In News:

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Ramsar Convention concluded with a significant side event of the Indo-Burma Ramsar Regional Initiative (IBRRI), highlighting collaborative efforts for wetland conservation and restoration across Southeast Asia.

About IBRRI

• Origin: Jointly developed by the Ramsar National Focal Points of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam, with technical support from the IUCN Asia Regional Office.
• Aim: To coordinate and support the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Ramsar Convention, particularly in addressing wetland degradation.
• Support: Backed by IUCN’s BRIDGE (Building River Dialogue and Governance) project, which promotes sustainable water management, biodiversity conservation, and cross-border cooperation.

Governance Structure

To ensure oversight, transparency, and inclusivity, IBRRI has developed a multi-tiered governance framework:

• Steering Committee: Comprising Ramsar Administrative Authorities from the five member countries.
• Secretariat: Hosted by the IUCN Asia Regional Office, Bangkok.
• Stakeholder Committee: Provides technical and strategic guidance, ensuring multi-stakeholder participation including governments, NGOs, and civil society.

Strategic Plan 2025–2030

• Launch: Officially unveiled during COP15 as a transboundary framework for wetland management.
• Objective: To halt and reverse wetland loss across member states through restoration, sustainable use, and regional cooperation.
• Approach: Promotes knowledge exchange, policy coordination, and joint action for wetland conservation.

About BRIDGE Project

• Aim: To strengthen transboundary water governance by catalysingsustainable management of shared rivers, ensuring water security, conserving biodiversity, and fostering peaceful cooperation across borders.

Significance

• Provides a regional mechanism for Ramsar Convention implementation.
• Enhances transboundary cooperation in the Indo-Burma region, which hosts critical wetland ecosystems.
• Contributes to biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

In News:

The Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project is nearing the completion of its first phase and represents one of the most ambitious scientific efforts to decode the diversity of life on Earth. Focused on sequencing the genomes of all eukaryotic species in Britain and Ireland, the project is a cornerstone of the global Earth BioGenome Project (EBP).

About the Project

• Objective: To generate high-quality genome sequences of around 70,000 eukaryotic species including animals, plants, fungi, and protists.
• Approach: Careful collection of representative samples, application of advanced DNA sequencing technologies, and use of computational tools to understand how genetic code drives biological diversity.
• Collaboration: A joint initiative involving ten biodiversity, genomics, and data analysis partners.

What are Eukaryotes?

• Definition: Organisms with complex cells that have a well-defined nucleus enclosed by a membrane, along with organelles such as mitochondria and Golgi apparatus.
• Examples: Protists, plants, fungi, and animals.
• Distinctive Features:
  • Possess chromosomes inside the nucleus.
  • Reproduce asexually (mitosis) or sexually (meiosis + gamete fusion).
• Contrast with Prokaryotes: Unlike bacteria and archaea, eukaryotes are structurally advanced due to compartmentalized cell functions.

The Earth BioGenome Project (EBP)

• Vision: A global initiative to sequence, catalogue, and analyse the genomes of all known eukaryotic species on Earth.
• Timeline: 10 years.
• Network: Collaborative effort involving scientists, institutions, and multiple regional projects like DToL.

Significance:

• Scientific Advancement
  • Provides a genomic foundation for understanding biodiversity, evolution, and taxonomy.
  • Helps uncover how genetic variations translate into ecological and physiological adaptations.
• Conservation and Sustainability
  • Offers data vital for protecting endangered species and ecosystems.
  • Assists in addressing biodiversity loss and supporting global conservation strategies.
• Applications in Human Development
  • Medicine: Discovery of new genes for disease resistance or therapeutic innovations.
  • Agriculture: Identification of traits for crop resilience and productivity.
  • Biotechnology:Utilisation of unique biological pathways for industrial and environmental applications.

In News:

• India has taken a decisive step in advancing its space exploration ambitions with the launch of theHuman Outer Planet Exploration (HOPE) analogue station in Ladakh’s Tso Kar region.
• Developed by Bengaluru-based space science company Protoplanet in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the station is designed to simulate extra-terrestrial conditions, closely mimicking the geological and environmental features of the Moon and Mars.

What is HOPE?

• Analogue Station Concept: An analogue research station replicates planetary conditions to test technologies, study human adaptability, and conduct crew training. Globally, there are 33 such facilities, including BIOS-3 (Russia), HERA (USA), SHEE (Europe), and the Mars Desert Research Station (Utah, USA).
• Location & Conditions: Situated at an altitude of over 14,500 feet, Tso Kar offers a cold desert and high-altitude environment, chosen after nine years of study. Its extreme terrain makes it an “exceptional analogue site” for simulating extraterrestrial challenges.
• Mission Objective: HOPE aims to generate insights into human adaptability, resilience, and technology readinessfor sustained human presence beyond Earth.

Research and Operations

From August 1, 2025, selected crew members will undergo 10-day isolation missions inside the station. They will be subject to:

• Physiological studies – monitoring body adaptation in extreme conditions.
• Psychological studies – assessing mental resilience during confinement.
• Epigenetic research – studying biological changes in response to stress and environment.

Significance for India

• Strengthening Human Spaceflight Programme: This initiative provides critical data on crew adaptability for long-duration missions, supporting India’s vision of human exploration.
• Policy Alignment: The mission aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of establishing the BharatiyaAntariksh Station by 2035 and launching a manned Moon mission by 2040.
• Global Context: While NASA is targeting a manned mission to Mars by the 2030s, India is positioning itself as a rising player in deep-space exploration.

Strategic Importance

• Scientific Gains: HOPE will aid in technology validation, geological studies, life-detection research, and habitability assessments.
• International Standing: India joins the select group of countries operating analogue research stations, strengthening its credibility in interplanetary exploration.
• Capacity Building: The project helps build indigenous expertise in crew training, mission simulations, and psychological conditioning, paving the way for sustained space presence.

In News:

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has warned that plastic use and waste in Southeast and East Asia could nearly double by 2050 unless countries adopt urgent and stringent policy measures. The findings are particularly significant as they coincide with the final round of UN negotiations on a global plastics treaty scheduled in August 2025 in Geneva.

Key Findings of the OECD Report

1. Surge in Plastic Use and Waste

• Plastic consumption in the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) region – which includes ASEAN-10 (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) plus China, Japan, and South Korea – is projected to rise from 152 million tonnes (2022) to 280 million tonnes (2050).
• Plastic waste will increase from 113 million tonnes (2022) to 242 million tonnes (2050).
• Packaging waste alone will almost double, from 49 million tonnes to 91 million tonnes.

2. Regional Disparities

• China will see the largest absolute rise, from 76 million tonnes (2022) to 160 million tonnes (2050).
• Lower-middle-income ASEAN nations such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines will see the sharpest relative increase, with plastic waste nearly quadrupling from 7.5 million tonnes to 28 million tonnes.

3. Mismanaged Waste and Leakage

• Share of mismanaged plastic waste may fall (29% → 23% between 2022–2050), but total mismanaged waste will grow from 33 million tonnes to 56 million tonnes.
• The region is already the largest contributor to global plastic leakage – 8.4 million tonnes in 2022 (one-third of global leakage), projected to rise to 14.1 million tonnes by 2050.
• Plastic build-up:
  • Freshwater systems: from 57 million tonnes (2022) → 126 million tonnes (2050).
  • Oceans: from 17 million tonnes (2022) → 55 million tonnes (2050).

4. Climate Implications

• Greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic lifecycle (production + waste management) in the APT region are expected to nearly double from 0.6 GtCO?e (2022) to over 1 GtCO?e (2050).

Global High Stringency Scenario: Pathway to Solutions

OECD outlines a Global High Stringency (GHS) policy scenario that can reverse the trajectory:

• Plastic use: Could drop by 28% by 2050.
• Plastic waste: Could fall by 23%.
• Recycling: Average recycling rate could reach 54%, with secondary plastics meeting all future demand growth.
• Mismanaged waste: Could decline by 97%, drastically reducing environmental leakage.

Key recommended measures:

• Phase out single-use plastics.
• Strengthen waste collection systems and invest in recycling infrastructure.
• Promote circular economy approaches and regional cooperation.

Regional and Global Implications

• Cross-border challenge: Plastics persist for decades and move across boundaries. Poorer ASEAN nations like Indonesia often receive waste leakage from wealthier neighbours and China, with spillover impacts reaching the Indian Ocean and African coasts.
• Climate risks: Rising plastic demand intensifies emissions, undermining climate action goals.
• Global treaty negotiations: The report’s timing strengthens the case for an ambitious legally binding plastics treaty.

In News:

In a landmark advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has clarified that the Kyoto Protocol (1997) remains legally valid and binding, even after the Paris Agreement (2015) came into effect. This ruling has revived the Protocol’s legal relevance and has far-reaching implications for international climate law and global climate governance.

Background: The Kyoto Protocol

• Adopted: 1997; Entered into force: 2005 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• Nature: First binding international treaty mandating emission reductions by industrialised nations (Annex-I countries).
• Principle: Based on Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR–RC), recognising that developed nations bear greater responsibility due to their historical emissions.
• Commitment Periods:
  • First: 2008–2012
  • Second: 2012–2020
• Obligations:
  • Quantified emission reduction targets (from 1990 baseline).
  • Provision of finance and technology transfer to developing nations.
  • Market-based mechanisms such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Why was Kyoto Considered Obsolete?

• US Non-Ratification: The largest historical emitter never joined the Protocol.
• Withdrawals: Countries like Canada and Japan later exited or refused binding targets.
• Rise of New Emitters: China overtook the US as the largest emitter by mid-2000s but, as a “developing country,” had no binding obligations.
• Shift to Paris Agreement (2015):
  • Kyoto: Top-down, binding targets for developed countries.
  • Paris: Bottom-up, voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for all states.
• With no third commitment period defined after 2020, Kyoto was widely seen as defunct though never formally repealed.

ICJ’s Key Rulings

• Kyoto Still in Force: The absence of a new commitment period does not terminate the Protocol; it remains part of applicable international law.
• Legal Accountability: Non-compliance with emission reduction targets can constitute an “internationally wrongful act.”
• Retroactive Review: Past obligations (e.g., unfulfilled first commitment period targets) remain open for assessment.
• Advisory but Influential: Though not legally binding, the ruling strengthens grounds for climate litigation and accountability mechanisms.

Significance of the Ruling

• Legal Continuity: Confirms coexistence of Kyoto and Paris, rather than substitution.
• Revival of CBDR–RC: Re-emphasises differentiated responsibilities of developed nations, which Paris had diluted.
• Climate Justice: Opens the door for renewed scrutiny of historical emitters and their unfulfilled obligations.
• Litigation Pathways: Strengthens civil society and state efforts to seek compensation or stronger climate actions through international and domestic courts.

Implications for Global Climate Governance

• Developed countries face renewed legal and moral pressure to honour past commitments and extend finance and technology support.
• Developing nations gain a stronger footing to demand accountability for historical emissions.
• The ruling highlights the layered nature of international climate treaties, with Kyoto, UNFCCC, and Paris coexisting rather than replacing each other.
• It may reshape climate negotiations by reviving unfinished obligations under Kyoto while reinforcing Paris as the ongoing framework.