Context:
According to a latest study, Ground-level Ozone (Tropospheric Ozone) pollution is on the rise across India’s major cities.
Ground-level Ozone (GLO) Ozone (O3):
- A variant of oxygen composed of 3 oxygen atoms.
- Occurs in – Both the Earth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level/ Tropospheric Ozone
- A secondary, short-lived pollutant
- Formation – Triggered by reaction between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight.
- Source – Pollution from cars, power plants, industries; electronic equipment etc
- Impacts –
- Acts as a strong greenhouse gas by trapping terrestrial radiation.
- Interferes with photosynthesis and affects growth of some plant species
- Can trigger asthma, and can cause damage to lung tissue.
Source: Down To Earth
Previous Year Question
Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of ozone-depleting substances?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2015 Prelims]
(a) Bretton Woods Conference
(b) Montreal Protocol
(c) Kyoto Protocol
(d) Nagoya Protocol
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
The Montreal Protocol provides a set of practical, actionable tasks to phase out ozone- depleting substances. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.
