Passage

Passage - 4 Climate change is a complex policy issue with major implications in terms of finance. All actions to address climate change ultimately involve costs. Funding is vital for countries like India to design and implement adaptation and mitigation plans and projects. Lack of funding is a large impediment to implementing adaptation plans. The scale and magnitude of the financial support required by developing countries to enhance their domestic mitigation and adaptation actions are a matter of intense debate in the multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Convention squarely puts the responsibility for provision of financial support on the developed countries, taking into account their contribution to the stock of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Given the magnitude of the task and the funds required, domestic finances are likely to fall short of the current and projected needs of the developing countries. Global funding through the multilateral mechanism of the Convention will enhance their domestic capacity to finance the mitigation efforts.

In this passage, the Convention puts the responsibility for the provision of financial support on the developed countries because of 1. their higher level of per capita incomes. 2. their large quantum of GDP. 3. their large contribution to the stock of GHGs in the atmosphere. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only ✓ UPSC's answer
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Why the answer is (c)

• The passage explicitly states that the Convention puts the responsibility for financial support on developed countries 'taking into account their contribution to the stock of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere.'

• This directly links the obligation to the historical and current emission levels of these nations, which corresponds to statement 3.

• The text does not mention per capita income or total GDP as the specific criteria for assigning this responsibility in the context of the Convention's logic.

• Therefore, only statement 3 is supported by the passage, making option (c) the correct answer.

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only: Statement 1 is incorrect because the passage attributes the responsibility to GHG contributions, not per capita incomes.
(b) 1 and 2 only: Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect because the passage does not cite per capita income or GDP as the basis for the financial responsibility.
(d) 1, 2 and 3: Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect because the passage exclusively cites GHG contributions as the reason for the responsibility.

Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.