DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 16 January 2025

POPULATION AND ITS IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENT

Population vs. Consumption Patterns:

• Population alone is not the primary factor causing environmental problems.

• Environmental degradation is driven by consumption patterns that exploit resources excessively.

Environmental Impact of Developed Nations:

• Smaller populations in countries like USA, Australia, and Europe still contribute significantly to carbon emissions.
• Their consumption patterns lead to overexploitation of resources, exacerbating global environmental issues.

Developing Nations and Local Environment:

• Poor and developing countries heavily rely on their local environments for survival.
• Though they experience visible destruction like resource depletion and pollution, their combined environmental impact is less than developed countries with smaller populations.

Population Growth and Environmental Degradation:

• Increasing population size demands more resources for survival.
• However, population growth alone cannot be solely attributed to environmental degradation.

Balancing Population and Resources:

• India’s declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR) indicates progress in achieving population balance.
• Utilizing the population dividend through education and skill development can promote sustainable growth.

Sustaining the Global Middle Class:

• Addressing environmental concerns without compromising aspirations for a global middle class lifestyle.
• Considering market forces and wealth creation in finding solutions.

The Need for Population Regulation:

• Considering a reduction in population to ease the burden on the environment.
• Exploring approaches to regulate population growth to maintain ecological balance.

THIRD POLE MELTING AWAY

Accelerating Glacial Melt in the Himalayas:

• Himalayan glaciers have been melting 65% faster since 2010, raising concerns about reduced water flows in the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra rivers.
• The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) reported a rising trend of 0.28°C per decade in mean temperature from 1951 to 2020 in the Hindu Kush Himalayas.

Vulnerability of Himalayan Glaciers:

• The Tibetan plateau, like the poles, is warming at a rate up to three times faster than the global average, contributing to rapid ice loss.
• The high average elevation of the region facilitates absorption of energy from rising warm, moisture-laden air, further impacting the cryosphere and glacial melt.

Consequences of Warming:

• If global temperatures stay below 1.5°C, the region will still experience over 2°C of warming, resulting in a potential loss of 30 to 50 percent of Himalayan glaciers by 2100. Without emissions reduction, the rise could be as much as 5°C.
• Peak water in most basins is expected around mid-century, leading to reduced water availability by 2100.
• Declines in snowfall of 30 to 70 percent in different basins and an increase in disasters like landslides, avalanches, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are projected.

Impact on Biodiversity and Sea-Level Rise:

• Biodiversity in the region will be affected, with potential extinction of nearly a quarter of endemic species in the Indian Himalayas by 2100.
• Melting glaciers contribute to sea-level rise, impacting low-lying deltas and bays.

Policy Recommendations:

• Urgent focus on lowering carbon emissions to mitigate further warming.
• Expansion of observation networks and data-sharing agreements in the extended Hindu Kush Himalayan region.
• Improvements in research and observation to anticipate and minimize the impacts of disasters like GLOFs and avalanches.

GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION AND ASSOCIATED ISSUES

• Groundwater extraction in the Indo-Gangetic plain leads to land subsidence.
• Groundwater is usually found in soil pores or aquifers. When excessive groundwater is extracted over time, it creates voids in the pores.
• The voids cause the soil to collapse or compact, resulting in land subsidence.
• The Indo-Gangetic plain is particularly susceptible to subsidence due to its stratified layers of sand and clay.

State-wise changes in average groundwater levels between 2000 and 2022:

• In 10 states and Union Territories, the groundwater situation deteriorated during this period.
• Punjab experienced the most severe decline, with a substantial drop of 150 meters in the groundwater table.
• Following Punjab, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh also faced significant drops, with 13 meters and 10.6 meters, respectively.

Global Crisis: Land Subsidence from Groundwater Extraction

• California, USA: Early Signs of Subsidence

1. 1. • In the early 1990s, California witnessed the first case of land subsidence caused by groundwater extraction.
      • Families were evacuated as certain regions recorded subsidence of up to 150 meters over a span of 50 years.

• Persistent Land Sinking in the San Joaquin Valley

1. 1. • The San Joaquin Valley in California continues to experience land sinking at a rate of 0.3 meters per year.
      • The excessive pumping of groundwater for a commercial orchard has resulted in permanent subsidence and landslides in the area.

• Southeast Asia’s Megacities Facing Design Problems

1. • Rapid urban growth in Southeast Asia’s megacities has given rise to a crucial design challenge, now being addressed by governments.
   • Jakarta, in particular, has earned the dubious distinction of being the world’s fastest sinking city.
   • Approximately 40 percent of Jakarta is already below sea level, and projections suggest that by 2050, around 95 percent of North Jakarta could be underwater.

SOLUTION: ADDRESSING LAND SUBSIDENCE FROM GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION

• Human Activities and Groundwater Extraction:

1. 1. • A comprehensive report on ‘Sinking cities: Two ways to fight land subsidence’ highlights that 77 percent of land subsidence cases worldwide are a result of human activities.
      • Groundwater extraction is identified as the leading cause, accounting for 60 percent of these cases.
      • Subsidence damages critical infrastructure, including buildings and roads, alters drainage patterns, and increases the risk of flooding.

• Halting Groundwater Over-Extraction:

1. 1. • Unfortunately, land subsidence cannot be reversed through groundwater recharge.
      • The most effective solution is to prevent the over-extraction of groundwater.

• Interventions for Sustainable Water Management:

1. • Implementing a series of interventions is crucial, starting with water budgeting for regions at high risk of subsidence.
   • Water budgets are being successfully adopted in several Indian villages, where residents calculate available and utilized water resources.
   • Extending this approach to cities can lead to better water management.

What are the proposed approaches moving forward?

1. Ground verification is necessary to comprehend the extent of damage and scale, although it involves a complex and time-consuming process.
2. City administrators are gradually working on securing water supply from rivers and water bodies to reduce reliance on groundwater.
3. Analyzing localized satellite images displaying subsidence along with groundwater extraction rates is crucial, as such events can occur within a range from a few kilometers to several kilometers.
4. Additionally, restoring water bodies could facilitate groundwater recharge, following the example of incorporating water bodies into the urban landscape in the USA.
5. In India, according to the recently released waterbody census, nearly one in every four urban water bodies is non-functional.

TIGER POPULATION

Context: According to India’s tiger bureaucracy, the nation has reportedly achieved a wild tiger population of approximately 3,000, and they propose setting a limit on the population at 3,500 to 4,000 tigers.

About:

• In April 2023, India announced a rise in its wild tiger population to 3,167 from a count of 1,400 in 2006.
• However, nearly 30 percent of the tigers venture beyond protected areas and enter human settlements, likely driven by the scarcity of their natural prey due to invasive species like lantana that replace their native flora.
• Shrinking tiger corridors, which connect large forest areas, are a cause for concern, primarily due to the construction of linear infrastructure like railway lines, highways, and canals.
• The tiger bureaucracy claims that the tiger population was around 1,800 in the early 1970s, steadily increasing to 3,600 by 2002, but then experiencing a sudden drop to 1,400 by 2006.
• The crash in tiger numbers occurred in 2006 after the introduction of a new national tiger estimation (NTE) process that replaced the traditional method of counting tigers using pugmarks, setting the base tiger numbers unrealistically low.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) releases glossy summary reports every four years instead of providing raw data for public scrutiny.

DOES THIS MEAN THAT INDIA’S FORESTS ARE NEARING THEIR CARRYING CAPACITY TO SUPPORT TIGERS?

India’s Forests and Tiger Carrying Capacity

• India’s existing reserves cover approximately 20 percent of the 380,000 sq km of forest areas suitable for supporting tiger populations.
• Certain regions like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and the northeastern states have very low tiger densities, indicating that the country’s potential carrying capacity for tigers lies between 10,000 to 15,000 individuals.

Rethinking Solutions for Emergent Conflicts

• Current compassionate but unscientific approaches to dealing with conflicts, such as feeding and rescuing incapacitated tigers, artificially enhancing tiger habitats, and relocating “problem” tigers, need to be abandoned.
• By shifting away from these practices, there is a greater likelihood of achieving the crucial objective of rewilding viable populations of India’s national animal across its historical range.

INVESTMENT IN TIGERS:

Reassessing Tiger Conservation in India

• India is currently reevaluating its tiger conservation efforts and is home to 70 percent of the global wild tiger population.
• Recently, India surpassed China as the most populous country, which adds complexity to tiger conservation efforts.

Debates on Managing Tiger Population and Human-Wildlife Conflict

• The increasing tiger numbers have led to discussions about capping the tiger population to reduce human-tiger conflicts.
• Instead of focusing solely on capping, efforts should be directed towards managing human-wildlife conflicts in a way that balances the needs of both humans and wildlife.

Enhancing Forest Management for Tiger Conservation

• There is significant potential for improving forest management practices in India.
• With 53 tiger reserves spread over 75,000 sq km, a considerable portion of forests can still be conserved to serve as sanctuaries for tigers.
• Notably, only 20 tiger reserves cover one-third of the total conservation area, but they have fewer than 100 tigers, indicating an unequal distribution of tiger populations within these reserves.

Ensuring Tiger Conservation:

• Tigers require landscapes with interconnected populations to thrive, and studies in landscape genetics indicate that linear infrastructure such as roads hampers tiger movement.
• The revised assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicates a global recovery of tiger populations.
• However, tiger recovery in India has been uneven, limited to certain regions. The next 50 years should focus on achieving tiger recovery nationwide to preserve genetic diversity.
• An inclusive approach to tiger conservation is crucial, prioritizing human rights while taking action to protect tigers. These tiger-inhabited landscapes are also home to various other species, emphasizing the significance of their conservation alongside tigers.

Conclusion:

Noteworthy Tiger Population and Distribution in India: India boasts the world’s largest wild tiger population, spread across various landscapes such as the Terai Arc, Central India, the Western Ghats, the Sunderbans, the Northeast, and the Gangetic Plains.

Moving Beyond Tiger Counts for Conservation Challenges: Current conservation efforts demand a shift from simply counting tigers to conducting directional research. This includes understanding tiger movement in human-dominated landscapes, social tolerance, and carrying capacities in tiger-inhabited areas.

Embracing a Metapopulation Framework for Tiger Conservation: India has successfully safeguarded the largest surviving population of wild tigers from extinction by adopting a metapopulation framework. This approach connects small protected areas (PAs) through functional habitat corridors, facilitating tiger dispersal between PAs to maintain gene flow and ensure healthy tiger populations. However, the dispersal aspect of tiger conservation faces a significant, yet preventable, threat.

Critical Decade Ahead for Balancing Development and Conservation: India’s impending massive development, particularly in rural areas, makes the next decade crucial in terms of infrastructure development, conservation, and finding harmony between the two.

Vital Role of Local Communities in Large Carnivore Conservation: The continued support of local communities is paramount for the future of large carnivore conservation in India.

Site-specific Conflict Management through Evidence-based Research: To address conflicts effectively, continuous monitoring of conflict-prone areas is necessary to understand the specific factors driving animal conflicts. Conflict management should be based on comprehensive background information derived from evidence-based research.