Protecting Earth's Orbit from Space Debris
Since, United Nations agreed on a treaty to conserve and sustainably use the high seas beyond national boundaries, scientists are calling for a legally-binding agreement to protect the Earth's orbit from space debris.
The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has laid out guidelines to mitigate space debris, but there is no international treaty that seeks to minimise it.
What is Space Debris?
- Space debris refers to the collection of artificial objects in orbit around the Earth that have lost their utility or are no longer in use.
- These objects include non-functional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris, and fragmentation debris.
Concern:
- The number of satellites orbiting Earth is expected to reach 60,000 by 2030, up from the current 9,000, and the amount of untracked debris is a cause for concern.
- Around 27,000 pieces of "space junk" are being tracked by NASA but over 100 trillion untracked pieces of old satellites circle the planet.
- Currently, companies are not incentivised to clean up orbits or to include de-orbiting functions in satellites.
Initiatives to Curb Space Debris:
India:
- In 2022, ISRO set up the System for Safe and Sustainable Operations Management (IS 4 OM) to continually monitor objects posing collision threats.
- ‘Project NETRA’ is also an early warning system in space to detect debris and other hazards to Indian satellites.
Global:
Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC)
Clean Space Initiative of European Space Agency (ESA)
How Space Debris Can be Tackled?
- Space Treaty with Extended Producer Responsibility: A legally binding agreement is necessary to protect the Earth's orbit from space debris.
- The treaty should ensure that producers and users take responsibility for their satellites and debris and enforce collective international legislation with fines and other incentives to make countries and companies accountable for their actions.
- Incentivisation: Countries using the Earth's orbit should commit to global cooperation, and companies should be incentivized to clean up orbits and include de-orbiting functions in satellites.
- Reusable Launch Vehicles: Using reusable launch vehicles instead of single-use rockets can help reduce the number of new debris generated from launches.
Evolution of Women's Movements in India
According to the Economic Survey 2022-23, there are about 1.2 crore Self Help Groups (SHG) in India, most of which are all-women. The Indian women's movement has been recognized globally for its vibrancy. However, the evolution of the movement has received less attention.
How the Women's Movement Evolved in India?
Evolution:
The movement has transformed over time from serving as a beacon for the nationalist movement to a rights-based civil society movement to a state-led movement for economic empowerment.
Three Phases:
Nationalist Movement (1936-1970s)
- Women were the face of the nationalist movement. The clarion call by Mahatma Gandhi to the 1936 All India Women’s Conference was the hallmark of a nationalist movement that relied on women to serve as its face.
- The movement aimed to give women political power. The political history of the Indian women’s movement was observed when women satyagrahis were arrested during the salt satyagraha and the Quit India movement.
- These movements set the stage for women's leadership in politics.
Rights-Based Civil Society Movement (1970s-2000s)
- Women's groups were mobilised to sensitize women about their rights.
- The greatest success of this mobilisation came when the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution was passed, reserving one-third of seats in panchayat and leadership positions in local bodies for women.
- Chipko, one of the earliest ecofeminist movements in the world broadcasting pictures of women clinging to trees to protest logging.
- It was a non-violent agitation which originated in Uttar Pradesh’s Chamoli district (now Uttarakhand) in 1973.
- Also, Self Employed Women’s Association began to unionise women in the informal sector leading the advocacy for reforms in legal and social protection for women workers.
State-Led Movement for Economic Empowerment (2000s-present)
- The government invested heavily in building and supporting SHGs.
- SHGs function mainly as thrift and credit institutions.
- The movement aimed to enhance women's access to income-generating activities.
- The movement seeks to address the deficiency of vocational skills and entrepreneurship among women.
Conclusion
The women's movement in India has evolved over time, with each phase addressing different aspects of women's lives. The future of the women's movement in India depends on how effectively the state-led movement can transform women's lives by taking economic empowerment programs to scale.
