The Mitigation of Carbon Footprint (Mint)

Mains Paper 3: Environment
Prelims level: Carbon Footprint
Mains level: Environment hazards and climate change

Context:

• Global warming with the burgeoning anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (400 parts per million from 280 ppm CO2, emissions of pre-industrial era) has been altering the climate, eroding the ecosystem productivity and sustenance of water, thus affecting the livelihood of people.
• GHG footprint needs to be in balance with sequestration of carbon to sustain ecosystem functions.
• Forests are the major carbon sink (about 45%) that aid in mitigation global warming.
• The land use land cover (LULC) dynamics leading to deforestation and land degradation is the prime driver of global warming due to the loss of carbon sequestration potential as well as emission.

Carbon Footprint:

• Carbon footprint is contributed by emissions from the energy sector (68%), agriculture (19.6%), industrial processes (6%), LU change (3.8%) and forestry (1.9%), respectively in India with CO2, emission of about 3.1 MGg (2017) and the per capita CO2 emission of 2.56 metric tonnes.
• India has committed at the Paris Climate ...............................................

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Water and food security towards sustainable and healthy living:

• Alternations of landscape structure in the catchment areas influence the hydrological regime leading to variations in the hydrological status.
• The streams are perennial when its catchment is dominated ..............................

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Conclusion:

• Thus, catchment integrity plays a decisive role in sustaining water for societal and ecological need.
• It is evident from the occurrence of potential streams in the catchment dominated by native flora, highlighting the riverscape dynamics with the hydrological, ecological, social, and environmental dimensions linkage and water sustainability.
• Recent unfortunate instances of floods and subsequent drought (drying up of water bodies) in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala is a pointer towards the mismanagement of forests in the Western Ghat region.
• Hence, ecologically fragile regions such as Western Ghats needs to be conserved on priority to sustain the agriculture and horticulture in the peninsular India.

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  General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q.1) With respect to Brazil, consider the following statements:
1. Brazil shares its border with Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay.
2. Both the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn passes through Brazil.
3. Pampas grasslands are one of the distinctive features of the Brazilian landscape.
4. The Amazon is a west flowing river.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

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Mains Questions:
Q.1) What do you mean by the carbon footprint? How carbon footprint affects economy and food security?