AMIGOS IAS Daily Current Affairs (16^th Sept 2024)

International Day of Democracy

GS 2&3: Polity & Governance/Science & Technology: Impact of AI on democracy

Why is it in the news?

• Since 2007, the United Nations has commemorated the International Day of Democracy (IDD) on September 15 each year.
• This day offers a valuable opportunity to assess the global state of democracy and examine the roles played by international organizations, national governments, civil society, and individuals in promoting and sustaining democratic principles.
• This year’s theme, “Ensuring Effective Governance of Artificial Intelligence at All Levels,” highlights the dual focus of technology and innovation in supporting good governance. The emphasis is on harnessing AI’s potential to enhance democratic processes while also addressing the risks associated with its misuse.

Context

• On the International Day of Democracy, it is crucial to examine how Artificial Intelligence (AI) intersects with democratic principles. This year, over fifty countries are holding elections, and AI technology is advancing rapidly, enhancing its capabilities in understanding and generating human-like responses.
• This raises a key question: Will AI benefit or harm democracy?

An Analysis

About Democracy

• Democracy, derived from the Greek words “demos” (the people) and “kratia” (power or rule), is a system where power is vested in the people, either directly or through elected representatives. The core democratic principles include:

1) Popular Sovereignty: Government authority derives from the governed, with citizens electing leaders and influencing legislation.

2) Equality and Fairness: Every individual has equal opportunities to influence decisions and enjoys fundamental rights and freedoms.

3) Rule of Law: Laws apply equally to all, including the government thereby protecting civil liberties.

4) Free and Fair Elections: Regular, transparent elections ensure citizens can vote without intimidation.

5) Political Pluralism: Encourages multiple political parties and diverse viewpoints.

6) Citizen Participation: Promotes civic engagement in public discourse, activism, and community involvement.

Artificial Intelligence

About:

• Artificial Intelligence refers to computer systems capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding language, recognizing patterns, and making decisions.
• AI can automate tasks, analyze data, and provide valuable insights, but it also carries risks like spreading misinformation or exacerbating biases.

AI’s potential benefits to Democracy:

• Improving Transparency: Making government data more accessible and understandable, promoting accountability.
• Supporting Informed Decision-Making: Analyzing data to help governments make evidence-based policies.
• Facilitating Civic Engagement: Using chatbots and virtual assistants to improve communication between citizens and their representatives.
• Increasing Accessibility: Personalizing content delivery and simplifying information to include more people in the political process.
• Ensuring Election Integrity: Monitoring elections for irregularities and ensuring fair practices.
• Enhancing Policy Analysis: Simulating policy impacts to better assess risks and benefits.
• Boosting Crisis Management: Analyzing real-time data during crises for efficient response and resource allocation.
• Improving Social Services: Analyzing community needs to better target resource allocation.
• Reducing Administrative Burdens: Automating routine tasks to improve governmental efficiency.

AI’s potential threats to Democracy:

• Misinformation and Deepfakes: Generating fake content that can manipulate public opinion and undermine trust.
• Surveillance and Privacy: Facilitating mass surveillance and potential abuses of power.
• Algorithmic Bias: Reinforcing social inequalities and affecting electoral outcomes unfairly.
• Public Discourse Manipulation: Micro-targeting voters with tailored messages, potentially leading to polarization.
• Concentration of Power: Entities controlling AI could gain undue influence over political processes.

Conclusion

• Responsible use of AI, with a focus on transparency, fairness, and accountability, is essential to maximizing its benefits while mitigating its risks. Effective governance of AI at all levels will be crucial in safeguarding democracy.

CMFRI designated as Centre of Excellence for seaweed cultivation

GS 3: Economy: Fisheries

About the news

• The Department of Fisheries, part of the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, has officially designated the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) as a Centre of Excellence for seaweed cultivation.
• This designation will focus on enhancing India’s role in the global seaweed industry by promoting sustainable farming practices and addressing key challenges.
• The CMFRI regional centre located in Mandapam, Tamil Nadu, will serve as a central hub for research, development, training, and capacity building in seaweed cultivation.
• A key initiative of the new Centre of Excellence will be the establishment of a seed bank to maintain the genetic diversity of indigenous seaweed species and ensure a steady supply of high-quality seedlings. The centre will also conduct environmental impact assessments to ensure that seaweed farming practices are sustainable.
• In addition to these efforts, the centre will offer training and capacity-building programs for farmers, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders to support seaweed cultivation and related activities. It will also focus on international collaboration, working with global experts and institutions to facilitate knowledge exchange and capacity building.

Commons and the critical role of community leadership in their governance

GS 2: Polity and Governance: Understanding Commons

Why is it in the news?

• Delhi recently hosted a pioneering dialogue on the conservation, restoration, and governance of “Commons”—shared resources like forests, community lands, and water bodies.
• Over 500 participants, predominantly from grassroots organizations across India, attended this three-day event aimed at promoting more inclusive and community-led frameworks for managing these vital resources.

About Commons and their role

• Commons refer to resources that are collectively owned by the community rather than by individuals, groups, or the government. These include tangible assets such as forests, ponds, grazing lands, rivers, and urban parks, as well as intangible assets like language, folk art, and traditional knowledge.
• Globally, Commons encompass areas like the polar regions, outer space, and the Moon, which are protected from individual ownership but are available for certain activities. In the digital realm, Creative Commons licenses allow free use of open-source software and other digital resources.
• Commons are crucial because they offer essential ecological and other services beneficial to the entire community. However, they face threats of over-exploitation and damage due to their open access, and their management is often challenging because no single entity owns them. Climate change has further stressed these resources.
• Governance mechanisms for Commons vary. International agreements cover global Commons such as the polar regions and outer space, while urban Commons are managed by local governments. In rural areas, however, governance structures are often underdeveloped or non-existent.
• Local communities are involved but typically lack the resources or legal authority to manage these areas effectively. The recent dialogue in Delhi highlighted the need for better governance structures for these rural Commons.
• Historically, the management of Commons was seen as problematic, with the “Tragedy of the Commons” concept suggesting that shared resources were doomed to over-exploitation.
• However, research by Elinor Ostrom challenged this notion. Her studies demonstrated that community-led governance could effectively manage Commons sustainably.
• Ostrom’s work, culminating in her 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics, showed that local communities could develop successful management structures without relying solely on government or market interventions.
• In India, the 2006 Forest Rights Act (FRA) is a prominent example of effective Commons management. The FRA grants forest-dwellers both individual and community rights over forest areas, marking a significant shift from government-controlled forest management.
• This Act acknowledges the role of indigenous people in conserving and managing forest resources, a model that could be applied to other Commons.
• With around one-fourth of India’s landmass comprising Commons, including community forests and water bodies, and nearly 350 million rural people depending on these resources, effective governance is crucial.
• The Commons generate substantial economic value annually. The schemes like NREGA and green credits would be more effective if local rights were recognized, and calls for a national Commons Bill to guide state governments in managing these resources efficiently.

Will Turkey’s bid to join BRICS accelerate EU accession?

GS 2: International Relations: Turkey’s pursuit of BRICS membership

Why is it in the news?

• Turkey has officially applied to join BRICS, a coalition originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and now expanding to include other emerging economies.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reiterated the country’s desire to join the group, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for Turkey’s bid.
• However, this move might complicate Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union (EU) and diminish its potential benefits from the 27-member bloc’s single market.

More about the news

• The EU expects candidate countries to align with its values and policies. Further, EU candidates must support EU values, adhere to trade agreements, and align with the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.
• Turkey’s recent low alignment rate with EU policies and its stalled progress in accession talks highlight the challenges it faces. The EU accession process for Turkey, which began in 2005, hit a standstill in 2018 due to concerns over media freedom, judicial control, and civilian oversight.
• Turkey’s interest in BRICS may reflect frustration with its stalled EU accession process and unmet expectations, such as modernization of customs agreements and visa liberalization.
• The BRICS group, which has expanded to include countries like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, focuses on trade and economic cooperation rather than a unified security policy. Hence, Turkey’s move towards BRICS could be seen as a strategic response to the slow pace of its EU integration and dissatisfaction with the EU’s handling of its accession.
• However, there is a risk that Turkey’s pursuit of BRICS membership might backfire, potentially reducing its credibility within the transatlantic alliance. Experts suggest that while Turkey might be using BRICS to gain leverage, it could also lead to increased suspicion from EU nations.
• Turkey’s foreign policy decisions have strained relations with Western allies. It has resisted sanctions against Russia and continued purchasing Russian oil. Additionally, Turkey supports Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and other countries.
• Turkey’s purchase of S-400 missile systems from Russia and its delay of NATO membership for Sweden and Finland have further complicated its relationships with the West.
• Despite these issues, Turkey’s strategic location and agreements, such as the 2016 migration deal with the EU, maintain its importance in regional geopolitics.

Typhoon Yagi

GS 1: Geography: Tropical Cyclones

Why is it in the news?

• Millions in Southeast Asia are grappling with severe impacts from Typhoon Yagi, the strongest tropical cyclone Asia has faced this year and the second most powerful globally, following Hurricane Beryl.
• The typhoon has wreaked havoc across several countries, including the Philippines, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand. Vietnam has been the hardest hit, with the death toll there reaching approximately 233.

More about the news

• Tropical cyclones originate over warm ocean waters near the equator. When warm, moist air from the ocean surface rises, it creates a low-pressure area below. Cooler, higher-pressure air rushes in to fill this void, becoming warm and moist itself.
• As this air continues to rise, it cools, leading to the formation of clouds and thunderstorms. The storm system, fuelled by the ocean’s heat and evaporated water, gains strength and momentum.
• Tropical cyclones start as tropical depressions. If the depression intensifies and reaches sustained winds of 39 miles per hour (63 km/h), it becomes a tropical storm. Cyclones with wind speeds of 119 km/h and above are classified as hurricanes, typhoons, or tropical cyclones.
• The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale categorizes these storms into five levels, from Category 1 (119 to 153 km/h) to Category 5 (252 km/h or higher). Category 3 and above are considered major cyclones due to their potential for severe damage.
• Starting as a tropical storm in the western Philippine Sea on September 1, Typhoon Yagi made landfall in the Philippines and weakened initially.
• However, it re-intensified over warm waters in the South China Sea, reaching Category 3 by September 4 and Category 5 with peak winds of 260 km/h the following day. It made landfall in China’s Hainan province on September 6 and later in northern Vietnam. Though downgraded to a tropical depression, it continued to cause heavy rains and flooding in Myanmar.
• While scientists debate the exact impact of climate change on tropical cyclones, there is consensus that rising global temperatures are intensifying storms. A study in Climate and Atmospheric Science found that cyclones in Southeast Asia are forming closer to coastlines, intensifying rapidly, and persisting longer over land.
• Moreover, higher sea surface temperatures, up by 0.9°C since 1850 and 0.6°C over the last 40 years, contribute to stronger storms by increasing evaporation and heat transfer, leading to more intense rainfall and flooding.

The Food vs. Cars dilemma

GS 3: Miscellaneous

Why is it in the news?

• The “food versus fuel” debate is well-known in the context of using crops for ethanol and biodiesel, but a new “food versus cars” dilemma is emerging due to increased use of phosphoric acid.
• This acid, a key ingredient in di-ammonium phosphate (DAP)—India’s second most consumed fertilizer after urea—is now also crucial in the production of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).

More about the news

• DAP relies on phosphoric acid, derived from rock phosphate ore treated with sulphuric acid, to provide phosphorus, which is vital for early crop growth stages. Meanwhile, phosphoric acid is also used to produce LFP batteries, which made up over 40% of global EV capacity in 2023, up from just 6% in 2020.
• LFP batteries are gaining market share from nickel-based NMC and NCA batteries due to their lower cost and improved safety, despite their lower energy density.
• In India, which consumes 10.5-11 million tonnes of DAP annually, over half is imported. Further, it also imports phosphoric acid and rock phosphate to produce DAP and other phosphorus-containing fertilizers.
• In 2022-23, India imported 6.7 million tonnes of DAP, 2.7 million tonnes of phosphoric acid, and 3.9 million tonnes of rock phosphate, totalling over $10 billion in imports. With phosphoric acid increasingly used in LFP batteries—primarily in China, which supplies a significant amount of DAP to India—the availability for fertilizers is reduced, creating a food versus cars dilemma.
• China, which produced two-thirds of EVs with LFP batteries in 2023, is a major supplier of DAP to India and a leading exporter of phosphatic fertilizers. As more phosphoric acid is diverted to battery production, the supply of fertilizers could diminish, impacting global markets.
• Though, the LFP battery adoption is still below 10% in the US and Europe, but rising interest in these batteries could further strain phosphate supplies. With global phosphate reserves abundant compared to critical minerals like cobalt, the shift to LFP batteries poses a significant challenge to fertilizer availability.
• India’s DAP imports dropped significantly from April-August 2024 due to export restrictions from China. This decline in imports has led to reduced sales of DAP, with a 20.5% fall in the kharif season compared to the previous year.
• The government’s fixed retail price for DAP has led to losses for companies, making it financially unfeasible to import and sell DAP. Consequently, firms are shifting towards complex fertilizers with lower phosphorus content.
• Despite this, the lack of domestic rock phosphate and other critical inputs necessitates securing raw material supplies through international partnerships. Indian companies have established phosphoric acid production facilities in Senegal, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, and more such ventures may be needed to ensure future fertilizer supply stability.