Energy-System Transitions in Low-Carbon Cities

Why in news?

• As per recent report, Cities contribute significantly to carbon dioxide emissions, with a staggering 29 trillion tonnes dumped into the atmosphere in 2020.

Overview

• Transitioning to low-carbon or net-zero cities is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change caused by urban activities.
• The sector-coupling approach, integrating mitigation and adaptation options across multiple sectors, is essential for decarbonizing urban systems.

Significance of Energy-System Transitions

• An energy-system transition has the potential to reduce urban carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 74%.
• Advancements in clean energy technologies and decreasing costs have eliminated economic and technological barriers to implementing low-carbon solutions.
• Both the demand and supply sides need to be addressed in energy-system transitions to achieve mitigation goals.

Mitigation Options in Energy-System Transitions

• Supply-side mitigation options include phasing out fossil fuels, increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix, and utilizing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
• Demand-side mitigation involves the “avoid, shift, improve” framework, which aims to reduce energy and material demand, substitute fossil fuels with renewables, and implement carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies to address residual emissions.

Overcoming Social and Political Barriers

• The main obstacles to achieving net-zero urban systems through energy transitions are social and political in nature.
• The technological and knowledge base required for building net-zero urban systems is already available.
• Meeting social and political challenges is crucial to effectively implement energy-transition strategies.

Tailoring Strategies for Low-Carbon Cities

• Strategies for mitigating and adapting to low-carbon cities vary depending on a city’s characteristics, including spatial form, land use, level of development, and urbanization status.
• Retrofitting infrastructure, promoting energy efficiency, and prioritizing public and active transportation can significantly reduce energy demand in established cities.
• Rapidly growing cities can focus on co-locating housing and jobs, adopting low-carbon technologies, and optimizing energy use.
• New and emerging cities have the potential to prioritize energy-efficient services and infrastructure, implement net-zero energy building codes, and gradually shift to low-emission construction materials.

Justice Considerations in Energy Transitions

• Energy systems are intricately linked to livelihoods, local economic development, and socio-economic well-being, requiring a just transition approach.
• One-size-fits-all approaches may disproportionately affect certain groups or communities, particularly in developing economies and fossil fuel-dependent sectors.
• Justice concerns include land dispossession, spatial concentration of poverty, marginalization of communities, gendered impacts, and reliance on fossil fuels for livelihoods.
• Solutions that foreground justice in volve balancing energy supply and demand, engaging multiple stakeholders in decision-making, promoting energy efficiency, and addressing root causes of energy and environmental injustices.

GS PAPER – III

KFON – Kerala’s Internet Service Scheme

Why in news?

• The Kerala government has launched the Kerala Fibre Optical Network (KFON), a flagship project aimed at providing high-speed broadband internet access to all households and government offices.

About KFON

• KFON is an optical fibre cable network spanning 30,000 km with 375 Points-of-Presence (PoPs) across the state.
• It acts as an infrastructure provider, sharing its network with service providers, including cable operators.

Coverage and Benefits of KFON

• In the initial stage, KFON aims to connect 30,000 government offices and 14,000 below poverty line (BPL) families.
• As of now, connectivity has been provided to 17,412 government offices and 2,105 houses, with cable network laid down for an additional 9,000 houses.
• KFON promises internet speeds ranging from 10 Mbps to 10 Gbps, with improved quality of mobile phone calls.

Government’s Motivation and Alternative Development Model

• KFON is presented by the CPI(M) government as part of their alternative model of development, emphasizing the public sector’s role.
• The government believes private telecom companies have limited infrastructure and connectivity in rural areas, making it necessary to establish KFON.
• The existing Kerala State Wide Area Network (KSWAN) is insufficient, and private telecoms show little interest in enhancing connectivity in rural areas due to low business potential.

Focus on Bridging the Digital Divide and Public Services

• KFON aims to provide internet connection to 20 lakh BPL families, with 14,000 families receiving free high-speed internet in the first phase.
• The government plans to select 100 BPL families from each of the state’s 140 Assembly constituencies for this initiative.
• KFON offers various services, including connectivity to government offices, leasing of dark fiber, internet leased lines, fiber to the home, Wi-Fi hotspots, internet protocol television (IPTV), over-the-top (OTT) services, and cloud hosting.

GS PAPER – III

Ground-Level Ozone in Delhi-NCR

Why in news?

• A new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveals that parts of the Delhi-NCR region experienced high levels of ground-level ozone, surpassing national standards on 87 out of 92 days between March and May.

Overview

• The most affected areas are New Delhi and South Delhi, with Nehru Nagar in South Delhi being chronically affected and exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standard on 75 days during the summer period.
• While the spatial spread of ground-level ozone has been lower this year, its duration has increased, and elevated ozone levels persist even after sunset, which is unusual. Ground-level ozone was previously associated with summers but has now become a yearlong problem.

Understanding Ground-Level Ozone

• Ground-level ozone, also known as tropospheric ozone, is a colorless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth’s surface, produced when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in sunlight and stagnant air.
• It is not directly emitted into the air but is a secondary pollutant resulting from the interaction of primary pollutants in the atmosphere.

Health Impacts of Ground-Level Ozone

• Ground-level ozone is a highly reactive gas and poses serious health risks.
• Individuals with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, premature lungs (especially in children), and older adults are particularly vulnerable.
• Exposure to ground-level ozone can inflame and damage airways, increase the risk of infections, aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis, and lead to more frequent asthma attacks and hospitalizations.

Ground-Level Ozone as a Public Health Issue in India

• Ground-level ozone has emerged as a significant public health concern in India.
• The CSE analysis cites the 2020 State of Global Air report, which highlights that India has one of the highest rates of death attributable to ground-level ozone, based on age-standardized rates.