UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India to pursue Solution-oriented and Equitable Climate Action at UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya: Union Environment Minister

Q1. With reference to the climate finance provisions of the Paris Agreement, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Article 9 of the Agreement does not itself fix a quantified amount of climate finance; collective quantified goals are set through decisions of the Parties.
2. Article 9 requires that all climate finance from developed countries be provided as grants from public budgets.
3. Developed country Parties are required to communicate, ahead of time, indicative information on the climate finance they will provide, including projected public finance where available.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Under the Paris Agreement, a developing country Party such as India that provides climate finance to other developing countries does so on a voluntary basis.
2. The Paris Agreement sorts Parties into fixed annex-based lists and exempts Parties outside the annexes from all mitigation commitments.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to the design of the Paris Agreement, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. The committee that promotes compliance with the Agreement is expert-based and is meant to function in a non-adversarial and non-punitive manner.
2. Parties are obliged to pursue domestic mitigation measures aimed at achieving their NDCs, but achieving the NDC is not itself made a binding result.
3. The expectation that each successive NDC represents a progression beyond the current one applies only to developed country Parties.
4. A Party may adjust its existing NDC at any time with a view to enhancing its level of ambition.

• A. 1, 3 and 4 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4 only
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q4. Suppose a global stocktake under the Paris Agreement concludes that the collective efforts of Parties are insufficient to meet the Agreement's temperature goal. Which one of the following most accurately describes what follows under the Agreement?

• A. The governing body allots each Party a revised emissions cap in proportion to its share of global emissions.
• B. The compliance committee becomes mandated to penalise Parties whose current contributions are judged inadequate.
• C. Developing country Parties lose access to climate finance until their contributions match the stocktake's findings.
• D. Parties take the stocktake's outcome into account while updating and enhancing their own contributions and support.

Q5. With reference to the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) under the Paris Agreement, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The goal is framed around enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability to climate change.
2. The Belém Adaptation Indicators adopted at CMA 7 serve as benchmarks against which developing countries' eligibility for adaptation finance is assessed.
3. Adaptation outcomes share a single common metric comparable to tonnes of CO2-equivalent, so progress on the goal is expressed as one aggregated global figure.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. With reference to access and benefit-sharing (ABS) under the Convention on Biological Diversity regime, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. Access to genetic resources is subject to the prior informed consent of the providing country, and benefits are shared on mutually agreed terms.
2. Under the Nagoya Protocol, genetic resources are treated as the common heritage of mankind and are freely accessible to all Parties.
3. Benefits arising from the use of genetic resources may be non-monetary, such as transfer of technology or joint research, as well as monetary.
4. Commercial users of digital sequence information are expected to pay a share of their profits or revenue into the Cali Fund, instead of the Fund being financed by assessed contributions from Parties.

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 1, 3 and 4 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1 and 4 only

Q7. With reference to the cooperative approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The mechanism established under Article 6.4 is operated bilaterally between host and buyer countries, without supervision by any body designated by the Parties.
2. Parties using internationally transferred mitigation outcomes under Article 6.2 must apply robust accounting to ensure, among other things, that double counting is avoided.
3. Non-market approaches under Article 6.8 are meant to assist Parties in implementing their NDCs without relying on the trading of mitigation outcomes.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 only

Q8. Consider the following provisions of the Paris Agreement: (I) Parties recognise that some Parties choose to pursue voluntary cooperation in implementing their NDCs. (II) The use of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes towards NDCs shall be voluntary and authorised by the participating Parties. (III) Parties engaging in such transfers shall apply robust accounting to avoid double counting. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

1. A Party may pursue its NDC wholly through domestic action without taking part in international carbon market transfers.
2. Every credit issued under a country's domestic carbon credit trading scheme can automatically be used by a foreign buyer towards its NDC.
3. If a host country authorises the transfer of a mitigation outcome abroad, it cannot also count that same outcome towards its own NDC.

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1, 2 and 3
• D. 1 and 3 only