GS Paper I — Q4
How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations ? Discuss with examples…
How are climate change and the sea level rise affecting the very existence of many island nations ? Discuss with examples. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
जलवायु परिवर्तन और समुद्र स्तर में वृद्धि कई द्वीप देशों के अस्तित्व को कैसे प्रभावित कर रही है ? उदाहरणों के साथ चर्चा कीजिए । (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए) 10 अंक
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Anthropogenic climate change and accelerating sea level rise pose an existential threat to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), undermining their habitability, economies, and legal statehood.
Physical Inundation and Habitability: Low-lying atoll nations like Tuvalu and the Maldives (average elevation ~1.5 m) face complete submergence by 2100 under high-emission scenarios. Long before physical drowning, saltwater intrusion contaminates critical groundwater aquifers in Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, rendering them uninhabitable.
Disasters and Economic Disruption: Intensified extreme weather events, such as Cyclone Pam (2015) in Vanuatu, cause irreversible devastation to fragile landmasses. Simultaneously, ocean warming and coastal erosion threaten fisheries and tourism, the economic lifebloods of nations like Seychelles and Maldives.
Displacement and Sovereignty Crisis: Rising seas trigger climate-induced displacement, creating precedents like the Tuvalu–Australia Falepili Union treaty. Critically, physical loss of land threatens statehood under international law, creating unprecedented risks of "deterritorialized states" losing sovereign rights and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).
Addressing this existential crisis requires immediate global emission reductions, full operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, and evolving international legal protections for deterritorialized sovereignty.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS1 Geography/Environment
What earns full marks: Precise mechanism + specific island examples + socio-legal implications.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Discuss how climate change and sea-level rise threaten the physical, economic and legal existence of island nations, with examples. 10 marks · 150 words
discuss— intro → 3-4 dimensions → example → balanced close
Must cover
- Mechanism of sea-level rise (thermal expansion and ice melt)
- Physical impact: land submersion, erosion, freshwater salinization
- Socio-economic impact: displacement, loss of livelihood (fisheries, tourism)
- Specific examples of island nations (e.g., Maldives, Tuvalu, Kiribati)
Loses marks
- Generic climate change points not specific to islands
- Emotive language without factual basis
- Ignoring the 'sea level rise' aspect
Earns more
- Mention of climate migration and statehood risk (Tuvalu–Australia Falepili Union)
- Reference to projections (e.g., IPCC AR6: up to about 1 m rise by 2100 under high emissions)
- Mention of coral reef degradation and cyclone intensification
- Reference to international legal status: maritime zones under UNCLOS, ICJ advisory opinion on climate obligations (2025)
Extra mark
- Sketch map of a low-lying atoll nation (e.g., Maldives)
- Reference to the Loss and Damage Fund or SIDS diplomacy (AOSIS)
What "Discuss" is asking you to do
Lay the issue out from more than one side — how it arose, what is claimed for it, what is held against it, and where it now stands. UPSC attaches discuss to broad topics with several live dimensions, so coverage of the dimensions earns more than the strength of your opinion.
Structure that answers it
Set the issue up → the case as it is made → the case against → the dimension both sides leave out → where the balance now lies
Where marks are lost
Listing facts with no thread between them, or arguing one side throughout and calling it a discussion.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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