15 December 2024

• Environment: COP29 approved standards for international carbon credit trading under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, after years of stalling.
• Parliament: Both Houses of Parliament observed the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament attack. The constitutional debate on 75 years was approaching (13-17 December).
• Shipping: The Jalvahak waterways cargo incentive scheme was gaining traction on the NW-1, NW-2 and NW-16 waterways.
• Wildlife: Olive Ridley nesting advisories were issued for Odisha's Gahirmatha and Rushikulya beaches ahead of the mass nesting (arribada) season.

GS area: Environment, Economy

COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan approved rulebook standards for the Article 6.4 mechanism of the Paris Agreement, establishing the first globally regulated voluntary carbon market.

• Carbon market basics: A mechanism where one credit represents one tonne of CO2 emissions avoided or removed. Polluters buy credits to offset their own emissions.
• Historical origin: The concept originated in the US in the 1990s for sulphur dioxide control. The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was its predecessor.
• Paris Agreement provisions:
  • Article 6.2: Bilateral "cooperative approaches" between countries for carbon credit transfer.
  • Article 6.4: A UN-supervised centralised carbon credit mechanism for voluntary market participants. COP29's approval of the standards was the key step.
• India's commitments: India targets a 45 per cent reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 (vs 2005 levels).
• India's existing schemes: Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency; Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) market; Energy Conservation Act, 2022 amendment enabling India's own carbon market.
• Limitations: Price volatility, loopholes in credit certification, limited access for small businesses in developing nations.

Static linkage: Environment (Paris Agreement, carbon markets, COP29).

GS area: Economy, Governance

The Jalvahak incentive scheme under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways encouraged cargo movement by inland waterways.

• Scheme features: Reimburses up to 35 per cent of freight charges for cargo transported more than 300 km by waterway.
• Waterways covered: National Waterway 1 (Ganga, Allahabad to Haldia, 1,620 km), National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra, Dhubri to Sadiya, 891 km) and National Waterway 16 (Barak River, 121 km).
• Target: 800 million tonne-kilometres of cargo by 2027.
• Validity: Three years from launch.
• Why it matters: Waterways transport cost is about 1 to 1.5 rupees per tonne-km versus 2.5 rupees by rail and 6 rupees by road. Waterways also reduce carbon emissions and road congestion.
• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI): A statutory body set up in 1986 under the IWAI Act to develop and regulate national waterways.

Static linkage: Economy (transport, infrastructure, IWAI), government schemes.

GS area: Environment, Geography

Advisories were issued for fishing vessel management near Odisha's Olive Ridley nesting beaches ahead of the mass nesting season.

• Scientific name: Lepidochaelys olivacea.
• Size: 62 to 70 cm carapace length, weighing 35 to 45 kg. Among the smallest sea turtles.
• IUCN status: Vulnerable.
• Protection in India: Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (highest protection level). Also under CITES Appendix I (commercial trade banned).
• Mass nesting (arribada): A unique behaviour where thousands of females come ashore simultaneously on the same beach to nest. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha is the world's largest Olive Ridley rookery.
• Other key nesting sites: Rushikulya river mouth (Odisha), Devi river mouth (Odisha), Bhitarkanika coast.
• Threats: Accidental entanglement in fishing trawler nets (by-catch), light pollution disorienting hatchlings, beach erosion and ocean plastic.
• Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs): Mandatory for mechanised fishing vessels operating near nesting beaches. They allow turtles to escape nets.

Static linkage: Environment (sea turtles, CITES, Wildlife Protection Act, Odisha).

GS area: Polity

Both Houses of Parliament held special sittings to mark 75 years of the Constitution (adopted 26 November 1949, in force 26 January 1950).

• Lok Sabha debate: 13 to 14 December 2024.
• Rajya Sabha debate: 16 to 17 December 2024.
• Constitution Day: 26 November is observed as Samvidhan Diwas (Constitution Day) since 2015, marking the day the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution in 1949.
• Preamble revision history: The 42nd Amendment (1976) inserted the words "Socialist" and "Secular" into the Preamble. A Supreme Court Constitution Bench reaffirmed in 2024 that these words remain valid.
• Three-tier structure: The Constitution structures governance at Union, State and Panchayat/Municipality levels (the 73rd and 74th Amendments added the third tier in 1992-93).

Static linkage: Polity (Constitution, Preamble, Parliament, Constituent Assembly).

GS area: Polity, Social Issues

A Supreme Court Public Interest Litigation raised the question of whether the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) applies to political parties.

• POSH Act framework: Mandates all organisations with 10 or more employees to form an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). A complaint must be filed within three months of the incident.
• Coverage: Permanent, temporary, contract, daily wage workers, interns and volunteers.
• Penalty for non-compliance: Up to 50,000 rupees fine and cancellation of business licence.
• Kerala HC 2022 ruling: Held that POSH Act does not apply to political parties because there is no employer-employee relationship between a party and its members.
• Supreme Court PIL: Challenged the Kerala HC view and sought clarity on whether party offices and activities constitute a "workplace" under the Act.

Static linkage: Polity (fundamental rights, gender justice, POSH Act).

GS area: Environment, Geography

Russian oil tankers collided in the Kerch Strait during a storm, causing a significant oil spill.

• Kerch Strait geography: A narrow channel connecting the Black Sea (south) and the Sea of Azov (north). Located between Russia's Taman Peninsula (east) and the Crimean Peninsula (west).
• Strategic significance: The primary maritime route for Russia's crude oil, grain, LNG and coal exports from Black Sea ports such as Novorossiysk.
• Crimea bridge: The Kerch Bridge (Crimea Bridge), completed in 2018, crosses the strait at 19 km length. It was damaged by Ukraine in 2022.
• Oil spill impact: Affects bird life (wintering waterfowl on the Sea of Azov and Black Sea), fisheries and beach ecosystems.
• MARPOL Convention: The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships governs marine oil pollution. Russia is a signatory.

Static linkage: Geography (Kerch Strait, Black Sea, Sea of Azov), environment (oil spills, MARPOL).

• Santa Ana Winds, California: Hot, dry winds reaching 80 mph from the Great Basin high-pressure system down the coastal mountains toward Los Angeles. They peak in fall and winter. Associated with wildfire risk in Southern California.
• Apiculture (beekeeping): Government schemes under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) promote apiculture for farmer income supplementation and pollination services. Key species: Apis mellifera (European, high honey yield), Apis cerana (Asian, small-scale suited) and stingless Trigona bees (medicinal honey).