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Environment Class 01 - 08 - 04 - 21

The document outlines key areas of Prelims questions related to environmental topics, including climate change, pollution, and biodiversity. It discusses various aspects of climate change, such as global warming, carbon pricing, and international agreements like the Paris Agreement, along with India's commitments to reduce emissions. Additionally, it highlights initiatives like Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) aimed at addressing climate challenges.

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34 views3 pages

Environment Class 01 - 08 - 04 - 21

The document outlines key areas of Prelims questions related to environmental topics, including climate change, pollution, and biodiversity. It discusses various aspects of climate change, such as global warming, carbon pricing, and international agreements like the Paris Agreement, along with India's commitments to reduce emissions. Additionally, it highlights initiatives like Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) aimed at addressing climate challenges.

Uploaded by

ilearnnexus
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Summary
Environment Class 01

Basic areas of Prelims questions:

Basic concepts of ecology;


Climate change
Pollution;
Protected areas network;
Acts and policies, National bodies;
Conventions, Protocols, agreements,etc;
International bodies;
Biodiversity;Â
Resource conservation & sustainability;
Sustainable agriculture;

Around 12-18 questions may come from this area.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Global warming

AEROSOL RADIATIVE FORCINGS

Aerosols are defined as a combination of liquid or solid particles suspended in a gaseous or liquid environment.
Radiative forcing is a measure of the influence a factor
(e.g., greenhouse gaseous, aerosol, cloud, and surface albedo has in altering the balance of incoming and outgoing
energy in the Earth-atmosphere system and is an index of the importance of the factor as a potential climate
change mechanism.
It is expressed in watts per square metre (W/m2).
Reasons:
Increase in concentration of GHGs(Green House Gases);
Changing Reflectivity(Albedo)

LOSS OF ICE COVER IN THE ARCTIC SEA

The National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) found the largest decline in the Arctic Sea ice in
the last 41 years due to global warming in July 2019
The Arctic Ocean is the Earth's northernmost body of water and the world's smallest ocean.

NCPOR- Â It was established as an autonomous Research and Development Institution of the Ministry of Earth
Sciences in 1998 to carry out research activities in the polar and Southern Ocean realms.

It is also responsible for the maintenance of the Indian stations in Antarctica (Maitri & Bharati) and the Arctic
(Himadri).

Sea level rise

They have risen by between 180 to 200 mm since 1900.


0.5-0.7% of the world’s land area is at risk of episodic coastal flooding by 2100.

Mitigation-->to mitigate Climate Change;

By planting more trees, etc;


Can be mitigated by-->Reducing GHGs;
Capture carbon and store it;
Reduce insolation(Eg: Solar Engineering);

Adaptation- The process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects

ADAPTATION GAP REPORT, 2020--United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

CARBON CAPTURE, UTILISATION & STORAGE (CCUS)

CCUS is a group of technologies designed to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere from coal
and gas power stations as well as heavy industry including cement and steel production.

Accelerating CCUS Technologies (ACT)

ACT is an initiative to facilitate the emergence of Carbon dioxide (CO2) Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS)
via translational funding of projects aimed at accelerating and maturing CCUS technology through targeted
innovation and research activities.
Sixteen countries, regions, and provinces, including India, are working together in the ACT.

Bharat stage-->Particulate Matter, Hydrocarbons, NOx, SO2;


Not CO2;
For CO2 there is De-carbonising Transport;
(Decarbonising Transport in India project intends to develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system
for India.)

Paris Agreement-- is a legally binding international treaty on climate change which was adopted at the 21st
Conference of Parties in Paris (2015).

CARBON PRICING

Carbon pricing is an instrument that captures the external costs of emission and ties them to their sources
through a price, usually in the form of a price on the CO2 emitted.
Costs of emission include damage to crops, health care costs from heat waves and droughts etc.
A recent study, that examined 142 countries, found that CO2 emissions fell 2% (2007-2017) in countries
with a carbon price, while they increased by 3% in countries that did not have such pricing.

Types of Carbon pricing being adopted

Carbon tax directly sets a price on carbon by defining an explicit tax rate on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs)
emissions
Emissions trading system (ETS): It caps the total level of GHG and allows those industries with low emissions to
sell their extra allowances to larger emitters.

Green tax

Ministry for Road Transport and Highways approves a proposal to levy “Green Taxâ€​ on old vehicles
Green tax is also called pollution tax or environmental tax and is the tax levied on all the goods that cause
environmental pollution.
Revenue collected from the Green Tax to be kept in a separate account and used for tackling pollution.

Global Green finance mechanisms:

Green Climate Fund(GCF);


Special Climate Change Fund( SCCF);
Adaptation Fund; Global Environment Facility(GEF) Trust Fund

UNFCCC(United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change)

Established in 1992 UNFCCC acts as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change
by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change and coping with impacts.
The UNFCCC is a “Rio Conventionâ€​, one of two opened for signature at the “Rio Earth Summitâ€​ in
1992.
Its sister Rio Conventions are the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and the Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD).
The UNFCCC secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany;

Indian & NDCs:

India is on track towards meeting its climate change obligations under Paris Agreement including its submitted
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The three quantitative goals in the Indian NDCs are:
33-35% reduction in the gross domestic product emissions intensity by 2030 from 2005 levels.
40% share of non-fossil fuel-based electricity by 2030.
Creating a carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide through afforestation programmes.

Apex Committee for the Implementation of the Paris Agreement (AIPA) has been constituted under Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986.

Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will be the chairperson of AIPA.

International Solar Alliance(ISA):

The third Assembly of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held virtually.
India and France re-elected as President and Co-President of the ISA for a term of two years.
In the wake of the global pandemic, ISA set up ISA CARES,
It is an initiative dedicated to the deployment of solar energy in the healthcare sector in LDC/SIDS ISA
Member countries.
ISA framework agreement now allows all UN member nations to be part of ISA—Even countries beyond the
tropics;

CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND RESILIENCE FOR SOUTH ASIA (CARE) PROJECT

By World Bank;
The Project will build resilience to climate threats and disasters by sharing regional data and knowledge.

Next class—the balance of climate change, pollution, waste management, etc

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