Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 22 November 2022

::NATIONAL::

International Solar Alliancereleases $1-t roadmap for scaling solar investment, deployment

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA), said it has released a roadmap to mobilise $1 trillion by 2030 to meet the investment requirements for scaling up deployment of solar power projects.
• The roadmap — Our Solar Future: Roadmap to Mobilise $1 trillion by 2030 — was made at the COP27 meet in Sharm El Sheikh by the ISA, World Resources Institute (WRI) and Bloomberg Philanthropies, to meet the urgent need for a massive and more equitable scale-up of investment in solar energy.

About:

• Based in Gurugram, Haryana ISA was launched jointly by India and France at COP-21 in Paris in 2015 to provide a dedicated platform for cooperation among solar resource rich countries and the wider global community.
• It is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to mobilise USD 1,000 billion of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030.
• Delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions.
• Installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity.
• UN General Assembly conferred Observer Status to the ISA in 2021.

Need for investment:

• Average annual investment in solar solutions needs to double from 2021 through 2030 to achieve the Paris climate goals and SDGs.
• Falling Costs for solar energy and battery energy storage have made solar technologies cost-competitive with fossil fuels.

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Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report 2022

• The Union Minister of Jal Shakti, released the Dynamic Ground Water Resource Assessment Report for the entire country for the year 2022. 

About:

• The assessment was carried out jointly by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and States/UTs, which can be used for taking suitable interventions by various stake-holders. 
• As per the 2022 assessment report, the total annual ground water recharge for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic meters (BCM) and annual ground water extraction for the entire country is 239.16 BCM. 
• Further, out of the total 7089 assessment units in the country, 1006 units have been categorized as ‘Over-exploited’.

 Key highlights:

• Assessment indicates increase in ground water recharge.
• Analysis indicates improvement in ground water conditions in 909 assessment units in the country compared with 2017 assessment data
• Total annual ground water recharge for entire country is 437.60 billion cubic meters (BCM)
• Annual ground water extraction for the entire country is 239.16 BCM
• Out of total 7089 assessment units, 1006 units categorized as ‘Over-exploited’
• Such joint exercises between CGWB & States/UTs were carried out earlier in 1980, 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2020

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::INTERNATIONAL::

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Global Carbon Budget Report 2022 

• It finds that the increase in fossil emissions in 2022 has been primarily driven by a strong increase in oil emissions as global travel continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. 
• Coal and gas emissions grew more slowly, though both had record emissions in 2022.

About:

• It is a report by Global Carbon Project (GCP).
• Established in 2001, GCP is shared partnership between International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, World Climate Research Programme and Diversitas.
• Aim is to develop complete picture of global carbon cycle.

Key highlights of the Report:

• Global CO2 concentrations set new record of 417.2 parts per million.
• Atmospheric CO2 concentrations are now 51% above pre-industrial levels.
• Projected CO2 emissions decrease in China and European Union, but increase in US, India (6%), and rest of world.

Global Vaccine Market Report 2022

• WHO’s Global Vaccine Market Report 2022, shows that inequitable distribution is not unique to COVID-19 vaccines, with poorer countries consistently struggling to access vaccines that are in-demand by wealthier countries.

Key highlights:

• This is the first report to capture the implications of COVID-19 for vaccine markets. 
• Despite progress in recent decades, global market vaccine dynamics are not fully conducive to the development, supply and access for vital vaccines for public health.
• Vaccines prioritized by WHO are not being developed or fully invested in due to limited profit potential.
• Lower-income countries have struggled to access critical vaccines – such as against COVID-19 in 2021 and cervical cancer vaccine – that are in-demand by wealthier countries.
• Some regions depend almost entirely on others for vaccine supply.
• WHO calls on governments, manufacturers and partners to take ambitious action to guarantee equitable access to vaccines and improve responses to future pandemics.

::Economy::

‘Eat Right Station’ certification

• Indian Railways’ Bhopal Railway Station has been awarded a 4- star ‘Eat Right Station’ certification for providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers. 

About:

• This certification is granted by FSSAI to railway stations adhering to standard food storage and hygiene practices.
• The ‘Eat Right Station’ certification is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that set benchmarks in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers. 
• The station is awarded a certificate upon a conclusion of an FSSAI-empanelled third-party audit agency with ratings from 1 to 5.
• The 4-star rating indicates full compliance by the station to ensure safe and hygienic food is available to passengers.
• The certification is part of the ‘Eat Right India’ movement- a large-scale effort by FSSAI to transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable food for all Indians. 
• Eat Right India adopts a judicious mix of regulatory, capacity building, collaborative, and empowerment approaches to ensure that our food is suitable both for the people and the planet.

::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Indian Biological Data Center (IBDC)

• Ministry of Science & Technology launched India’s first national repository for life science data Indian Biological Data Center(IBDC) at Faridabad.

About:

• IBDC is mandated to archive all life science data generated from publicly funded research in India.
• IBDC is committed to spirit of data sharing as per FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles.
• It has data storage capacity of about 4 petabytes and houses ‘Brahm’ High Performance Computing facility.

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