Climate Change — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on climate change with explanations: NAPCC missions, COP outcomes, India's NDC, the UNFCCC and the greenhouse effect.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
How many of the following are among the eight missions under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008)?
- National Solar Mission
- National Mission for a Green India
- National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem
- National Green Hydrogen Mission
Solution
Missions 1, 2 and 3 are among the eight NAPCC missions of 2008 (with Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, Water, Sustainable Agriculture and Strategic Knowledge). The National Green Hydrogen Mission is a separate, later initiative, not one of the original eight. That makes three.
Answer: C
Consider the following pairs:
| Conference of the Parties | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 1. COP19, Warsaw | International mechanism for loss and damage |
| 2. COP16, Cancun | Establishment of the Green Climate Fund |
| 3. COP26, Glasgow | Adoption of the Paris Agreement |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Solution
Pair 1 is correct — the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (2013). Pair 2 is correct — the Green Climate Fund was established at Cancun (2010). Pair 3 is incorrect — the Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21, Paris (2015); Glasgow (2021) produced the Glasgow Climate Pact.
Answer: A
With reference to India’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (2022), consider the following statements:
- India aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from the 2005 level.
- India aims to achieve about 50% of cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.
- India commits to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are the two quantified targets of the updated NDC communicated in August 2022. Statement 3 is incorrect — India’s net-zero target, announced at COP26 (2021), is 2070.
Answer: B
With reference to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), consider the following statements:
- It entered into force in 1994.
- Its secretariat is located in Bonn.
- Annex II parties are expected to provide financial resources to developing countries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
All three are correct. The UNFCCC, opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit (1992), entered into force on 21 March 1994. The secretariat is in Bonn, Germany. Annex II — the OECD members of Annex I — carries the obligation to provide finance and technology to developing countries.
Answer: D
In the absence of the natural greenhouse effect, the average surface temperature of the Earth would be approximately:
Solution
Greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit outgoing infrared radiation, keeping the Earth’s average surface temperature at about 15 °C. Without this natural effect it would be about −18 °C. The 15 °C option is today’s actual average — the trap.
Answer: A
What is “loss and damage” in climate negotiations? Trace its evolution and discuss its significance for developing countries.
Solution
Introduction: “Loss and damage” refers to the harmful impacts of climate change that go beyond what mitigation and adaptation can prevent — from extreme events such as cyclones and floods to slow-onset events such as sea-level rise and glacier retreat.
Body:
- Evolution:
- COP19, Warsaw (2013): Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.
- Paris Agreement (2015): Article 8 recognises the importance of averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage.
- COP27, Sharm el-Sheikh (2022): agreement to establish a dedicated fund.
- COP28, Dubai (2023): the fund operationalised.
- Significance for developing countries:
- Recognises that the most vulnerable, who contributed least to emissions, face the greatest impacts — climate justice.
- Provides finance for recovery and rehabilitation beyond adaptation budgets.
- Covers non-economic losses: culture, territory, biodiversity.
- Concerns: size and predictability of contributions; developed countries’ resistance to framing it as liability or compensation; access procedures for small and least developed states.
Conclusion: Loss and damage completes the climate architecture alongside mitigation and adaptation; its credibility will depend on adequate, accessible and predictable finance.