.
• Ogasawara Islands: a chain of 30-plus volcanic islands in the Pacific, part of Japan. Also known as the Bonin Islands.
• New island lifecycle: volcanic islands formed this way are often unstable and may erode within months or persist for years.

Static linkage: World Geography (Geology, Volcanology).

GS area: Polity (Governance, Social Justice)

The Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities issued two significant judgments requiring government offices to relocate services to accessible ground floors and requiring airlines to comply with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.

• RPwD Act 2016: enacted to align India's disability law with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It expanded the definition of disability from 7 to 21 categories.
• Role of Chief Commissioner: a quasi-judicial authority under the RPwD Act that investigates complaints and issues directions.
• Airlines issue: airline medical clearance requirements for certain disability categories were found inconsistent with global standards under the Civil Aviation Requirements.

Static linkage: Social Justice (Governance, Polity).

• Timed out in cricket: Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews became the first international cricketer to be dismissed "timed out" in the 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh. Under ICC rules, a batter must be ready to face within 2 minutes of the fall of a wicket.
• Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH): a WHO initiative established in 2022 building climate-resilient health systems. An informal voluntary network implementing COP26 ambitions for sustainable, low-carbon healthcare.