Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Answer: (b) 2 only

The CCAC works on methane, black carbon and HFCs; it is not a G20 initiative.

Statement by statement

1. ✗ WRONG The CCAC (2012) was started by UNEP with six countries (Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden, USA) — not the G20.

2. ✓ CORRECT It targets short-lived climate pollutants: methane, black carbon, HFCs (and tropospheric ozone).

The idea

Carbon dioxide stays in the air for centuries. Short-lived climate pollutants stay for days to decades or longer, depending on the pollutant but trap much more heat while they last. Cutting them slows warming quickly and also cleans the air.

Black carbon: days to weeks → Tropospheric ozone: weeks → Methane: about 12 years → HFCs: about 15 years on average → Carbon dioxide: centuries

The trap

Big climate coalitions are often assumed to be G20 initiatives.

Elimination technique

Statement 1 gives the coalition a parent (“initiative of G20”) and adds the word “unique”. Parentage claims about international bodies are usually false in Environment PYQs. That removes (a) and (c).

Also know

Black carbon is soot, a particle and not a gas. It comes from diesel engines, chulhas, brick kilns and crop burning; when it settles on Himalayan snow the snow absorbs more heat and melts faster. The coalition began in 2012 with six countries and UNEP, which hosts its secretariat. India joined in 2019.