UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on artificial rain and fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty (Week 78)

QUESTION 2

Fossil fuels and atomic weapons, though seemingly unrelated, person been linked successful caller planetary discussions regarding their interaction connected some clime alteration and planetary security. Discuss the thought of a fossil substance non-proliferation pact (FF-NPT).

General points connected the operation of the answers

Introduction

— The instauration of the reply is indispensable and should beryllium restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a modular introduction.

— It whitethorn dwell of basal accusation by giving immoderate definitions from the trusted root and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the cardinal portion of the reply and 1 should recognize the request of the question to supply affluent content.

— The reply indispensable beryllium preferably written arsenic a premix of points and abbreviated paragraphs alternatively than utilizing agelong paragraphs oregon conscionable points.

— Using facts from authentic authorities sources makes your reply much comprehensive. Analysis is important based connected the request of the question, but bash not implicit analyse.

QUESTION 1: Air contamination successful municipality areas is simply a increasing interest successful India, particularly successful Delhi, wherever aerial prime often deteriorates during winter. Discuss the conception of artificial rainfall arsenic a imaginable solution to mitigate aerial pollution. What are the technological methods down artificial rain?

Introduction:

— For the 3rd time successful a row, Delhi’s aerial prime was rated as’severe plus’. The mean aerial prime scale (AQI) successful Delhi was 492 connected Tuesday astatine 7 a.m.

— The region’s choking aerial contamination persisted adjacent aft Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) went into effect connected Monday (November 18). GRAP is simply a bid of exigency measures enactment successful spot to support aerial prime successful the Delhi-NCR portion from deteriorating further erstwhile it reaches a circumstantial threshold.

Body:

What is artificial rain?

— Water vapour condenses astir tiny particles, forming the droplets that constitute a cloud. These droplets collide and develop; erstwhile they accumulate and the unreality becomes saturated, it rains.

— Cloud seeding involves injecting clouds with salts specified arsenic metallic iodide, potassium iodide, oregon sodium chloride, which service arsenic the’seed’. These salts are predicted to proviso other nuclei for the enactment of caller unreality droplets. They are dispersed into the unreality by either craft oregon ground-based generators.

Conditions required for unreality seeding

— Cloud screen and clouds of a definite benignant are necessary.

— M Rajeevan, erstwhile caput of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said, “Cloud seeding tin lone hap if determination is simply a capable fig of clouds and a peculiar extent to these clouds. Inside, determination needs to beryllium an capable fig of unreality droplets. Cloud seeding is done to summation the radius of the unreality droplets truthful that they volition turn bigger and due to the fact that of gravity, they volition travel down arsenic rainfall. But with a wide sky, you can’t bash it.”

— In the winter, clouds stitchery implicit Delhi arsenic a occidental disturbance travels done the area. These are storms that signifier successful the Caspian oregon Mediterranean Seas and nonstop non-monsoon rains to northwest India.

— Clouds are apt to originate erstwhile a occidental disturbance disrupts the atmosphere’s stableness successful winter.

— While the anticipation of unreality enactment tin beryllium predicted utilizing radars, different circumstances indispensable beryllium investigated connected the time seeding is apt to occur.

Conclusion:

— According to a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists article, the National Academy of Sciences, a non-profit organisation based successful the United States, conducted a probe successful 2003 that discovered “a precocious grade of uncertainty regarding the efficacy of unreality seeding.”

— The study besides cited a caller synthesis by the World Meteorological Organisation, which concluded that accrued precipitation from unreality seeding typically ranges betwixt zero and 20%, “with the precocious scope representing conditions nether which clouds were highly apt to signifier precipitation naturally.”

(Source: To hole aerial pollution, Gopal Rai wants artificial rainfall successful Delhi: Why this is simply a agelong shot)

Points to Ponder

What is the process of artificial rain?

Can unreality seeding oregon artificial rainfall hole aerial pollution?

Related Previous Year Questions

Describe the cardinal points of the revised Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) precocious released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). How are these antithetic from its past update successful 2005? What changes successful India’s National Clean Air Programme are required to execute revised standards? (2021)

What are the cardinal features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) initiated by the authorities of India? (2020)

QUESTION 2: Fossil fuels and atomic weapons, though seemingly unrelated, person been linked successful caller planetary discussions regarding their interaction connected some clime alteration and planetary security. Discuss the thought of a fossil substance non-proliferation pact (FF-NPT).

Introduction:

— The extremity down the fossil substance non-proliferation pact (FF-NPT) is to marque it legally binding connected governments to halt fossil substance extraction, signifier down existing production, and oversee a conscionable modulation to renewable energy.

— When planetary treaties were utilized to defuse the threats posed by atomic weapons, the satellite present requires a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to signifier retired fossil fuels, assistance babelike economies, workers, and communities successful diversifying distant from fossil fuels, guarantee 100% planetary entree to renewable energy, and beforehand a conscionable modulation that leaves nary 1 behind.

— The conception of an FF-NPT was projected astir the clip the Paris Agreement was finalised. Over the years, it has attracted enactment from a divers spectrum of stakeholders, including erstwhile UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Amazonian indigenous people, and galore tiny land states astir susceptible to clime change.

Body:

— The FF-NPT operates connected 3 pillars — non-proliferation, which is simply a planetary practice exemplary to extremity the enlargement of coal, lipid and state production; a just phase-out, which comprises an equitable program to unopen down existing fossil substance accumulation successful a mode that nations with the capableness and humanities work for emissions modulation fastest and empowers others; and ‘just transition’, which calls for fast-tracking the adoption of renewable vigor and economical diversification distant from fossil fuels specified that nary worker, assemblage oregon state is near behind.

— Scientific assessments revealed astatine COP29 amusement that fossil substance emissions are expected to beryllium astir 8% higher this twelvemonth than successful 2015, erstwhile the Paris Agreement was signed. The twelvemonth 2024 is expected to beryllium the hottest connected record. This means that the satellite is inactive not connected people to code the crisis, with large fossil fuel-producing countries projected to nutrient much than 110% much fossil fuels by 2030 than is required to bounds planetary warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

— FF-NPT has been endorsed by 13 Small Island Developing States of the Pacific, specified arsenic Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands, who were slightest liable for planetary warming but are astir susceptible to its impact. Colombia, 1 of the largest ember producers and exporters globally, endorsed FF-NPT successful December 2023, astatine COP28.

Conclusion:

— The projected Fossil Fuel Treaty volition enactment the Paris Agreement’s work, whether done the implementation of the New Collective Quantified Goal (which aims to found a caller fiscal people to assistance processing countries successful their clime actions aft 2025) oregon done Nationally Determined Contributions (country-submitted clime enactment plans) and Just Transition Work Programmes.

— According to a projection by the Global Carbon Project, India’s fossil substance emissions volition summation by 4.6% successful 2024.

(Source: Can fossil fuels beryllium regulated similar atomic weapons? The radical that is trying, the occurrence achieved truthful acold by Dipanita Nath)

Points to Ponder

What is the Treaty connected the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?

What is India’s presumption connected FF-NPT?

Related Previous Year Questions

Describe the large outcomes of the 26th league of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention connected Climate Change (UNFCCC). What are the commitments made by India successful this conference? (2021)

With increasing vigor needs should India support connected expanding its atomic vigor programme? Discuss the facts and fears associated with atomic energy? (2018)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains reply signifier — GS 1 (Week 75)

UPSC Essentials: Mains reply signifier — GS 1 (Week 76)

UPSC Essentials: Mains reply signifier — GS 2 (Week 76)

UPSC Essentials: Mains reply signifier — GS 2 (Week 77)

UPSC Essentials: Mains reply signifier — GS 3 (Week 76)

UPSC Essentials: Mains reply signifier — GS 3 (Week 77)

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