India’s first green bonds released, Green washing condemned by UN, World Day for prevention of Child sexual abuse

India’s first green bonds released

The government released the sovereign green bonds framework with the funds raised through the instrument to be used for projects including renewable energy, supporting electric vehicles and promotion of public transport through its electrification and transport subsidies, biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

More about the bonds

1. Green bonds are financial instruments that generate proceeds for investment in environmentally sustainable and climate-suitable projects.
2. The proceeds from green bonds will not be used to fund hydropower plants larger than 25 MW, nuclear projects and any biomass-based power generation with biomass originating from protected areas.
3. They command a relatively lower cost of capital, compared to regular bonds and necessitate credibility and commitments associated with the process of raising bonds.
4. The issue of sovereign green bonds will help the Centre in tapping funds from potential investors for deployment in public sector projects aimed at reducing the carbon intensity of the economy.
5. Every year, the finance ministry will inform RBI about the spending on green projects for which the funds raised through these bonds will be used.
6. The government said that the framework has been reviewed by CICERO, an independent Norway-based second party opinion provider, with an annual third-party review planned.
7. CICERO has rated India’s green bonds framework as “medium green” with a good governance score.

Green Bonds (Description):

• A green bond is a debt instrument with which capital is being raised to fund ‘green’ projects, which typically include those relating to renewable energy, clean transportation, sustainable water management etc.
  
  
• A bond is a fixed income instrument that represents a loan made by an investor to a borrower (typically corporate or governmental).
• Bonds traditionally paid a fixed interest rate (coupon) to investors.

Growth:

In 2007, green bonds were launched by few development banks such as the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. Subsequently, in 2013, corporates too started participating, which led to its overall growth.

Regulation:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has put in place disclosure norms for issuance and listing of green bonds.

Benefits:

Enhances Reputation: Green bonds enhance an issuer’s reputation, as it helps in showcasing their commitment towards sustainable development.

Fulfillment of Commitments: Ability to meet commitments, for signatories to climate agreements and other green commitments. India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) document puts forth the stated targets for India’s contribution towards climate improvement and following a low carbon path to progress.

Raised at Lower Costs:

• Green bonds typically carry a lower interest rate than the loans offered by the commercial banks.
• With an increasing focus of foreign investors towards green investments, it could help in reducing the cost of raising capital.

Sunrise Sectors:

These green bonds have been crucial in increasing financing to sunrise sectors like renewable energy, thus contributing to India’s sustainable growth.

‘Greenwashing’ condemned by UN

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on 8 November 2022 warned companies and other non-state entities pursing net-zero goals for themselves against indulging in ‘greenwashing’, and said there would be zero tolerance for ‘greenwashing’. An expert-group constituted by him last year submitted its report on 8 November 2022, recommending a range of measures to prevent greenwashing.

What is greenwashing

1. It refers to the growing tendency of companies, organisations and even countries to mark all kinds of activities as climate-friendly, often with dubious, unverifiable or misleading claims.
2. In their bid to showcase their concern for the environment and nature, they often resort to short-cuts, obtain untrustworthy certifications, or indulge in plain intentional misinformation.
3. While the UN Secretary General spoke about greenwashing in the context of net-zero targets being taken by companies, greenwashing is prevalent across the whole range of environmental activities.
4. Developed countries, for example, are often accused of greenwashing their investments in developing countries, by highlighting climate co-benefits of the financial flows, often with little justification.
5. Companies are accused of greenwashing their image by sponsoring a green award or conference, while carrying on with their environment-damaging business activities elsewhere.
6. Double counting — when two or more entities claim the climate benefits of the same action — is also considered greenwashing. The generation, certification and trade of carbon credits in voluntary settings often leads to lot of greenwashing.

Why does it happen?

1. Greenwashing is relatively easy in the absence of universal or rigorous regulations and standards.
2. The processes, methodologies and institutions to measure, report, create standards, verify claims, and grant certifications are still being created.
3. In the meanwhile, a large number of organisations have sprung up claiming to offer these services.
4. Many of these lack integrity and robustness, but their services are availed by corporations, because it makes them look good.

World Day for prevention of child sexual abuse

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to designate 18 November every year as the World Day for the prevention of and healing from child sexual exploitation, abuse and violence.

More about the resolution

1. The resolution invites all member states, relevant organisations of the UN system and other international organisations, world leaders, faith actors, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders to commemorate this World Day each year in a manner that each considers most appropriate.
2. It encourages commitments to raising public awareness of those affected by child sexual abuse and the need to prevent and eliminate child sexual exploitation, abuse and violence.
3. The imperative to hold perpetrators to account; ensuring the access of survivors and victims’ to justice and remedies; as well as facilitating open discussion on the need to prevent and eliminate their stigmatisation, promote their healing, affirm their dignity and protect their rights.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND RELATED DATA

• The World Health Organisation defines child sexual abuse as the involvement of child and sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend and is unable to give informed consent to, for which child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent or that violates the laws of social taboos of society
• According protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 any sexual activity with a child below 18 years is a crime
• Indian children constitutes 19 % of World population of children, according to a study by United Nations International children education fund during 2005-13 the child sexual abuse was reported about 42% in Indian girls
• According to a state sponsored survey in India the prevalence of child sexual abuse was as high as  53%. It also laid emphasis on that boys were also equally affected and more than 20 % were subjected to severe forms of sexual abuse
• According to National crime records Bureau the crimes against children have increased by 4.5 % in 2019 as compared to that in 2018
• According to a 2007 study conducted by the Ministry of Women & Child Development found that as many as 50% of children in India had faced abuse of some kind.
• Various studies have highlighted that in as much as 95 percent of the cases, the abusers are known to the victim.

CAUSES OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Social cultural reasons

• The cases often go unreported as a culture of privacy, fear of in dignity and social humiliation thereby preventing the disclosure of such crimes which further embolden the culprits
• Also there is increased guilt and reluctance of reporting in the cases of intra familial abuse

Risk factors

• The childhood sexual abuse of an occurs alongside other forms of abuse or neglect in family environment in which there may be low family support, high poverty, low parental education, parental substance abuse all domestic violence
• It has been observed that children who are impulsive, emotionally needy and have learning or physical disabilities, mental health problems or substance used may be at increased risk
• Also, the out-of-home youth is at increased risk because they may be exploited and forced to trade sex for survival needs like food, shelter, money or drugs

Lack of medical evidence

• Generally the direct evidence is lost since reporting of sexual violence is sometimes delayed for weeks or even months, which further leads to low conviction rates in the cases because of the loss of essential biological trace evidence

Unmonitored access to technology

• Though, Technology provides limitless ways to nurture children’s education and creativity, unfortunately it is also a perpetrator’s playground
• The internet provides significantly greater access to potential targets along with added in enormity and ability to keep things secret.

Misunderstanding boundaries

• Children who have insufficient education or understanding about boundaries are at most significant risk of abuse.
• Such children are not able to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour

Prior sexual abuse

• The children who have been victims of sexual abuse in the past at a higher risk of being abused again, which is called revictimization
• Child survivor who lacks support network and tools to cope up with the trauma may become more vulnerable to recurrence of abuse

Conflict areas

• The children living in conflict and post-conflict environments are also at increased risk attribute attributable to the breakdown of normal protective structures are the use of abuse as an act of War

IMPACT ON CHILDREN

Psychological impact

• It is generally observed that experience of child sexual abuse has a strong association with feelings of hopelessness, suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts. It triggers strong emotions including fear, shame, guilt, rage and depression among children

Effect on mental health

• The child sexual abuse survivors are not able to express their feelings and experience due to various emotional, social and cultural factors.
• This generally leads to traumatization of children and has long lasting negative effects on mental health

Intrafamilial sexual abuse

• The abuse committed by someone with his within the family is one of the biggest challenges, it is is more common to see that a child is removed from home for sometime and the family systems undergo stress during investigations
• It has also been seen that children experiencing intrafamilial reviews maybe  more subject to cumulative impact of poly victimization due to exposure to both sexual and emotional abuse.

Effect on interpersonal relationships

• The child sexual abuse has a damaging impact on the ability of child to form and maintain close and loving relationships
• It affects the relationships that victims and survivors have at the time of abuse and for the rest of their lives

WAY FORWARD

• Role of NGOs: NGOs and other social organisation  can reach out to schools and start educating students about good touch and bad touch to prevent their exploitation.
• Role of schools: teachers can also play a major role to make children aware, the school authorities have an important responsibility of identifying signs of disturbance in child’s mind and keep a watch for abnormal behaviour
• The Ministry of women and child development has established one stop centres, Sakhi in 2015 preferably within hospital or medical facility to provide support and assistance to victims of gender violence which include holistic facilities under one roof.
• There is a need for more nuanced approach to combat child sexual abuse and the POCSO law needs to recognize the ground reality in the country.
• A former Supreme Court judge has stressed on the need for greater sensitisation of judges towards child rights and child abuse. The judges need to ensure a speedy trial so that a child victim of sexual abuse, who has already gone through a traumatizing experience, should not be made to live through the trauma again and again.

Level Of Groundwater Extraction Is Lowest In 18 Years, Finds Study

• According to an assessment by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) made public, groundwater extraction in India saw an 18-year decline.
• According to the 2022 assessment report, the total annual groundwater recharge for the entire country is 437.60 billion cubic meters (bcm), while the total annual groundwater extraction for the entire country is 239.16 bcm. Additionally, the report classifies 1,006 of the 7,089 assessment units in the nation as having been “over-exploited”.

Highlights of assessment

• An in-depth review of the data from the evaluation reveals an increase in ground water recharge, which may be primarily attributable to rises in recharge from canal seepage, irrigation water return flow, and recharges from water bodies/tanks & water conservation structures.
• When compared to assessment data from 2017, research further shows improvement in ground water conditions in 909 assessment units across the nation.
• Additionally, the Ministry of Water Resources said that it has seen a general decline in the number of overexploited units and a decline in the stage of groundwater exploitation.
• The annual groundwater recharge was 436 bcm while the annual groundwater extraction was 245 bcm, according to a 2020 assessment.
• Recharge in 2017 was 432 bcm, while extraction was 249 bcm. According to the 2022 assessment, groundwater extraction is at its lowest level since 2004, when it reached 231 bcm.
• The CGWB and States/Union Territories previously conducted similar joint exercises in 1980, 1995, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2020.

About Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)

• Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is the apex organization of the Ministry of Water Resources dealing with groundwater and related issues.
• It was constituted under sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for regulating and controlling ground water development and management in the country.
• Mandate: To Develop and disseminate technologies, and monitor and implement national policies for the scientific and sustainable development and management of India’s groundwater resources, including their exploration, assessment, conservation, augmentation, protection from pollution, and distribution, based on principles of economic and ecological efficiency and equity.
• Vision: Sustainable Management and Development of the Nation’s Groundwater Resources

Mission

• To develop groundwater policies, programs, and practices to monitor and enable the effective use of the country’s groundwater resources in a sustainable manner with the active involvement of all stakeholders.
• To put into place scientific systems and practices, which would result in a sustained increase in groundwater use efficiency.
• To disseminate information, skills, and knowledge, which would help in capacity building and mass awareness in the groundwater sector.

Water resources in India

• India account for 16 percent of the world’s population living in less than 2.5 percent of the global area and has just 4 percent of the global water resources.
• The Central Water Commission (CWC) estimates that 1,999 billion cubic meters of water are available in the nation’s rivers as a result of natural runoff.
• It is projected that 1,122 billion cubic meters of resources are usable annually, including 690 BCM of surface water and 432 BCM of replenishable groundwater.
• The country’s per capita availability will drop from 1,434 cubic meters in 2025 to 1,219 cubic meters in 2050, according to the CWC.

Steps taken by India to conserve water

• Water is a State subject, therefore, is for the State Governments concerned to take up programs and schemes for the protection of its water bodies.
• The Central Government is limited to providing technical support and, in some cases, partial financial assistance under the existing schemes.
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan:The government introduced Jal Shakti Abhiyan,2019 followed by “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” (JSA:CTR) in 2021.
• Focused initiatives under these yearly campaigns undertaken by the Government of India and the State Governments include, the renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, the enumeration, geo-tagging, and inventory of all water bodies, the removal of encroachments of tanks/lakes, and the de-silting of tanks.
• Water conservation and rain water harvesting structures, as well as reuse and recharge structures, are being developed by the State Governments under Jal Shakti Abhiyan campaign
• Minor Irrigation Census: In conjunction with the sixth cycle of the Minor Irrigation Census (reference year 2017–18), the government has also begun the first Census of Water Bodies under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme known as the “Irrigation Census.” Creating a national database for all water bodies in the nation is the goal of the Census of Waterbodies.
• Groundwater augmentation through artificial recharge: Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has taken up the project on ‘Groundwater augmentation through artificial recharge in certain water-stressed areas of Rajasthan and Haryana’ in 2021-22.
• Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal),2019: A community-led sustainable groundwater management that can be taken to scale. The major objective of the scheme is to improve the management of groundwater resources in select water-stressed areas in identified states viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Aquifer Mapping: Since the implementation of the XII Plan, the CGWB has also commenced the mapping and management of aquifers throughout the entire nation, including low groundwater level districts. Aquifer mapping is intended to define aquifer disposition and their characterization in order to prepare groundwater management strategies tailored to individual aquifers or geographic areas with community involvement.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) includes provisions for public works involving natural resource management, water conservation, and water harvesting structures to increase and improve groundwater, such as underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams and check dams, as well as rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in public buildings.

What is the depth to the water level? This is defined as the distance (in meters) from the ground sur- face to the water table.The depth to water level in the majority of northwestern states typically ranges from 10 to 20 m below ground level.Deeper water levels between 20 and 40 metres below ground level have been seen in the western areas of the nation.Water levels greater than 40 m bgl have been recorded in northern Gujarat, western Rajasthan, and parts of Haryana.Units: meter below ground level

Oxfam report for carbon emissions

An Oxfam report titled, Carbon Billionaires: The investment emissions of the world’s richest people, has said the world’s richest people emit “unsustainable amounts of carbon,” as compared with an ordinary person. This report is based on the fact that every human on Earth has a carbon footprint, which can be divided into “personal consumption emissions, emissions through government spending and emissions linked to investments.”

What does the Oxfam report say?

1. An analysis of the investments of 125 of the world’s richest billionaires was conducted by Oxfam International, and the report was published this November.
2. It demonstrated that on average, billionaires are responsible for emitting “3 million tonnes” of carbon a year, which is, “more than a million times the average for someone in the bottom 90% of humanity.”
3. It further found out that the 125 billionaires taken as a sample fund about 393 million tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year.
4. This is equivalent to the “annual carbon emissions of France,” which is a nation of 67 million people.
5. In comparison, it said, “it would take 1.8 million cows to emit the same levels of CO2e as each of the 125 billionaires,” and “almost four million people would have to go vegan to offset the emissions of each of the billionaires.”

Why does the report matter?

1. The report comes at a time when discussions to meet the globally agreed target of limiting the world’s temperature to below 1.5℃ is underway at COP 27 in Egypt and has significant implications for climate policymaking.
2. It takes a critical look at the relationship between economic inequality and the climate crisis.
3. The idea is that since billionaires hold significant wealth and stakes in globally recognised corporations, they hold the power to influence the ways in which those corporations behave.
4. As people from low and middle-income backgrounds do not exercise much control over their energy choices, the report says it is imperative for world leaders to ensure that “those who emit the most carbon also do the most to reduce those emissions.”