Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT)

• Recently India and Sweden hosted the LeadIT Summit at COP27, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
• The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions from industry by 2050.
• It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit, 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum.
• Its member’s aims to progress energy-intensive industry on low-carbon pathways, to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
• It provides an arena for public-private collaboration for sectoral and cross-sectoral learning for example innovation opportunities and new technologies.
• It enables collaboration between political and industry decision makers by convening high level dialogues to catalyse leadership.
• It carries out analysis to improve the collective understanding of the opportunities and challenges in industry transitions.
•  It also supports governments and industries to co-produce stakeholder-led pathways to low carbon industry transformation.
•  It provides actionable measures on innovation and finance and gives a platform for sharing know-how.

Ahyi Seamount

• The U.S. Geological Survey found that the Ahyi Seamount began erupting in mid-October 2022.
• Ahyi seamount is a large conical submarine volcano, which is an undersea volcanic source.
• It lies deep beneath the Pacific Ocean in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, which are 6,115 km west of Honolulu.
• Its highest point is 79 m below the surface of the ocean.
• It is located about 18 km southeast of the island of Farallon de Pajaros, also known as Uracas.
• The seamount is part of the Mariana Volcanic Arc, which is a chain of over 60 active volcanoes stretching over 600 miles west of and parallel to the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest point.

Gorshey

• Delhi’s Tibetans gather together at Majnu Ka Tila to participate in Gorshey as part of the White Wednesday routine.
• Gorshey is a traditional dance of Tibetans performed in circles.
• ‘Gor’ means circle and ‘shey’ means dance.
• They dance to the traditional music played on the occasion mostly originated in Tibet.
• Both men and women perform Gorshey dance.
• The gripping circle dance is done on Lhakar or White Wednesdays.

Subarctic boreal forest

• Recently the Subarctic Boreal Forest seen burning, drifting, shrinking and falling victim to insects.
• Boreal forest also known as Taiga is the northernmost and coldest forest on earth.
• It is dominated by species of evergreen conifers spruce, fir and pine, the deciduous conifer larch, and species of birch and aspen.
• It is the deep, verdant green ring that encircles the Arctic that stretches across Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and Alaska.
• It is second only to the Amazon in terms of its vital role in ensuring the future of the planet.
• It holds twice as much carbon as all tropical forests combined, and also helps purify a massive amount of freshwater.
• It has a decisive impact on the globe's northern oceans and overall climate.
• Threats - The boreal forest has been weakened by
  • Increasing forest fires,
  • Melting of permafrost,
  • Intensifying insect infestations and
  • Warming temperatures.
• Experts are categorical in their warnings: the forest is encroaching on the tundra, and the prairies are slowly taking the place of the trees.
• The subarctic is an area of the Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic Circle.

Operation Barkhane

• Recently, French President announced the end of the decade-long military Operation Barkhane in Africa.
• France began its military operations in Sahel region in January 2013 with the title Operation Serval.
• It aimed to target Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda who took control of northern Mali.
• France regained Mali’s northern regions from the extremists in 2014 through Operation Serval.
• In 2014, the mission was scaled up and renamed as Operation Barkhane to counter-terrorism.
• The objective was to assist local armed forces to prevent the resurgence of non-state armed groups across the Sahel region.
• Around 4,500 French personnel were deployed with the local joint counter-terrorism force.
• Present Scenario - The French troops left their base in the Malian town of GAO.
• Some 3,000 French troops will remain in Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso but they will not act independently and only will co-ordinate actions with national armies.