THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 10 August 2019 (Climate on the farm (Indian Express))

Climate on the farm (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3: Environment
Prelims level : IPCC
Mains level : Key highlights of the IPCC report

Context

• A report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that better management of the world’s farms and forests is necessary to tackle climate change.

Background

• Land use has always been part of conversations on climate change and activities like afforestation have held an important place in the fight against global warming.
• Discourse on combating global warming has given more thrust to curbing vehicular and industrial emissions.

Crucial highlights of the report says

• The IPCC report warns that clean energy, clean transport and reducing emissions alone will not cut global emissions enough to avoid warming beyond 2 degrees Celsius.
• It points out that the global food system is responsible for 21 to 37% of the world’s GHG emissions.
• About a quarter of the Earth’s ice-free land area is subjected to “human-induced degradation”.
• Rapid agricultural expansion has led to the destruction of forests, wetlands and grasslands and other ecosystems.
• Soil erosion from agricultural fields is 10 to 100 times higher than the soil formation rate.
• When land is degraded, it becomes less productive, restricting what can be grown and reducing the soil’s ability to absorb carbon.
• Agriculture and allied activities like cattle rearing are major sources of methane and nitrous oxide and are more dangerous GHGs than carbon dioxide.

Way ahead

• It raised a key scientific input for future climate negotiations, such as the CoP of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the UNFCCC CoP25.
• It could pressure developing countries like India to ramp up their global warming mitigation targets.
• India should pay heed to the IPCC report’s recommendations on curbing land degradation and soil erosion by improving knowledge systems.

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Prelims Questions:

Q.1) Consider the following statement about IPCC report:
1. The IPCC report warns that clean energy, clean transport and reducing emissions alone will not cut global emissions enough to avoid warming beyond 2 degrees Celsius.
2. It points out that the global food system is responsible for 21 to 37% of the world’s GHG emissions.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 only
B. 2 only
C. Both
D. None

Answer: C
Mains Questions:
Q.1) Describe the key highlights of the IPCC report on India’s climate change.