Editorial 1: Stalked by polio, Gaza faces another siege
Context: War itself is a nasty thing during which humans, animals, and plants are killed en masse. Animals play a critical role in maintaining ecosystem services and plants holds immense role in the carbon sequestration process. The remains of incendiary explosives and building debris during and after a war drive toxic effects, that tend to last for generations. Alongside, armies generate large carbon footprints in motion plus the operations required to equip them.
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs describes biological weapons as those that “disseminate disease-causing organisms or toxins to harm or kill humans, animals or plants”.
Concerns related to Climate Change during a war
- Birth and spread of diseases: Climate change create environments conducive to the spread of some disease-causing microbes.
- Handicapped States response: Wars cause dysfunctional environments through chemically toxic outcomes which further diminishes people’s and state’s ability to respond optimally.
- Critical Infrastructure support crippled: The operations of the leads to striking blow by bombing hospitals, blocking medical aid, and cutting off water and electricity supplies — particularly seen Gaza war.
- Disease proliferation: Poliovirus particles has been found in the sewage flowing out of Gaza, which may highlight rising trends of virus dissemination.
- Inaccessibility of patients and healthcare workers: Only around one-third of Gaza’s 36 hospitals still function, leaving critical health care facilities inaccessible to patients and healthcare workers impacted by the violence or evacuation orders.
- Medical aid restriction: As Israeli bombs have devastated hospitals and civilian shelters and ground forces have restricted access to medical aid. Thus, the probability of not getting diagnosed with a poliovirus infection are higher.
- Sanitation: Overcrowded and unhealthy surroundings are increasing risk of diseases, decreasing the disease surveillance and tracking by aid workers at shelters even in areas outside the conflict zone. On July 29, Gaza’s Health Ministry declared a polio “epidemic” in the Gaza Strip.
Poliovirus and the dangers of its spread?
The virus circulating in Gaza is believed to be vaccine-derived poliovirus type.The poliovirus is an obligate human pathogen, meaning it can replicate only inside cells of the human body. This virus has no other known animal reservoirs.
- The virus circulating in Gaza is believed to be vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2.
- Allowing the virus to spread will push back three decades of intense efforts — currently wild poliovirus type 1 cases are limited n rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.
- If medical conditions in Gaza do not improve post haste, the infectious poliovirus may win back one more territory for itself and endanger the Israeli population as well.
- The fragile states, especially those with ongoing conflict, are especially vulnerable. For instance, Malawi and Mozambique in Africa had reported their first cases of wild poliovirus infections in three decades after the COVID-19 pandemic dented local childhood immunisation drives for a year.
- In late 2023, the World Health Organization had recorded Gaza’s immunisation rates to have declined to 89% from 99% a year earlier.
Way Forward
- Vaccination Drives: Israel has claimed to have delivered 0.3 million vaccines to the Palestinians in Gaza since its offensive. It has instructed its soldiers to steer clear of consuming water in Gaza and will supply millions of units of bottled water.
- Wastewater treatment infrastructure: The poliovirus may also spread through contaminated water. Israel has to stop damaging or destroying water infrastructure in the embattled parts of Gaza such that they no longer have the ability to treat wastewater.
- Ceasefire: Public health experts in Israel have already called for a ceasefire to prevent a polio epidemic among Gazan and Israeli babies. This will create opportunities for early rehabilitation and recovery.
- Multilateral agency support: WHO is sending more than one million polio vaccines to the region.
Israel should try and not deny these pleas and sustain harmful living conditions for the Gazans. Peace efforts by countries should be given due consideration by Israel. Rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance efforts should be started immediately. Steps should be taken to provide access to health care and better standards of living, the outcomes of its actions will be indistinguishable from the outcomes of biological warfare.
Editorial 2: Balancing competition and sustainability for India
Context: Markets are the centre of the economy, evolving from the barter system to today’s digital marketplaces. The forces of supply and demand are primarily responsible for price determination and consumer preferences. Climate change disturbs the supply side of the market leading to a mismatch between supply and demand, which in turn impacts consumer demand and the overall economy.
Regulatory frameworks for Sustainability Reporting
SEBI initiated a sustainability by corporates frameworks. The revised framework for the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report requires companies to account for their value chain’s environmental impact, enhancing transparency, combating greenwashing, and ensuring that sustainability benefits permeate through the value chain.
Global Initiatives on Competition and Sustainability
Globally, competition authorities have expressed doubts about competitors’ need to neutralise the potential disadvantages of being a pioneer of change, and also reach sustainability goals.
- Global authorities must focus on encouraging companies to pursue sustainability goals jointly and assess cooperation where enterprises can demonstrate the objective of a sustainability goal.
- Japan’s Anti Monopoly Act approach towards the realisation of a ‘green society’. Guidelines brought to help private businesses navigate themselves in horizontal collaborations. These are unlikely to restrict competition and have a pro-competitive effects that might result in consumer benefits.
- The European Commission released draft of revised guidelines on horizontal agreements comprises a specific section on sustainability agreements. promoting innovation while avoiding serious restrictions on competition. The objectives are to address climate change, reduce pollution, limit the use of natural resources, and promote resilient infrastructure and innovation.
Indian Initiatives on Competition and Sustainability
- Net zero Goals: Despite being ranked fifth on the list of contributors to global warming, India has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070.
- Fair Distribution: During the pandemic, the CCI issued an advisory and acknowledged that COVID-19 had caused disruptions in supply chains. It highlighted that information sharing may be required by businesses to ensure fair distribution of products and services.
- Protection from sanctions: The Competition Act, 2002 has built-in safeguards to protect businesses from sanctions.Thereby, addressing the concerns of business impacted by COVID.
- Exemptions: The CCI can consider releasing advisories where enterprises can be exempted if collaborations are for sustainable goals or greener technological innovations when necessary and proportionate.
Legislative and Policy Recommendations
- Policy support: Under Section 49(3) of the Competition Act, 2002, the CCI may take measures to promote competition advocacy and awareness. It may also participate in formulating economic policies that will touch upon competition and sustainability.
- Enterprise collaboration: CCI can emphasise on sustainability policies for greener innovations and release guidance notes on sustainability agreements and exemption methods under the Competition Act, 2002.
- Comprehensive study : On green initiatives and market feasibility would benefit the Indian market. For instance: In the U.K., the Competition and Markets Authority launched a market study into the electric vehicle charging sector to consider the development of competition alongside innovation, more choice, lower prices, greater investment, and improvements in quality.
- Sustainable Policy approach: The CCI can also consider including sustainability practices in the National Telecom Policy and that promote an environmentally friendly telecom sector and ensure a more sustainable National Competition Policy in the future.
Conclusion: Integrating Sustainability and Competition
Competition cannot remain insulated from sustainability. Combating climate change requires adapting and adopting newer technology that reduces resource consumption and increases innovation through sustainability policies. For India, to reach its pledged state of net zero emissions, every economic sector must contribute to greener means of production.
Way Forward:
The CCI can enforce competition policies that improve innovation while considering environmental concerns. Competition policy should integrate sustainability economics while considering market failures and collective action problems. Through actions like issuing guidelines, the benefits of sustainability will outweigh the potential negative effects on competition. Including sustainability considerations in assessments of cooperation among competitors can be a strong measure of benefitting sustainability in markets.
