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General Studies 2025 GS Paper I 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Discuss

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 marks

Q4 of the 2025 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper I, as printed
The question as printed in the 2025 General Studies paper
Evaluate your answer to this question → See all 2025 General Studies questions

Model answer

Written 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.

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.

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.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: GS1 Geography/Environment. discuss: intro > 3-4 dimensions > example > balanced close Full marks: Precise mechanism + specific island examples + socio-legal implications.

Key points expected

  • Mechanism of sea-level rise (thermal expansion/glacial melt)
  • Physical impact: land submersion, freshwater salinization
  • Socio-economic impact: displacement, loss of livelihood
  • Specific examples of island nations (e.g., Maldives, Tuvalu)

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Explain the existential threat of climate change and sea-level rise to 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/glacial melt)
    • Physical impact: land submersion, freshwater salinization
    • Socio-economic impact: displacement, loss of livelihood
    • Specific examples of island nations (e.g., Maldives, Tuvalu)

    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 refugees' or 'statelessness'
    • Reference to specific data (e.g., 1m rise by 2100)
    • Mention of coral reef degradation
    • Reference to international legal status (UNCLOS)

    Extra mark

    • Sketch map of a specific atoll (e.g., Maldives)
    • Reference to specific policy (e.g., Paris Agreement)

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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