Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in the light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997.
Global warming refers to the long-term heating of Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period due to human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas (GHG) levels in the atmosphere.
Effects on Global Climate:
The effects are widespread and severe:
- Rising Temperatures: Leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves.
- Extreme Weather Events: Increased frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.
- Melting Ice and Rising Sea Levels: Glaciers and polar ice caps are melting at an accelerated rate, causing sea levels to rise, threatening coastal communities.
- Ocean Acidification: Increased absorption of CO2 by oceans makes them more acidic, harming marine ecosystems like coral reefs.
- Disruption of Ecosystems: Shifts in climate patterns threaten biodiversity and impact agriculture, leading to food security challenges.
Control Measures in Light of the Kyoto Protocol (1997):
The Kyoto Protocol was a landmark international treaty that operationalized the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities." It acknowledged that developed countries are historically responsible for the high levels of GHGs and placed a heavier burden on them.
Key control measures and mechanisms it introduced were:
- Binding Targets: It set binding emission reduction targets for 37 industrialized (Annex I) countries.
- Market-Based Mechanisms: To help countries meet their targets cost-effectively, it established:
- Emissions Trading: Allowed countries that had surplus emission units to sell them to countries that were over their targets.
- Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): Allowed a developed country to fund an emission-reduction project in a developing country and earn saleable credit.
- Joint Implementation (JI): Allowed a developed country to invest in an emission-reduction project in another developed country
While superseded by the Paris Agreement, Kyoto established the framework for international climate action.
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Important Questions from GS3
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