Author: Dr V

UW has been conducting prelims mini mocks for a while now. Users have been posting their answers (some their thought process also) and every Sunday UW comes out with solutions and explanation. User response has been great and we hope, you learned a lot not only about the topics and your weak areas but the art of answering questions.

I had explained in an earlier blog – how to approach prelims 2016- that keeping an open mind, reading all options and using logic is very important in this examination. We have now started a series starting with polity in which we are proving solutions of last 7 years in a way one would approach the questions in exam and also the learning objectives.

Now that UW has already framed for you such wonderful 99 questions (1 question bahut waahiyat tham sorry UR), I thought of solving a few with our approach.

Let’s look at them

Mock 4

1. Consider the following statements:

1. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Public Sector Enterprise.
2. It has been set up by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research as an interface agency to empower emerging biotech enterprises.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

• Most of us wouldn’t know if statement 2 is right or not but we would tend to think it’s correct as it seems correct but the art of intelligent informed guessing is that you think of alternative plausible explanations and if that’s rules out, you mark seemingly correct statement as right.
• So if not by deptt of Scientific and Industrial research by whom? It’s biotech so what about deptt of biotech? Seems plausible. Does this deptt exist? Yess. Under the same ministry.  

And with this you get +2 instead of -0.67

2. Consider the following statements on Global Positioning System (GPS):

1. GPS allows accurate time-stamping on ATM transactions.
2. GPS relies on a set of satellites for transferring signals worldwide.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d)  Neither 1 nor 2

So people were confused if statement 1 was correct. GPS tells about time and position. everyone knows it. So it can tell about time in atm transactions. It has to be correct.

3. Which of the following is/are among the ‘micro-elements’ required for plant growth?

1. Copper
2. Zinc
3. Potassium
4. Sulphur
5. Manganese

Choose the correct alternative using the codes given below.

(a) 1, 2 and 5

(b) 2, 3, 4 and 5

(c) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 1, 2, 3,  4 and 5

I don’t like such questions. MIcro/Macro/trace as different books mention different things. But still, you can easily understand examiner’s mind. You know N, P, K are major elements i.e micro. Remove Potassium, you reach the answer

4. Consider the following statements?

1. Vitamins assist the body in utilizing the nutrients.
2. Vitamins help in transporting the minerals to required places.
3. No vitamin can be synthesized in the body.

Choose the correct alternative using the codes given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Statement 3, too sweeping. Pause and think. Are you sure it’s correct. Vitamin D synthesized in the body in the presence of sunlight. Vit K, B12 by bacteria.

5. Consider the following statements:

1. Neutrinos are massless particles filling up most of the empty space.
2. They are easy to detect as they can be deflected even by weak forces like gravity.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

If it was so easy to detect them, why would anyone get nobel prize for discovering it.

Mock 3

6. Which of the region/grouping of countries has the highest share in overall remittances to India?

(a) EU

(b) North America

(c) GCC

(d) East Asia

You would have to make a guess. Gulf right. GCC. The whole economy of Kerala is dependent on GCC.

7. Consider the following statements with respect to the Indian political system:

1. The Cabinet is responsible to the Lok Sabha only.
2. The President is the Head of the State.
3. Every state has equal representation in the Rajya Sabha.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Only too sweeping. Pause and think. It’s true. Cabinet/CoM is responsible to LS only not parliament. So don’t mark without thinking.

8. Which one of the following statements is/are not correct?

1. Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is released on a monthly basis only.
2. IIP is released by the Central Statistics Office.
3. Electricity has highest weightage among the indicators used to calculate IIP.

Choose the correct alternative using the codes given below.

(a) 3 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

1st statement only. Too sweeping. Pause and think. Obviously statistics would be released monthly/ weekly/ fortnightly/quarterly/ annually. Monthly it’s true.

9. Which of the following departments is/are engaged in the protection of intellectual property rights in India?

1.  Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
2. Department of Higher Education
3. Department of Information Technology
4. Department of Agriculture and Cooperation

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

IPRs are too broad. Associated with education, industry, agriculture, It, space etc. So all these ministries, deptt would be included.

Mock 2

10. Assertion (A) : The Rig Veda does not mention any officer for administering justice.

Reason (R) : The Rig Vedic society was free of any unsocial activity.

R is too sweeping. Free of any anti social activities. Pause and think, this can not be true. Cummon every society would have evil.

11. Which one of the following temple was built in a different architectural design compared to the other three?

(a) Kandarya Mahadeo Temple, Khajuraho

(b) Kailasanatha Temple, Kanchipuram

(c) Sun Temple, Konark

(d) Jagannatha Temple, Puri

Kanchipuram in south, other three in East – central India

12. Consider the following statements:

1. Arches and domes, which were Turkish inventions, were used by them on a wide scale in their buildings in India.
2. The arches were decorated with human or animal figures and scrolls of flowers.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c)  Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Human, animal figures haram in Islam. Remember ISIS destroying idols, ancient mausoleums.

13. Which of the following statements about the Charter Act of 1833 is/are correct?

1. The trading activities of East India Company were to be abolished.
2. A law member was to be appointed to the Governor-General’s Council.
3. All law-making power was vested in the law member appointed to the Council.

Which of the above statements is/are correct

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

• All law making power vested in law member. Isn’t it too sweeping? Pause and think. Who would vest all law making power in Law member? Obviously Governor general would keep at least some power. Right. So statement wrong.
• Infact, 1833 was culmination of centralizing tendency where all law making power was vested in governor general. Governor general of Bengal became, Governor General of India.

14. Narmada River does not have many tributaries primarily because

1. It flows through the region of scanty rainfall.
2. The hard rock surface and non-alluvial nature of the peninsular plateau permits little scope for the development of tributaries.
3. It flows through a narrow valley confined by precipitous hills.

Choose the correct alternative using the codes given below.

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

• Statement 2 is BS. Aise to there won’t be any tributaries below great plains of India i,e in south.
• Statement 1 is also BS. If Narmada is flowing through a region of scanty rainfall, why can’t other rivers. And if they can. There can also be tributary.
• You know Narmaad and Tapi flow through rift valley. That’s why drain into Arabian ocean despite slope.

15. Which of the following regions is conspicuous for the absence of many active volcanoes in comparison to other regions?

(a) Indonesian Archipelagos

(b) Western Coast of North America

(c) Brazilian Coast

(d) Chilean Coast

Brazilian coast in on Atlantic. Other 3 on pacific. Easy Peasy. Need not know anything else. Cummn it was the easiest question.

16. “Trees are adapted to withstand the dry summer without shedding of leaves.  Plants have spiny, waxy or small leaves to reduce transpiration. Trees have deep roots to tap water from depths. Thick bark also prevent loss of moisture.”

Which of the following types of forests have been described above?

(a) Tropical Deciduous forests

(b) Mediterranean forests

(c) Tropical Evergreen forests

(d) Mid-latitude Evergreen forests

Deciduous forest shed leaves. No dry summer in tropical evergreen. What about mid latitude evergreen? I have forgotten whether coniferous or broad leaf. But did i not mention in titbits only Mediterranean has Dry summer and warm winter!

17. Consider the following statements about the Census 2011:

1. The density of population increased in all states and union territories except Arunachal Pradesh.
2. Male-Female gap in literacy rate has been lowest in the last five decades.

Which of the above statements is/are correct.

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2 only

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Statement 1. Think why would population density decline in Arunachal. I can’t think of any reason. Already so lowly populated. It should only increase.

18. Consider the following statements:

1. Winter rainfall over the plain areas of north-west India is caused by western disturbances.
2. The rainfall caused by western disturbances increases from north and north-west to the east.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2  only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Western disturbances means coming from west. Will lose moisture as they move east so obviously rainfall would decline.

19. The winter rainfall over the plain areas of the north western region of India is largely due to

(a) South-west monsoon

(b) North-east monsoon

(c) Western disturbances

(d) Convection currents

Internal repeat. See last question

20. Consider the following statements:

1. Isotherms are more regular and widely spaced in Northern hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere.
2. Isotherms bend slightly while crossing from land masses to oceans.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2  only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

If landmass is more regular everything would be regular. In north, land ocean land ocean. In south vast expanse of ocean so more regular distribution

21. Waves in the open seas are largely caused by

(a) gravitational pull of the sun

(b) gravitational pull of the moon

(c) undulating surface of the oceans

(d) wind blowing over the sea surface

If it’s due to sun, it would also be due to the moon. But both can’t be correct simultaneously. Only plausible explanation left is wind

22. The large difference in rainfall received at Mahabaleshwar and Pune, which are only a few kilometres away, is largely because

(a) Pune has dry air conditions all the year round

(b) Mahabaleshwar is situated at a higher altitude than Pune

(c) Pune is situated in a rain shadow region

(d) None of the options (a), (b) or (c) sufficiently explains the phenomenon

• Statement 2 is BS. rainfall does not depend on altitude directly.
• No rainfall hence dry condition, dry condition hence no rainfall??

Now the one Wahiyaat question

1. Consider the following statements:

1. Rural Employment Generation Programme was launched during 1985-86 to provide self-employment  opportunities in rural areas.

2. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana was launched during 1995-96 to bring assisted poor families above the poverty line.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Don’t worry if you get it wrong even if it’s asked in exam. Nobody can and even if one can should remember launch years of 20 years old schemes.

• But let’s consider statement 2 – Swarnjayanti i.e golden jubilee i.e 50 years so it should be either 1997 or 2000 but it was actually 1st April 1999
• 1st statement, 86-87 was the time of Rajiv Gandhi. He was a tech guy, why would he launch such schemes?

Not a convincing explanation I know. But hey, Question hi wahiyaat tha

Disclaimer – As I have said umpteen times, there’s no substitute for hard work and smart work. This is just to supplement your hard work so that you reap maximum reward out of your sweat and blood.

Let us know, how many of you would have been able to increase your score by at least +5. And you know the importance of +5, there would be at least 5000 candidates b/w 102.34 and 107.34 last year.

For Prelims mocks login here 

IAS Prelims 2014

Q1. Consider the following statements:

1. The President shall make rules for the more convenient transaction of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
2. All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

• Ain’t statement 2, executive action in the name of PM / president same as power vesting in president/ pm <question prelims 2015>
• Statement 1 is obviously correct as all actions are taken in the name of president and he would obviously do it on the recommendations of PM.

Learning – Powers of president esp discretionary powers, Veto

2. Which of the following are the discretionary powers given to the Governor of a State?

1. Sending a report to the President of India for imposing the President’s rule
2. Appointing the Ministers
3. Reserving certain bills passed by the State Legislature for consideration of the President of India
4. Making the rules to conduct the business of the State Government

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1 and 3 only.
3. 2, 3 and 4 only.
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Statement 2 is obviously incorrect as appointment of ministers has to be on the advice of CM. Eliminate statement 2, it’s the only option left

Learning – Discretionary powers of governor vis a vis president, Appointment and removal of governor

3. Consider the following statements regarding a No-Confidence Motion in India:

1. There is no mention of a No-Confidence Motion in the Constitution of India.
2. A Motion of No-Confidence can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

• Statement 2 is obviously correct as we discussed above CoM is collectively responsible to LS only.
• Statement is factual, must know this <even zero hour has no mention in the constitution > <we discussed all such things in prelims titbits>

Learning – If you have to remember 3 motions they would be – No confidence motion, Adjournment motion, calling attention motion

4. Which one of the following is the largest Committee of the Parliament?

1. The Committee on Public Accounts
2. The Committee on Estimates
3. The Committee on Public Undertakings
4. The Committee on Petitions

Has been asked n number of times, 30 members in CoE, all from LS

Learning – Classification of committee, election v/s nomination is imp. 3 must remember  committees are CoE, PAC, CoPU

5. Which one of the following Schedules of the Constitution of India contains provisions regarding anti-defection?

1. Second Schedule
2. Fifth Schedule
3. Eighth Schedule
4. Tenth Schedule

Again schedules (repeat), 10th schedule anti defection law, 52nd and 91st amendment

Learning – All the schedules esp. 5th v/s 6th, 9th and 10th, 11th and 12th, amendment of schedules, Read up provisions of anti – defection law

6. The power of the Supreme Court of India to decide disputes between the Centre and the States falls under its

1. advisory jurisdiction
2. appellate jurisdiction.
3. original jurisdiction  
4. writ jurisdiction

Common sense – No advice is sought, can’t be advisory, Federal disputes can’t be filed in other courts so can’t be appellate, has to be original, writ is for enforcement of writs

Learning – Advisory jurisdiction (Art 143), Writ of high court v/s supreme court

7. The power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court of India is vested in

1. the President of India
2. the Parliament
3. the Chief Justice of India
4. The Law Commission

• Slightly difficult question. Option 4 the law commission and option 3 the chief justice can be easily eliminated. It has to be the role of legislature or executive.
• Number of judges in supreme court is written in the constitution and only parliament can increase it and this is not considered amendment to the constitution.

Learning – Appointment of judges (process), Qualification of judges of supreme court and high court, Measures to secure independence of judiciary

8. Which of the following are associated with ‘Planning’ in India?

1. The Finance Commission
2. The National Development Council
3. The Union Ministry of Rural Development
4. The Union Ministry of Urban Development
5. The Parliament

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1, 2 and 5 only
2. 1, 3 and 4 only
3. 2 and 5 only
4. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Finance commission is concerned with distribution of taxes not planning. Eliminate it, only option left

Learning – Niti Ayog, Governance structure, FC role, qualification of members

9. Which of the following is / are the function/functions of the Cabinet Secretariat?

1. Preparation of agenda for Cabinet Meetings
2. Secretarial assistance to Cabinet Committees
3. Allocation of financial resources to the Ministries

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 2 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Statement 3 is clearly incorrect. It’s the function of finance ministry. Other 2 options seem correct, are logically correct, in fact correct

Learning – Functions of Cabinet secretariat, Role of Cabinet secretary (question asked in 2015, chairman of civil services board), Functions and evolution of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)

10.  In the Constitution of India, promotion of international peace and security is included in the

1. Preamble to the Constitution
2. Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
3. Fundamental Duties
4. Ninth Schedule

Repeat questions, has to be directive to the state. Can’t be duty of citizens

Learning – Memorize by Heart FDs, DPSPs, FRs and Preamble

11.Consider the following statements : A Constitutional Government is one which

1. Places effective restrictions on individual liberty in the interest of State Authority
2. Places effective restrictions on the Authority of the State in the interest of individual liberty

Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Constitution places restriction on the authority of state so that it does not become autocratic <that’s why FRs n all>. Rights are actually given to citizens.

Learning – Meaning of terms mentioned in the preamble, Republic, Democratic, Secularism, Social Justice, Fraternity etc.

• Bottom line – Many repeats, no surprises
• 9/11 absolute joke
• 1 question parliament to increase number of judges moderate, 1 no confidence motion not mentioned in the constitution moderately difficult

We started prelims titbit with the objective of providing you most important pointers related to prelims. We also discussed confusing issues. To make the learning more engaging questions were asked in the form of discuss.

But after initial excitement, user response fizzled out. So tell us if you appreciate prelims titbits. What more would you like to see in that. And if you don’t appreciate titbits, what would you like us to take as a priority matter?

P.S. Analysis of last 7 years polity questions will be published tomorrow and that would probably say a lot abt the importance of this initiative.

P.P.S. We will publish only what you apreciate so feel free to give your valuable suggestions.

Thanks

In an earlier blog post (How to approach prelims 2016) I discussed the importance of solving test papers, making educated guesses, analysis of mistakes etc. I also emphasized on solving past year question papers and analyzing the trend.

In this series, I shall discuss questions and explanations of last 7 years (2015 to 2009) prelims polity section. Attempt has been made to solve the questions as one would do in exam hall i.e using elimination method, pausing and thinking at red flags (all, none, only, weird statements), applying some tikdams where necessary.

After every question, I have mentioned some learning objectives – things which are the most important  from exam point of view, things which have been asked again and again. You have to learn them all without any exception.

Key insights from the analysis 

1. Average number of questions asked in last 5 years is 15 and almost every question is solvable with decent knowledge and logic.
2. Lots of questions and statements are repeated year after year <solve past 15 year papers without fail>
3. More than questions, topics are repeated year after year
4. Even when you don’t know all the options, often answer wallh option is clearly visible <importance of reading all the options>
5. UPSC don’t ask article numbers. Not a single question with article number was asked in past 7 years <don’t worry about remembering all the articles or don’t get depressed if you can’t solve such questions of various test series>
6. UPSC doesn’t ask questions which need remembering very intricate yet very useless details. For instance – reservation in local bodies is at least 1/3 or as near as 1/3 or something else or which laws are not applicable to J & K <You are getting my point right>
7. Almost all polity questions are doable i.e if you have read polity and constitution decently enough i.e understood essence of important articles, you would able to solve with >90% accuracy.

If you have been consistent with prelims tit-bits, you would realize that apart from discussing confusing things, primary objective was to discuss topics which are most imp. from exam perspective. Initially response was great but as with most endeavors, your response fizzled out and I also lost the motivation to read, analyse and push the tit-bits.

Must Read Topics

• Learn FRs, DPSPs, FDs and Preamble by heart, FR v/s DPSP
• Three committees of parliament – PAC, estimates committee and Committee on public undertakings
• Three motions – No Confidence motion, adjournment motion, calling attention motion
• Passage of bills including money bill and constitution amendment bill in Parliament and states, budgetary process
• Relative powers of LS and RS
• Discretionary power of president v/s governor
• Appointment, removal and independence of judiciary,
• Evolution of local bodies from the time of independence, 73rd, 74th amendment, mandatory and optional provisions

Let’s look at the question papers now –

Prelims 2015

£1. Consider the following Statements regarding the DPSP/ Directive Principles of State Policy:

1. The Principles spell out the socio-economic democracy in the country
2. The provisions contained in these Principles are not enforceable by any court.

Which of the statements given below are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 & 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Such questions have been asked n number of times.

FRs – political democracy v/s DPSP – socio economic democracy, FRs enforceable v/s DPSP not enforceable

Learning -Difference b/w F.R. and DPSP, Conflict b/w FR and DPSP, Learn all FRs, DPSPs and FDs and preamble by heart

£2. Consider the following statements :

1. The Rajya Sabha has no power either to reject or to amend a Money Bill
2. The Rajya Sabha cannot vote on the Demands for Grants.
3. The Rajya Sabha cannot discuss the Annual Financial Statement.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Again asked n number of times.

RS limited financial power, can discuss but not amend the money bill. Annual financial statement is a money bill, can’t amend hence can’t vote

Learning – Relative powers of LS and RS i,e instances where LS enjoys primacy, instances where RS enjoys primacy

£3. When a bill is referred to a joint sitting both the Houses of the Parliament, has to be passed by

(a) a simple majority of member present and voting

(b) three-fourths majority of member present and voting

(c) two-thirds majority of the House

(d) absolute majority of the House

again asked n number of times

Joint sitting requires simple majority

Learning – Different types of majorities, passage of ordinary bill, money bill, constitution amendment bill in parliament as well as states with bicameral legislatures

£4. Consider the following statements:

1. The Executive Power of the union of India is vested in the Prime Minister.
2. The Prime Minister is the ex officio Chairman of the Civil Services Board.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

statement 1 is asked n number of times, power vests in president not PM, even if you don’t know about the statement 2, you should attempt this question

Cabinet secretary is ex officio chairman <Scroll down you would know that questions related to cabinet secretariat have been asked many times in the past>

£5.The provisions in the Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule in the Constitution of India are made in order to

(a) protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes

(b) determine the boundaries between states

(c) determine the powers, authorities, and responsibilities

of Panchayats

(d) protect the interests of all the border States

asked n number of times

Learning – All 12 schedules esp. 9th and 10th, amendment of schedules, difference b/w 5th and 6th schedule

£7. With reference to the Union Government consider the following statements.

1. The Department of Revenue is responsible for the preparation of Union Budget that is presented to the parliament
2. No amount can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India without the authorization of Parliament of India.
3. All the disbursements made from Public Account also need the Authorization from the Parliament of India

Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 2 only

(d) 1, 2, and 3

Consolidated fund, Public account and Contingency fund have been asked n number of times

Deptt of economic affairs prepare the budget <scroll down and you would know this question has been asked in the past>. Public accounts not under parliamentary control

Learning – Consolidated fund, Public account and Contingency fund, Parliamentary oversight over govt finances, passage of budget

£8. Who/Which of the following is the Custodian of the Constitution of India?

(a) The President of India

(b) The Prime Minister of India

(c) The Lok Sabha Secretariat

(d) The Supreme Court of India

controversial, president takes oath to protect, preserve and defend the constitution

Whatever UPSC says and UPSC said Supreme Court

8. Consider the following statements:

1. The Legislative Council of a state in India can be larger in size than half of the Legislative Assembly of that particular state.
2. The Governor of a state nominates the Chairman of Legislative Council of that particular state.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

logical fallacy, purpose of acts is to limit the size of councils or to tell min. and max number

Chairman is elected from amongst the members

Learning – 91st amendment, election and nomination to upper house of states and parliament

9. To uphold and protect the Sovereignty Unity and Integrity of India” is a provision made in the

(a) Preamble of the Constitute

(b) Directive Principles of State Policy

(c) Fundamental Rights

(d) Fundamental Duties

N number of times. Even if don’t remember, it can not be a right <state is meant to protect sovereignty> , it can not be a directive to the state, it has to be the duty of citizens

Learning – Learn by heart FDs, FRs, DPSPs and preamble

10. The fundamental object of Panchayati Raj system is to ensure which among the following?

1. People’s participation in development
2. Political accountability
3. Democratic decentralization
4. Financial mobilization

Select the correct answer using the code given below

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 2 and 4 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

common sense , financial mobilization can not be fundamental objective  <better ways to mobilize finance>, political accountability is again not directly achieved through this  

Learning – evolution of Local self govt from the time of British <Rippon, Mayo>, Committee on local self govt, 73rd and 74th amendment, 11th and 12th schedule

11. The ideal of “Welfare State” in the Indian Constitution is enshrined in its

(a) Preamble

(b) Directive Principles of State Policy

(c) Fundamental Rights

(d) Seventh Schedule

Sort of internal repeat, Socio-economic democracy and welfare state one and the same thing.

Learning – FRv/s DPSP

12. There is a Parliamentary System of Government in India because the

(a) Lok Sabha is elected directly by the people

(b) Parliament can amend the constitution

(c) Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved

(d) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha

Asked many times , Common sense, in parliamentary system, executive responsible to legislature while in presidential executive not responsible

Learning – Merits and demerits of 2 system, separation of power in 2 systems  

• Bottom line – 9/12 absolute joke
• 1, president v/s supreme court controversial
• 2, Deptt of economic affairs related to budget and Cabinet secretary ex officio chairperson needed some factual knowledge <but if you had solved past year papers, you would easily have marked DEA and you would have known about the role of cabinet secretary>

We are continuing our discussion from the previous post on UNFCC to Paris Via Kyoto

In the meantime many a funds were launched –

1. Green Climate Fund –

• HQ at Incheon, S. Korea
• It was 1st talked about in Copenhagen summit and Formally established in Cancun, 2010
• Target is to raise 100b$ fund every year by 2020 <largest fund with current pledges amounting in excess of 10b$>
• India’s contention is that funds should be additional <no double counting>, verifiable and mainly in the form of grants
• There should be balanced support to both adaptation and mitigation

2. Clean Technology Fund (CTF)- 2nd largest

3. Adaptation fund –

• Officially launched in 2007 (Bali), though 1st established in 2001
• Fund sources – 2% of CERs of CDM, donations from developed countries
• Direct access mechanism – accredited national implementing entities (NIEs) and regional implementing agencies (RIEs) in developing countries can directly access climate adaptation financing under it <Name our NIE>

4. Global Environment Facility (GEF) –

• Established in 1991 by the World Bank in consultation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• To  provide funding to protect the global environment <discussed in detail in titbits>

 

Funding initiatives of India

1. National Clean Energy Fund –

• From cess on the coal produced or imported <cess is 200 rs now per ton of coal, increased from 50 to 100 to 200>
• financing and promoting clean energy initiatives and funding research in the area of clean energy Eg.-  green energy corridor, installation of solar photovoltaic etc

2. National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change –

To assist in meeting the cost of national- and state-level adaptation measures in areas that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

India’s initiatives 

INDCs , Renewable energy targets

National and State Action Plan On Climate change

8 missions

1.  NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION – Target has been revised to 100,000 MW by 2022 <what is the break up?>

2. THE NATIONAL MISSION FOR ENHANCED ENERGY EFFICIENCY (NMEEE):-

• Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT)
• Framework for energy efficient economic development
• Star rating of appliances

NATIONAL MISSION ON SUSTAINABLE HABITAT –

• Energy efficiency in buildings, urban planning, improved management of solid and liquid waste, modal shift towards public transport
• Improving resilience of infrastructure, community based disaster management

4. NATIONAL WATERMISSION (NWM)

• Increase in water use efficiency by 20% through regulatory mechanisms with differential entitlements and pricing
• Minimization of wastage and equitable distribution both across and within states

5.  NATIONAL   MISSION   FOR SUSTAINING THE HIMALAYAN ECOSYSTEM (NMSHE)

6. NATIONAL MISSION FOR GREEN INDIA

• Increase forest/tree cover on 5 million hectares (ha) of forest/non- forest -lands
• Improve quality of forest cover on another 5 million ha of non-forest/forest lands (a total of 10 million ha)
• Improve ecosystem services including biodiversity, hydrological services, and carbon sequestration from the 10 million ha of forest/ non-forest lands mentioned above

 7. NATIONAL   MISSION   FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE (NMSA)

10 key dimensions for adaptation and mitigation:

1. Improved Crop Seeds, Livestock and Fish Culture
2. Water Efficiency
3. Pest Management
4. Improved Farm Practices
5. Nutrient Management
6. Agricultural Insurance
7. Credit Support
8. Markets
9. Access to Information
10. Livelihood Diversification

8. The National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC)

National Bio-Energy Mission – <is this the 9th mission?, earlier there was talk of clean coal energy being added as the 9th mission>

• Launched during the 12th Five-Year Plan
• To boost power generation from biomass, a renewable energy source abundantly available in India
• To facilitate large-scale capital investments in biomass-fired power stations
• encourage development of rural enterprises
• A GIS-based National Biomass Resource Atlas to map potential biomass regions in the country

India is to add 4 new missions to this list

1. Wind Mission – modeled on the National Solar Mission
2. Waste-to-energy mission –  harnessing energy from all kinds of waste, aimed at lowering India’s dependence on coal, oil and gas, for power production.
3. Mission on dealing with climate impacts on human health – by health ministry
4. Mission on India’s coastal areas – prepare an integrated coastal resource management plan and map vulnerabilities along the entire nearly 7000-km long shoreline

Renewable energy initiatives and targets have already been done here

This also completes Chapter 8 of economic survey

In the next article we will discuss Ozone depletion, Montreal Protocol, India’s Changed Stand on HFCs, Air Pollution, Acid Rain, Smog, Petrochemical smog etc.

Now that we know that anthropogenic global warming is a reality <IPCC 5th report says it with 95% certainty> and is already creating problems for us, we needed to do something about it.

We can do two things –

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1. Mitigation – Reduce the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere. How – Emit less <use electric cars instead of diesel cars> and remove whatever is present from the environment <plant more trees, geoengineering – carbon capture and storage etc.>
2. Adaptation: Adjusting to climate change in order to reduce its vulnerability, and enhance the resilience <so we know there would be more droughts so producing drought proof seeds, more cyclones so early warning systems and cyclone shelters>

Adaptation and mitigation are complementary to each other. For example, if mitigation measures are undertaken effectively, lesser will be the impacts to which we will need to adapt. Similarly, if adaptation measures (or the degree of preparedness) are strong, lesser might be the impacts associated with any given degree of climate change <if we reduce GHGs and global warming is less, we would need to produce less drought proof crops>

Importance of Adaptation for Developing Countries

• Adaptation is especially important in developing countries since those countries are predicted to bear the brunt of the effects of global warming and have less capacity to adapt.
• Also, even if the GHG emission is reduced now, effect of already emitted GHG will be felt for many years.
• Hence, India always focus on adaptation in international negotiations.

Back to international negotiations

As we have already discussed an international legally binding treaty was signed in 1997 in Kyoto based on the principles of UNFCC – i.e Common but differentiated responsibility and Respective Capabilities (CBDR – RC) <Common i.e every country has the responsibility to reduce GHG but differentiated i.e rich countries have more responsibility as they are historically responsible plus respective capabilities i.e they are more capable of reducing GHG>, historical responsibility and primary responsibility for reducing emissions was placed on developed countries.

Annexes of Kyoto Protocol

• Annex 1 – Industrialised Countries (mainly OECD) plus economies in transition (mainly former soviet block countries) – They would mandatorily reduce GHGs, base year – 1990
• Annex 2 – Subset of Annex 1,  Industrialised Countries (mainly OECD), would also provide finances and technology to non annex countries
• Non annex – not included in annex, all other countries, no binding targets
• Annex A – gases covered under Kyoto <name those 7 gases>
• Annex B – Binding targets for each Annex 1 country i.e Japan will reduce emission by X%, Australia by Y% <what was the total cumulative reduction in emission this way?>

So in KP, a country say Australia will be told you can emit no more than X units of CO2 till 2020. Now it’s a very onerous requirement and what is Australia is not able to achieve it .

KP contains some flexible mechanisms to allow countries with reduction commitment to exceed their quota in some cases and allow market mechanism to work to allow best possible outcome for the society <Do markets really help here? Explain>

Flexible Mechanisms of Kyoto Protocol

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1. Emission Trading –

• Basically idea is that each country will be assigned some fix limit of CO2 emission
• Those who exceed their emission can buy CO2 credit from those who emitted less than their quota
• For instance is Australia was assigned 100 units and it emitted only 95, it can sell those 5 units to say Canada which exceeded its emission quota
• This is cap and trade <cap emissions and trade>

2. Offset Trading

• very similar except in it a country earns credit by investing in projects which emit lesser amount of CO2.
• For instance if canada replaces thermal plant with wind energy plant and saves 100 units of CO2, it can sell it to other countries
• It is known as baseline and credit trading

3. Clean Development Mechanism –

• Annex 1 countries can undertake carbon reduction projects in annex 2 countries.
• Reduced emission <certified emission reduction, CER> is counted towards their target. 
• They can even sell such CERs in the market.
• For instance, Australia <annex 1> providing financing and support for rural electrification project in India (annex 2) and saved emission (due to biomass burning) is it’s CER.

4. Joint Implementation (JI) –

Exactly similar to CDM except that two annex 1 countries are involved in this i.e Australia undertaking project in Britain

How does trading work in reality?

Each country would assign emission quota or efficiency quota to industries and they would trade for carbon credits and CERs.

Market based trading schemes in India –

1. Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT)

• Under National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) in National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) <New missions proposed under NAPCC?>
• aims to improve energy efficiency in industries by trading in energy efficiency certificates in energy-intensive sectors <funda is similar to carbon trading and energy saving certificates (ESCers) are issued>
• Administered by Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and in the 1st phase energy intensive sectors are covered

2. Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) Mechanism

• Under renewable purchase obligation policy (RPO),Distribution companies ( DISCOMS) have obligation to purchase certain fixed % of renewable energy <of their total supply>
• Renewable producer gets REC for feeding renewable to the grid and if DISCOMS are not able to meet their obligation, they can simply buy REC from the market.

Bali Road map

As we know 1st commitment period of KP was from 2008 to 2012 so countries met in Bali <which is the largest island of Indonesia?> in 2007 to discuss what happens after 2012 and Bali Road map was agreed under which-

1. Adaptation Fund was launched
2. Bali Action plan (BAP) was agreed <fattes related to adaptation, mitigation, tech transfer cooperation etc.>

REDD and REDD plus

• REDD – Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Degradation
• REDD plus – REDD plus incentives for planting trees, enhancement of carbon stocks
• So basically it provides a value to the carbon stored in forests and soil, and developed countries would give funds to developing countries for that

Another summit in 2009 in Copenhagen <capital of Denmark> failed miserably and finally fast forward to 2015 Paris summit –

Each country announced its intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) <bottom up approach> – clear cut bifurcation b/w annex 1 and non annex country done away with. To know what happened in Paris Click here 

1. Soils of India

As per ICAR, 8 types of soils

1. 1. Alluvial Soil – Flood plains, Very fertile, 2 types, Khadar <new alluvium, very fertile> and Bhangar <older, more kankery> <Hindi word khad is fertilizer so obviously khadar more fertile>
2. 2. Black cotton soil – also called Regur as they swell when wet and shrink on drying, high moisture retaining capacity, formed by solidification of lava of Deccan Trap, Black due to iron and Aluminum <titaniferous magnetite>, deficient in organic matters but rich in lime, potash, Mg, Al, Iron, Lime etc
3. 3. Red and Yellow soil – Red due to iron oxide, rich in iron, Mg, potash but poor in lime <contrast with black soil which is rich in lime>
4. 4. Laterite soil – In areas of alternate high rainfall and dry period, High rainfall washes away lime and silica <leaching>, iron and aluminium is left behind , Read in colour, excellent for tea, coffee, rubber, cashew
5. 5. Forest and Mountain soil – Forest i.e organic matter hence rich in humus which is less decomposed hence acidic soil, rich in organic matter but deficient in potash, phosphorous. Lime
6. 6. Arid and Desert soil – high soluble salts <capillary action> and phosphorus but deficient in organic matter
7. 7. Saline and Alkaline soil – Due to canal irrigation <salt left behind due to capillary action in dry areas> , unsuitable for agriculture, treated by irrigation with mixing lime and gypsum, Na and Mg cause salinity, Calcium alkalinity
8. 8. Peat and Marshy soil – accumulation of large amount of organic matter in waterlogged areas, highly saline and deficient in Phosphate and Potash, mainly in coastal areas

• Note 1- All Indian soils are deficient in nitrogen <any option that says rich in nitrogen would be wrong>
• Note 2 – All soils except very obvious forest and mountain soil poor in humus
• Note 3  – Forest soil is acidic, none other acidic
• Note 4– Black soil rich in lime while Red,laterite, forest soil poor in lime

• Discuss – Max area under which soil
• Discuss – Distribution of soils
• Discuss -Bhabhar, Tarai, Bangar and Khadar

2. Climate

1. Equatorial – In the ITCZ <what is ITCZ>, No seasons, Day and night 12 hrs everyday <simple naa seasons are due to tilt but no effect of tilt at 0 degree>, high temperature, high precipitation <>200 cm, convectional>, Soil is nutrient poor not rich <high rainfall leaching of nutrient, minerals>

2. Mediterranean -Only place with rainfall in winter and dry summers <in winters under rain bearing westerlies, summer trade winds due to shift of pressure belts>

3. British type climate -Cool temperate western margin <obviously Britain west>, westerlies throughout, frontal cyclones,

4. Desert – Hot deserts under subtropical high, horse latitude <sinking air, no rainfall>, Cold desert typically in temperate zones in the interiors of continent, rain shadow of high mountains, Cold current areas

• Discuss – upwelling v/s downwelling and effect on climate
• Discuss – Taiga Climate
• Discuss – Types of rains <convectional, orographic, cyclonic and frontal>

3. Theory of Plate Tectonics

1. Continental Drift theory of Alfred Wegener (1912) that continent ploughed through the oceans and once there was single landmass (pangea)
2. Then came convectional current and sea floor spreading theory by Hass to explain continental drift that seafloor itself moves as it expand through a central axis due to convection currents in the mantle
3. Plate Tectonics describe large scale motion of lithospheric plates <what is lithosphere?>
4. 7 or 8 major plates and large number of minor and micro plates 

3 types of plate boundaries,

1. 1.transform where plates slide past or grind past each other
2. 2 Divergent or constructive boundary – plates diverge from each other and new ocean floor is created
3. 3 Convergent or Destructive boundary – Plates collide, move towards each other

• Discuss – Driving forces for plate motion
• Discuss- Evidence in support of continental drift, seafloor spreading
• Discuss – Paleomagnetism, Lithosphere, Asthenosphere and various discontinuities

4. Plate Interactions

1. Plates can be Continental Plate <SiAL, FELsic, Granitic>, Oceanic <SiMA, Mafic, Basaltic> or mixed
2. Oceanic plates are denser hence subduct under continental plates <remember Wegener that Continet plough under oceans>
3. Transform Boundary – earthquakes , eg.- San Andreas Fault in California
4. Divergent or constructive – Mid Oceanic ridge, rift valley , Earthquakes, Volcanoes
5. Convergent or Destructive – when continental plates collide – mountain building and earthquake, no volcanoes as no subduction; when ocean – continental plates collide, oceanic plate subducts resulting in trenches, earthquakes and volcanoes, Ocean-ocean convergence, heavier plates subduct resulting in trenches, earthquakes and volcanoes and formation of mountain arc

• Note– Any movement at plates, earthquakes would occur
• Note- For volcanism, subduction is necessary hence at transform boundaries, continent-continent convergence no volcanism
• Discuss – Formation of island arcs in Indonesian Archipelago
• Discuss – No Volcanoes in Himalaya, alps but volcanoes in Andes and Rockies
• Discuss – Aleutian island and Ring of Fire

Open Your Atlas and Put your thinking cap on before reading these points.

1. Rotation and Revolution of Eath

1. Earth rotates around its axis <tilted at 23 and half degree to perpendicular>and takes 24 hours – responsible for day and night
2. Earth revolves around the sun in counterclockwise direction from west to east- takes 365 days <which planets revolves east to west>
3. Revolution of earth on a tilted axis is responsible for seasons <not distance from Sun of ellipse>
4. This tilt also gives rise to Tropical region <where Sun can reach directly overhead> and polar regions i.e arctic and Antarctic circles <where sun can be above and below horizon for 24hrs at a stretch>

• Discuss – Solstices and Equinoxes
• Discuss – Why in reality, 6 months day and 6 months night does not occur in polar regions?
• Discuss – Why isn’t summer solstice hottest day of the year even though sun is directly overhead?
• Discuss – Even though in January we are very slightly closer to the Sun than in June <elliptic orbit>, Northern hemisphere has hotter summers. WHY.

2. Indian States With International Boundaries

1. Pakistan – 4, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat
2. China – 5, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh
3. Nepal – 5, Bihar, Uttaranchal, UP, Sikkim, West Bengal
4. Bangladesh – 5, West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam
5. Bhutan -4, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam
6. Myanmar -4, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram
7. Afghanistan -1, Jammu and Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied area)

• Discuss – Which state share border with maximum countries?
• Discuss – States which share border with at least 2 countries
• Discuss – With which country India shares longest border?
• Discuss – which Indian state shares longest international border?
• Discuss – How many countries share their border with India?

3. Coastal States of India

1. 9 coastal states plus 2 UTs <Name those 2 UTs>
2. Total Coastline about 7500 km, mainland coastline about 6000 km<2 islands , Andaman and nicobar in arabian sea, Lakshadweep in BoB>
3. Gujarat has the longest coastline while Goa the shortest
4. 13 major ports in India <13th is andaman and nicobar port>

• Discuss – natural v/s artificial harbours , Only corporate port of india
• Discuss – Major artificial ports of India
• Discuss – States under Bhartamala project

4. Tropical v/s temperate Cyclone

1. Tropical cyclones are thermal in origin, energised by the latent heat of condensation and are thus formed only in tropical region with high sea surface temperature (10-30 degree north and south)
2. Do not form up to 10 degree from equator as coriolis force which is necessary for winds to rotate is very weak there <coriolis force is zero at equator and increases progressively towards poles>
3. Temperate cyclones are dynamic in origin, formed due to frontogenesis, confined to temperate region and are more pronounced in northern hemisphere as temperature contrast is more <why>
4. Tropical cyclones dissipate once they move on land as energy source is not present on land while temperate cyclones can form on land also
5. As tropical cyclones are more powerful, hence more destructive, brings more rainfall, cover less area and dissipates fast. Opposite is true for temperate.
6. Very imp. Tropical cyclones moves from east to west <in the zone of trade winds> while temperate move from west to east <in the zone of westerlies>
7. In the cyclones <all sort of cyclones> wind move in Counterclockwise direction in northern hemisphere and Clockwise in southern <coriolis force causes winds to deflect to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere>

• Discuss – why maximum cyclones on the east coast of India and not on the west coast?
• Discuss – Nomenclature of cyclones
• Discuss- what are cyclones called in different parts of the world

5. Savannah v/s Grassland

1. Savannah sometimes called tropical grassland has grass plus scattered trees which do not form canopy <open canopy>. In contrast, Temperate grasslands have virtually no trees
2. Savannahs have distinct wet <7 months> and very hot and dry season, receive more rainfall. In contrast, grasslands have more scanty rainfall and more extreme climate
3. Fire plays a very important role in Savannah, does not allow trees to grow much. It plays much less important role in grasslands
4. Savannahs have very thin layer of humus, soil is not very rich in nutrients while Grasslands have very thick layer of humus, very fertile soil <hence grain bowls of world>

• Discuss – Distribution of Savannah and Grasslands
• Discuss – Prairie, Pampas, Veldt, Downs
• Discuss – Comment on grasslands of India

Read primer on environmental issues first if you have not read that 

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Global Warming

Sun is the source of all energy and all life on earth. Sun emits energy in the form of short wave radiations (high energy i.e shortwave)-

• A part of which is reflected back by clouds, aerosols, atmosphere
• A part passes through the atmosphere to reach the earth’s surface which emits it back in the form of longwave radiation – Infra red (low energy, long wave) which warms the atmosphere <atmosphere is warmed by Longwave radiation not shortwave, hence temperature decreases with elevation so called lapse rate> <How does temperature inversion happen then?> and thus there is no net addition to earth’s temperature <oversimplified model but for now it would do>

Note here that, at night when earth would be the net emitter, temperature would reach dangerously low levels. Then how is avg temperature of earth is maintained at levels conducive to life on earth?

Role of Green Houses Gases

• Such gases present in the atmosphere serve as a blanket which trap/absorb some of that Infrared radiation emitted by earth and send some of that back to earth <this effect is k/as Greenhouse effect, you would have observed this in car parked in Sun> and thus help maintain average temperature of earth to 14 <w/o such gases avg temperature would be -16 and life would be impossible on earth>
• But any increase in such gases would result in more heat trapping resulting in increase in the temperature of earth being reflected in Global warming <Why is Venus hotter than Mercury when Mercury is closest to the Sun>

Global warming changes the climate of earth hence Global Warming and climate change are often used anonymously.

Greenhouse Gases

Most abundant GHGs in earth’s atmosphere are–

Water Vapour> CO2> CH4> N2O> Tropospheric Ozone>CFCs  <plz note that tropospheric ozone is both a GHG and a pollutant, also included under Air Quality Index. Which other gases are included in AQI?>

• Water vapour has the max overall effect on greenhouse effect but as water vapour is not directly increased or decreased by Human activities, we are not concerned about amount of water vapour in the atmosphere <we are concerned about anthropogenic i.e human induced global warming>
• But as atmosphere warms, there would be more water vapour <more water getting converted into vapour> which would trap even more heat, resulting in even warmer atmosphere <positive reinforcement, so called vicious cycle so common in climate systems>

Global warming Effect of a GHG and GLobal Warming Potential (GWP)

Each gas’ effect on climate change depends on three main factors:

1. How Much <higher the concentration, higher the warming>
2. How long <more the life span, greater the warming>
3. How Powerful <efficiency of heat trapping>

Last 2 factors together determine global warming potential

GWP over 100 years time scale <reference GWP of co2 (lifetime 30-95 years) being taken as 1>

• CH4 -25 <lifetime is only 12 years>
• N2O- 300 <lifetime of >100 years>
• CFC, HFCs, NF3, SF6 etc have over 1000 times GWP than that of CO2 as their lifetime is much longer <not easily degraded> and efficiency of trapping heat much higher.

Let’s Now look at Global Emission by Economic Source

Electricity and Heat Production (25%)>Agriculture, Forestry and land use changes  (contribution of agriculture alone is 14%)>Industry (21%)

Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC initially vowed to reduce concentration of 6 major GHGs and in 2nd Commitment period another gas was added. Let’s look at those 7 in detail

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1. CO2 – Burning down of Fossil fuels, cutting down and burning of Trees

Concentration of CO2 has increased from 280 in 1750 (pre industrial revolution) to 400 in 2015 i.e increased by 40%

2. CH4- Primary source is Agriculture and Animal Husbandry <cows and sheep produce methane when they digest food>, manure when it decays, released from wetlands <waterlogged areas>, leakages during natural gas extraction, transportation < Natural gas is nothing but methane>
3. N20– Excess use of nitrogenous fertilizers and bacteria breaking down nitrogen <what is nitrogen fixation and bacteria which helps in that?>, Fossil fuel Burning, Industrial process (nitric acid, synthetic fibres) <what is laughing gas and tear gas?>
4. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)– refrigerants, aerosol propellants, solvents, and fire retardants. They were used as replacement to CFC and HCFC which was phased out under Montreal Protocol (deplete ozone layer) but they are even more powerful GHG. Now USA is trying to include HFC in montreal protocol even though they do not deplete ozone  <what would then be used in refrigeration?>
5. Perfluorocarbons (PFC) – aluminum production and semiconductors
6. Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) – magnesium processing and semiconductor manufacturing, tracer gas for leak detection, electrical transmission equipment, induding circuit breakers.  
7. Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) – latest addition, uses similar to PFCs in electronics industry, semiconductors

• Note 1 – CFCs and HCFCs which are potent GHGs are not included in Kyoto Protocol as they were already being phased out under Montreal Protocol
• Note 2 – Only molecule containing both Chlorine and Fluorine deplete ozone layer, Fluorinated compounds do not, so HFC, NF3, SF6, PFC etc do not deplete ozone layer

Short Lived and Long Lived Climate Forcers

• Factors external to the climate system which force or push the climate towards a new long-term state – either warmer  or cooler depending on the cause of change.
• For instance, GHGs would be positive climate forcers (both natural and anthropogenic) as they push climate warming.
• Long-life gases such as CO2, N2O,Fluorinated compounds once emitted exert their effect for long and are k/as Long Lived climate forcers.
• On the other hand gases such as Methane, tropospheric ozone have a very short life and reducing their emission will quickly lead to reduction in their concentration. Black Carbon or soot is one such very short lived climate forcer.

Black carbon –component of fine particulate matter and is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It’s a positive climate forcing agent and warms the atmosphere by –

1. Directly absorbing sunlight
2. Reducing albedo when deposited on snow and ice <what is albedo?>
3. Indirectly by effects on cloud formation

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It has major adverse health effects also <you know about PM 2.5> and contains many carcinogens <cancer causing agent>

Note-  BC is the most effective form of PM, by mass, at absorbing solar energy: per unit of mass in the atmosphere, BC can absorb a million times more energy than CO2

1. Effect of clouds on global warming?
2. What is brown carbon and blue carbon?

Some short lived climate Forcers have cooling effects. For instance – Sulfur aerosols . Fossil fuel combustion emits sulfur dioxide also which then combines with water vapour to form tiny droplets (aerosols) which reflect sunlight <but aerosol lasts 3 days, CO2 warms for 100 years>. But same Sulfur/sulfate is responsible for acid rain

These aerosols are responsible for cooling observed after volcanic eruption and are being investigated for geoengineering <what is geoengineering?>

Now a few charts you need to look at carefully as they would form the basis of climate negotiations we would discuss in the next article

1. Top 10 Absolute emitters of the world

China is the world’s largest emitter and emits about 1/4th of total world emission. India is at 4th spot.

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2. Top 10 Absolute emitter in per capita terms

Note that the chart below describes emissions of top 10 absolute emitters only. Among all countries, Qatar top the list. See how low India’s per capita emissions are

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3. Emission intensity

It matters as India has pledged to reduce its emission intensity <by how much? what did China promise?> even though our intensity is already at the level of EU. One of the reason of our low intensity is domination of services sector which is comparatively less energy and GHG intense but as India tries to push it’s manufacturing sector achieving the target of emission intensity might become a tall order

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4. Cumulative GHG emission

They describe a country’s total historic emissions and thus historical responsibility. Just look at the share of US and EU. India’s is not even 5% with 17% of global population

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In the next part we will discuss climate negotiations.