Global Level Efforts To Fight Climate Change - UPSC MCQ

Explanation: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an alliance of 121 countries initiated by India(Hence Statement 2, which states that all the members of UN are its members is incorrect), most of them being sunshine countries, which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. This initiative was first proposed by Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi in a speech in November 2015 at Wembley Stadium, in which he referred to sunshine countries as Suryaputra (‘Sons of the Sun’). The alliance is a treaty-based intergovernmental organization. Countries that do not fall within the Tropics can join the alliance and enjoy all benefits as other members, with the exception of voting rights.
Educational Objective: Learn about initiatives India has taken in moving towards greener ways of generating electricity.

Explanation: Though the agreement was reached on consensus, it is subject to ratification by all the member countries. Hence statement 1 is incorrect. The Paris Agreement's long-term temperature goal is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels; and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C, recognizing that this would substantially reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. Hence statement 2 is correct.The Paris Agreement requires developed countries to raise finances with $100 billion per year as the floor by 2020, to help developing nations in both mitigation and adaptation activities, while other nations are encouraged to provide funding voluntarily. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
Educational Objective: Learn about important climate change related agreements.

Explanation: Countries across the globe adopted an historic international climate agreement at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in December 2015. In anticipation of this moment, countries publicly outlined what post-2020 climate actions they intended to take under the new international agreement, known as their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
Educational Objective: Terms in news.

Explanation: CDM allows an industrialized/developed country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (called as Annex I Party or Annex B Party of the original Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997) to implement an emission-reduction project in any of those developing countries (which may otherwise be not financially capable of undertaking such projects), thereby earning them tradable Certified Emission Reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. The saleable CERs earned from such projects can be counted towards meeting the prescribed Kyoto targets. Statement 1 is correct.
There is no hard and fast rule that only Annex I countries can resort to CDM, even non Annex I countries can go for CDM as well.
Educational Objective: Test the candidates awareness of basic understanding of Clean Development Mechanism.

Explanation: Carbon credits and carbon markets are a component of national and international attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs). One carbon credit is equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide, or in some markets, carbon dioxide equivalent gases. Carbon trading is an application of an emissions trading approach. Greenhouse gas emissions are capped and then markets are used to allocate the emissions among the group of regulated sources. The goal is to allow market mechanisms to drive industrial and commercial processes in the direction of low emissions or less carbon intensive approaches than those used when there is no cost to emitting carbon dioxide and other GHGs into the atmosphere. Hence market mechanisms determine the cost of each carbon credit and it is not fixed by UNEP. Therefore option (d) is the incorrect one.
Educational Objective: Understand various terminologies that are in news.

Explanation: All the terminologies: Annex I, Certified Emissions Reductions Clean Development Mechanism are all associated with Kyoto Protocol itself. Hence option (c) is the correct answer.
Educational Objective: Students' familiarity with terms associated with International protocols and treaties.
Educational Objective: Various terminologies associated with various international protocols.

Explanation: The United Nations Climate Change secretariat has launched a new initiative that will showcase efforts by individuals, companies and governments that are achieving real results in transitioning to climate neutrality. Momentum for Change: Climate Neutral. Now brings together two of the secretariat’s flagship activities that recognize leadership in tackling climate change by non-Party stakeholders.
Educational Objective: Infosys won the ‘Momentum for Change: Climate Neutral Now’ award and hence asked by UPSC.

Explanation: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an international environmental treaty adopted on 9 May 1992 and opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992. It then entered into force on 21 March 1994, after a sufficient number of countries had ratified it. Hence option (b) is the correct answer.
Educational Objective: Important international treaties and their place of signing.

Explanation: Carbon fertilisation is the artificial enrichment of the atmosphere of greenhouses with carbon dioxide, an essential nutrient for plants and vegetables. It is also known as Carbon Dioxide Fertilisation. It increases the crop yields in some regions.
It is used to improve production levels, both from a qualitative and from a quantitative point of view. It is particularly suitable for cold climates and can be used for growing practically all types of vegetables (asparagus, celery, lettuce, tomatoes, aubergines etc.), greenhouse fruit (strawberries) and ornamental plants. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Educational Objective: To learn the concept of Carbon fertilisation.

Explanation: The Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) is a European Union flagship initiative which is helping the world's most vulnerable countries to address climate change. Having started with just four pilot projects in 2008, it has become a major climate initiative that has funded over 80 projects of national, regional and worldwide scope in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Neither World Resources Institute (WRI) nor World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has anything to do with GCCA. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
Educational Objective: Various international organisations and their mandate.

Explanation: The Climate & Clean Air Coalition is the only global effort that unites governments, civil society and private sector, committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate in next few decades by reducing short-lived climate pollutants across sectors. It is an initiative of the United Nations Environment Program and not G20, hence statement 1 is incorrect.
The Coalition's initial focus is on methane, black carbon, and HFCs. Statement 2 is correct.
Educational Objective: Various initiatives started towards combating GHG emissions. 

Explanation: The ‘Global Alliance for ClimateSmart Agriculture’ was launched during the Climate Summit, on 23 September, 2014. Hence statement 1 is incorrect. The Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA), will work for: sustainable and equitable increases in agricultural productivity and incomes; increased resilience of food systems and farming livelihoods; and reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture. The Alliance will also aim to boost food and nutrition security through climateadjusted and natural-resource efficient agricultural practices, food systems and social policies. It is evident that the alliance does not impose any binding obligation on member countries. Statement 2 is correct. The alliance is an initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and India didn’t play much role in the formation of this alliance. Hence statement 3 is incorrect.
Educational Objective: Various initiatives taken towards mitigating the impact of climate change.

Explanation: The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. Hence option (a) is correct. A joint initiative of UN Environment and the United Nations Development Programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-Least Developed Countries Fund, aims to identify technical, institutional and financial needs to integrate climate change adaptation into ongoing medium and long-term national planning and budgeting in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and strengthen their institutional and technical capacities for National Adaptation Plans (NAP). Option (b) refers to this Global Environment Facility (GEF)-Least Developed Countries Fund. Option (c) refers to Kyoto Protocol.
Educational Objective: Test candidate's understanding of Green house gas protocol.

Explanation: The Green Climate Fund is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. The GCF is based in Incheon, South Korea. Statement 1 is correct.
GCF launched its initial resource mobilisation in 2014, and rapidly gathered pledges worth USD 10.3 billion. These funds come mainly from developed countries, but also from some developing countries, regions, and one city. Statement 2 is incorrect as none of the multilateral institutions mentioned are in any way related to GCF.
Educational Objective: Climate funds, their mandate and source of funding.

Explanation: Global Environment Facility, an independently operating financial organization(Hence Option (c) is incorrect), the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), mercury, sustainable forest management, food security, sustainable cities.
The GEF also serves as financial mechanism for the following conventions:
1. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 3. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 4. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 5. Minamata Convention on Mercury The GEF, although not linked formally to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MP), supports implementation of the Protocol in countries with economies in transition.
Statement (a) and (b) both are correct hence the right answer is (d).
Educational Objective: Understand the funding mechanism of various international bodies.

Explanation: The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments and managed by the World Bank. The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes collaborates with forest countries around the world to reduce emissions from the land sector through smarter land use planning, policies, and practices. The ISFL is pioneering work that enables countries and private sector actors to adopt changes in the way farmers work on the ground to the way policies are made at the international level. This work supports sustainable landscapes, climate-smart land use, and green supply chains.
Educational Objective: Different types of funds associated in saving the environment and their objective. 

Explanation: Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is a mechanism developed by Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It creates a financial value for the carbon stored in forests by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in lowcarbon paths to sustainable development. Developing countries would receive resultsbased payments for results-based actions. REDD+ goes beyond simply deforestation and forest degradation and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Hence it covers all the options mentioned in the question.
Educational Objective: Learn about various initiatives towards conserving the environment.

Explanation: The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries, activities commonly referred to as REDD+. There is no financial aid to universities, individual scientists and institutions involved in scientific forestry research to develop eco-friendly and climate adaptation technologies for sustainable forest management. Hence statement 2 is incorrect.
Educational Objective: Various initiatives under REDD+.

Explanation: National Mission for a Green India or the commonly called Green India Mission (GIM), is one of the eight Missions outlined under India’s action plan for addressing the challenge of climate change -the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). GIM, launched in February 2014, is aimed at protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures. The mission has the broad objective of both increasing the forest and tree cover by  5 million ha, as well as increasing the quality of the existing forest and tree cover in  another 5 million ha of forest/non forest lands in 10 years. The Mission proposes a holistic view of greening and focuses not on carbon sequestration targets alone, but also, on multiple ecosystem services, especially, biodiversity, water, biomass etc., along with provisioning services like fuel, fodder, timber and non-timber forest produces. It will also increase options of forest based livelihood of households living in the fringe of those landscapes where the Mission is implemented.
Green India mission is in no way associated with Green accounting of Central and State budgets, nor has it got anything to do with the second Green revolution. Hence both statements 1 and 2 are incorrect.
Educational Objective: Green India mission and its objectives.

Explanation: Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semiarid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.
The Convention is committed to bottom-up / Decentralized approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
The secretariat helps in compiling information and reports, not in allocating finances and the south Asian region is not in focus. Hence, statement 2 is wrong
Educational Objective: To know about UNCCD.