Melting of Artic Sea Ice

• Why in News?Analysis shows that even if greenhouse gas emissions are sharply reduced, the Arctic will be ice-free in September in coming decades. The study also shows that if emissions decline slowly or continue to rise, the first ice-free summer could be in the 2030s, a decade earlier than previous projections.

  Since satellite records began in 1979, summer Arctic ice has shrunk by 13% a decade, in one of the clearest signs of the climate crisis.

   

  Impact of this melting

  • Faster melting of Arctic Sea ice leads to a vicious circle of more heating, because the dark ocean exposed as ice melts absorbs more heat from the sun.
  • The result is faster warming in the Arctic, and scientists have increasing evidence that this is weakening the jet stream and leading to more extreme weather events in North America, Europe and Asia.
  • Arctic heating also accelerated the melting of the Greenland ice cap, driving up sea level, and the melting of permafrost regions, releasing more greenhouse gases.

   

  Arctic Amplification

  • Since the mid-20th Century, average global temperatures have warmed about 0.6°C (1.1°F), but the warming has not occurred equally everywhere. Temperatures have increased about twice as fast in the Arctic as in the mid-latitudes, a phenomenon known as “Arctic amplification.”
  • The primary causes of Arctic amplification include ice-albedo feedback, lapse rate feedback, water vapor feedback, and ocean heat transport.
    • Thunderstorms, for instance, are much more likely to occur in the tropics than the higher latitudes. The storms transport heat from the surface to higher levels of the atmosphere, where global wind patterns sweep it toward higher latitudes.
    • The abundance of thunderstorms creates a near-constant flow of heat away from the tropics, a process that dampens warming near the equator and contributes to Arctic amplification.

 

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Disinflation in India

Why in news?

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently stated that India’s disinflation process is expected to be gradual and prolonged, with the 4% inflation target likely to be achieved only over the medium term.

Disinflation refers to a decrease in the rate of inflation, which means that prices are still rising but at a slower pace than before.

Deflation is sustained decrease in the overall price level.

A healthy amount of disinflation is necessary since it prevents the economy from overheating. An overheated economy is one that has experienced a prolonged period of good economic growth and activity that has led to high levels of inflation, triggered by increased consumer wealth.

Disinflation is considered the opposite of reflation, which occurs when a government stimulates an economy by increasing the money supply.

Disinflation can be caused by various factors:

• A slowdown in economic growth or demand
• A tight monetary policy or higher interest rates
• A fiscal consolidation or lower government spending
• A stronger exchange rates.

 

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Transgenic Crops

Why in news?

Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana, have deferred a proposal, approved by the Centre’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), to test a new kind of Transgenic Cotton Seed that contains a gene, Cry2Ai, that purportedly makes cotton resistant to pink bollworm, a major pest.

 

What are transgenic crops?

• Transgenic refers to an organism or cell whose genome has been altered by the introduction of one or more foreign DNA sequences from another species by artificial means.
• Transgenic crops are one of the types of GMO.

 

Bt cotton was approved by Government of India in March 2002 as the first transgenic crop for commercial cultivation for a period of three years. Bt cotton incorporates a gene from a bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which is effective against the American bollworm, the major pest on cotton.

 

Status of transgenic crops in India

There is an array of crops — brinjal, tomato, maize, chickpea — in various stages of trials that employ transgenic technology. However, cotton remains the only transgenic crop that is being commercially cultivated in India. In 2022 GEAC approved the environmental release of Mustard hybrid DMH-11 and its parental lines. Petitioners approached the Supreme Court asking for a stay on the release of the crop because it would encourage farmers to spray herbicides, which are banned in India.

Regulation of GM Crops in India

• In India, the regulation of all activities related to GMOs and products are regulated by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• A transgenic plant can apply for commercial clearance, only after it has proven to be demonstrably better than comparable non-GM variants on claimed parameters without posing ecological harm to other species that may be being cultivated in the vicinity.
• Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under MoEFCC is authorised to review, monitor and approve all activities including import, export, transport, manufacture, use or sale of GMO.
• GM foods are also subjected to regulations by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

 

 

 

RDAC

• Constituted by Dept of Bio Technology in 1990
• Review developments in biotechnology at national and international level and recommend safety regulations.

 

Institutional Biosafety Committee

• It is mandatory for each organisation involved in Recombinant DNA activities.
• Responsible for ensuring adherence to RDNA Safety Guidelines.
• Under DBT

 

Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation

• Regulatory Body functioning in DBT.
• Responsible for bringing out guidelines specifying procedures for conduct of GMO research as well as production, sale etc.

 

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee

• It is the apex Regulatory Committee functioning in MoEF&CC.
• Authorised to review, monitor and approve all activities involving large scale use of hazardous micro-organisms and recombinant research and industrial production.

 

State Biotechnology Coordination Committee

• Regulatory setup in each state where research and applications of GMOs are contemplated.
• The committee is chaired by chief secretary of the state.
• Empowered to inspect, investigate and to take punitive action.

 

District Level Committee

• It is the regulatory committee set up in each District. Headed by District Collector.
• Authorised to monitor and inspect the safety regulations.

 

 

Concerns

• Lack Nutritional Value: GM foods can sometimes lack nutritional value despite their increased production and pest resistance focus. This is because the emphasis is often placed on enhancing certain traits rather than nutritional content.
• Risks to Ecosystems: GM production can also pose risks to ecosystems and biodiversity. It may disrupt gene flow and harm indigenous varieties, leading to a loss of diversity in the long run.
• Trigger Allergic Reactions: Genetically modified foods have the potential to trigger allergic reactions since they are biologically altered. This can be problematic for ndividuals accustomed to conventional varieties.
• Endangered Animals: Wildlife is also at risk due to GM crops. For instance, genetically modified plants used for producing plastic or pharmaceuticals can endanger animals like mice or deer that consume crop debris left in fields after harvest.