Day-663 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS

Answer. A
Explanation:
Statements I and II are correct. Statement II explains statement I: Ecocide refers to the massive destruction of the environment by human agency or activity. The legal definition for ecocide was developed by international lawyers in 2021. The expert panel defines ecocide as: “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts”.
The biologist Arthur Galston in 1970 is credited with first linking environmental destruction with genocide. Two years later, Sweden Prime Minister Olof Palme used the term in a speech at the U.N. British lawyer Polly Higgins became the linchpin when in 2010 she urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to recognise ecocide as an international crime.
It is recognised as an international crime according to the International Criminal Court. The Rome Statute of the ICC deals with four atrocities: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
The provision on war crimes is the only statute that can hold a perpetrator responsible for environmental damage, but only if it is intentional and in wartime.
The ICC and Ukraine’s public prosecutor are also investigating Russia’s role in the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which unleashed a flood that drowned 40 regions, and released oils and toxic fluids into the Black Sea.
Ecocide is a crime in 11 countries, with 27 others considering laws to criminalise environmental damage that is wilfully caused and harms humans, animals, and plants.
The European Parliament voted unanimously this year to enshrine ecocide in law. Most national definitions penalise “mass destruction of flora and fauna”, “poisoning the atmosphere or water resources” or “deliberate actions capable of causing an ecological disaster.”

Answer. C
Explanation: Options 1, 2 and 3 are correct.
● Kiangs (the largest of the wild asses) are found on the Tibetan Plateau, between the Himalayas in the south and the Kunlun Mountains in the north. This restricts them almost entirely to China, but they also occur across the borders in the Ladakh and Sikkim regions of India, and along the northern frontier of Nepal. Kiangs inhabit alpine meadows and steppes. They prefer relatively flat plateaus, wide valleys, and low hills, dominated by grasses, sedges, and smaller amounts of other low-lying vegetation.
● White crocodile is found naturally in Bhitarkanika National Park of Odisha. There were only two white crocodiles in Bhitarkanika when a crocodile conservation programme of the Centre and the UNDP was launched in 1975 while the number had increased to 15 in the year 2023.
● India is home to 4 species of Monitor lizards – the Bengal Monitor (Varanus bengalensis), the Asian Water monitor (Varanus salvator), the Yellow monitor (Varanus flavescens) and the Desert monitor (Varanus griseus).
● 2 subspecies of the Asian monitor can be found in India, namely the Andaman monitor, which is endemic to the Andaman Islands, and the Southeast Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator macromaculatus) residing in east and north-east India, and the Nicobar islands.
● Meanwhile, 3 subspecies of the Desert monitor are known to exist – the Grey monitor, the Caspian Monitor, and the Indian Desert monitor. As the name suggests, the Indian Desert monitor is highly habitat specific and found in the Thar Desert region across India’s Rajasthan. It is the smallest of all the monitors found in India (less than a metre in length).

Answer. B
Explanation:
Statement is incorrect: The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (also known as the Madrid Protocol) provides for comprehensive protection of Antarctica, the last great wilderness on earth. The Protocol was adopted in 1991. It harmonised and expanded on a range of earlier provisions relating to protection of the Antarctic environment. The Protocol:
● designates Antarctica as a ‘natural reserve, devoted to peace and science’;
● establishes environmental principles that must be a fundamental consideration in the planning and conduct of all activities;
● prohibits mining indefinitely;
● requires that all proposed activities must be subject to a prior assessment of their environmental impacts (EIA);
● establishes the Committee for Environmental Protection to develop advice and formulate recommendations to the Antarctic Treaty Parties on implementation of the Protocol;
● requires the development of contingency plans to respond to environmental emergencies.
Article 7 of the Madrid Protocol unambiguously prohibits mining in Antarctica. It states that ‘Any activity relating to mineral resources, other than scientific research, shall be prohibited’.
Statement 2 is correct: ANNEX VI of the Madrid Protocol deals with Liability Arising from Environmental Emergencies – outlines arrangements to prevent and respond to environmental emergencies arising from scientific research programs, tourism and all other governmental and non-governmental activities. This Annex is yet to enter into force.

Answer: D
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: As per the 5th cycle of All India Tiger Estimation 2022 summary report, India has a minimum of 3167 tigers and now is home to more than 70% of the wild tiger population of the world. Further data analysis using latest statistical models for camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number is 3682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1% per annum.
Statement 2 is correct: Madhya Pradesh leads in the number of tiger reserves. Out of 55 tiger reserves in India currently, 7 tiger reserves are situated in the state of M.P. These are: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench, Sanjay Dubri, Satpura and Veerangana Durgavati.
Tiger reserves in Maharashtra (6): Tadobha Andhari, Pench, Sahyadri, Nawegaon-Nagzira, Bor and Melghat.
Statement 3 is correct: Valmiki tiger reserve is the only tiger reserve in the state of Bihar so far. The state officials are however, working towards gaining approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to declare Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary as the state’s second tiger reserve.
Statement 4 is incorrect: (Conservation Assured) Tiger Standards (CA|TS) is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation as per the international standards. In the year 2023, six tiger reserves namely Kali, Melghat, Navegaon – Nagzira, Pilibhit and Periyar have been awarded with CA|TS accreditation. So far, a total of 23 tiger reserves of India have received CA|TS accreditation.

Answer. B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Chrysotile (white asbestos) is the most commonly used form of asbestos and it is widely used in the textile industry. Chrysotile fibres have considerable tensile strength, and may be spun into thread and woven into cloth. They are also resistant to heat and are excellent thermal, electrical and acoustic insulators.
Other uses: Chrysotile asbestos constitutes more than 90% of the world’s asbestos production and is processed into products such as friction materials, asbestos-cement, cement pipe and sheet, gaskets and seals, paper and textiles.
Statement 2 is incorrect: To date, chrysolite has not been banned in India nor has its import been restricted. India imports large quantities of asbestos for cement pipes, roofing for households, brake linings, etc. from Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, China and Canada. It is a proven carcinogen.
However, chrysolite has been included in the Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade., It is currently included in the PIC procedure as an ‘industrial chemical’.
Statement 3 is correct: So far, no safe levels of chrysotile exposure have been proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, it considers asbestos as ‘one of the most important occupational carcinogens’ (WHO, 2014). Asbestos—including chrysotile—causes mesothelioma; cancer of the lung, larynx and ovaries; asbestosis (fibrosis or scarring of the lungs); and pleural disease such as plaques, thickening or effusion (leaking of fluid). The WHO recommended that elimination of asbestos-related diseases became a focus from 2003, in the 13th session of the joint International Labour Organization (ILO) / WHO Committee on Occupational Health.