Minimalist IAS
Environment & ecology

Prelims · Environment & ecology · 53 questions

Climate change & agreements

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Climate change & agreements questions per year: 2016: 6, 2017: 3, 2018: 4, 2019: 2, 2020: 1, 2021: 2, 2022: 4, 2023: 2, 2024: 1, 2025: 5, 2026: 3 Asked in 11 of 11 years · most in 2016 (6)

UPSC syllabus: “General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.” See the full syllabus →

Prelims 2026 · Q21

Medium Provisional key

Consider the following statements with reference to India's response to climate change:

I. India's Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) is a crucial tool for achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

II. India's 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted in December, 2024 recorded around 8% decrease in Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 over 2019.

III. Climate-resilient development necessarily depends on quick and short-term achievement of emission reduction targets.

Which of the following relationships among the above statements is/are correct?

  1. 1.Statement I is empirically supported by statement II.
  2. 2.Statement III contradicts the approach implicit in statement I.
  3. 3.Statement I and statement III together establish the premise of long-term sustainability.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 1 and 2

India's LT-LEDS (submitted to the UNFCCC in November 2022) lays out a gradual, long-horizon path to net-zero by 2070, and BUR-4 reported that national emissions in 2020 fell 7.93 per cent from 2019, which is data consistent with that path. Statement III's stress on quick, short-term targets runs against the long-term logic of statement I, so the two cannot together form a premise of long-term sustainability.

  • ✓ 1. BUR-4 records that total GHG emissions including LULUCF fell by 7.93 per cent in 2020 over 2019, a measured figure that gives empirical backing to the net-zero pathway of statement I (though the 2020 fall was partly due to the pandemic).
  • ✓ 2. The LT-LEDS works toward 2070 through low-carbon development 'in accordance with national circumstances', a long-term, phased approach; insisting on quick short-term cuts contradicts it.
  • ✗ 3. Because statement III is at odds with statement I, the two cannot jointly establish a premise of long-term sustainability.

Remember · LT-LEDS (Nov 2022, COP27): pathway to net-zero by 2070. BUR-4 (Dec 2024): 2020 emissions 2,437 MtCO2e with LULUCF, down 7.93% from 2019.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q23

Easy Provisional key

Which of the following best explain(s) the rationale for protecting mangrove ecosystems in the context of climate resilience?

  1. 1.Mangroves reduce tidal energy and store freshwater, making them ideal sites for paddy cultivation in saline estuarine belts.
  2. 2.Their salt-sensitive roots filter seawater, making mangroves key to converting coastal land into freshwater aquaculture zones.
  3. 3.By withstanding tidal surges and offering biomass resources, mangroves function both as natural bio-shields and livelihood bases for rural communities.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (d) 3 only

Mangroves are salt-tolerant forests of tidal creeks and estuaries that absorb the force of storm surges and tsunami waves while supplying fuelwood, fish and other products to coastal people. They are neither freshwater stores for paddy nor salt-sensitive filters for freshwater fish farming; clearing them for such uses actually weakens coastal resilience.

  • ✗ 1. Mangroves grow in saline tidal water and do not store freshwater; converting them to paddy fields removes the very buffer that protects the coast.
  • ✗ 2. Mangrove species are salt-tolerant, not salt-sensitive, and their value lies in standing forest, not in turning coasts into freshwater aquaculture ponds.
  • ✓ 3. Along with beaches and dunes, mangroves absorb the destructive force of storm and tsunami waves, and they provide wood, fuel and fisheries that support coastal livelihoods.

Remember · Mangroves: salt-tolerant tidal forests; natural bio-shields against cyclones and tsunamis, carbon sinks and livelihood sources. India has about 4,992 sq km of mangroves.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Ch 6 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (practise this chapter) · Class 8 Curiosity, Ch 12 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q40

Hard Provisional key

Which one of the following is the first Plan Vivo certified Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project in India?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Khasi Hills Community REDD+ project

The Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, is the project the Plan Vivo Foundation describes as India's first community-based REDD+ programme. It began in 2011 and is run with community groups and certified under Plan Vivo.

  • ✓ (c) Plan Vivo's own project page calls the Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project India's first community-based REDD+ programme. It protects and restores 27,000 ha of cloud forest in East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, with 86 community groups taking part.
  • ✗ (d) Plan Vivo, the certifying body, gives the 'India's first' description to the Khasi Hills project, so another project, including Sikkim Mamley Kamrang, cannot carry it.
  • ✗ (a) Plan Vivo describes the Meghalaya project (option c) as India's first community-based REDD+ programme, so the Uttarakhand project is not the first.

Remember · Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project (East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya): India's first community-based REDD+ programme, started 2011 and certified under Plan Vivo.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q45

Easy Provisional key

Which of the following statements with regard to Green Hydrogen is/are correct?

  1. 1.It is decarbonized hydrogen obtained from natural gas reforming combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
  2. 2.It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy.
  3. 3.National Green Hydrogen Mission of India aims for abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Select the answer using the code given below:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Green hydrogen is made by splitting water with electricity from renewable sources. Hydrogen made from natural gas or coal with carbon capture is a different colour, blue hydrogen. The National Green Hydrogen Mission does list nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas abatement among its targets.

  • ✗ 1. Hydrogen from natural gas or coal combined with carbon capture (CCS/CCU) is blue hydrogen, not green.
  • ✓ 2. Electrolysis of water run on renewable electricity is the definition of green hydrogen; its carbon intensity depends on how clean the power is.
  • ✓ 3. The Mission's stated outcomes for 2030 include abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions, alongside 5 MMT a year of green hydrogen capacity.

Remember · Green = electrolysis + renewable power. Blue = fossil gas/coal + carbon capture. Grey = fossil gas/coal without capture. NGHM 2030: 5 MMT/yr, about 50 MMT emissions abated.

Sources

  • PIB Explainer: National Hydrogen Mission (January 2023): green hydrogen ↗ “Green Hydrogen: It is produced using electrolysis of water with electricity generated by renewable energy. … Blue Hydrogen: It is produced via natural gas or coal gasification combined with carbon capture storage (CCS) or carbon capture use (CCU) technologies to reduce carbon emissions. … Cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports over Rs. One lakh crore Abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions”

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

Prelims 2026 · Q92

Easy Provisional key

A bond whose proceeds are used only to finance or refinance a combination of both environmental and social projects is called:

Answer & explanation

Answer: (c) Sustainability Bond

The label depends on what the proceeds fund. Green bonds fund environmental projects, social bonds fund social projects, and a sustainability bond funds a combination of both green and social projects.

  • ✓ (c) Sustainability bonds apply proceeds exclusively to finance or re-finance a combination of green and social projects.
  • ✗ (a) A green bond finances projects with clear environmental benefits only.
  • ✗ (b) A social bond finances projects that address a specific social issue or achieve positive social outcomes, not a combination of environmental and social projects.
  • ✗ (d) ‘Sovereign’ describes the issuer (a government), not the use of proceeds.

Remember · Use of proceeds decides the label: green = environment, social = social outcomes, sustainability = both together.

Sources

  • World Bank Treasury, IBRD Sustainable Development Bonds ↗ “World Bank Sustainable Development Bonds support the financing of a combination of green and social, i.e. “sustainable development”, projects, programs, and activities in member countries.”
  • ICMA: Green, Social and Sustainability Bonds, a high-level mapping to the SDGs (June 2019) ↗ · reference work “Sustainability Bonds are any type of bond instrument where the proceeds will be exclusively applied to finance or re-finance a combination of green and social projects … Green Bonds are any type of bond instrument where the proceeds will be exclusively applied to finance or re-finance projects with clear environmental benefits … Social Bonds finance projects that directly aim to address or mitigate a specific social issue and/or seek to achieve positive social outcomes, especially but not exclusively for a target population(s).”

Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The same topic in Mains

Read it in NCERT

More in Environment & ecology