TOPIC OF THE DAY :-“A) Bolstering Paris: on the Katowice consensus”
The Katowice Consensus Does Not Adequately Reflect The Challenge To Limit Global Warming
The UN Climate Conference held in Katowice, Poland, has moved ahead with the implementation of the Paris Agreement through a rule book, reflecting strong support among citizens of all countries for urgent action toavert dangerous climate change. Public pressure has prevailed over scepticism, although the outcome does not adequately reflect the short window available to make deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts. Yet, the Paris Agreement, endorsed by 195 countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has a long road ahead before carbon emissions can be pegged at levels flagged by scientists. Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in a special report, issued a stark warning on man-made emissions. It said that to cap the rise in global average temperature over pre-industrial levels at 1.5°C, a 45% reduction in emissions over 2010 levels must be made by 2030. This is a challenge for all big economies, including India, which is among the top five emitters of carbon dioxide. In the Indian context, it highlights the need for action on several fronts: scaling up solar and wind power in line with the goal of reaching 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, steadily reducing reliance on coal, shifting substantially to electric mobility and adopting green industrial processes. Taxing luxury emissions and using the dividend to give the poor energy access has to be the policy target, building on international green climate funding linkages.At Katowice, Indian negotiators put forth legitimate concerns on the likely social impact of the new rules that will operationalise the Paris Agreement in 2020. After all, at an estimated 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per capita, India emits far below the global average of 4.2 tonnes. Yet, cumulative emissions determine the impact on climate, and India’s emissions grew at an estimated 6.3% in 2018. The prospect of increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and sea level rise in a warming world affecting small island states allows little room for complacency. The task now is to achieve a paradigm shift that will slow down the addition of new sources of carbon emissions. As a party to the global climate compact, India has to systematically assess its emissions and measure mitigation actions for reporting to the UNFCCC at stock-taking meetings. This is an opportunity to bring major sectors such as energy production, building, agriculture and transport on board, and make changes to regulations that favour environment-friendly alternatives. China has taken the lead in advancing electric mobility, while individual States and cities are ahead of national governments, as in the U.S., in reducing their carbon footprint. A clean-up in India will help meet emissions commitments and remove the blanket of air pollution that is suffocating entire cities.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) avert
Meaning : turn away (one’s eyes or thoughts).
Synonyms : avoid
Antonyms : aid
Example : “she averted her eyes while we made stilted conversation”
2) prevailed
Meaning : prove more powerful or superior.
Synonyms : abound
Antonyms : forfeit
Example : “it is hard for logic to prevail over emotion”
3) endorsed
Meaning : declare one’s public approval or support of(v).
Synonyms : approved
Antonyms : disapproved
Example : “the report was endorsed by the college”
4) Convention
Meaning : a way in which something is usually done.
Synonyms : show
Antonyms : discord
Example : “to attract the best patrons the movie houses had to ape the conventions and the standards of theatres”
5) peg
Meaning : a short pin or bolt, typically tapered at one end, that is used for securing something in place, hanging things on, or marking a position.
Synonyms : clinch
Antonyms : detach
Example : “she put her mack on a peg in the hall”
6) stark
Meaning : severe or bare in appearance or outline(adj).
Synonyms : blunt
Antonyms : covered
Example : “the ridge formed a stark silhouette against the sky”
7) negotiators
Meaning : a person who conducts negotiations.
Synonyms : delegate
Example : “US trade negotiators”
8) concerns
Meaning : make (someone) anxious or worried.
Synonyms : burden
Antonyms : pastime
Example : “the roof of the barn concerns me because eventually it will fall in”
9) impact
Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another(n).
Synonyms : brunt
Antonyms : avoidance
Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”
10) cumulative
Meaning : increasing or increased in quantity, degree, or force by successive additions.
Synonyms : aggregate
Antonyms : decreasing
Example : “the cumulative effect of two years of drought”
11) prospect
Meaning : the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring(n).
Synonyms : expectation
Antonyms : impossibility
Example : “there was no prospect of a reconciliation”
12) complacency
Meaning : a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.
Synonyms : satisfaction
Example : “the figures are better, but there are no grounds for complacency”
13) paradigm
Meaning : a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model(n).
Synonyms : criterion
Example : “society’s paradigm of the ‘ideal woman’”
14) compact
Meaning : closely and neatly packed together; dense(adj).
Synonyms : tight
Antonyms : loose
Example : “a compact cluster of houses”
15) mitigation
Meaning : the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.
Synonyms : reduction
Antonyms : increase
Example : “the identification and mitigation of pollution”
16) suffocating
Meaning : the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something(n).
Synonyms : drown
Antonyms : free
Example : “the identification and mitigation of pollution”
