09 JUly 2025 - Daily Current Affairs Updates
- Avijeet Kumar
- Jul 9
- 5 min read
Call for Reforming the UNFCCC Process”
Topic: Environment & Climate Change
Subtopic: Global Climate Governance – UNFCCC Reforms
News Context:
A renewed global push is underway to reform the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process ahead of COP30 in Brazil (2025), following concerns raised at the Bonn Conference (2025) about the framework’s weak implementation, inadequate climate finance, and procedural inefficiencies.
➤ Need for Reform in the UNFCCC Process
1. Ineffectiveness in Reducing Emissions
Despite three decades of negotiations, global emissions continue to rise.
The process has failed to drive action at the scale necessary to restrict global warming to 1.5°C.
2. Non-Binding Nature of Commitments
The Paris Agreement is based on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are:
Voluntary and non-binding
Often fall short of scientific targets
As of May 2025, only 21 countries (11%) had submitted their 2035 NDCs.
Most submitted NDCs lack credible implementation roadmaps or funding.
3. Consensus-Based Decision-Making
Every decision under the UNFCCC must be agreed by all 198 parties, effectively giving each a veto power.
This results in diluted agreements to achieve consensus.
Civil society has demanded a shift to majority-based voting, but it remains politically sensitive.
4. Equity and Climate Justice Deficit
Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS):
Contribute <1% of global emissions
Suffer disproportionately from climate impacts (e.g., $75 billion annual losses by 2050 under 2°C warming).
Their demands for adaptation finance, loss and damage support, and climate justice are often sidelined.
Widening trust deficit due to unfulfilled commitments by developed countries.
5. Credibility Crisis
The US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement (2017–2021) and rejoining later impacted the continuity and credibility of the process.
Kyoto Protocol (1997) excluded major developing economies like China and India from emission cuts—leading to a 44% rise in global emissions by 2012.
Paris Agreement does not impose binding timelines or penalties.
6. Underfunded Loss and Damage Mechanism
The Loss and Damage Fund, introduced to assist vulnerable nations, remains severely underfunded.
Developed nations continue to resist liability, undermining global solidarity.
7. Fossil Fuel Lobbying and Greenwashing
COP28 in Dubai marked the first formal mention of fossil fuel transition, but:
Hosting COPs in fossil-fuel-dependent nations (e.g., UAE, Azerbaijan) has raised conflict-of-interest concerns.
Critics point to greenwashing and fossil fuel industry’s influence on negotiations.
8. Lack of Enforcement Mechanisms
There are no penalties or sanctions for countries that fail to:
Submit updated NDCs
Achieve their targets
Fulfill climate finance pledges
This weakens accountability and erodes trust in the multilateral process.
➤ Subject-Wise Relevance for UPSC
GS Paper | Theme | Utility |
GS Paper 3 | Environment & Climate Governance | Key issues in global climate negotiations and India's role |
GS Paper 2 | International Institutions | Functioning & reform needs of UNFCCC, COP system, and multilateralism |
Essay Paper | Environment & Development | Arguments for strengthening climate justice, equity, and global leadership |
➤ Value Addition
Key Data:
Only 21 out of 198 countries (11%) submitted NDCs for 2035 as of May 2025.
SIDS may face $75 billion in annual climate-related losses by 2050.
Global emissions rose 44% between 1997 and 2012, despite Kyoto Protocol.
Topic: Great Nicobar Project EIA Downplays Earthquake Risk
Subtopic: Disaster Management + Environment + Infrastructure Development + Geography
News Context:
The ₹72,000 crore Great Nicobar Infrastructure Project (GNIP) has come under scrutiny following an IIT-Kanpur report that highlighted major seismic and tsunami-related risks in the region—risks which were understated in the official Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The area lies in Seismic Zone V, the most earthquake-prone classification in India.
1. Key Findings of the IIT-Kanpur Report (Concerns Raised)
Concern | Details |
High Earthquake Risk | Estimated return period of: • 420–750 years for mega-earthquakes (≥ magnitude 9) • 80–120 years for large earthquakes (>7.5 magnitude) |
Tsunami History | Geological studies at Badabalu Beach (South Andaman) show evidence of 7+ major tsunamis in 8,000 years, including the 2004 tsunami |
Lack of Site-Specific Studies | Absence of dedicated seismic/tsunami hazard assessments for specific project locations like Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay |
Contradictory EIA Claims | The official EIA report downplays earthquake risks, asserting that the chance of a 2004-like tsunami is low—contrary to IIT-Kanpur's scientific evidence |
2. About the Great Nicobar Island Project (GNIP)
Feature | Description |
Launch Year | 2021 |
Location | Great Nicobar Island (GNI) – southernmost tip of India, close to Malacca Strait |
Implementing Agency | Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) under NITI Aayog |
Components | • International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Galathea Bay • Greenfield airport • Gas-based power plant • Greenfield township • Tourism infrastructure |
3. Strategic and Economic Significance
Aspect | Relevance |
Geostrategic Importance | • Located near Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok Straits—chokepoints for global trade• Enhances India's maritime surveillance & strategic posture in the Indo-Pacific, especially amid China’s assertiveness |
Defense Utility | • Boosts air and naval infrastructure for deployment and surveillance • Supports Act East Policy and QUAD strategic vision |
Economic Goals | • Reduces India’s dependence on Singapore and Colombo for transshipment • Part of Maritime India Vision 2030 and Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 |
4. Ecological & Tribal Concerns
Aspect | Details |
Biodiversity | • Home to Campbell Bay National Park, Galathea National Park, and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve • Rich in tropical rainforests and endemic species |
Tribal Presence | • Inhabited by Shompen, Nicobarese, and other Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) |
Environmental Warnings | • Risk of irreversible ecological damage, habitat loss, and cultural displacement of indigenous tribes |
5. Great Nicobar Island: Geographical Importance
Location: Southeast Bay of Bengal; southernmost island of the Nicobar archipelago
Southernmost Point of India: Indira Point
Geographical Division: 10° Channel separates Andaman (north) from Nicobar (south) islands
6. Subject-Wise Relevance for UPSC
GS Paper | Relevance |
GS Paper 1 | Geography – Disaster-prone regions of India |
GS Paper 2 | Governance – Tribal rights, EIA governance loopholes |
GS Paper 3 | Environment – Biodiversity protection, seismic vulnerability, sustainable infrastructure |
GS Paper 3 | Internal Security – Maritime strategy and coastal surveillance |
7. Value Addition for Mains
● Case Study:
Use this project to critically evaluate India’s infrastructure push in ecologically sensitive & disaster-prone zones.
● Quote for Essay or Ethics:
“Development must be a dialogue, not a diktat – between economy, ecology, and equity.”
● Linking Topics:
Disaster Management Act 2005
Forest Rights Act 2006 (re tribal consent)
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reforms
Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms
Let me know if you’d like:
A map diagram of the region
A comparison with other seismic mega projects (e.g., Japan, Indonesia)
A GS Mains Answer framework (10/15 markers) based on this topic.
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