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?
- Statement I is empirically supported by statement II.
- Statement III contradicts the approach implicit in statement I.
- Statement I and statement III together establish the premise of long-term sustainability.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Statement I is true: India submitted its LT-LEDS to the UNFCCC at COP27 in November 2022, and it lays out the long-term transitions towards net zero by 2070. Statement II is true: BUR-4, submitted on 30 December 2024, reports a 7.93% fall in total GHG emissions in 2020 over 2019. Statement III is false: resilient development is a long-horizon transition, not something that hinges on quick, short-term targets. Relationship 1 is correct: BUR-4 is India's measured inventory, and the government presents the 7.93% fall, with a 36% cut in the emission intensity of GDP between 2005 and 2020, as evidence of progress on its low-emission path. Relationship 2 is correct: III's short-term framing runs against the long-term approach built into I. Relationship 3 is wrong: III contradicts I, so together they cannot set a long-term premise. Hence 1 and 2. Some aspirants argue that a one-year fall in 2020, the COVID-19 year, is thin support for a long-term strategy, so relationship 1 is contested; UPSC publishes its final key only after the final result. Read more: India's LT-LEDS and Climate Strategy: Why Net-Zero by 2070 Needs a Long Horizon.