UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Caught between concrete and panic, India should not maladapt to climate change

Q1. Which one of the following is the nodal Union ministry that coordinates the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and its climate-adaptation missions?

  • A. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • B. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • C. Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • D. NITI Aayog

Q2. The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, which restricts hard construction and regulates coastal engineering works along India's shoreline, is issued under which one of the following statutes?

  • A. The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
  • B. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
  • C. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
  • D. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

Q3. Consider the following statements about India's coastline. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. India's total coastline is approximately 7,516 km.
  2. India has 13 coastal States and Union Territories.
  3. Nearly 28% of India's coastline is currently affected by erosion.
  4. Kerala has the longest coastline among all Indian States.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 only

Q4. With reference to the categories under the CRZ Notification, 2019, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. CRZ-I comprises ecologically sensitive areas such as mangroves, coral reefs and sand dunes.
  2. CRZ-II covers substantially built-up, developed urban coastal areas.
  3. CRZ-IV refers to the water area from the Low Tide Line up to 12 nautical miles seaward.
  4. CRZ-III applies exclusively to the island territories of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4 only
  • D. 2 only

Q5. Which one of the following is the lead technical institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for coastal and marine area management and the preparation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plans?

  • A. National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM)
  • B. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
  • C. National Institute of Oceanography (NIO)
  • D. National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR)

Q6. In Odisha's Satabhaya–Bagapatia resettlement, described as India's first rehabilitation colony for climate-change victims, approximately how many families were relocated?

  • A. 571 families
  • B. 500 families
  • C. 750 families
  • D. 1,051 families

Q7. With reference to the targets in India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2031–2035 approved by the Union Cabinet, consider the following. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 47% by 2035 relative to 2005 levels.
  2. Achieve about 60% of cumulative installed electric power capacity from non-fossil-fuel sources by 2035.
  3. Create an additional carbon sink of 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2035.
  4. Achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only

Q8. India pressed its equity, CBDR-RC and adaptation-finance demands at the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference held in Belém, Brazil. This meeting was which numbered session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC?

  • A. COP28
  • B. COP29
  • C. COP30
  • D. COP31

Q9. Under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP), implemented by the NDMA with World Bank assistance, how many cyclone-prone coastal States were covered in total across its two phases?

  • A. 8 States
  • B. 6 States
  • C. 2 States
  • D. 13 States