United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is organising a Country-Led Initiative (CLI) event as part of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF).

• The United Nations Forum on Forests promotes the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.
• Its main objective to promote the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment.
• UNFF is a subsidiary body that was established by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) on October 2000.
• The Forum has universal membership and is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialized agencies.
• India is a founding member of the forum.
• The UN General Assembly adopted the first ever UN Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF) 2017-2030.
• This Strategic Plan serves as a global framework for actions at all levels to achieve the sustainable management of all types of forests, including trees outside forests and to combat deforestation.
• Country-Led Initiative (CLI) – The primary goal is to contribute to the discussions of UNFF regarding the implementation of Sustainable Forest Management and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests.
• In India it is organised by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• The CLI will discuss on thematic areas involving forest fires and forest certification.
• During this event, experts from UNFF member countries, the UN organizations, regional and sub-regional partners, as well as major groups, will deliberate on the thematic issues.

Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR)

Recently the 1st official star party for experienced amateur astronomers was organised by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in at Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in eastern Ladakh.

• HDSR aims to control man-made light pollution in the area in order to preserve the pristine dark skies for astronomical research.
• A dark sky is the night sky as nature meant for it to be, without any light pollution.
• The Reserve is promoted as a tourist destination for enjoying the night sky and also helps in socio-economic development of the local villages.
• HDSR is India’s first dark sky region which is centred at Hanle in Eastern Ladakh, around the Indian Astronomical Observatory.
• It is India's first Night Sky Sanctuary is located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The Wildlife Sanctuary is adjacent to the Indian Astronomical Observatory, the second-highest optical telescope in the world.
• This Dark Sky Reserve is among only the 15 or 16 of its kind in the world that will offer a spectacular view of the night sky.
• The Star Party is also likely to evolve into an annual event.
• Bortle scale - The Bortle scale is a 9 level numeric scale that measures the night sky's brightness of a particular location.
• The scale ranges from Class 1, the darkest skies available over the earth, through to Class 9, which denotes the pale, light-marred skies over the insides of cities.
• HDSR region falls under the Bortle Class 1.

Ethics Committee

The Lok Sabha Ethics Committee will soon take up the complaint of the Nishikant Dubey’s, Member of the Lok Sabha against Mahua Moitra, Member of Lok sabha in cash-for-query case.

• The Ethics Committee was constituted in Rajya Sabha in 1997 and in Lok Sabha in 2000.
• It enforces the code of conduct of members of Parliament, examines the cases of misconduct and recommends appropriate action.
• It is engaged in maintaining discipline and decorum in Parliament.
• The members of the Ethics Committee are appointed by the Speaker for a period of one year.
• The Ethics Committee can take up only cases of misconduct that involve MPs.
• Lok Sabha Ethics Committee – It was an ad hoc Committee till 2000, which became a permanent part of the Lok Sabha House in 2015.
• Any person can complain against a Member through another Lok Sabha MP, along with evidence and affidavit.
• The evidence should be of the alleged misconduct and an affidavit stating that the complaint is not “false, frivolous or vexatious”.
• If the Member himself complains, the affidavit is not needed.
• The Speaker can refer to the Committee any complaint against an MP.
• The Committee presents its report to the Speaker, who asks the House if the report should be taken up for consideration.
• The ethics committee in Lok Sabha was recommended by the Committee of Privileges during the 13th Lok Sabha.
• The work of the Ethics Committee and the Privileges Committee often overlap.
• Privileges Committee – The mandate of the Privileges Committee is to safeguard the “freedom, authority, and dignity of Parliament”.
• These privileges are enjoyed by individual Members as well as the House as a whole.
• An MP can be examined for breach of privilege. A non-MP too can be accused of breach of privilege for actions that attack the authority and dignity of the House.
• The Ethics Committee can take up only cases of misconduct that involve MPs.

25 by 25 target

Recent analysis by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) indicate that India will likely to miss target set by world health organisation in  its 25 by 25 target.

• “25 by 25 target” is an initiative of World Health Organisation (WHO) to reduce by 25% in in premature mortality from no-communicable diseases (NCDs) compared to 2010 by 2025.
• It was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2012.
• The framework is expected to drive progress in prevention and control of NCDs.
• It provides the foundation for advocacy, raising awareness, reinforcing political commitment and promoting global action to tackle these deadly diseases.
• The framework is comprised of nine global targets and 25 indicators and was adopted by Member States during the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2013.
• The WHO has defined the unconditional probability of dying (UPoD) between the ages of 30 and 69 as the progress indicator for monitoring the reduction in premature mortality.
• The 9 voluntary global targets are aimed at combatting global mortality from the 4 main NCDs.
• The 4 main NCDs includes heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes.
• The premature mortality rate for 4 major NCDs is projected to decrease by 13.9 % from 2010 to 2025 in India.
• The SDG target to reduce premature deaths from the 4 major NCDs by a 1/3rd from 2015 to 2030.
• This target will also likely be missed by India as the researchers projected a decline of 15.6 % from 2015 to 2030.
• The recent analysis indicate that the UPoD from the 4NCDs was 24.4 % in 2010 and is projected to be 21.0 % and 20.0 % in 2025 and 2030.
• This data indicate that a relative reduction of 13.9 % by 2025 from 2010 and 15.6 % by 2030 from 2015.
• The study found that UPoD was higher among males, particularly around the age of 44, owing to risk factors such as tobacco use and alcohol consumption.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)

The recently published “2023 State of the Climate Report: Entering uncharted territory” indicate that AMOC may cross the tipping point and start to collapse between 2025 and 2095.

• The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean by bringing warm water north and cold water south.
• The slower currents that occur from the surface to the seafloor are driven by changes in the saltiness and ocean temperature is a process called thermohaline circulation.
• These currents are carried in a large "global conveyor belt," which includes the AMOC.
• AMOC circulation brings warmth to various parts of the globe and also carries nutrients necessary to sustain ocean life.
• The circulation process begins as warm water near the equator moves toward the poles (such as the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic), where it cools and forms sea ice.
• As this ice forms, salt is left behind in the ocean water.
• Due to the large amount of salt in the water, it becomes denser, sinks down and is carried southwards in the depths below.
• Eventually, the water gets pulled back up towards the surface and warms up in a process called upwelling, completing the cycle.
• As our climate continues to change there a possibility that the AMOC will slow down.
• Even though the whole process is slow on its own, there is some evidence that the AMOC is slowing down further.
• The recent study indicate that the AMOC may cross the tipping point and start to collapse between 2025 and 2095.