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UPSC Prelims 2026 GS Paper 1, question 21

Topic: Environment and ecology

Q21

Consider the following statements with reference to India's response to climate change :

I. India's Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) is a crucial tool for achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

II. India's 4th4^{th} Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted in December, 2024 recorded around 8% decrease in Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 over 2019.

III. Climate-resilient development necessarily depends on quick and short-term achievement of emission reduction targets.

Which of the following relationships among the above statements is/are correct ?

  1. Statement I is empirically supported by statement II.

  2. Statement III contradicts the approach implicit in statement I.

  3. Statement I and statement III together establish the premise of long-term sustainability.

Select the answer using the code given below :

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 1 and 2Correct answer
  3. (c) 2 and 3
  4. (d) 3 only

Solution.

Answer: (b) 1 and 2

  1. Statement 1 is correct: India's 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted to the UNFCCC in December 2024 documented a 7.93% (around 8%) reduction in total GHG emissions in 2020 over 2019 and a 36% drop in emission intensity since 2005, empirically supporting India's trajectory under LT-LEDS toward 2070 net-zero.
  2. Statement 2 is correct: Statement III's claim that climate-resilient development necessarily depends on quick, short-term emission cuts contradicts the phased, equitable, long-term transition embedded in India's LT-LEDS (Statement I).
  3. Statement 3 is incorrect: because Statement III insists on short-term cuts over long-term phased transitions, Statements I and III oppose rather than reinforce each other.