UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Scaling climate adaptation from policy to grassroots

Q1. With reference to the Climate Risk Index 2026 assessment of India's exposure to extreme weather events over 1995-2024, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India was ranked the 9th most affected country by extreme weather events during 1995-2024.
  2. Over this period India recorded about 430 extreme weather events, with economic losses of nearly USD 170 billion.
  3. The number of people affected by these events, at about 1.3 billion, far exceeded the number of deaths, recorded at about 80,000.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. The assessment ranking India as the 9th most affected country by extreme weather events (1995-2024), citing about 430 events and nearly USD 170 billion in losses, was published in which one of the following?

  • A. Germanwatch Climate Risk Index 2026
  • B. Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026
  • C. Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Index
  • D. IPCC Sixth Assessment Synthesis Report

Q3. The following statements compare India's original Nationally Determined Contribution (2015) with its Nationally Determined Contribution for 2031-2035. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The emissions-intensity-of-GDP target was enhanced from a 33-35% reduction by 2030 to a 47% reduction by 2035.
  2. The non-fossil-fuel share of installed electric power capacity target was raised from 40% by 2030 to 60% by 2035.
  3. As of February 2026 the non-fossil share had reached 52.57%, already above the earlier 40% target.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. India's Nationally Determined Contribution (2031-2035) is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. India's first NDC of the successor cycle after the 2015 Paris NDC, submitted to the UNFCCC in April 2026
  • B. India's first-ever NDC submitted under the Paris Agreement
  • C. India's Intended NDC communicated before it ratified the Paris Agreement
  • D. India's first Biennial Update Report submitted to the UNFCCC

Q5. With reference to the finance and adaptation outcomes of COP30 (Belem), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. COP30 adopted a commitment to triple adaptation finance to developing countries by 2035.
  2. The Baku to Belem Roadmap sets out a pathway to mobilise at least USD 1.3 trillion per year by 2035 for climate action in developing countries.
  3. COP30 approved a single legally binding global indicator for the Global Goal on Adaptation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. The 'Belem Adaptation Indicators' adopted at COP30 refer to which one of the following?

  • A. A set of 59 voluntary global indicators to track progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation
  • B. Binding national greenhouse-gas emission-reduction indicators for developed countries
  • C. Indicators fixing dated timelines for the global phase-out of fossil fuels
  • D. Financial indicators tracking delivery of the USD 100 billion mitigation pledge

Q7. Which one of the following correctly describes the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA)?

  • A. A network project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change
  • B. A centrally sponsored scheme run solely by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • C. A statutory mission established exclusively under the National Action Plan on Climate Change
  • D. A programme concerned only with reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from agriculture

Q8. With reference to the coverage of NICRA, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Location-specific technologies have been demonstrated in 448 Climate Resilient Villages across 151 vulnerable districts.
  2. Its vulnerability mapping assessed 651 agricultural districts, of which 151 were found to be highly or very highly vulnerable.
  3. NICRA is implemented by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and was launched in 2011.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. Tamil Nadu's Climate Resilient Villages programme, cited as a best-practice model in the Economic Survey 2025-26, is operationalised under which one of the following?

  • A. Tamil Nadu Climate Change Mission
  • B. Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority
  • C. Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board
  • D. Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation

Q10. Under Tamil Nadu's Climate Resilient Villages programme, ecosystem-specific defence strategies are tailored to distinct landscapes. Consider the following landscapes and identify which is NOT among those covered by the programme: Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?

  1. Coastal areas
  2. River basins
  3. Tourism-dependent zones
  4. Arid sand-dune desert ecosystems
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q11. Under the UNFCCC framework, which of the following measures is/are correctly identified as climate change ADAPTATION (as distinct from mitigation)?

  1. Mangrove restoration to protect vulnerable coastlines
  2. Implementation of Heat Action Plans across States
  3. Transition to renewable energy to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions
  4. Early warning systems for cyclones and storm surges
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q12. The overall coordination of India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), the framework under which State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) are prepared, rests with which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • B. NITI Aayog
  • C. Ministry of Earth Sciences
  • D. Department of Science and Technology