UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice

UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 38)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-1 to check your progress.

Discuss the importance of ozone layer. What are the reasons behind the depletion of ozone layer?

Discuss the impact of climate change on agriculture in India.

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

— Underlining keywords gives you an edge over other candidates and enhances presentation of the answer.

— Using flowcharts/tree-diagram in the answers saves much time and boosts your score. However, it should be used logically and only where it is required.

Way forward/ conclusion

— The ending of the answer should be on a positive note and it should have a forward-looking approach. However, if you feel that an important problem must be highlighted, you may add it in your conclusion. Try not to repeat any point from body or introduction.

— You may use the findings of reports or surveys conducted at national and international levels, quotes etc. in your answers.

Self Evaluation

— It is the most important part of our Mains answer writing practice. UPSC Essentials will provide some guiding points or ideas as a thought process that will help you to evaluate your answers.

QUESTION 1: Discuss the importance of ozone layer. What are the reasons behind the depletion of ozone layer?

Introduction:

— Ozone (chemically, a three-oxygen molecule) is primarily found in the high atmosphere, known as the stratosphere, which is located between 10 and 50 kilometres above the earth’s surface.

— Ozone is present in the atmosphere in low concentrations, and at the thickest points, there are just a few molecules of ozone per million air molecules.

Importance of Ozone

— The ozone layer protects life on Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

— The ozone molecules eliminate a big threat to life forms on Earth. UV rays can cause skin cancer and other diseases and deformities, in plants and animals.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

— During experiments in Antarctica in the early 1980s, scientists noticed that during September-November, the concentration of ozone fell considerably lower than what was recorded in the 1950s.

— The destruction of the ozone layer became a major international issue in 1985 when the “ozone hole” was discovered over Antarctica.

Causes

— The depletion of the ozone layer is not limited to that area and has occurred in other regions of the stratosphere, but rather a set of unique meteorological and chemical conditions that arise over Antarctica during the months of September, October, and November.

— The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer (the only universally accepted treaty in United Nations history) kicked off the phase-out of CFCs in 1993. By 2005, the consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals regulated by the accord had decreased by 90-95 percent in the 197 nations that signed on to the protocol.

There are 96 chemicals are presently controlled by the Montreal Protocol, including:

— Halo-carbons (Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons): These were considered wonder gases because they are long-lived, non-toxic, non-corrosive, and non-flammable.

— CFC-11 remains in the atmosphere for 50 years, CFC-12 for 102 years, and CFC-115 for 1,700.

— Halon 1301 is used primarily in fire extinguishers and has an atmospheric lifetime of 65 years.

— Carbon tetrachloride: It is used as a solvent and takes about 42 years to break down in the atmosphere.

— Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs): These were developed as the first major replacement for CFCs. While much less destructive than CFCs, HCFCs also contribute to ozone depletion. They have an atmospheric lifetime of about 1.4 to 19.5 years.

— There are various other chemicals that can be mentioned like Methyl chloroform, Hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), Methyl bromide, Bromochloromethane (BCM), etc.

Conclusion:

— The elimination of ozone-depleting substances has an important climate change co-benefit as well.

— These substances also happen to be powerful greenhouse gases, several of them hundreds or even thousands of times more dangerous than carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas and the main driver of global warming.

(Source: How India can minimise climate risk in agriculture by Ashok Gulati, niap.icar.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

Kigali Agreement

India’s effort