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- India is set to enter the second stage of its three-phase nuclear power programme with the commissioning of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
- This project is spearheaded by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), established in 2003, while the earlier phase was managed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
- The PFBR employs Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel and uses liquid sodium as a coolant.
- It features a uranium-238 blanket around the core, which transforms into plutonium, enabling the reactor to generate more fuel than it consumes—hence the term ‘breeder’.
- This development is a milestone, enabling the transition to the third stage, which involves Thorium-232 conversion into Uranium-233.
- It also highlights India's technological advancement, becoming only the second country after Russia with a commercial FBR.
- Additionally, it promotes reduced nuclear waste and efficient use of India's vast thorium resources.
- A recent study reveals that Earth's geographic poles may shift significantly due to rapid ice melt driven by climate change.
- Geographic poles mark where Earth’s axis of rotation meets the surface, and their movement—called polar motion—is influenced by how mass is distributed across the planet.
- Earth’s rotation naturally wobbles, but this instability is being amplified by melting glaciers, changes in ocean currents, atmospheric pressure shifts, and dynamics within Earth’s core and mantle.
- The study estimates that polar positions could drift 12 to 27 meters by 2100, mainly due to massive ice loss in Greenland and Antarctica, along with smaller glacier retreats.
- This shift has serious implications: satellite navigation and space telescopes, which rely on fixed rotational points, could face accuracy issues.
- Additionally, mass moving from the poles toward the equator slows Earth’s rotation slightly, leading to longer days.
- Since 2000, days have already lengthened by 1.33 milliseconds per century—an accelerating trend.
- On the 10th anniversary of UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGPs), 16 new sites from 11 countries were added to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN), a non-profit body under UNESCO that promotes ethical standards for geopark management.
- These geoparks are recognized for their international geological importance and are managed with an emphasis on conservation, education, and sustainable development.
- Among the new entries are Kanbula in China, known for its preserved Maixiu volcanoes and the Yellow River; Mt Paektu in North Korea, which witnessed one of the largest eruptions around 1000 CE; and North Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, home to Wadi Obaitharan and ancient coral reef systems.
- UGGPs were established in 2015 under UNESCO’s International Geosciences and Geoparks Programme.
- These sites must be legally recognized and undergo reassessment every four years. Membership in GGN is compulsory for all UGGPs.
- Currently, there are 229 UNESCO Global Geoparks across 50 countries—none located in India.