1 December 2023

• Agriculture: A new FAO report puts the hidden cost of unsustainable global agrifood systems at over $10 trillion a year. In India these costs equal about 11 per cent of GDP.
• Environment: UNESCO released its first-ever report on the ethics of climate engineering, ahead of COP28 opening in Dubai.
• Schemes: The PM JANMAN initiative targets 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups across 18 states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Fisheries: India's saffron production from Pampore in Kashmir faces pressure from climate change and rapid urbanisation even as Iran dominates the global market.

GS area: Environment, Economy

A new FAO report estimated that the hidden costs of unsustainable agrifood systems worldwide exceed $10 trillion annually. The costs include environmental damage, public health burdens from poor diet and food insecurity, and social costs borne by farming communities. Key numbers:

• India-specific cost: Hidden costs equal about 11 per cent of India's GDP.
• Green Revolution legacy: Monocropping and chemical-intensive farming contributed significantly to soil degradation, water depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions.
• FAO recommendation: Diversified multi-cropping systems rooted in agroecology principles. The report cited the traditional south Indian practice of intercropping legumes, pulses, oilseeds, trees, shrubs, and livestock known as "akkadi saalu" as an example.

The FAO report is a set piece for UPSC. Examiners return repeatedly to the tension between food security achieved through the Green Revolution and the environmental costs that accompanied it.

Static linkage: Indian agriculture, environmental ecology, economic geography.

GS area: Environment, International Relations

UNESCO released its first global report on the ethics of climate engineering ahead of the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai. The report examined two broad families of intervention:

• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): Techniques to pull carbon directly from the atmosphere, including direct air capture, afforestation and soil carbon sequestration.
• Solar Radiation Modification (SRM): Techniques to reflect sunlight back into space, such as stratospheric aerosol injection.

Ethical concerns flagged by the report:

• Moral hazard: The availability of engineering fixes may reduce the urgency of cutting fossil fuel emissions.
• Geopolitical weaponisation: Unilateral deployment of SRM could alter rainfall patterns in other countries without their consent.
• Transboundary impacts: Effects cross national borders, raising questions about who governs these interventions.

Static linkage: Climate change and environment, international climate negotiations.

GS area: Polity (judiciary), Society

The Cabinet approved the extension of the Fast Track Special Courts scheme until 31 March 2026. The courts were established in 2019 as a centrally sponsored scheme to address the backlog of cases involving sexual offences and crimes under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Key facts:

• Coverage: 761 courts operating across 30 states and union territories.
• Output: Over 1,95,000 cases resolved since establishment.
• Funding model: Centrally sponsored scheme with shared Centre-state financing.

Static linkage: Judiciary, criminal law, child protection.

GS area: Government schemes (Social Justice, Tribal Welfare)

The PM Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) Development Mission, known as PM JANMAN, entered its implementation phase. The scheme specifically targets the 75 PVTGs identified by the Dhebar Commission in 1960. Its scheme card:

• Geographic coverage: 18 states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Duration: Three years.
• Focus areas: Housing, all-weather roads, clean drinking water, healthcare, education, mobile connectivity, and financial inclusion.
• What distinguishes PVTGs from other tribal groups: PVTGs have pre-agricultural technology, a declining or stagnant population, and an extremely low level of literacy. Not all Scheduled Tribes qualify.

Static linkage: Tribal welfare, scheduled tribes (Polity and Society).

GS area: Economy, Environment

The government outlined the potential of pressmud, a byproduct of the sugar industry also called filter cake, for compressed biogas production. Pressmud is the residue left after juice extraction from sugarcane and is typically discarded or used as low-value fertiliser. The potential:

• Output estimate: 4,60,000 tonnes of compressed biogas from pressmud available across India.
• Estimated value: About Rs 2,484 crore annually.
• Process: Anaerobic digestion of pressmud produces biogas which can then be purified to compressed biogas for use as vehicle fuel or piped city gas.

This item links to the SATAT scheme and India's broader biofuel policy, which are reliable prelims targets.

Static linkage: Energy, waste management, biofuels.

GS area: Environment, Geography

Scientists coined the term tropicalisation to describe the migration of tropical ocean species toward the poles as sea temperatures rise. The phenomenon:

• Cause: Global ocean warming driven by climate change.
• Effect on fisheries: Cold-water species retreat toward the poles while tropical species colonise their former range. Local fishing communities lose access to familiar catch.
• Effect on carbon storage: Tropical fish communities are less efficient at exporting organic carbon to the deep ocean than the cold-water communities they replace.
• Effect on coastal tourism and reefs: Arrival of tropical herbivores can strip temperate kelp forests, altering entire coastal ecosystems.

Static linkage: Climate change, oceanography, fisheries.

GS area: Geography (India), Economy

Pampore in Kashmir is India's primary saffron-cultivation centre. A combination of climate change, erratic rainfall, and rapid urbanisation is shrinking the area under cultivation. Key comparison facts for examiners:

• Iran: Produces about 88 per cent of the world's saffron.
• India: Ranks second in area under saffron cultivation but produces only about 7 per cent of global output.
• GI tag: Kashmiri saffron holds a Geographical Indication tag.

Static linkage: Indian geography, agriculture and food production.

• Drones for Women SHGs: The government announced support for 15,000 selected women self-help groups to acquire drones for nano-fertiliser and pesticide spraying services. Central assistance covers 80 per cent of drone cost. Training is a 15-day program ending in mandatory drone-pilot certification.