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UPSC CSE Prelims 2015 · GS paper

Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of…

A question from UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2015, General Studies, explained with its sources.

Prelims 2015 · archive

Easy

Which one of the following is associated with the issue of control and phasing out of the use of ozone-depleting substances?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) Montreal Protocol

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987) is the treaty that controls and phases out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs, halons and carbon tetrachloride. The other three deal with money, greenhouse gases and biodiversity.

  • ✗ (a) The Bretton Woods Conference (1944) set up the post-war monetary system and led to the IMF and the World Bank. It had nothing to do with the environment.
  • ✓ (b) The Montreal Protocol phases out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting chemicals. Its target substances include CFCs, halons, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform.
  • ✗ (c) The Kyoto Protocol deals with cutting greenhouse gas emissions such as CO2 (climate change), not with ozone-depleting substances. Like the later Paris Agreement, it is an emissions-reduction agreement.
  • ✗ (d) The Nagoya Protocol is under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It deals with access to genetic resources and fair sharing of benefits, not with ozone.

Remember · Montreal Protocol (1987) = phase-out of ozone-depleting substances like CFCs. Kyoto = greenhouse gases. Nagoya = access and benefit sharing of genetic resources. Bretton Woods = IMF and World Bank.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Economic Development, Ch 7 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Exploration, Ch 13 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·

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