Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event

Context: The ongoing Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event has already  impacted 84 percent of the ocean’s reefs as per the International Coral Reef Initiative.

• The impacted reefs span at least 83 countries and territories.

About Global Coral Bleaching Event

• Fourth Event: The ongoing bleaching event beginning in 2023 is the largest on record with 84% of the world’s reefs impacted.
• Third Event: The third-largest bleaching period, between 2014 and 2017, impacted 68.2% of reefs.
• The first and second global coral bleaching events occurred in 1998 and 2010, respectively.

About Coral Bleaching

• Coral Bleaching is an event where the Corals expels the symbiotic relationship it has with the algae called zooxanthellae and turns white.
  • Symbiotic Relationship: These algae provide the corals with food and oxygen, and in return, the corals provide them with a safe place to live. 
• Reasons: 
  • High Ocean Temperatures: The average annual sea surface temperature of oceans in 2024 away from the poles was a record 20.87 degrees Celsius.
  • Climate Change: Rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere lead to increased heat absorption by the oceans, raising sea surface temperatures.
    • 2024 was the hottest year on record.
  • Pollution: Runoff from land can carry pollutants that damage corals and their symbiotic algae

About the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)

• ICRI is an informal global partnership striving to preserve coral reefs and related ecosystems around the world.
• Formation: The Initiative was founded in 1994 and was announced at the First Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in December 1994.
• Objective: To encourage the adoption of best practice in sustainable management of coral reefs and associated ecosystems

Endangered Vultures Get New Home in Maharashtra

Context: On Earth Day 2025, 34 critically endangered vultures, 20 long-billed and 14 white-rumped vultures were transferred from Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre (JCBC), Pinjore to Maharashtra for wild reintroduction.

• The successful relocation to Melghat, Pench, and Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra aims to reestablish wild populations.

About Long-Billed Vultures

• The long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) is a large scavenger bird native to the Indian subcontinent, primarily found in cliffs and rocky outcrops in central and peninsular India.
• Ecological Role: These vultures play a vital ecological role by feeding on animal carcasses, thus preventing the spread of diseases.
• Threats: They have suffered massive population declines due to the veterinary use of the drug diclofenac, which is toxic to them when ingested via cattle carcasses.
• Conservation Status: Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

About White-Rumped Vultures

• The white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) is one of the smallest species among Gyps vultures and is historically found across South and Southeast Asia.
• Habitat: Inhabits open country, near human settlements and agricultural lands, often nesting on tall trees or buildings.
• Threat: It faces a severe population crash due to diclofenac poisoning and habitat loss.
• Conservation Status: Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

Antibiotic Pollution: Study

Context: A recent study published in PNAS Nexus warns that 6 million km of rivers worldwide are contaminated with antibiotics at levels that can harm ecosystems.

What is Antibiotics?

• Antibiotics are strong medicines that help fight infections caused by bacteria.   

What is Antibiotic Pollution?

• Antibiotic pollution refers to the contamination of the environment, especially water bodies like rivers, lakes, and oceans, with antibiotics. 

Key Highlights of the Study on Antibiotic Pollution in Rivers

• Extent of Antibiotic Pollution in Rivers
  • 80% of India’s river lengths might face environmental and health risks due to antibiotic pollution.
    • Global study revealed that 29% of consumed antibiotics end up in rivers, and 11% reach oceans and lakes.
• Impact of Antibiotic Pollution: Antibiotics are not fully metabolized in the human body and not entirely removed by standard wastewater treatment processes.
• Rising Antibiotic Usage: Human consumption of antibiotics increased by 65% between 2000 and 2015.
• Contributions to Pollution by Specific Antibiotics: Cefixime, used to treat bronchitis, the largest contributor to antibiotic pollution in Indian rivers.

Right to Cool

Context: Legal recognition for the ‘right to cool’ along with some initiatives has been proposed to protect India’s informal workforce from the extreme summer temperatures.

About The Right to Cool

• The “right to cool” is not a formally recognized legal right yet but a developmental concept.
• It  advocates an equitable and sustainable approach to cooling, recognising the access to reasonable temperature comfort as a fundamental human need.

Suggested Measures to Adopt

• Article 21: Make ‘Right to Cool’ a part of the fundamental right under Article 21 mandating cooling infrastructures for  the most vulnerable population.
• Heat Action Plans: Enforceable City-level heat action plans need to be prepared  with measures like, non-negotiable paid time off, water stations and cooling shelters on red-alert days.
• Gender-Responsive Urban Planning: To plan with gender-disaggregated data creating shaded, child-friendly workspaces, accessible public toilets and safe rest zones near marketplaces.
• Public Transport Connectivity: Urban planning should focus on realising end-to-end connectivity in public transport
• Heat risk Mapping: There is a need for hyperlocal ward level climate-risk mapping and participatory planning to tailor solutions to community needs

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