SUPERCYCLONE KYARR

Context:

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Supercyclone ‘Kyarr’, in the Arabian Sea has moved westwards and away from India’s coast.


Tropical Cyclone :

• A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain or squalls.

• It is an intense low-pressure area in the atmosphere over tropical or sub-tropical waters, with organised convection (i.e. thunderstorm activity) and winds at low levels, circulating either anti-clockwise (in the northern hemisphere) or clockwise (in the southern hemisphere).

• From the centre of a cyclonic storm, pressure increases outwards.

• The amount of the pressure drop in the centre and the rate at which it increases outwards gives the intensity of the cyclones and the strength of winds.

• The cyclones are classified as severe (MSW of 48-63 knots), very severe (MSW of 64-89 knots), extremely severe (MSW of 90-119 knots) and super cyclonic storm (MSW of 120 knots or more). One knot is equal to 1.8 kmph.

CONDITIONS OF TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION :


• A source of warm, moist air derived from tropical oceans with sea surface temperature normally near to or in excess of 27 °C

• Winds near the ocean surface blowing from different directions converging and causing air to rise and storm clouds to form.

• Winds that do not vary greatly with height – known as low wind shear. This allows the storm clouds to rise vertically to high levels;

• Coriolis force/spin induced by the rotation of the Earth. The formation mechanisms vary across the world, but once a cluster of storm clouds starts to rotate, it becomes a tropical depression.

• If it continues to develop it becomes a tropical storm, and later a cyclone/ super cyclone.

FACTS :

Kyarr is the ninth super cyclone to have developed in the North Indian Ocean, after Super Cyclone Gonu in 2007.

Gonu was also the strongest cyclone to have made landfall in Oman.

Before that, Odisha was hit by a Super Cyclone in 1999 causing catastrophic damage to the state and massive loss of life and property.

The name Kyaar was given by Myanmar.

Note:

In 2000, eight countries came together to assign names to the tropical cyclones that originate in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea: Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

It was then decided that each country will submit a set of names which will be used one by one to name the cyclones. The framing of the list began in September 2004 and later 64 names, eight from each country, were finalised

Context:

The 29th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held recently in Beijing, China.


OUTCOMES:

The developed countries to take urgent action to close gaps and provide support to developing nations as a part of the commitment under the Paris agreement on climate change.

Global climate action should promote climate justice by recognising the fundamental equality of all people in accessing economic growth and sustainable development.

There is need for people’s participation and climate friendly lifestyles for addressing the challenge of climate change.

Developed countries should take urgent actions to close the gaps, including revisiting their targets on mitigation under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, and fulfilling their commitments of providing support to developing countries.

WHO ARE BASIC COUNTRIES ?


It is geopolitical alliance (bloc) of four advanced developing countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China. It was established by agreement in 2009. These four countries collectively account for one-third of world’s geographical area and nearly 40% of world’s population.

BASIC countries broadly have common position on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and raising the massive funds that are needed to fight climate change. Since 2009, they have cooperated in international climate negotiations, reflecting their aspiration to have a larger say in global politics.

Mandate: These four countries as single bloc are committed to act jointly at Copenhagen climate summit, including possible united walk-out if their common minimum position was not met by the developed nations. They are collectively working to define common position on emission reductions and climate aid money and try to convince other countries to sign up to Copenhagen Accord.


Objectives:

The signatory nations have a broadly common position on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and raising the massive funds that are needed to fight climate change.

The BASIC countries constituted one of the parties in the Copenhagen Accord reached with the US-led grouping.

The Accord, was not legally binding.

The BASIC group wields considerable heft purely because of the size of the economies and populations of the member countries.

It constitutes one-third of the world’s geographical area and nearly 40% of the world’s population, and when they unitedly speak in one voice this shows their determination.

BASIC is one of several groups of nations working together to fight climate change and carry out negotiations within the UNFCCC.


Importance :

1. High vulnerability of developing countries to climate change effects and high resultant costs of adaptation”.

2. The findings of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming make it incredibly clear that the impacts of an already warming world are significant, and that impacts at 2°C are catastrophic compared to those of 1.5°C. Yet, the BASIC ministers recalled the Paris goal of limiting the temperature rise to well under 2°C, and aspiring to limit it to 1.5°C.

3. The BASIC countries also contend that their nationally determined contributions (NDCs)— voluntary pledges of national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.


Way forward :

It is critical that all countries actively step-up to rapidly reduce global GHG emissions within their own jurisdictions and collectively work with each other to limit warming to 1.5°C.