1.The Hindu Editorial Summary : Decoding the Judgement on Jim Corbett National Park
GS-3 Mains
Short Notes or Revision Notes
Question : Examine the significance of the Supreme Court’s judgement on illegal tree felling in Jim Corbett National Park
Illegal Tree Felling in Jim Corbett National Park
- Supreme Court highlighted the nexus between politicians, forest officials, and contractors responsible for felling trees.
- This act violates the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), Project Tiger, and Forest (Conservation) Act (1980).
- Court judgement: Economic growth cannot come at the cost of environmental destruction (Rural Litigation Judgement, 1983).
Ecotourism and the Precautionary Principle
- Forest authorities promoted ecotourism for conservation, revenue, and local livelihood improvement.
- Supreme Court judgement:
- Ecotourism should be eco-centric (environment-centered) and not anthropocentric (human-centered).
- Tiger safaris banned in core areas.
- Committee formed to explore feasibility in peripheral areas.
- 2019 guidelines allowing zoo-like safaris rejected.
- Precautionary Principle: Lack of full scientific certainty shouldn’t delay taking action to prevent environmental damage.
- This principle is especially important for biodiversity conservation due to mass extinction threats.
- 12% of 1212 animal species in India are endangered (IUCN Red List 2021).
- India lost 90% of its biodiversity hotspots (CSE report, 2021).
Challenges in Costing Environmental Damage
- Identifying the cost of restoration and recovering it from offenders is difficult.
- Recovering restoration costs doesn’t recover the lost environmental benefits.
- Current valuation methods (compensatory afforestation levy, net present value) are inadequate.
- They don’t account for the impact on other environmental services.
Way Forward: Valuing Ecosystem Services
- A valuation method based on ecosystem services (food, water, climate regulation, etc.) is needed.
- This method considers the benefits people receive from natural ecosystems.
2. The Hindu Editorial Summary – How fast is the universe expanding?
GS-1 Mains
Short Notes or Revision Notes
Question : Discuss the Hubble tension and its implications for our understanding of the universe’s expansion rate.
2.Hubble Tension: Mystery of Universe’s Expansion Rate
The Problem
- Cosmologists disagree on the universe’s expansion rate due to conflicting measurement methods.
Standard Model (Lambda-CDM Model)
- Cold dark matter (CDM) is the dominant form of matter in the universe (explanation for various features).
- Needs improvement to explain discrepancies like the Hubble tension.
Open vs. Closed vs. Flat Universe
- Open: Continues expanding forever (like a saddle).
- Closed: Eventually collapses due to gravity (like a sphere).
- Flat: Keeps expanding but at a decreasing rate (special case).
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) Data
- Leftover radiation from the Big Bang.
- Measurements suggest a flat universe with near-zero curvature.
- Estimated expansion rate: 68 kilometers per second per megaparsec ((km/s)/Mpc).
Hubble Tension: Discrepancy in Measuring Expansion Rate
Two Measurement Methods
- Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB): Suggests expansion rate of 68 km/s per megaparsec (Mpc).
- Cosmic Distance Ladder (Cepheid variables): Indicates expansion rate of 73 km/s per Mpc.
Cepheid Variables and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
- Cepheid variables: Brightness variations help estimate their distance and universe’s expansion.
- JWST: Can track near-infrared radiation from Cepheids, reducing measurement errors.
Hubble Tension Remains
- Significant difference between the two methods’ results (Hubble tension).
- Cause of the discrepancy is yet to be understood.
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