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GS3

UNEP Assessment on 1.5 Degree Celsius Climate Overshoot Risks

Source:Indian Express ↗

কেন এটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ

Crucial for UPSC aspirants tracking international environmental reports (like UNEP), global climate negotiations, mitigation vs. adaptation strategies, and the implications of breaching the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target.

সারসংক্ষেপ

This article, part of the UPSC Essentials Knowledge Nugget series, discusses the concept of 'climate overshoot'—specifically temporary breaches of the 1.5°C global temperature threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement—based on insights from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It covers the risks of irreversible ecological tipping points, the necessity of deep emission cuts, and carbon dioxide removal strategies.

মূল বিষয়

  • Climate temperature overshoot refers to a temporary period where global average temperatures exceed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold above pre-industrial levels before potentially being brought back down.
  • The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights the critical risks associated with temperature overshoot, including irreversible tipping points and severe ecosystem damage.
  • Mitigating overshoot requires aggressive near-term greenhouse gas emission reductions alongside potential carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies.
  • Prolonged overshoot increases the likelihood of triggering dangerous climate feedback loops such as permafrost thaw and ice sheet collapse.

গুরুত্বপূর্ণ শব্দ

Paris Agreement

A legally binding international treaty adopted at COP21 in 2015 to limit global warming to well below 2°C, with efforts to pursue 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims/Mains (GS Paper III): Frequently asked on international climate targets, NDCs, and global carbon reduction frameworks.

Source
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)

The United Nations body established in 1972 to coordinate global environmental policies, promote sustainable development, and publish vital reports like the Emissions Gap Report.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims: Important for questions on international organizations, environmental headquarters (Nairobi), and global climate assessments.

Source
UNFCCC

The parent international environmental treaty adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations and prevent dangerous anthropogenic climate interference.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims/Mains: Tests foundational knowledge of global climate governance, annual COP summits, and institutional mechanisms.

Source
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The leading international body established by WMO and UNEP in 1988 to assess climate change science, providing comprehensive evaluation reports to guide policy decisions.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims/Mains: Crucial for scientific consensus on climate change, emission scenarios, and assessment report findings.

Source

সংযুক্ত স্থির ধারণা

Environment and Ecology International Conventions

What are the key mechanisms and institutional mandates of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)?

  • Establishment & HQ: Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, UNEP was established in 1972 following the landmark UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm Conference).
  • Flagship Reports: It releases flagship assessment reports including the Emissions Gap Report, Adaptation Gap Report, and Frontiers Report.
  • Key Conventions: UNEP administers critical environmental conventions such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), CITES, and the Minamata Convention.

আন্তঃবিষয় প্যাটার্ন

  • Climate Overshoot + Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies

    Climate overshoot strategies intersect with energy security debates as nations balance near-term fossil phase-outs with unproven carbon dioxide removal technologies and geoengineering governance under UNEP.

  • Tipping Points + Loss and Damage Finance

    Irreversible ecological tipping points link global warming thresholds directly to international legal liabilities, loss and damage financing, and equity in the UNFCCC framework.

UNEP reports on climate overshoot and tipping points frequently appear in prelims matching statements on Paris Agreement targets.

সংযুক্ত PYQ · 3

সংযুক্ত PYQ · 3

  • 2022MainsGS3

    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.

  • 2023MainsGS3

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a global sea level rise of about one metre by AD 2100. What would be its impact in India and the other countries in the Indian Ocean region?

  • 2021PrelimsGS1

    The 'Common Carbon Metric', supported by UNEP, has been developed for