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Growing Carbon Emissions calls for Equity among Nations to meet the global challenge of Climate Change.Comment


Topic-General Studies Paper-3 ; Environmental Pollution and Degradation


  • According to IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) India is most vulnerable to the impact of climate change  which adversely impacts the health, economic development and food security.
  • In order to address this challenge of climate change India has evolved a comprehensive plan ‘India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC): Working towards Climate Justice’ which addresses the elements of adaptation, mitigation, finance, green technology and capacity building. The formation of US Dollar 56 million ‘National Adaptation Fund’ initiates policies towards renewable energy to achieve the target of reducing carbon emissions by 33 to 35 percent by 2030. Despite India’s focus on initiatives to combat Climate Change the International Energy Agency (IEA) found that India’s Carbon Emissions grew by 4.8% in 2018.
  • IEA  reveals that India’s emissions have grown, but per capita they remain less than 40% of the global average. This means that Indians are not historically responsible for the problem, and it is the rich developed nations led by the U.S. that have pumped in the stock of carbon dioxide which leads to adverse climate change impacts around the world
  • Equity among nations is therefore very crucial in reducing carbon emissions globally. This is in sync with the principle within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) i.e. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR–RC)  that acknowledges the different capabilities and differing responsibilities of individual countries in addressing climate change. The universal challenge of climate change has grown to such levels that urgent action to sharply cut carbon emissions is crucial, and all countries, including India, must act quickly. 
  • Measures like increased usage of  renewable energy sources, greening transport, updating building codes and raising energy efficiency — will help meet the national pledge under the Paris Agreement to cut energy intensity of GDP by 33-35% by 2030, over 2005 levels.
  • Considering the rise in demand at the global level the renewable sources are not enough to meet the rising demand. China and Europe contributed towards energy efficiency in large measure from solar and wind power, indicating that India  too needs to speed up its capacity in this area. In fact, as the founder of the International Solar Alliance, India should lead the effort in the Renewables Sector. The priority areas for India in this regard and their probable solutions are as follows:-
    1. Unutilised Solar Photovoltaics despite reduced prices and increased efficiency: States Power Utilities should contribute with increased solar rooftop installations.
    2. Cleaning up of young coal power plants which have decades of use ahead: This process should be aided by the UNFCCC, which can help in transfer of best technologies for carbon capture, use and storage, and provide financial assistance from the $100 billion annual climate fund proposed for 2020. India’s record in promoting green transport has not been inspiring as emissions from fossil fuels and the resulting pollution are rising rapidly.
    3. Expansion of Electric Mobility: Centre to carry out this Expansion through financial Incentives for buses, taxis and two-wheelers.

India will have to raise its ambition on emissions reduction, and participate in the global stocktaking of country-level action in 2023.  It is only through creation of environment and climate literacy that will result in global action of changing the life styles that leads to reduction in the carbon emission and contribute to sustainable development.

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What demotivates aspirants is the idea that at least 4-5 attempts are a must to qualify UPSC CSE EXAMS. This is absolutely incorrect. It’s true that this exam demands time to prepare but that’s not more than 2 to 3 years. It’s a learning process where you will make multiple mistakes and so, would need time to rectify them too. Most aspirants do not realise this fact and waste their attempts with inadequate preparation, which in turn, demotivates them. So, you need a mentor to guide you in this journey and tell you WHEN TO START and HOW TO START your preparation. Also before knowing what to study an aspirant has to first know WHAT NOT TO STUDY in this era of overflooded information around us. This is where the role of a Mentor becomes all the more important so that you do not waste your crucial time reading unnecessary content.
Aspirants often have a misconception that at least 13-14 hours a day must be given to this exam. Again, this is not true. UPSC preparation is journey of not only gathering knowledge, but also of overall character and personality development. So, if you utilise 13-14 hrs a day only in studying, you won’t get time to interact with the outside world and evolve properly and this wouldn’t help in the training process. Diligent engagement of 5-6 hrs a day would be enough for the preparation and that’s why KAVISH IAS suggests its students to start planning from their graduation only, as regular practice will definitely help you reach your goal.
Many Institutes recommend starting UPSC preparation from 6th standard NCERT books and go through graduation level textbooks, which is not true. Also, the aspirant is prescribed to go through the entire newspaper every day. Reading so much of hefty content on a daily basis is a tedious and boring job to do. Such misconceptions only waste the aspirant’s valuable time and money. Each individual is different and accordingly he/she should be suggested where to start from. Coming to current affairs, news reading and its analysis is a skill that needs to be taught in the beginning, and with time the aspirant can himself decide what to read and how to read. Analysing and jotting down the essentials becomes easy for the student after a few months.
Another myth that students fear is that ‘UPSC IS DIFFICULT AND ONLY IIT OR TOP COLLEGE GRADUATES CAN CRACK IT ’. UPSC is open for graduates from every stream and doesn’t prefer anyone based on his/her background. So if you are willing to dedicate your time in this preparation, you can surely succeed in this exam with a good rank.