Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 17th December 2024

2024 Arctic Report Card:

A recent report titled the 2024 Arctic Report Card by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that the Arctic, once a major carbon sink, is now becoming a carbon source due to ongoing climate-induced warming.

Key Findings of the Report:

• The Arctic is warming at an unprecedented rate, with 2024 marking the second-warmest year since records began in 1900.
• The Arctic’s summer of 2024 was the third warmest on record, with regions like Alaska and Canada experiencing extreme heat waves.
• Permafrost thaw is causing the Arctic tundra to switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source.
• Decomposing permafrost releases carbon dioxide and methane, accelerating global warming.
• Wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, releasing more carbon and extending the wildfire season.
• The extent and thickness of sea ice have reduced significantly over the past decades.
• The shorter sea ice season exposes more dark ocean surfaces, which absorb more heat and further contribute to warming.
• Arctic glaciers and the Greenland Ice Sheet continue to contribute meltwater to oceans, exacerbating global sea-level rise.
• Changes in the Arctic contribute to global challenges like coastal flooding, extreme weather events, and wildfires.
• The Arctic’s diminishing ability to store carbon underscores the need to urgently reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions to mitigate further risks.
• The reindeer or caribou are in decline due to climate change affecting Indigenous communities reliant on them for food and cultural practices.

Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT):

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has developed a newer version of its own Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT).

• Search and Rescue Aid Tool was launched in 2016 for facilitating search and rescue operations in the seas to locate individuals/vessels in distress in the shortest possible time.
• This has been initiated and developed under the Make in India program and developed by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).
• The tool uses model ensembling that accounts for uncertainties in the initial location as well as the last known time of the missing object, to locate the person or object with high probability.
• The movements of the missing objects are governed mainly by the currents and winds.
• The tool is based on model currents derived from a very high-resolution Regional Ocean Modelling System run operationally on High-Performance Computers at INCOIS.
• The user has the option to select up to 60 types of missing objects (based on shape and buoyancy).
• Users can select a specific point where the object was last seen using the interactive map or they can also select a coastal location, distance travelled and bearing angle so that the last known location of the missing object is estimated.
• The results generated are displayed in an interactive map depicting the probable area to be searched and are also sent as text messages to emails/mobile phones.
• All the requests and responses are provided in the languages of the coastal states so that local fishermen can use them immediately to search for their fellow fishermen in distress.
• In SARAT version 2, the position from which the search area expands has now been corrected to be the last known position of the object.
• It further offers improved visualizations for a better judgement of a probable area of finding the missing object, colour coding of search regions, and a marker for easier identification of the last known position of the object.

Humpback Whale:

In an astonishing feat, a male humpback whale has swum over 13,046 kilometres from South America to Africa, setting a new record for the longest whale migration ever documented.

• Humpback Whale gets its common name from the distinctive hump on its back.
• Its long pectoral fins inspired its scientific name, Megaptera, which means “big-winged”.
• Humpback females are larger than males.
• They are mainly black or greywith white undersides to their flukes, flippers and bellies.
• They also have large knobs on the head, jaws, and body, each knob being associated with one or two hairs.
• These whales live in all oceans around the world. They travel great distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet.
• They undertake long migrations between polar feeding grounds in summer and tropical or subtropical breeding grounds in winter.
• Humpbacks use a unique method of feeding called bubble netting, in which bubbles are exhaled as the whale swims in a spiral below a patch of water dense with food.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • CITES: Appendix I

National Energy Conservation Award:

The Vice President of India Felicitates Winners of National Energy Conservation Award.

• National Energy Conservation Award is an initiative by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power.
• It was instituted in 1991, alongside the declaration of National Energy Conservation Day (December 14).
• These awards honour the exceptional efforts of industrial units, institutions, and establishments that have significantly reduced energy consumption while maintaining or enhancing their operational efficiency.
• The Award Committee, chaired by the Secretary (Power), reviews and approves the sectors eligible for the NECA.
• The applications submitted are evaluated by a Technical Committee, chaired by the Member (Thermal), Central Electricity Authority (CEA), and comprising representatives from the Ministry of Railways, Central Electricity Authority, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), National Productivity Council (NPC), Central Pulp and Paper Research Institute (CPPRI), and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
• Afterward, the Technical Committee’s recommendations are submitted to the Award Committee for final consideration and approval.
• The selected awardees from various sectors are then honored and felicitated on National Energy Conservation Day

Jalvahak Scheme:

The Union Government launched the ‘Jalvahak’ scheme to incentivise cargo movement via inland waterways.

• Jalvahak Scheme aims to unlock the trade potential of inland waterways while reducing logistics costs and decongesting road and rail networks.
• Under the scheme, cargo owners transporting goods over distances exceeding 300 km via waterways will receive up to 35 per cent reimbursement on operating costs.
• The scheme will remain valid for three years and is designed to optimise supply chains for major shipping companies, freight forwarders, and trade bodies.
• It is a major step towards promoting sustainable and cost-effective transportation across National Waterways 1 (Ganga), 2 (Brahmaputra), and 16 (Barak river).
• The Jalvahak scheme incentivises long-haul cargo transport and ensures timely delivery through regular freight services.
• This marks the beginning of fixed Scheduled Service of Cargo Vessels from Haldia for NW 1 and NW 2.
• The Fixed Day Scheduled Sailing Service will ply vessels between the Kolkata – Patna – Varanasi – Patna – Kolkata stretch of NW 1 and between Kolkata and Pandu in Guwahati on NW 2 via Indo Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR).
• It is jointly implemented by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Inland & Coastal Shipping Ltd (ICSL).

Santa Ana Wind:

Experts suggest that Santa Ana winds and climate change are fueling wildfires in Malibu coastal town of Malibu, California.

• Santa Ana Wind is named after Southern California’s Santa Ana Canyon.
• Santa Ana winds are dry and warm (often hot) winds in the Southern California area that blow in from the desert — which includes the Great Basin of the western United States.
• Santa Ana winds blow when high pressure builds over the Great Basin — the area between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada (a mountain range in the Western United States) — and the pressure is low over California’s coast.
• The difference in pressure triggers the movement of powerful winds from the Basin’s inland deserts, east and north of Southern California, over the mountains toward the Pacific Ocean.
• As the wind comes down the mountains, it compresses and heats up.
• The wind’s humidity also drops, sometimes to less than 20% or even less than 10%. The extremely low moisture turns vegetation dry, making it ready to burn.
• Winter weather patterns allow high pressure to build near the surface of the Great Basin, which then interacts with low-pressure air over the Pacific.
• Santa Ana winds usually occur from October to January.

Little Bunting : Spotted

A little bunting bird, never before seen in Rajasthan, has been spotted in Mount Abu recently.

• Little Bunting is a passerine bird belonging to the bunting family (Emberizidae).
• Scientific Name: Emberiza pusilla
• It breeds across the taiga of the far northeast of Europeand northern Euro Siberia to the Russian Far East.
• It is migratory, wintering in the subtropics in northern India, southern China,and the northern parts of Southeast Asia.
• It has white underparts with dark streaking on the breast and sides.
• With its chestnut face and white malar stripe, it resembles a small female reed bunting but has black crown stripes, a white eye ring, and a fine dark border to the rear of its chestnut cheeks.
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Golan Heights:

Israel recently agreed to double its population on the occupied Golan Heights.

• Golan Heights is a hilly area overlooking the upper Jordan River valley on the west.
• It is a Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.
• The area’s name is from the biblical city of refuge Golan in Bashan.
• It is bounded by the Jordan River and the Sea of Galileeon the west, Mount Hermon on the north, the seasonal Wadi Al-Ruqqād River on the east, and the Yarmūk River on the south.
• It extends about 71 km from north to south and about 43 km from east to west at its widest point.
• It is roughly boat-shaped and has an area of 1,150 sq.km.
• The Syrian capital, Damascus, can be clearly seen from the top of the Golan Hills.
• It overlooks northern Israel’s Galilee region and the Sea of Galilee and dominates the route to Damascus on the Syrian-controlled side.
• Importantly, the Golan Heights shares a border with Jordan and Lebanon.
• The area is also a key source of water for an arid region. Rainwater from the Golan’s catchment feeds into the Jordan River.

Kerch Strait:

A Russian oil tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of oil products split apart during a heavy storm recently, spilling oil into the Kerch Strait.

• The Kerch Strait is in Eastern Europe and is the only water body that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov.
• The Romans called it the Strait of Cimmerian Bosphorus. In Greek, it was known as the Cimmerian strait.
• It separates the Kerch Peninsula (part of the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula) towards the west from the Taman Peninsula (Russia), lying in the east.
• It is about 3 km long, 15 km broad, and 18 metres deep.
• At its narrowest point, which lies at the northern end of the Chushka Land spit, it is only three to five kilometres wide.
• The city of Kerchlies near the middle of the strait, on the Crimean side.
• It is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.
• It has also been a key point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Khiamniungan Tribe : In News

The Nagaland Tourism Department recently issued a formal apology to the Khiamniungan Union Kohima following the omission of the Khiamniungan Tribe’s name in the Heritage Guide Map displayed during the Hornbill Festival 2024.

• The Khiamniungan tribe is one of the major tribes among the Nagas, with habitation both in India and Myanmar.
  Geographically, the land of Khiamniungans is located in the Eastern part of Nagaland and in the North-Western part of Myanmar.
• The nomenclature of the tribe ‘Khiamniungan’ is a compound word formed by three words: ‘Khiam’ means water, ‘Niu’ means great and ‘Ngan’ means source.
• Thus, the meaning of the term Khiamniungan is ‘source of great water or river’.
• According to the 2011 census, the total population of the Khiamniungan tribe in India is 61,983.
• Tsokum is one of the most important and significant festivals which is celebrated with great pomp and gaity.
• Khaotzao Sey Hok-ah sumai (Festival) is another important festival of Khiamniungan Naga which marks the end of all agricultural activities for the year.

Henderson Doctrine : In News

The Supreme Court explained Henderson doctrine, a natural corollary of the Indian doctrine of constructive Res-judicata.

• Propounded in the English case of Henderson versus Henderson, 1843, the doctrine suggests that all the issues arising in the litigation out of the same subject matter must be addressed in a single suit.
• The doctrine bars relitigating issues that could or should have been raised in prior proceedings.
• It held that where a given matter becomes the subject of litigation and the adjudication of a court of competent jurisdiction, the parties so litigating are required to bring forward their whole case.
• It was further held that the principle of res judicata applies not only to points upon which the Court was called upon by the parties to adjudicate and pronounce a judgement but to every possible or probable point or issue that properly belonged to the subject of litigation and the parties ought to have brought forward at the time.
• It ensures that litigants are not subjected to repetitive and vexatious legal challenges.
• At its core, the principle stipulates that all claims and issues that could and should have been raised in an earlier proceeding are barred from being raised in subsequent litigation, except in exceptional circumstances.
• Res judicata literally means ‘the thing has been judged”.
• It is also known as claim preclusion.

Carbon Market:

With COP29 approving standards for establishing an international carbon market, countries aim to create a structured mechanism for trading carbon credits and offsets to meet their climate goals effectively.A carbon market enables the trading of carbon credits, granting the holder the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide (CO2) or its equivalent.

Rajmarg Saathi:

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched ‘Rajmarg Saathi’, a modernized Route Patrolling Vehicle (RPV) system to enhance highway safety, emergency response, and road maintenance efficiency.Rajmarg Saathi is Upgraded Route Patrolling Vehicles (RPVs) designed for efficient highway patrolling and incident management.

Mumbai Clinches Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024:

Mumbai showcased a stellar performance to defeat Madhya Pradesh by five wickets and claim the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024. The final, highlighted Mumbai’s depth in batting and resilience under pressure. Despite a valiant effort by MP skipper Rajat Patidar, whose unbeaten 81 anchored his team’s innings, Mumbai successfully chased a challenging target of 175 in just 17.5 overs, showcasing their dominance in the T20 format.

Cyclone Chido:

Cyclone Chido, a Category 4 storm, caused widespread destruction in Mayotte before making landfall in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province on December 15, 2024. This powerful storm wreaked havoc on Mayotte, leaving entire neighborhoods flattened and causing severe damage. After crossing the Mozambique Channel, Cyclone Chido intensified and impacted northern Mozambique, with strong winds exceeding 200 km/h and heavy rainfall, threatening lives and properties.

Nupi Lal Numit 2024:

Manipur recently commemorated Nupi Lal Numit 2024, a significant event honoring the courage and resilience of the women who fought for justice and freedom in the Nupi Lal uprisings of 1904 and 1939. The commemoration was led by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh at the Nupi Lal Memorial Complex. This day not only highlights the pivotal role of Manipuri women in history but also celebrates their continued progress in various sectors.

Mount Semeru Eruption in East Java:

Mount Semeru, located in East Java, Indonesia, erupted on 15th December, spewing a thick column of white-to-grey ash rising up to 1,000 meters into the sky. This eruption prompted an aviation warning from Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, which issued an orange Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation. Flight restrictions were placed within a 5-kilometer radius of the volcano.

Dark Eagle Hypersonic Missile:

The U.S. military has successfully tested its Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), also known as “Dark Eagle,” bringing it closer to being fielded as a crucial asset in modern warfare. The test, conducted at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, demonstrated the missile’s ability to travel at speeds exceeding 3,800 miles per hour (Mach 5), and its capability to strike distant and well-defended targets.