Official Question UPSC 2026
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. Statement I is empirically supported by statement II. 2. Statement III contradicts the approach implicit in statement I. 3. Statement I and statement III together establish the premise of long-term sustainability. Select the answer using the code given below :
Solution & Analysis
Answer: B
This question requires analyzing the UNFCCC reports and identifying logical relationships in climate policy:
•Evaluating Relationship 1 (Incorrect): Statement I outlines a strategic policy (LT-LEDS). Statement II presents raw data (an 8% emission drop in 2020). However, the 2020 drop was not a structural victory; it was a temporary anomaly caused by the COVID-19 industrial lockdown. Therefore, this data does not empirically support or validate the success of India's long-term strategic policy framework.
•Evaluating Relationship 2 (Correct): Statement I relies heavily on a distant, "long-term" temporal horizon (net-zero by 2070). Statement III reflects current IPCC guidance, which stresses that without immediate, "short-term" aggressive emission cuts right now, long-term goals are meaningless. Thus, the urgency of III fundamentally contradicts the distant approach implicit in I.
•Evaluating Relationship 3 (Incorrect): Because Statement III contradicts the timeline of Statement I, they do not harmoniously establish a premise; they highlight a tension in climate planning between delayed long-term goals and immediate short-term necessities.
Conclusion: Only Relationship 2 represents an accurate logical assessment. (Note: While the provided answer key indicates '1 and 2', standard logical analysis heavily disputes Relationship 1. Candidates must remain alert to official key releases).