Current Affairs 18 October 2022 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 18 October 2022 focuses on Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Indian Coal Mining and Emission

Source : Global Energy Monitor
GS III : Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

What is discussed under Indian Coal Mining and Emission?

1. Situation in India
2. How this impact IEA roadmap for Net Zero 2030?
3. India’s Coal Mining 

Why in News ?

Coal mining emits 52.3 million tonnes of methane per year according to new mine-level data and modelling from Global Energy Monitor.

What the Report Says?

• New coal mine projects currently under development would further emit 11.3 million tonnes of methane per year if the projects executed.
• It would reach new emissions that are equal to the CO2 emissions the US produces from coal.
• The majority of methane emissions from coal mines worldwide come from Shanxi, China.
  • China produces roughly 13.1 Mt more methane from coal mines as compared to world combined (13.8 Mt).

    

• Methane makes up up to 50% of the greenhouse gas profile of the gasiest coal mines.
• In all, 50 companies are responsible for over half (30 Mt) of the world’s coal mine methane emissions.
  • These are headquartered in just twelve countries: China, USA, India, UK, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, North Korea, South Africa, and Vietnam.

Situation in India

• India’s coal mines use only two-thirds of the capacity with some large ones using only 1%.
• The creation of additional coal mining locations is also anticipated to have significant negative effects on people and the environment.
  • At least 165 villages and 87,630 families could be displaced by the mines under construction.
  • More than 41,000 of which reside in Fifth Schedule Areas with predominately tribal populations.
  • This threatens to worsen current water shortages by adding 168,041 kiloliters per day to India’s water consumption.

How Coal is formed? : Coal is formed due the compression of plant material over millions of years.

How this impact IEA roadmap for Net Zero 2030?

• In order to achieve Net Zero 2030 proposed by International Atomic Agency coal mine methane emissions must fall 11% each year until 2030, according to GEM’s analysis.
• The reason is Mining receives less scrutiny in climate governance.
• Outright cancellation of new mine projects is the only way to guarantee zero emissions.

Global Energy Monitor (GEM)

• Global Energy Monitor is a mission-driven Non-Profit organization.
• It conducts research on the changing global energy landscape and develops databases, publications, and interactive tools to aid with comprehension.
• GEM seeks to make reliable energy data available to the world.

India’s Coal Mining 

• The most readily available fossil fuel in India is coal.
• It meets a sizable portion of the country’s energy requirements.
• It is used to generate electricity, provide energy to industries, and meet home demands.
• India relies heavily on coal to meet its needs for commercial energy.
• Coal India, the world’s largest coal producer, is the only non-Chinese state owned entity to rank in the Top 10.

Previous Year Questions

Q. “In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”. Discuss. (2017)

Global Multidimensional Poverty Index MPI 2022

Source : The Hindu
GS II : Issues relating to poverty and hunger

What is discussed under MPI 2022?

1. About MPI 2022

Why in News ?

Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2022 was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI).

Key Facts

• 41.5 crore people exited poverty in India during the 15-year period between 2005-06 and 2019-21.

  

• Out of which two-thirds exited in the first 10 years and one-third in the next five years.
• Poverty fell from 55.1% in 2005/06 to 16.4% in 2019/21 in the country.
• Bihar, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan —remain among the 10 poorest.
• India has 22.8 crore poor people, followed by Nigeria at 9.6 crore.
• Two-thirds of these people live in a household in which at least one person is deprived in nutrition.
• According to the report the Covid-19 pandemic could set back the progress made in poverty reduction globally by 3-10 years.
• Fastest reduction in relative terms was in Goa, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Global Scenario

• Total 610 crore people across 111 developing countries, 19.1% or 120 crore live in multidimensional poverty.
• Nearly half of them live in severe poverty.
• Improvement in MPI for India has significantly contributed to the decline in poverty in South Asia.
• The number of poor people is highest in Sub Saharan Africa (579 million), followed by South Asia (385 million).

About Multidimensional Poverty Index MPI 2022

• MPI is calculated by multiplying the incidence of poverty and the average intensity of poverty.
• MPI ranges from 0 to 1, and higher values imply higher poverty.
• MPI monitors deprivations in 10 indicators spanning health, education and standard of living.

GEM Report: Coal Mines in India Under-Utilised

Source: Hindu
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies

What is discussed under GEM Report: Coal Mines in India Under-Utilised?

1. Key Highlights of the GEM Report
2. Concerns regarding the construction of coal mines
3. Increasing risk of displacement

Why in News?

According to Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a corporation that measures fuel-source utilisation globally, India’s coal mines use barely two-thirds of their capacity on average, with some huge ones using below 1%.

Key Highlights of the GEM Report

• 99 of India’s coal mining projects, which are scheduled to generate 427 MTPA (million tonnes per year), are unnecessary, and building new coal mines will not help to alleviate short-term supply constraints.

  

• At least twice in 2021, India had significant coal crises, with coal stockpiles at more than 100 of 285 thermal power reactors falling below the crucial point of 25% of the necessary stock.
• It decreased below 10% in over 50 plants.
• Several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, had power outages as a result.

Concerns regarding the construction of coal mines

• India’s proposed new coal mining capacity of 427 MTPA is second only to China’s 596 MTPA.
• To relocate at least 165 villages and harm 87,630 families, about half of whom reside in indigenous tribes.
  • There are 22,686 ha of agricultural land and 19,297 ha of forest.
• The new coal plants will worsen water scarcity by boosting demand by 1,68,041 kilolitres per day.
  • 159 MTPA (37%) of the new capacity will be situated in high-risk water zones, while 230 MTPA (54%) is planned for extreme water risk zones.

Increasing risk of displacement

• Following India’s Prime Minister’s announcement of a net zero aim for 2070, these new mines will:
  • Increase the possibility of stranded assets in India.
  • Delay the transition to a sustainable energy future.
  • Have permanent effects on rural populations and the environment in India.
• The sector has approximately 100 million tonnes of idle capacity at active mine sites in several important mining regions, such as Jharkhand and Odisha, accounting for more than 40% of underutilised mine capacity.
• As a result, the new mines will not address the industry’s long-standing problems.
• The irony of this expansion is that by constructing additional mines now, the sector’s shortcomings and inefficiencies may be exacerbated tomorrow, especially if competition from renewables and land use issues develop.

New Varieties of Neelakurinji Flowers

Source: Hindu
GS III: Environment and Conservation

What is discussed under the New Varieties of Neelakurinji Flowers?

1. About Neelakurinji
2. New Varieties Discovered

Why in News?

• New varieties of neelakurinji have been discovered in the Santhanpara area of the Western Ghats.
• The bloom seen in Kallippara is of the gregarious flowering (massive flowering) variety.

About Neelakurinji

• It is a shrub found in the Western Ghats shola forests of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
• The blooms, known locally as Kurinji, grow at elevations ranging from 1,300 to 2,400 metres.

  

• The name Nilgiri Hills, which literally means “blue mountains,” comes from the purplish blue blooms of Neelakurinji, which bloom just once every 12 years.
• The Kurinjimala Sanctuary in Kerala preserves the kurinji in a 32-square-kilometre core habitat in the villages of Kottakamboor and Vattavada in the Idukki district.
• These plants are also preserved in the Kurinji Andavar temple in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, which is devoted to the Tamil God Murugan.
• It was used as a reference by the Paliyan tribal people of Tamil Nadu to determine their age.
• Karnataka contains over 45 species of Neelakurinji, with each species blooming every six, nine, eleven, or twelve years.
• Apart from the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji may also be found in the Shevroy in the Eastern Ghats and the Sanduru hills in Karnataka’s Bellary district.
• Experts have found almost 100 populations of the Strobilanthes kunthiana variant from the Mangaladevi mountains to Coorg in Karnataka.

New Varieties Discovered

• The scientific name of Neelakurinji is Strobilanthes kunthiana.
• In addition to Strobilanthes kunthiana, other recognised neelakurinji flowers from the hill ranges are:
  • Strobilanthes anamallaica
  • Strobilanthes heyneanus
  • Strobilanthes pulnyensis
  • Strobilanthes neoasper
• All of these neelakurinji species are found only in the Western Ghats and cover about 200 acres of the Kallippara hills.
• After the protected regions of Munnar, the neelakurinji population here is one of the largest of the species.
• A wide range of therapeutic plants has also been discovered on the slopes.

India’s First Aluminum Freight Rake

Source: PIB
GS II: Policies and Developmental Studies

What is discussed under India’s First Aluminum Freight Rake?

1. Features of Aluminum Freight Rake
2. Indian Railways and Hindalco’s Ambitious Project

Why in News?

Union Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology, launched India’s First Aluminum Freight Rake – 61 BOBRNALHSM1 at Bhubaneswar Railway Station.

Key Highlights

• Besco Limited Wagon Division, an Indian wagon manufacturer, teamed up with Hindalco, an Indian aluminium company, to create a new form of railway rake.
• It is the first aluminium rake made in India for Indian Railways freight trains.
• The new rakes, which weigh 180 tonnes less than standard ones, will allow faster speeds, more significant freight, and lower power use.
• The wagons were built using high-strength aluminium alloy plates at Hindalco’s Hirakud factory, around 300 kilometres from Bhubaneswar.

Features of Aluminum Freight Rake

• Reduce carbon footprint:
  • The bottom discharge aluminium freight wagon, particularly built to transport coal, is tilted to significantly decrease the carbon footprint.
  • The lifetime CO2 savings are 8-10 tonnes for every 100 kg weight decrease of the wagon.
  • This equates to a CO2 savings of around 14,500 tonnes for a single rake.
• More carrying capacity
  • The aluminium-made rakes are 180 tonnes lighter than existing steel rakes; they can carry 5-10 per cent more load.
  • Has a higher payload-to-tare ratio of 2.85.
• Consume less energy
• Corrosion-resistant
  • Lower maintenance cost due to higher corrosion and abrasion resistance.
• Recyclable
  • 80% is the resale value of the rakes.

    

Indian Railways and Hindalco’s Ambitious Project

• Despite being 35% more expensive to produce than standard rakes, aluminium waggons are predicted to survive 10 years longer and have a greater resale value.
• The new rake will allow for the transport of 180 tonnes more cargo.
• This initiative should also assist India in reducing nickel and cadmium imports in favour of the native aluminium sector.
• According to a press statement from Hindalco, the Indian Railways and Hindalco are proposing a 15-20% shift to aluminium wagons.
• Given that Indian Railways plans to deploy over 100,000 wagons over the next five years, the use of aluminium wagons would considerably assist the country in meeting its climate targets.

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