Reports and Indices Current Affairs MCQs

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Despite the Union government’s environmental improvement claims, India ranks 176th out of 180 nations in the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), slightly better than its 180th position in 2022. Compiled by Yale and Columbia researchers, the EPI assesses green performance across multiple parameters. Since 2012, India has consistently declined in this index, highlighting ongoing environmental challenges.

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The ICIMOD’s Hindu Kush Himalaya snow update for 2024 reported record low snow persistence in India’s Ganga River basin, alongside similar challenges in the Brahmaputra and Indus basins. The HKH region spans eight countries and is crucial for Asia’s major river systems, supporting 1.9 billion people. It holds vast snow and glacier resources, essential for ecosystem services and downstream communities, making it pivotal for water supply across South and East Asia.

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UNODC released its Annual World Drug Report (2024) on World Drug Day, June 26th, aiming to combat drug abuse and trafficking globally. The report highlights a rise in illicit drug use, with 292 million users worldwide by 2022. Cannabis remains the most abused drug, followed by opioids and others. Regions like the Triple Frontier and Golden Triangle face significant criminal activity. Legalization efforts in Canada, Uruguay, and parts of the US are noted, alongside environmental impacts of drug-related activities.

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The UN Trade and Development recently released the Digital Economy Report 2024. It emphasizes the need for sustainable digitalization strategies. Internet users grew from 1 billion in 2005 to 5.4 billion in 2023. The ICT sector’s global GHG emissions were 1.5-3.2% in 2020. Digital-related waste surged 30% from 2010 to 2022, reaching 10.5 million tonnes. Data centers consumed 460 terawatts hours in 2022, expected to double by 2026. Critical mineral demand may surge by 500% by 2050. Recommendations include adopting circular economy models, enforcing environmental standards, investing in renewable energy, and promoting sustainable business models.

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The UNEP’s report “Navigating New Horizons” identifies critical global shifts exacerbating the triple planetary crisis of pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. It highlights the interconnectedness of today’s global polycrisis, which includes wars, extreme weather, and pandemics, driven by globalization. Key issues addressed include changing human-environment relationships, resource scarcity impacting global security, technological innovations like AI, increased risks from autonomous weapons, mass displacement of 1.5% of the population, and rising eco-anxiety.

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The World Economic Forum (WEF) released “The Future of Financial Advice” report, highlighting the importance of traditional financial advisors despite the rise of finfluencers. Finfluencers, who provide financial advice via social media, influence many individuals’ financial decisions. Key reasons for their popularity include social media accessibility (used by 60% of the global population), diverse and inclusive content, and engaging educational formats like short videos and memes.

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The World Bank’s report “The Impact of Climate Change on Education” highlights how climate change intensifies extreme weather, disrupting schooling and causing learning losses and dropouts. Despite its significance, education remains overlooked in climate policy, with less than 1.3% of climate assistance allocated to it in 2020. Between 2005-2024, schools closed during 75% of extreme weather events, affecting over 5 million people. Over 99% of children globally face at least one major climate hazard. Rising temperatures negatively impact learning outcomes, with a 1°C increase reducing test scores. Climate change also threatens food security and economic stability, jeopardizing school enrollment and disproportionately affecting 4 million girls in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

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Wayanad, Kerala, struck by a deadly landslide killing nearly 200 people, ranked 13th in ISRO’s 2023 Landslide Atlas of India. Prepared by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of ISRO, the atlas details landslide occurrences and damage in 147 districts across 17 states and two Union Territories. It includes 80,000 landslides mapped from 1998 to 2022, categorized by season, event, and route. The data, using high-resolution satellite imagery, ranked districts based on socio-economic exposure to landslides.

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India remained the eighth-largest exporter of agricultural products in 2023, despite exports dropping from $55 billion in 2022 to $51 billion. This occurred amid a general decline in agricultural exports among most top ten exporting nations. The WTO Trade Statistics 2023 report shows that only Brazil, the European Union (EU), and Thailand saw growth. Brazil’s exports increased by 6% to $157 billion, the EU’s rose by 5% to $836 billion, and Thailand’s grew by 0.2%.

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NITI Aayog’s report, “Strategy for the development of Seaweed Value Chain,” highlights the importance of seaweeds, marine plants thriving in water bodies, cultivated in aquaculture. The fishing and aquaculture sector contributes 1.5% to India’s GDP. Seaweed farming has economic significance for bioactive compounds in food and pharmaceuticals, environmental benefits in carbon sequestration and climate resilience, and nutritional value with essential minerals and vitamins.