Black Carbon - Rau's IAS

What Is a Black Carbon?

Black Carbon is produced both naturally and by human activities as a result of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels, and biomass.
It is black in colour as its particles strongly absorb sunlight and give soot its black colour.
Primary sources include emissions from diesel engines, cook stoves, wood burning and forest fires.

Reducing CO2 emissions is essential to avert the worst impacts of future climate change, but CO2 has such a long atmospheric lifetime that it will take several decades for CO2 concentrations to begin to stabilize after emissions reductions begin.
In contrast, BC remains in the atmosphere for only a few weeks, so cutting its emissions would immediately reduce the rate of warming, particularly in those areas which have witnessed fast changes in the level of Black Carbon.

Impact of Black Carbon

Black carbon warms the atmosphere because it is very effective at absorbing light. It exacerbates warming of the air and surfaces in regions where it is concentrated, altering weather patterns and ecosystem cycles.
Black carbon, like all particles in the atmosphere, also affects the reflectivity, stability and duration of clouds and alters precipitation.
Depending on how much soot is in the air and where black carbon sits in the atmosphere, it has different effects.
- If it absorbs heat at the level where clouds are forming, they will evaporate.
- When it lies above lower stratocumulus clouds that block the sun, it stabilizes them and thus has a cooling effect.
- Because black carbon interacts with other components of particulate matter, such as sulfates and nitrates that reflect sunlight and cool the atmosphere, scientists do not know exactly how much black carbon itself directly contributes to global warming.

Black carbon lasts only days to weeks in the atmosphere but has significant direct and indirect impacts on the climate, snow and ice, agriculture, and human health.
Studies have found a direct link between exposure to black carbon and a higher risk of heart disease, birth complications, and premature death.

Sources

According to a 2016 study, Sectors responsible for India’s total black carbon emissions.

Did Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) helped?

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) would provide free liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) connections to households below the poverty line.
The primary objective was to make clean cooking fuel available to rural and poor households and reduce their dependence on traditional cooking fuels.
The PMUY has established infrastructure to go with LPG connections, including free gas stoves, deposits for LPG cylinders, and a distribution network.
The programme has thus, been able to play a vital role in reducing black carbon emissions, as it offers a cleaner alternative to traditional fuel consumption.
The programme has provided connections to over 10 crore households as of January 2024.

STATUS

In 2022-2023, 25% of all PMUY beneficiaries — 2.69 crore people — availed either zero LPG refill or only one LPG refill, according to RTI data, meaning they still relied entirely on traditional biomass for cooking.
The Hindu found in August 2023 that the average PMUY beneficiary household consumes only 3.5-4 LPG cylinders per year instead of the six or seven a regular non-PMUY household uses.
This means up to half of all the energy needs of a PMUY beneficiary household are still met by traditional fuels, which have high black carbon emissions.
A shortage of LPG and higher usage of traditional fuels also affect women and children disproportionately.
They are more prone to higher levels of indoor air pollution, causing many health issues and leading to premature deaths.