What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is Paris Agreement?
• Process of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
• Argentina considering leaving the treaty

Why in News?

Argentina's President Javier Milei is reportedly considering withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, following his government's decision to pull negotiators from the COP29 climate summit.

This review coincides with President-elect Donald Trump's plans to exit the accord for the second time, raising concerns over the future of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What is Paris Agreement?

• About
  • The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015 during the COP21 summit, is a landmark international treaty under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
  • It seeks to unite nations in combating climate change and adapting to its impacts.
  • The agreement requires member countries to submit and update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) evenationally determined contributions (NDCs)ry five years, with each update reflecting greater ambition, as outlined by the UNFCCC.
• Aim/Objectives
  • Limit Global Warming: Keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.
  • Enhance Adaptive Capacity: Strengthen countries' abilities to deal with climate impacts and foster climate-resilient development.
  • Financial Support: Mobilize at least $100 billion annually by 2020 to assist developing countries in climate action.
• Achievements
  • Broad Participation: Over 190 countries, including major emitters like China, the U.S., and the EU, have joined the agreement.
  • Global Commitments: Countries submitted outlining their climate action plans.
  • Green Technology Growth: Encouraged a global shift toward renewable energy and sustainable practices.
• Criticism
  • Non-Binding Nature: The agreement relies on voluntary commitments, with no enforcement mechanism for non-compliance.
  • Insufficient Targets: Critics argue that current NDCs are inadequate to meet the 1.5°C or 2°C goals.
  • Financial Gaps: Developed nations have fallen short of the $100 billion annual funding target for developing countries.
  • Withdrawal Risks: Some countries, like the U.S. (temporarily under Trump) and potentially Argentina, have expressed intent to exit, undermining global unity.

Process of withdrawal from the Paris Agreement

• Provision dealing with the withdrawal
  • Article 28 of the Paris Agreement lays out the procedure and timeline for a country’s withdrawal from the treaty.
• Conditions for Withdrawal
  • A country can withdraw three years after the agreement's entry into force for that country (from 2016 onward).
  • Withdrawal requires written notification to the UN Depositary.
• Procedural Requirements
  • The withdrawal notification must be submitted to the Office of Legal Affairs at the UN Headquarters in New York.
• Timeline for Withdrawal
  • The withdrawal takes effect one year after the Depositary receives the notification.
  • A later date may be specified in the notification.
• Obligations Until Withdrawal Takes Effect
  • Until the withdrawal becomes effective, the country remains a party to the agreement and must participate fully in its activities.

Argentina considering leaving the treaty

• No Decision Yet on Withdrawal
  • Argentina is re-evaluating its participation in the Paris Agreement but has not yet decided to leave.
  • The govt officials have cited disagreements with several aspects of the treaty.
  • Argentina is reassessing its overall climate change strategy. It has paused further actions until it gains clarity on its position.
• President Milei's Views on Climate Change
  • President Javier Milei is a climate change denier, previously calling it a "socialist lie."
• Government's Stance on Climate Change
  • Argentina does not deny climate change but attributes it to natural cycles rather than human activities, framing the debate as a "philosophical issue."
  • The government supports taking measures to mitigate the effects of climate change despite differing views on its causes.
• Potential Impact of Argentina's Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
  • Global Concerns
    • Experts fear Argentina's exit could create a domino effect, prompting other nations to reconsider their participation.
    • This would jeopardize global climate goals, which require a 42% reduction in emissions by 2030 and 57% by 2035 to limit warming to 1.5°C.
  • Argentina’s Role in Climate Policy
    • As South America’s second-largest economy and the 24th-largest GHG emitter, Argentina plays a significant role in global emissions.
    • It holds substantial fossil fuel reserves, including the second-largest shale gas and fourth-largest shale oil reserves globally.
  • Economic and Diplomatic Risks
    • Withdrawal could isolate Argentina on the global stage.
    • Countries like the EU are introducing climate-related import duties, making Argentina less attractive as a trading partner.
• Domestic Challenges to Withdrawal
  • Domestic opposition may hinder President Milei's ability to withdraw Argentina from the treaty.
  • Parliamentary approval is required for withdrawal, as all international treaties ratified by Argentina hold constitutional status.

Q.1. Why is Argentina considering leaving the Paris Agreement?

Argentina is re-evaluating its participation due to disagreements with certain aspects of the treaty. President Javier Milei, a climate change denier, views the issue as linked to natural cycles rather than human activities, though the government supports measures to mitigate climate impacts.

Q.2. What could be the global impact of Argentina's withdrawal?

Experts fear a domino effect if Argentina exits, potentially undermining global climate goals. As a major GHG emitter, its departure may jeopardize efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C and strain international climate cooperation.

News: Argentina considering leaving the Paris Agreement: What does it mean | DW

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is Coking Coal?
• Current Challenges in Domestic Production of Coking Coal
• Key Recommendations from the NITI Aayog Report
• What are Critical Minerals?
• Conclusion

Why in News?

A recent NITI Aayog report titled ‘Enhancing Domestic Coking Coal Availability to Reduce the Import of Coking Coal’ outlines measures to reduce import dependency and strengthen domestic production.

What is Coking Coal?

• About:
  • Also known as metallurgical coal, it is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock found within the earth’s crust.
  • A type of bituminous coal, it typically contains more carbon, less ash, and less moisture than thermal coal, which is used for electricity generation.
  • It is a vital raw material for steel production (constituting 42% of steel costs), making it indispensable for infrastructure and industrial growth.
• Application in steel production:
  • Coke/ metallurgical coke, which is created through the high-temperature carbonisation of coking coal, plays a crucial role in steelmaking.
  • Coke is used in blast furnaces to produce pig iron, serving as both a reducing agent for iron ore and structural support for the furnace charge.
  • The largest producers of coking coal in the world: China (676 million tons in 2022-62%), Australia (169 million tons in 2022-15%), Russia (96 million tons in 2022-9%), USA (55 million tons-5%), and Canada (34 million tons-3%).
• Case of India:
  • Despite India’s vast reserves, reliance on imports remains at a staggering 85%.
  • For example, India’s coking coal imports for the first six months of the current fiscal (April – Sept) were at a six-year-high at 29.6 million tonnes (mt) with shipments from Russia witnessing a substantial rise of over 200% during this period.

Current Challenges in Domestic Production of Coking Coal:

• Inefficiency in coal washeries:
  • Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) washeries operate at less than 32% capacity, with washed coal yields of only 35–36%.
  • In contrast, private washeries achieve over 75% capacity utilisation and higher yields, showcasing the need for improved efficiency in PSU washeries.
• High import dependency: Integrated Steel Plants (ISPs) imported 58 MT of coking coal at an enormous cost of ₹1.5 lakh crore in FY 2023-24, despite significant domestic reserves.

Key Recommendations from the NITI Aayog Report:

• Recognising coking coal as a critical mineral:
  • This will align India with global practices such as in the European Union, which recognises coking coal as critical.
  • Designating it as critical can justify policy support to boost domestic production and ensure security for India's steel sector.
• Leveraging domestic reserves:
  • India holds 5.13 billion tonnes of prime coking coal and 16.5 billion tonnes of medium-quality reserves.
  • These resources should be fully utilised, considering the country’s Net Zero 2070 commitments and economic needs.
• Policy and structural changes:
  • Amending the Coal Bearing Areas (CBA) Act, 1957: To ensure that Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) under public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements retain operational rights, even after majority ownership shifts to the private sector.
  • Facilitating byproduct sales: The Ministry of Coal must enable joint ventures to sell byproducts (middling and tailings) from washeries, benefitting steel plants with lower coking coal expenses.

What are Critical Minerals?

• Meaning:
  • A mineral is critical when the risk of supply shortage and associated impact on the economy is (relatively) higher than other raw materials.
  • These (such as lithium, graphite, cobalt, titanium, and rare earth elements) form part of multiple strategic value chains, including
    • Clean technologies,
    • Information and communication technologies (including semiconductors) and
    • Advanced manufacturing inputs and materials.
• Identification of 30 critical minerals by the Indian Govt: This was done by the Ministry of Mines on the basis of a 3-stage assessment -
  • In the first stage, a total of 69 elements/ minerals were identified on the basis of the strategies of various countries such as Australia, USA, Canada, UK, Japan and South Korea.
  • In the second stage, an inter ministerial consultation was carried out with different ministries to identify minerals critical to their sectors.
  • In the third stage, taking cognisance of the EU methodology (that considers two major factors - economic importance and supply risk), an empirical formula for evaluating minerals criticality was derived.
• Based on this process, a total of 30 minerals were found to be most critical for India:

• Conclusion: Boosting domestic coking coal production is critical for securing India’s energy and industrial future.

Q.1. What is the Coal Bearing Areas (CBA) Act, 1957?

The Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition and Development) Act, 1957 (CBA Act) is a law that allows the state to acquire land that contains or may contain coal deposits. The law was enacted to increase public control over the coal mining industry and its development.

Q.2. What is the process of steel making?

Steel is made from iron ore, a compound of iron, oxygen and other minerals that occurs in nature. The raw materials for steelmaking are mined and then transformed into steel using two different processes: the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace route, and the electric arc furnace route.

News: Govt should include coking coal in list of critical minerals to boost production: Niti Report | India Briefing

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in the News?
• About Telecommunications Act, 2023
• Telecommunication Cybersecurity Rules Under Telecom Act, 2023

Why in the News?

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has published four sets of draft rules under the Indian Telecommunications Act, 2023. One of these includes Cybersecurity Rules.
• These rules mandate specific measures for telecom entities and outline clear obligations to enhance cybersecurity.

About Telecommunications Act, 2023

• Earlier, the Indian Telecommunications sector was governed by three separate Acts of Parliament:
  • Indian Telegraph Act 1885,
  • Indian Wireless Telegraphy Act 1933,
  • Telegraph Wires, (Unlawful Protection) Act 1950
• The Telecommunications Act, 2023 was brought in to consolidate these three separate Acts.
• Aim: To amend the existing laws governing the provision, development, expansion and operation of telecommunication services, telecom networks and infrastructure, in addition to assignment of spectrum.

Telecommunication Cybersecurity Rules Under Telecom Act, 2023

• Data Collection and Analysis:
  • The government or authorized agencies can request telecom companies for traffic data or other data for cybersecurity purposes.
  • Message data (e.g., text, audio, video) is excluded from the scope of government requests.
  • Traffic data includes information generated, transmitted, received, or stored in telecommunication networks, such as type, routing, duration, and timing.
  • Telecom companies must establish infrastructure to collect traffic data and provide it to the government at designated points for analysis, processing, and sharing with authorized entities.
• Cybersecurity Compliance and Reporting:
  • Cybersecurity Policy: Telecom companies must adopt and report on a cybersecurity policy that includes:
    • Security safeguards and risk management practices.
    • Procedures for network testing and incident response systems.
    • Forensic analysis measures for cybersecurity incidents.
  • Security Audits: Companies must conduct periodic cybersecurity audits through government-certified agencies.
  • Security Operations Centre (SOC): Telecom companies must establish SOCs to monitor and handle cybersecurity incidents.
  • Incident Reporting:
    • Initial reporting of cybersecurity incidents within 6 hours of awareness.
    • Detailed reports (e.g., number of users affected, geographic impact, remedial actions) within 24 hours.
  • Compliance Portal: Companies must furnish cybersecurity compliance reports on a government portal or through secure communication channels.
• Security Incident Response:
  • The government may direct telecom companies to:
    • Prevent or remedy cybersecurity incidents within a specified time frame.
    • Disconnect telecom identifiers linked to threat actors.
  • Companies must appoint a Chief Telecommunication Security Officer (CTSO) to coordinate incident response and compliance
  • The government can disclose incident details to the public or require telecom companies to do so.
• Equipment Security Regulations:
  • Telecom equipment with an IMEI number must be registered with the government.
  • It is prohibited to:
    • Alter or remove telecommunication equipment identifiers.
    • Use devices with tampered identifiers to produce traffic.
  • The government may block equipment with tampered IMEI numbers or direct manufacturers to assist in addressing such issues.
• Digital Implementation:
  • A government portal will facilitate the digital implementation of these rules.
  • Secure communication mechanisms may be used for issuing orders, collecting information, or reporting compliance.
• Key Provisions Unchanged from the Original Draft Rules:
  • The government can take action against threat actors by disconnecting identifiers.
  • Directions may be issued to telecom companies to prevent or address security incidents.
  • Tampering with equipment identifiers remains strictly prohibited.

This structured format ensures clarity in understanding the roles and responsibilities of telecom companies and the government's authority under the Telecommunication Cybersecurity Rules.

Q1. How big is the telecommunication industry in India?

The Telecom industry in India is the second largest in the world with a subscriber base of 1.179 Bn as of August 2023 (wireless + wireline subscribers).

Q2. How do satellite phones work?

A satellite phone has an omnidirectional or directional antenna that is used for both transmitting and receiving signals. In order to receive a signal for service, most satellite phones require a line-of-sight with the sky.

News: Govt notifies telecom cyber security rules, sets reporting timelines | Hindu