Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the recent report findings and about IPCC) + Mains ( GS III environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released T presents the most recent evidence on how the different uses of land - forests, agriculture, urbanisation - are affecting and getting affected by climate change.
• The core findings are crystal clear: climate change is threatening the world's food supply, even as the way we produce food fuels global warming.

• Rising temperatures in tropical zones are starting to shrink yields, displace staple crops, and sap essential nutrients from food plants. At the same time, the global food system - from farm to food court - accounts for at least a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Land use, and changes in land use, have always been an integral part of the conversation on climate change. That is because land acts as both the source as well as a sink of carbon.
• Activities like agriculture and cattle rearing, for example, are a major source of methane and nitrous oxide, both of which are hundreds of times more dangerous than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
• At the same time, soil, trees, plantations, and forests absorb carbon dioxide for the natural process of photosynthesis, thus reducing the overall carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere.
• This is the reason why largescale land use changes, like deforestation or urbanisation, or even a change in cropping pattern, have a direct impact on the overall emissions of greenhouse gases.
• It is clear that reducing the demand for meat in diets is an important approach to lowering the environmental impact of the food system.
• The animals also belch huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. On average, beef requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more greenhouse gases per unit of edible protein than basic plant proteins, notes the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based policy think tank.
• For all these reasons, the IPCC concludes, gravitating towards "balanced diets, featuring plant-based foods" would hugely help the climate change cause.

• This is the first time that the IPCC, whose job it is to assess already-published scientific literature to update our knowledge of climate change science, has focused its attention solely on the land sector.
• It is part of a series of special reports that IPCC is doing in the run-up to the sixth edition of its main report, blandly called the Assessment Reports, that is due around 2022.
• Last year, the IPCC had produced a special report on the feasibility of restricting global rise in temperature to within 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times. These reports were sought by governments to get a clearer picture of specific aspects of climate change.
• The current report talks about the contribution of land-related activities to global warming - how the different uses of land, like agriculture, industry, forestry, cattle-rearing, and urbanisation, was affecting emissions of greenhouse gases. An important part of the report talks about the manner in which even existential activities like food production contributes to global warming and is also affected by it.
• The report says that if pre-production activities like cattle rearing and post-production activities like transport, energy and food processing, is taken into account, then food production could contribute as much as 37 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions every year.
• It points out that nearly 25 per cent of all food produced is either lost or wasted. And even the decomposition of the waste releases emissions.
• Land and ocean together absorb nearly 50 per cent of greenhouse gases emitted every year through natural processes in the carbon cycle. The importance of land, or ocean, as a carbon sink, thus cannot be overstated in the global fight against climate change. That is why afforestation, and reduction in deforestation, are vital approaches in a global strategy to combat climate change.
• India's action plan on climate change too, has a very important component on forests. India has promised that it would create an additional carbon sink of about 2.5 billion to 3 billion tonnes by the year 2032 by increasing its forest cover, and planting more trees.

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations, dedicated to providing the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change, its natural, political and economic impacts and risks, and possible response options.
• The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and later endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly.
• Membership is open to all members of the WMO and UN. The IPCC produces reports that contribute to the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the main international treaty on climate change.
• The objective of the UNFCCC is to "stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic (human-induced) interference with the climate system

Prelims Factoids
BCCI finally comes under NADA, first step towards becoming National Sports Federation
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NADA and about national sports federation)
What's the NEWS

• Ending years of defiance, the BCCI agreed to come under the ambit of the National Anti-Doping Agency, the landmark decision opening up the possibility of the behemoth becoming a sports federation (NSF) as per government norms.

Benefits of coming under NSF

• The implication of this development is expected to be massive as BCCI now becomes a designated National Sports Federation (NSF) and will face more pressure to come under the government's Right To Information (RTI) Act.
• The BCCI raised three issues before us about the quality of the dope testing kits, competence of pathologists and sample collection. NSF assured them that whatever facilities they want, NSF will provide but there will be some charge for it.
• The BCCI had been vehemently opposed to signing up with NADA, calling itself an autonomous body, and not a National Sports Federation which relies on government funding.
• The rule towards becoming a National Sports Federation requires a sporting body to receive a certain amount of grant from the government.

Know! the Whereabouts clause

• The Board's primary concern was the contentious 'Whereabouts Clause' with regards to Out of Competition Testing, something that all star India players have been wary of as they considered it an invasion of their privacy.
• The 'Whereabouts Clause' requires every athlete on Registered Testing Pool (RTP) to fill up a declaration form wherein he/she would have to mention three specific dates in a year when they are not competing but are available for NADA's Dope Control Officer (DCO) for sample collection.
•  If any athlete fails to appear on all the specified dates, it invites sanctions for breach of the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) Code.

Know! about NADA

• The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) is the national organisation responsible for promoting, coordinating, and monitoring the doping control program in sports in all its forms in India.
• NADA deals with adopting and implementing anti-doping rules and policies which conform with the World Anti-Doping agency, cooperates with other anti-doping organisations and promotes anti-doping research and education.
• NADA is formed by the Union Government under the societies Registration Act. NADA includes scientists and representatives from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)

Government Schemes
Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha drive launched to promote water conservation awareness among school students
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the facts of samagra shiksha) + Mains ( GSIII environment conservation +
What's the NEWS

• Union HRD Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' has launched the ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha' drive to create awareness about Water Conservation among all school students in the country.

Know! more about the drive

• It is a time bound campaign with a mission mode approach.
• This concept of water conservation is essential for students so that they can understand the importance of water and how it is shaping their lives meaningfully, thereby enabling them to participate in water conservation activities in their day to day lives.
• The Department of School Education & Literacy, MHRD has launched the ‘Samagra Shiksha-Jal Suraksha' drive to promote water conservation activities for School Students, so that they can become competent, conscientious and committed water citizens of our nation.
• The department has prepared a detailed outline to implement this programme in all the schools of the country.

Five Major Objectives:

1. To educate students learn about conservation of water
2. To sensitize Students about the impact of scarcity of water
3. To empower Students to learn to protect the natural sources of water
4. To help every Student to save at least one litre of water per day
5. To encourage Students towards judicious use and minimum wastage of water at home and school level

Target
One Student - One Day - Save One Litre Water
One Student - One Year - Save 365 Litres Water
One Student - 10 Years - Save 3650 Litres Water

Environment Conservation
At CITES, India to seek boost to protection status of 5 species

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the 5 species and about CITES) + Mains ( GS III environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES secretariat meeting, scheduled later this month in Geneva, Switzerland.

Know! about CITES

• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to a vast array of wildlife products derived from them, including food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines.
• CITES is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties - in other words they have to implement the Convention - it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.

Know! about the proposed submission by India

• The proposals submitted are regarding changes in the listing of the smooth-coated otter, small-clawed otter, Indian star tortoise, Tokay gecko, wedgefish and Indian rosewood.
• The country seeks to boost the protection of all the five animal species as they are facing a high risk of international trade.
• For the Indian rosewood, the proposal is to remove the species from CITES Appendix II. The species covered by CITES are listed in three appendices on the degree of protection they require.
• India is among the parties proposing the re-listing of the star tortoise from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I. The species faces two threats: loss of habitat to agriculture and illegal harvesting for the pet trade.
• With regard to the two otter species, India, Nepal and the Philippines have proposed that the listing be moved from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I for the more endangered species. A similar proposal has been made to include the Tokay gecko in Appendix I.
  
  

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