UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Polluters must pay to fight climate change, stresses Finance Minister

Q1. In the context of international environmental law, the 'Polluter Pays Principle' (PPP), recently invoked by India at the Munich Security Conference 2026, is best described as:

  • A. An obligation on all sovereign states to compensate the United Nations for any transboundary environmental damage caused within their territory
  • B. The principle that the party responsible for producing pollution should bear the cost of preventing and managing it, with environmental costs internalised by the polluter
  • C. A WTO-administered mechanism that automatically imposes a carbon border tax on exports from high-emitting countries
  • D. A binding rule under the Paris Agreement requiring developing countries to match the per-capita climate finance contributions of developed countries

Q2. Which one of the following international instruments was the FIRST to formally articulate the 'Polluter Pays Principle' as an economic principle of environmental policy?

  • A. The 1972 OECD Council Recommendation on Guiding Principles concerning the International Economic Aspects of Environmental Policies
  • B. The 1972 Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment
  • C. The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Principle 16)
  • D. The 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC

Q3. With reference to the position articulated by India's Finance Minister at the 62nd Munich Security Conference (February 2026) as compared to India's earlier climate-finance posture, consider the following statements: 1. India's climate action spending, as a share of GDP, has risen from about 3.7% six years ago to about 5.6% currently. 2. India has claimed to have already met two-thirds of its renewable energy Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target ahead of schedule. 3. India announced abandonment of the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) principle in favour of uniform emission obligations for all parties. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's climate action spending, as a share of GDP, has risen from about 3.7% six years ago to about 5.6% currently.
  2. India has claimed to have already met two-thirds of its renewable energy Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target ahead of schedule.
  3. India announced abandonment of the Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) principle in favour of uniform emission obligations for all parties.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. The principle of 'Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities' (CBDR-RC), repeatedly invoked by India in climate negotiations, is explicitly enshrined in which one of the following provisions?

  • A. Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992
  • B. Article 3 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1992
  • C. Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997
  • D. Article 9 of the Paris Agreement, 2015

Q5. According to the Finance Minister's statement at the Munich Security Conference (February 2026), by approximately how many years has India met two-thirds of its renewable energy Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target ahead of schedule?

  • A. Two years
  • B. Three years
  • C. Four years
  • D. Six years
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