India Withdraws Bid to Host COP 33 in 2028
Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- India has withdrawn its candidature to host COP33 (2028) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change process.
- Possible Reasons for Withdrawal
- Administrative Burden: Hosting a COP event requires substantial infrastructure, security, and financial expenditure.
- Preparations for other large-scale international events, such as the proposed 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, will require similar administrative and financial resources.
- Political Timing: The year 2028 falls close to the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, which is a period marked by intense administrative, political, and logistical engagements.
- Impact of India withdrawal
- India’s withdrawal from hosting COP33 results in the loss of an important global platform to project itself as a leader of the Global South in climate negotiations.
- India loses an opportunity to highlight its progress in renewable energy, energy transition, and sustainable development initiatives before the global community.
- The decision may limit global attention on the climate vulnerabilities of South Asia, which is one of the most climate-sensitive regions.
- Hosting such global events helps in mobilising climate finance, technology transfer, and international collaborations, which may now be relatively constrained.
- What is COP (Conference of Parties)?
- The Conference of Parties (COP) is the annual supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- It brings together nearly 200 countries to negotiate global climate action, climate finance, and emission reduction commitments.
- The first COP session was held in Berlin, Germany, in March 1995.
- Meeting: The COP meets every year, unless the Parties decide otherwise.
- The COP Presidency rotates among the five recognized UN regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Others.
- The COP meets in Bonn, unless a Party offers to host the session.
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
- UNFCCC is one of the three Rio Conventions, which were adopted at the Earth Summit 1992 alongside the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
- The convention entered into force in 1994.
- The primary objective of the UNFCCC is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.
- Secretariat: The UNFCCC secretariat is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
- Major Instruments: It is the parent treaty to two major legal agreements:
- Kyoto Protocol (1997): Set the emission targets for developed countries.
- Paris Agreement (2015): A landmark universal agreement aiming to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably 1.5°C, above pre-industrial levels.
- Financial Mechanisms: Manages and coordinates funds such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Adaptation Fund to assist developing nations.
- Recent COP Meetings
- COP27: Held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (2022).
- COP28: Held in Dubai, UAE (2023), resulting in the “UAE Consensus” focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels.
- COP 29: held in Baku, Azerbaijan (2024)
- COP 30: Held in Belém, Brazil (2025)
- COP 31: Scheduled for Antalya, Türkiye (2026)
- Source: DTE
Plan for Great Nicobar Island Projects
Syllabus: GS3/ Infrastructure/ Environment
Context
- The draft master plan for developing the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) has proposed to focus on tourism as the “primary economic driver” of growth.
- Great Nicobar Island project
- The project received Stage-I clearance in 2022.
- Implementing authority: The project is being implemented by the Port Blair-based Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Ltd (ANIIDCO).
- The Project involves developing an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), an international airport, township development, and a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant on the island.
- The site for the ICTT and power plant is Galathea Bay on the southeastern corner of Great Nicobar Island, where there is no human habitation.
- The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO)
- ANIIDCO is a quasi-government agency, incorporated in 1988 under the Companies Act.
- Its objective is to develop and commercially exploit natural resources for the balanced and environment friendly development of the territory.
- Its main activities include trading of petroleum products, Indian made foreign liquor and milk, managing tourism resorts and infrastructure development for tourism and fisheries.
- Highlights of the Draft Plan
- The plan has been drafted for a projected population of 3.36 lakh by 2055.
- By that time, the master plan is expected to achieve an annual inflow of more than a million tourists.
- It proposes a township divided into several clusters: an administrative and institutional cluster, a multi-modal logistic cluster (to include airport, port, freight and passenger terminals, defence area, and green development), and tourism clusters.
- The development will start with “anchor projects” such as the International Container Transhipment Port (ICTP), the Great Nicobar International Airport, and the GNI gas and solar power plants from 2025 to 2029.
- The second part of Phase 1 (2030-2035) is expected to see growth in tourism activity and upgraded infrastructure.
- Phase 2 (2036-2041) envisages a phase of consolidation and enhanced growth of tourist traffic and the opening of opportunities for other potential economic drivers.
- The last phase (2042-2047) has been earmarked for “future development”.
- Concerns over the project
- Ecological Fragility: Large-scale diversion of pristine tropical forests threatens a highly fragile island ecosystem with low carrying capacity.
- Biodiversity Loss: Destruction of habitats may endanger endemic species.
- Economic Viability Concerns: Experts questioned the economic feasibility of the project, given the high costs and ecological sensitivity of the region.
- Indigenous Rights Violation: The project allegedly violates the rights of the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) of hunter-gatherers. The disruption of their traditional lands and lifestyle raises human rights concerns.
- Volatile Zone: The proposed port is situated in a seismically active zone that experienced a significant geological event during the 2004 tsunami, leading to concerns about the safety and long-term stability of the infrastructure in such a location.
- Significance of the Project
- Strategic Maritime Location: Its proximity to the Strait of Malacca enhances India’s ability to monitor one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
- Strengthening National Security: Development of dual-use infrastructure (port and airport) improves India’s defence logistics, surveillance, and naval reach in the Indo-Pacific.
- Global Trade Hub Potential: The transshipment port can reduce India’s dependence on foreign ports (like Singapore/Colombo) and position India as a major logistics hub.
- Economic Development of Island Region: Infrastructure, connectivity, and urban development can boost investment, employment, and tourism in the Andaman & Nicobar region.
- Blue Economy Promotion: It supports sustainable use of ocean resources such as shipping, fisheries, and marine-based industries, aligned with India’s blue economy goals.
- Regional Connectivity and Act East Policy: Enhances connectivity with Southeast Asia, reinforcing India’s engagement under its Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision.
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Location: The islands are located 1,300 km southeast of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.
- It extends from 6° 45′ N to 13° 41′ N and from 92° 12′ E to 93° 57′ E.
- This archipelago is composed of more than 500 big and small islands, which are divided into two distinct groups of islands – The Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands.
- ‘Ten Degree Channel’ separates the Andaman Islands in the north from the Nicobar Islands in the south.
- Facts Related to Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- The Southernmost Island is Great Nicobar whose southernmost tip is only 150 km away from Sumatra, Indonesia.
- The highest point is Saddle Peak in North Andaman (732 metre), Mount Thullier in Great Nicobar (642 metre).
- Pandunus or Nicobar Breadfruit is a rare fruit found in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
- Barren Island of the Andaman & Nicobar Island group is the only confirmed active volcano not just in India but the whole of South Asia.
- Indira Point in Great Nicobar is the Southern-most point of India.
Mahatma Jyotirao Phule
Syllabus: GS1/History and Personality in News
Context
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule on his birth anniversary.
- About Jyotirao Phule
- Birth: On 11th April, 1827 in Khatgun village which is today in the Satara district of Maharashtra.
- Title: His family belonged to the ‘mali’ caste and their original title was ‘Gorhay’. On May 11, 1888, he was bestowed with the title of Mahatma by a Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.
- Ideology and influence: His ideology centered around liberty, egalitarianism, and socialism. He drew inspiration from Thomas Paine’s book The Rights of Man.
- Marriage: He was married off when he was only 13 with Savitribai. The couple went on to establish the country’s first school for girls in Bhidewada, Pune, in 1848.
- Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha: In 1863, Jyotirao and Savitribai began Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha, India’s first home dedicated to prohibiting infanticide and supporting pregnant Brahmin widows and rape victims.
- Satyashodhak Samaj: Phule along with his followers formed Satyashodhak Samajin 1873 which meant ‘Seekers of Truth’ and was dedicated towards the removal of the socio-economic backwardness of Dalits.
- It is believed that it was Phule who first used the term ‘Dalit’ for the depiction of oppressed masses often placed outside the ‘varna system’.
- Literary works: Gulamgiri (Slavery), Shetkarayacha Aasud (Cultivator’s Whipcord), and Tritiya Ratna.
- Source: PIB
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