MAINS 2014
GS1
10 marks
Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the resource crisis in the world.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Critically evaluate ocean resources that can ease the global resource crisis and their limits.
Critically evaluateJudge the merits and the limits with evidence, and give a clear verdict.
Demand-wise check
- 1Biotic: fisheries, aquaculture, seaweed, marine pharmaceuticals≈30 words
- 2Mineral: polymetallic nodules (Ni, Cu, Co, Mn), seabed sulphides, offshore oil and gas, gas hydrates, sand and salt≈30 words
- 3Energy and water: tidal, wave, OTEC, offshore wind, desalination≈30 words
- 4Critical side: overfishing, deep-sea mining damage, high costs, legal regime (UNCLOS, ISA), pollution; need for blue economy approach≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Resource crisis contextOcean resources by typePotential with examplesLimitationsSustainable blue economy
Where marks usually go
- Only listing resources without the critical evaluation
- No India example or governance angle
Draw this
- Cross-section of ocean zones (shelf, slope, abyssal plain) marking where each resource lies
Value addition
- ExampleIndia was allotted about 75,000 sq km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the International Seabed Authority for polymetallic nodule exploration.ISA
- SchemeDeep Ocean Mission approved in 2021 (about Rs 4,077 crore) includes deep-sea mining and the Samudrayaan manned submersible.MoES, 2021
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.