Down To Earth Magazine - June 2022, Part 2

Table of Contents

Down To Earth is a fortnightly magazine focusing on politics of environment and development, published in New Delhi, India.

UPSC Previous years’ questions on Development, Environment, Health and Disaster Management give us a clear idea about the increased importance of DTE magazine.

DTE Magazine is one of the most important and indispensable source for UPSC Civil Services Exam Preparation. Keeping this in mind, here, we come with ”Gist Of Down To Earth Magazine” which covers important environmental current affairs articles in smooth pointed form, keeping in mind the demand of UPSC aspirants.

What is the EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change?

The frequency and severity of climate and weather extremes is increasing so EU has taken a step to build strategies to adapt with climate in mission mode.
It will support the European Green Deal and the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy.
The signatories belong to 18 EU member states.
The Mission Adaptation aims to support at least 150 regions and communities in accelerating their transformation towards climate resilience by 2030.
As part of the mission, the signatories will receive €370 million in 2021-23 to develop pathways towards climate resilience while having access to climate data and methodologies for climate risk assessments and receiving tailor-made guidance on effective adaptation measures.
Seventeen private companies, service centres, research networks and local action groups have agreed to become friends of the mission.

Global Sustainable Development Report, 2022

India has been ranked 121 out of the 163 countries in the latest global Sustainable Development Report, 2022.
The country’s rank has slipped for the third consecutive year in the annual report.
India faces major challenges in achieving 11 of the 17 SDGs. It includes SDG 8 (ensuring decent work) and SDG 2 (ending hunger)

Visible Shift in Monkeypox Virus Spread

1958: Monkeypox virus was identified for the first time in a macaque colony in Denmark.

1971: First human case was reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970 and in Nigeria in 1971. The number of human cases increased from 48 in 1970-79 to 520 in 1980- 89. Cases found only in Africa.

2003: The US records the first human case of monkeypox outside Africa. From 2000-09, Africa records 10,117 human cases and the rest of the world records 47 cases. In 2010-19, Africa records 19,065 human cases. The rest of the world’s tally remains just six.

2022: On May 6, the United Kingdom records fresh human outbreak. By June 2, human cases were reported in 27 non-African and seven African countries. The world records 824 human cases, almost 95% of the cases reported outside Africa.

India’s POX Problem

The recent spread of monkeypox to non-endemic countries has trained the spotlight on re-emerging viruses such as buffalopox, which was first isolated in India in 1934.
The zoonotic disease endemic to India has its roots in smallpox vaccines. Live viruses used to inoculate buffaloes to produce the smallpox vaccine in India evolved into buffalopox over time.
India has recorded several sporadic outbreaks of the disease.
Human cases were reported across five districts in Maharashtra between December 1985 and February 1987.
The next major outnreak was recorded in three Maharashtra districts in 1992-96.
In 2008- 2009, Maharashtra’s Sholapur and Kolhapur districts recorded 21 human cases.
The last outbreak was recorded in 2018 when 28 human cases of buffalopox were diagnosed in the state’s Dhule district.
A majority of the infected people were milkers and had close contact with buffalos.
Recent trends suggest that increasing numbers of outbreaks in the Indian subcontinent are being recorded, but awareness about diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures in humans is much lower, according to a study published in the Clinical Dermatology Review journal in August 2020.