UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

  On 14 January 2022, a very large  eruption  on  Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai , an uninhabited  volcanic island  of the  Tongan  archipelago in the  South Pacific Ocean , began. Hunga Tonga is 65 km (40 mi) north of  Tongatapu , the country's main island,  and is part of the highly active Tonga– Kermadec Islands   volcanic arc , a  subduction zone  extending from New Zealand north-northeast to  Fiji .  The eruption caused  tsunamis  in Tonga, Fiji,  American Samoa ,  Vanuatu , and along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, including damaging tsunamis in New Zealand, Japan, the United States, the  Russian Far East , Chile, and Peru. At least three people were killed and many remain missing in Tonga from tsunami waves up to 15 m (49 ft). Two people drowned in Peru when a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) wave struck the coast. Preliminary data shows that the event was  pro...

  1. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today has approved the extension of the tenure of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) for three years beyond 31.3.2022. 2. The NCSK was established in the year 1993 as per the provisions of the NCSK Act 1993 initially for the period upto 31.3.1997.  Later the validity of the Act was initially extended upto 31.3.2002 and thereafter upto 29.2.2004.  The NCSK Act ceased to have effect from 29.2.2004.  After that the tenure of the NCSK has been extended as a non-statutory body from time to time through resolutions.  The tenure of the present Commission is upto 31.3.2022. 3. The NCSK has been giving its recommendations to the Government regarding specific programmes for welfare of Safai Karamcharis, study and evaluate the existing welfare programmes for Safai Karamcharis, investigate cases of specific grievances etc.  4. Also as per the provisions of the Prohibition ...

  The European Commission has proposed plans to label some gas and nuclear power as green. The proposal argues that gas and nuclear are key to helping transition to cleaner power. Under the proposal, only gas and nuclear plants with the highest standards would be considered green. Nuclear plants  would also have to have strict waste disposal plans . While gas plants would have a limit of how much carbon dioxide is released per kilowatt-hour of energy produced. The European Commission is expected to propose rules in January deciding whether gas and nuclear projects will be included in the EU "sustainable finance taxonomy". This is a list of economic activities and the environmental criteria they must meet to be labelled as green investments. The EU’s taxonomy list is a green classification system that helps investors to channel billions of euros into projects that are seen to be in line with the bloc’s bid to decarbonize its economy. This proposal faced opposition ...

  ISRO successfully conducted the qualification test of Cryogenic Engine for Gaganyaan programme for a duration of 720 seconds at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu. About Cryogenic Engine: Rocket engines need high  mass flow rates  of both oxidizer and fuel to generate useful thrust. Oxygen, the simplest and most common oxidizer, is in the  gas phase  at  standard temperature and pressure , as is hydrogen, the simplest fuel. While it is possible to store propellants as pressurized gases, this would require large, heavy tanks that would make achieving  orbital spaceflight  difficult if not impossible. On the other hand, if the propellants are cooled sufficiently, they  exist  in the  liquid phase  at higher density and lower pressure, simplifying tankage. These  cryogenic  temperatures vary depending on the propellant, with  liquid oxygen  existing below −183 °C (−297.4 °F; 90...

1. Most Green House Gasses are naturally occurring but human activities are leading to increase in the amount of GHG emitted and their concentration in atmosphere. 2. Increase in concentration could lead to increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events – including flooding, droughts wildfire and hurricanes. 3. Carbon dioxide ( CO 2 ), methane and nitrous oxide are major Green House Gasses. 4. CO 2  stays in the atmosphere for up to 1,000 years ,  methane for around a decade  and  nitrous oxide for approximately 120 years . Measured over a 20-year period,  methane is 80 times  more potent than CO 2  in causing global warming, while nitrous oxide is 280 times more potent. 5. Carbon is the main element in Coal, oil and natural gas and burning of these releases carbon dioxide into atmosphere.   6. Oil and gas extraction,  coal mining and waste landfills account for 55 per cent of human-caused methane emissions . Approxim...