CLIMATE CHANGE

CAUSES & EFFECTS

 Climate Change
 Long term shifts (Change) in temperature and weather
pattern is referred as climate change. The causes for this
change may be natural or manmade.
1. Natural Causes

 Continental drifts. The drift of continent is a

continuous process. It is happening even now slowly.
 Volcanoes
 Earths til 23.50 to the perpendicular plane of its
orbital path”
 Ocean currents
 Ocean absorbs sun’s radiation ( 2 times that of
atmosphere)
 Agriculture
 The practices of agriculture have contributed to
climate change and now climate change will affect
production of grains.
 Weather
 Warmer climate, Rain fall, droughts, floods
 Sea level rise
 Health
 Forests and wild life
 Extinction of more number of species
Sea level rise
2. Human causes

 Green House effect

 Earths average surface temperature has increased by 0.3 -0.60C since 19th
century.

Human causes – Ozone depletion

 Ultraviolet radiation from sun breaks
down oxygen molecules in upper level
of earth’s atmosphere and releases
free atoms of oxygen.

 This free atom of oxygen form bond

with oxygen molecule and form
ozone.
 Zone absorbs ultraviolet rays in the range of
200-300 nanometre.
 This solar energy breaks ozone (O3)
molecules into oxygen (O2) and Oxygen atom
(O).
 This free oxygen again joins with ozone
molecule and forms 2 oxygen molecule.
Oxygen (O2) + oxygen (O) atom ⇒ O3 (ozone)
O3 + O ⇒ O2 + O2
 Due to anthropogenic release of ozone depleting substances like
chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), Hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC3)
Halon’s, Methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride, etc.
 Used in refrigeration air conditioning and aerosol spray etc. Chloride
(Chlorine atoms) are released and they deplete O3.
 The formation of ozone and its breaking into oxygen is a
continuous process and there is a balance of quantity of both
O2 and O3 on stratosphere. Depletion of O3 results in reduction of
concentration of O3 over an area. If the concentration falls
below 220 DU (Dobson Unit), it is called Ozone Hole. It is more
in the Antarctic region.

 Ozone layer shield protects earth by absorbing harmful

ultraviolet – B and ultraviolet – C radiation.

 It causes health issues like cancer cataracts, snow blindness

and affects vegetation.
3. Photochemical smog:
Ground level ozone is created
by reaction between NO2,
volatile organic compounds in
presence of sunlight.

This is called photochemical

smog.
International conventions / Treaties for ozone depletion.
 Vienna convention for protection of ozone layer (1985)
 Global Monitoring and binding Actions were undertaken
 Montreal Protocol (1987)
 Phase down production and consumption of ozone depleting
substances. (197 parties)
 Gothenburg Protocol
 Abatement of Eutrophication,
 Abatement of Acidification
 Abatement of Ground level ozone by limiting pollution of SO2,
NOx, Ammonia and Volatile organic carbon.
 Kigali Amendment
 Countries committed to cut down use of HFC3 by more than
80% by 2047
Gothenburg Protocol
Kigali Amendment
4. International conventions / Treaties on climate
change.
 UNFCC (UN Frame work convention on climate
change – 1992
 Aims at lower atmospheric concentration of
greenhouse gases in order to prevent climate
change.
 It is known as Earth summit, Rio conference or
the Rio Summit.
 Kyoto Protocol
 An agreement among developed nations to
reduce CO2 emissions and Greenhouse gas to
minimise impacts of climate change.
 Kyoto Flexible Market protocol mechanism
include,
(i) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
(ii) Emission Trading (ET)
(iii) Joint Implementation (JI)
JE – Emission Reduction Unit (ERU)
 Advance countries A and B implement emission
reduction project and utilize Emission Reduction
Unit (ERU) to achieve target of each country
CDM – Certified Emission Reduction (CER)
 Advanced country A and
Developing country B to implement
emission Reduction Projects and
utilize certified Emission Reduction
(CER) for advanced country.
Emission Trading (ET) – Assigned Amount Unit (AAU)
 Buying and selling of Assigned Amount Unit (AAU) among advanced
countries to achieve reduction target

iii. Cop21 – Paris Accord (2015)

 To achieve climate neutral world by mid-century.

 Limit Global warming to below 20C (at least 1.50C)
compared to preindustrial levels.
 Nationally determined contribution (NDC)
envisaged but not to be forced by any law, no
penalty for not achieving voluntary.
 Developed countries to mobilize US Dollar 100
billion per year and continue mobilizing till 2025
(Climate Finance)
iii. Cop – 26 Glasgow submit
 Informed alarming situation of global warming and
raising temperature.
 Small Islands under existential treat because of
climate change
 IRIS – Infrastructure for Resilient Islands by India, UK,
Australia
Cop – 26
 New initiative known as Green Grid initiative (GG1) was
launched one sun, one world, one Grid program under
international Solar Alliance.

National Initiatives

(i) India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)

 Reduce cooling demand by 20-25% by 2037-38
 Reduce Refrigeration demand by 25to30% by 2037-38
 Reduce cooling energy requirement by 25-40% by 2037-38
 Training of 10, 00,000 (10 lakh) service sector Technicians by
2022-23 (Under skill India Mission)
(ii) Climate vulnerability Assessment Report

 States with relatively high vulnerability Jharkhand, Mizoram,

Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal and West Bengal

(iii) National Adaptation Fund for climate change set up 2015-16

 To support concrete adaptation activities which mitigate

adverse effect of climate change.
 Agriculture, Animal husbandry, water Forestry, tourism etc.
Sectors eligible.
 NABARD is implementing Entity.
(iv) Intended Nationally Determined contributions (INDCs)
– PANCHMRIT
 In Cop-26. India announced advanced update to
existing NDC in the form of PANCHMRIT. It contained
five actions:
 Improve emission intensity of its GDP by 45 percent
by 2030 below 2005 levels.
 To reach 500 GW. Non-Fossil energy capacity by
2030.
PANCHMRIT
Enhance Forest cover which will
absorb 2.5-3 billion towns of Co2
Reduction of total projected carbon
emission to One billion Ton from
2030.
Net Zero carbon emission by 2070.
V) National Action Plan to Combat Climate
Change (NAPCC)
 Missions under NAPCC
 Solar mission
 Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency.
 Mission Sustainable Habitat
 Water Mission
 Green India Mission
 Sustainable Agriculture Mission
 Mission for Strategic knowledge for climate change