UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : Questions on Dedicated Freight Corridors and Arctic region (Week 82)

QUESTION 2

“The Arctic Tundra, once a carbon sink, is now turning into a carbon source.” Analyse the causes and consequences of this shift on the global climate system.

General points on the structure of the answers

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.

QUESTION 1: “The Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) are a game-changer for India’s logistics sector.” Discuss the economic and environmental impact of DFCs in India.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) is a Special Purpose Vehicle established under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways.

— Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs) are specific freight transportation routes that provide increased transport capacity due to faster freight train transit, the operation of double stack container trains, and heavy haul trains.

DFCCIL’s mission is:

— To create a corridor with appropriate technology that enables Indian Railways to restore its market share in freight transport by creating more capacity and ensuring efficient, dependable, safe, and economical transportation options for its customers.

— Set up multimodal logistic parks along the DFC to give consumers a complete transportation solution.

— To support the government’s ecological sustainability objectives by encouraging people to choose railroads as the most environmentally beneficial means of transportation.

Body:

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

— According to a recent study by the University of New South Wales in Australia, dedicated goods corridors boost India’s GDP and dramatically increase revenue for Indian Railways.

— According to the report, the reduction in freight costs and trip time owing to DFCs has helped lower commodity prices by up to 0.5%, and the corridors have contributed to 2.94% of the Railways’ revenue growth between FY 2022-23 and FY 2018-19.

— The findings were reported in the journal Elsevier. They examined the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) statistics for FY 2019-20 and arrived at their conclusions utilising a Computed General Equilibrium model developed by the central government.

Need of DFCs

— The Dedicated Freight Corridors were deemed necessary for two reasons. The first was the excessive use of the Railways’ golden quadrilateral, which connects the four metropolitan centres of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Howrah, as well as its two diagonals. This stretch accounts for only 16% of the route yet carries more than 52% of passenger traffic and 58% of revenue-generating freight traffic for the railways.

— Another cause was the railways’ declining share of overall freight traffic. This data was produced as part of the National Rail Plan, which aimed to increase rail’s share of freight traffic to 45% by 2030.

— Currently, on average, 325 trains run every day, which is 60% more than the previous year. The goods trains on DFC are faster, heavier and safer. Since their beginning, DFCs have carried about 232 billion Gross Tonne Kilometres (GTKMs) and 122 billion Net Tonne Kilometres (NTKMs) of payload.

— According to the DFCCIL, DFC presently handles more than 10% of all freight on Indian Railways. A DFCCIL representative stated that a comprehensive and holistic analysis of the impact of DFCs on the Indian economy is now ongoing, with conclusions due shortly.

Conclusion:

— There are four more proposed corridors: the east coast corridor from Kharagpur to Vijayawada (1115 km), the east-west sub-corridor-I from Palghar to Dankuni (2073 km), the east-west sub-corridor-II from Rajkharsawan to Andal (195 km), and the north-south sub-corridor from Vijayawada to Itarsi (975 km).

— According to the report, the implementation of DFCs provided significant benefits in western regions by lowering freight costs. The data also revealed a’social-equalising effect’, with states with lower per-capita GDP benefiting significantly.

(Source: On the growth track: How Dedicated Freight Corridors are adding to GDP, boosting Rail revenues by Dheeraj Mishra, dfccil.com)

Points to Ponder

Read about Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited

Importance of DFCs

Related Previous Year Question

Bring out the socio-economic effects of the introduction of railways in different countries of the world. (2023)

QUESTION 2: “The Arctic Tundra, once a carbon sink, is now turning into a carbon source.” Analyse the causes and consequences of this shift on the global climate system.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— According to a new analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Arctic tundra, a frozen treeless habitat that has stored carbon for thousands of years, is now a source of heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs), which are the principal drivers of global warming.

— The analysis, ‘Arctic assessment Card’, a yearly assessment, discovered that rising wildfires and extremely high temperatures are the primary causes of the Arctic ecosystem’s drastic shift.

Body:

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

— Arctic tundra spewing more carbon than it stores would have worldwide ramifications since it would worsen climate change, which is already having a negative influence all over the world.

— In a typical ecosystem, plants use photosynthesis to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. These plants grow, die, or are consumed by creatures that grow and die. When they die, the carbon in their corpse nourishes microbes like bacteria and fungi, which break down bigger molecules and release CO2 into the atmosphere, completing the carbon cycle.

— However, the freezing environment of Arctic tundra significantly slows the decomposition of organic materials. Plant and animal remains can remain trapped for thousands of years in a layer of permafrost – any ground that has been frozen for at least two years — preventing CO2 from being released back into the sky. Scientists estimate that Arctic soils store more than 1.6 trillion metric tonnes of carbon throughout the region. According to Vox, this is roughly twice as much carbon in the atmosphere.

Why is the Arctic tundra emitting more carbon than absorbing it?

— However, in recent years, the Arctic tundra’s ability to emit less and absorb more carbon has declined. The latest investigation, which included additional data and improved inspection methodologies, indicated that the ecosystem is now a source of CO2 and methane (CH4) — a more potent GHG — emissions.

— This has happened for two primary reasons. One is rising temperatures. According to the report, the Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the world, with annual surface air temperatures in 2024 being the second-warmest on record since 1900.

— As a result, the Arctic permafrost is melting, which means that soil bacteria are becoming active and breaking down organic matter, releasing CO2 and CH4 into the atmosphere.

— Between 2001 and 2020, wildfires and rising temperatures caused the Arctic tundra to release more carbon into the atmosphere than its plants removed, most likely for the first time in millennia, according to the analysis.

Conclusion:

— According to the analysis, it is yet conceivable to reverse the Arctic tundra such that it absorbs more carbon than it emits. The only way to do so is to cut global greenhouse gas emissions.

— “With projected emissions from land-use change (such as deforestation) of 4.2 billion tonnes, total CO2 emissions are projected to be 41.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up from 40.6 billion tonnes last year,” according to the report.

(Source: Why Arctic tundra is emitting more carbon than it absorbs, for first time in many millennia by Alind Chauhan)

Points to Ponder

How does the Arctic tundra store carbon?

What is the tundra ecosystem?

Related Previous Year Questions

How does the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain. (2021)

Why is India taking a keen interest in the Arctic region? (2018)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 81)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 80)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 80)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 81)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 80)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 81)

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