G4 nations

Context:

• EAM Jaishankar meets Foreign Ministers of G4 nations in New York
• G4 nations support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council

News:

• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has met his counterparts from the G4 countries, reaffirming the grouping’s commitment to urgent reform of the United Nations Security Council through text-based negotiations.
• The G4 nations comprise Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan.

More on the news:

• India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts calling for reform of the Security Council, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geopolitical realities.
• A polarised Security Council has also failed to deal with current peace and security challenges, with Council members sharply divided on conflicts such as the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

About G4 nations:

• The G4 nations, comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, are four countries which support each other’s bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
• Unlike the G7, where the common denominator is the economy and long-term political motives, the G4’s primary aim is the permanent member seats on the Security Council.
• Each of these four countries have figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN’s establishment.
• Their economic, political and military influence has grown significantly in the last decades, reaching a scope comparable to the permanent members (P5).
• However, the G4’s bids are often opposed by the Uniting for Consensus movement, and particularly their economic competitors or political rivals.
• The G4 suggested that two African nations, in addition to themselves, be included in the enlarged UNSC.

Background:

• The UN currently has five permanent members with veto power in the Security Council: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – comprising the victors of World War II.
• The G4 nations are regularly elected to two-year terms on the Security Council as non-permanent members by their respective regional groups: in the 24-year period from 1987 to 2010, Brazil and Japan were elected for five terms each, Germany for four terms (one term as West Germany and three terms as unified Germany) and India for eight terms.
• Cumulatively, the G4 has spent 64 years on the Security Council since the UN’s inception, with each country serving at least a decade.

Opinions:

Support:

• The United Kingdom and France have backed the G4’s bid for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council.
• Japan has received support from the United States and the United Kingdom.
• All the permanent members of P5 have supported India’s bids for permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), but China has previously implied that it is only ready to support India’s bid for a permanent seat on United Nations Security Council if India does not associate its bid with Japan.

Opposition:

• There has been discontent among the present permanent members regarding the inclusion of controversial nations or countries not supported by them.
• For instance, Japan’s bid is heavily opposed by China, North Korea, Russia and South Korea who think that Japan needs to make sincere atonements for war crimes committed during World War II.
• Under the leadership of Italy, countries that strongly oppose the G4 countries’ bids have formed the Uniting for Consensus movement, or the Club, composed mainly of regional powers that oppose the rise of some nearby country to permanent member status.
• Uniting for Consensus supports expanding the number of non-permanent Security Council members and restricting the usage of the veto.
• The bloc argues that adding more permanent seats to the Security Council only benefits the nations that gain those seats, and believes that an expansion of the non-permanent membership will make the UNSC both more flexible and more democratic.
• In Latin America, Argentina opposes a seat for Brazil. In Asia, Pakistan opposes India’s bid.
• Another counter-proposal, the Ezulwini Consensus, was presented by the African Union, calling for the addition of five new non-permanent seats and two new permanent seats to be allocated to African nations, in response to a lack of African representation on the Security Council.

Swachh Vayu Diwas: India’s Commitment to Clean Air

Introduction:

• September 7 is celebrated as International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.
• In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly designated it the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, underscoring a growing global commitment to clean air.
• This initiative emphasises the urgent need for ongoing efforts to improve air quality and protect human health, with this year’s theme being “Invest in #CleanAirNow.”

Swachh Vayu Divas 2024:

• During the celebration this year in Jaipur, it was highlighted that focused actions and effective resource convergence have resulted in positive outcomes under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), with air pollution levels declining in 95 cities.
• Remarkably, 51 of these cities under NCAP have achieved reductions in PM10 levels of over 20% compared to the baseline year of 2017-18, and 21 cities have reported reductions exceeding 40%.
• The event also included the presentation of the Swachh Vayu Survekshan Awards to the top-performing winning cities.

National Clean Air Programme:

• In a bold and ambitious move to combat one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, the Government of India unveiled the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019.
• This flagship initiative aims to address the pervasive issue of air pollution across the country’s 131 cities in 24 States by engaging all stakeholders with a strategic, long-term approach.
• By setting a clear target of reducing Particulate Matter (PM10) concentrations by 20-30% by 2024-25 over baseline of 2017-18.
• Target has been revised to achieve reduction in PM10 level up to 40% or achievement of national standards (60 µg/m3) by 2025-26.
• Due to efforts made under NCAP, 95 cities out of 131 cities have shown improvement in air quality in terms of annual PM10 concentrations in FY 2023-24 with respect to the baseline of FY 2017-18.
• 18 cities have met National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM10 (60 µg/m3) in FY 2023-24.
• MoEF&CC conducts Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan – ranking of 131 cities covered under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) among three groups categorised based on population.
• To address higher air pollution levels due to low winds and cooler temperature during winter, all 131 cities have prepared Emergency Response Plan/Graded Response Action Plan.

Implementation of NCAP:

• “PRANA” – the Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities – is designed to monitor the implementation of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
• This portal will support tracking both the physical and financial status of city air action plan implementation and disseminate information about air quality management efforts under NCAP to the public.

Swacch Vayu Survekshan:

• Swachh Vayu Survekshan is an initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to rank cities on the basis of the implementation of activities approved under the city action plan and air quality in 131 NCAP cities.
• Better performing cities i.e., top 3 cities in each category, are rewarded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with a cash price, trophy and Certificate with the title “National Clean Air City” under National Mission for Clean Air on 7th September every year on “International day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.”
• All 131 cities covered under NCAP are assessed based on the ranking framework submitted by Cities/Urban Local Bodies on the PRANA portal (Dashboard to capture the progress of the NCAP programme).

The government has taken many other measures to improve air quality, increase the green cover and enhance citizens’ quality of life.

Nagar Van Yojana

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has taken various initiatives through programmes and schemes to encourage tree plantation, including in urban areas.
• The scheme, Nagar Van Yojana (NVY), was launched in 2020 to create Nagar Vans in urban areas.
• This scheme promotes urban forestry by involving local communities, NGOs, educational institutions, local bodies, etc.

Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam:

• The government’s initiative “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” complements the National Clean Air Mission by fostering a culture of tree plantation and environmental stewardship.
• By encouraging citizens to plant trees, this program not only enhances green cover but also strengthens community bonds and raises awareness about the importance of trees in combating air pollution.
• The dual focus on reducing emissions and increasing greenery demonstrates a holistic approach to environmental sustainability.

National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP):

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has launched the National Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP), utilizing a network of 804 monitoring stations to assess air quality in 344 cities and towns across 28 states and 6 union territories.
• This programme, established under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, aims to gather, compile, and distribute air quality information.
• It operates in collaboration with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), Pollution Control Committees (PCCs), and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
• The collected data is sent to the CPCB for review, analysis, compilation, and publication.

Air Quality Index:

• Air Quality Index has been launched for effective communication of air quality status to people in terms, which are easy to understand.
• It transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature and colour.
• There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe.
• Each of these categories is decided based on ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints).

Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme:

• The growing concern about fuel import dependence, combined with environmental pollution issues, has driven the Government of India to promote alternative fuels that offer superior environmental benefits and are economically competitive with fossil fuels.
• This underscores the strategic role of biofuels in the Indian energy portfolio.
• These biofuels can be derived from resources such as agricultural and forest residues, municipal solid waste (MSW), and cow dung.
• The government has implemented the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme across the country, except in the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, where oil marketing companies sell petrol blended with 10% ethanol.
• This initiative aims to reduce vehicular emissions by blending ethanol with gasoline.

The Air Quality Early Warning System:

• The Air Quality Early Warning System has been implemented in Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow to provide timely alerts and facilitate prompt action against deteriorating air quality.
• To address public complaints about air pollution in the Delhi NCR region, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has established multiple channels: the ‘Sameer App,’ emails, and social media networks including Facebook and Twitter.
• These platforms ensure that concerns are efficiently received and addressed.

Conclusion:

• Indian government’s National Clean Air Mission represents a comprehensive and proactive approach to tackling the pressing issue of air pollution.
• By implementing stringent regulations, promoting sustainable practices, and enhancing public awareness, the initiative aims to significantly improve air quality across urban and rural areas.
• As India continues to face environmental challenges, the commitment to cleaner air is not just a health imperative but a crucial step toward sustainable development and improved quality of life for all citizens.
• Continued monitoring, innovation, and public engagement will be vital in sustaining momentum and achieving long-term air quality goals.

Why is it colder at higher altitudes?

• Measurements reveal that, as we go up into the atmosphere, the air temperature decreases with height from the ground up to about 15-20 km in the troposphere.
• Beyond this, it increases in the stratosphere up to a height of 50 km.
• Again, it decreases in the mesosphere up to 80 km and finally increases in the ionosphere.
• Solar radiation heats the earth’s surface far more than the air through which it travels.
• The heat at the surface is transported by convective expansion into the atmosphere.
• An atmosphere conditioned by convective expansion will have relatively cooler temperatures at higher levels.
• This holds good in a hydrostatically stable atmosphere, under adiabatic conditions (i.e. when entropy is constant), which is true of planetary or stellar atmospheres.
• But the real atmosphere is not static. It is dynamic with constant motion.
• The thermodynamic processes are not adiabatic as radiation from outside the atmosphere enters, and the atmosphere also radiates away the heat into outer space.
• Still the departures from hydrostatic condition and adiabatic condition are small and the temperature decreases with height.