1.

Topic: Food Security

Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. B
Food Security Means Ensuring availability, accessibility and affordability of good grains to every one
Anti-dumping measure is a protectionist measure that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports
that it believes are priced below market value

2.
Topic: Agriculture
Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. A
Over the years, food grains production has increased in India and stood at 253 Million tonnes in 2015 –
16. This is due to the use of modern technologies in agriculture, Green revolution, HYV seeds government
initiatives etc.
However, the per-capital availability of food grains has reduced over the years due to increase in the
population, reduction in the area under agriculture and due to shift from food grains production to
commercial crops production

3.
Topic: Agriculture
Level: Easy
Type: Memory based
Ans. A

4.
Topic: Agriculture
Level: Difficult
Type: Memory based
Ans. C
M.S.P is announced by the government prior to the sowing season

5.
Topic: Food Security
Level: Moderate
Type: Memory based
Ans. C

6.
Topic: Poverty and unemployment
Level: Moderate
Type: Memory based
Ans. B
Parthasarthi Shome committee dealt with GAAR
Alagh, C. Rangarajan and Tendulkar committees are associated with poverty estimation

7.
Topic: Poverty and unemployment
Level: Moderate
Type: Memory based
Ans. D
Lorenzo curve and Gini-coefficient ration are used to estimate Relative poverty

8.
Topic: Poverty and unemployment
Level: Easy
Type: Factual
Ans. A

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

9.
Topic: Poverty and unemployment
Level: Easy
Type: Memory based
Ans. B
National sample survey Organization [NSSO] conducts survey every 5 years once to estimate poverty in
India

10.
Topic:
Level: Easy
Type: Memory based
Ans. A
The Global Multidimensional poverty index [MPI] was developed in 2010 by the oxford Poverty & Human
development initiative [OPHI] and UNDP

11.
Topic: Food Security
Level: Difficult
Type: Factual
Ans. D
The Revamped public distribution system [RPDS] was introduced in 1992

12.
Topic: Agriculture
Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. A
Capital formation means investing in fixed assets. Capital goods means fixed assets

13.
Topic: GDP and national income
Level: Easy
Type: Memory based
Ans. C

14.
Topic: Financial System in India
Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual
Ans. B
NDTL stands for net demand and time liabilities
Commercial banks accept two types of deposits i.e. demand deposits and time deposits

15.
Topic: Financial system in India
Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. A

16.
Topic: Financial system in India
Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual
Ans. D
Demand instrument is a document that serves as a written order by a drawer to a drawee to pay a
specified sum on its presentment

17.
Topic: Financial system in India
Level: Easy

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

Type: Conceptual
Ans. C
Term deposits are also called as fixed deposits or time deposits They have a fixed period of maturity
demand instrument such as cheques and demand drafts can’t be used to withdraw money from term
deposits

18.
Topic: Agriculture
Level: Moderate
Type: Memory based
Ans. B
Norman Borlaug was American biologist who led initiatives world-wide that contributed to the increase in
agricultural productivity world wide
M.S. Swaminathan is considered father of Indian green revolution

19.
Topic: Agriculture
Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. C

20.
Topic: Growth and development
Level: Easy
Type: Memory based
Ans. B
P.C. Mahalanobis was a well-known statistician and the architect of planning in India

21.
Topic: Bop and Exchange rate regimes
Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual
Ans. C
Due to the breakup of soviet Block India lost one of its most important trading partner and India’s exports
reduced considerably
The Iraq-Kuwait war led to sky rocketing of petroleum prices and also led to drastic decrease in the
Remittances sent by Indians in the Middle Eastern region

22.
Topic: Growth and development
Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. B
The new economic policy of 1991 started the process of liberalization, privatization and Globalization of
Indian Economy. Steps were taken to change the structure of Indian Economy which was faulty and less
than effective

23
Topic: Trade policies & W.T.O
Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual
Ans. D
There are two major types of barriers in international trade viz tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers.
These barriers are used to reduce the flow of imports into a country
1. Tariff barriers are taxes imposed on goods imported
Eg: Customs duty
2. Non-tariff barriers are other methods used to reduce imports
Eg. Administrative barriers, Anti-dumping measures, import Quotas Etc

24. Topic: poverty and unemployment

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

level : easy
type: memory based

ans : b

Garibi Hatao desh bachao (meaning "Abolish poverty rescue the country") was the theme and slogan of
Indira Gandhi's 1971 election bid and later also used by her son Rajiv Gandhi.

25. Topic: poverty and unemployment

level : difficult
type : memory based

ans: D

26. Topic: an introduction to economics

level: moderate
type: conceptual

ans: A

Collective ownership of the means of production is the defining characteristic of socialism, where
"collective ownership" can refer toownership by all of society or to cooperative ownership by an
organization's members.

27. Topic: an introduction to economics

level : easy
type : conceptual

ans; A

French for 'leave alone', laissez-faire is an economic theory that became popular in the 18th century. The
driving idea behind laissez-faire as a theory was that the less the government is involved in free market
capitalism, the better off business will be, and then by extension society as a whole.

28. Topic: an introduction to economics

level: easy
type: memory based

ans: B

29. Topic: GDP and national income

level: difficult
type: conceptual

ans: B

30. Topic: GDP and national income

level : moderate
type: conceptual

ans: D

GDP is the total value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given year.
Value of resale is not included because no new good is produced.
Social transfers like pensions, scholarships are also not included because no new good or service is
produced in lieu of these payments.
Remittances are not included because it is earned in abroad and not within the country

31. Topic: GDP and national income

level: moderate
type: conceptual

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

ans: B

GNP = GDP + net factor income from abroad

32. Topic: GDP and national income

level: easy
type: conceptual

ans: A

33. Topic: GDP and national income

level: easy
type: conceptual

ans: B

India’s GDP is higher than India’s GNP because of negative net factor income from abroad.

34. Topic: GDP and national income

level: easy
type: factual
ans: D

The base year was changed from 2004-05 to 2011-12 in 2015.

35. Topic: GDP and national income

level: moderate
type: conceptual

ans: A

36. Topic: GDP and national income

level: easy
type: conceptual

ans: A

GDP at current prices is called nominal GDP.

37. Topic: GDP and national income

level : moderate
type : conceptual

ans: B

38. Topic: Taxation systems and India

level: moderate
type: conceptual

ans: C

A tax haven is a country that offers foreign individuals and businesses a minimal tax liability in a
politically and economically stable environment, with little or no financial information shared with foreign
tax authorities. Tax havens do not require individuals to reside in or businesses to operate out of their
countries to benefit from local tax policies

39. Topic: Taxation systems and India

level: moderate
type : conceptual

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

ans: B

40. Topic: GDP and national income

level : difficult
type: conceptual

ans ; A

The difference between GDP at market cost and GDP at factor cost is because GDP at market cost
includes indirect taxes and excludes subsidies whereas GDP at factor cost excludes indirect taxes and
includes subsidies. If there was no concept of indirect taxes and subsidies than both of them would be
same.

41. Topic: budgeting and its significance

level: easy
type: memory based

ans: D

42. Topic: budgeting and its significance

level: difficult
type: conceptual

ans : C

43. Topic: The financial system in India

level: moderate
type: conceptual

ans: A

44. Topic: The financial system in India

level : moderate
type : memory based

ans : A

Bharathiya Mahila Bank has employees of both the gender

45. Topic: Taxation systems and India

level: easy
type: memory based

ans: D

Since 1989, the FATF has led efforts to counter the abuse of the international financial system by
criminals. Over the years, governments, intergovernmental and multi-lateral organisations, the private
sector and academics have made great progress in understanding the threats of money laundering (ML)
and terrorist financing (TF) and the measures to be taken to make the abuse of the financial system for
ML/TF purposes more difficult.

46. Topic: Taxation systems and India

level : moderate
type : memory based

ans : A

Capital account convertibility is a feature of a nation's financial regime that centres on the ability to
conduct transactions of local financial assets into foreign financial assets freely or at country determined
exchange rates

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

47. Topic: Bop and exchange rate regime
level : moderate
type : conceptual

ans: C

Managed float regime is the current international financial environment in which exchange rates fluctuate
from day to day, but central banks attempt to influence their countries' exchange rates by buying and
selling currencies. It is also known as a dirty float.

48. Topic: Budgeting

level: moderate
type : conceptual

ans: D

Grants in aids are revenue receipts and loans are capital receipts

49. Topic: Budgeting

level : moderate
type: conceptual

ans: A

Fiscal stimulus refers to increasing government expenditure or lowering taxes.

50. Topic: Topic: Budgeting

level: difficult
type: conceptual

ans: C

51. Answer: A

Topic: Organisms and Populations

Difficulty: Easy
Type: Factual

Explanation:
 An organism is any contiguous living system, such as an animal, plant, fungus, archaeon, or
bacterium.

 A population is a group of organisms belonging to the same species that live in the same area and
interact with one another.

 A community is all of the populations of different species that live in the same area and interact with
one another. A community is composed of all of the biotic factors of an area.

 A biome, in simple terms, is a set of ecosystems sharing similar characteristics with their abiotic
factors adapted to their environments.

52. Answer: D

Topic: Organisms and Populations

Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Factual

Explanation:

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

53. Answer: A

Topic: Organisms and Populations

Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:

As we travel from surface waters to deeper waters, the quantity of light changes; it decreases with depth.
The quality of light also varies with depth. Sunlight contains all of the colours of our visible spectrum
(red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet). These colours combined together appear white.

Red light has the longest wavelength and, therefore, the least amount of energy in the visible spectrum.

As light wavelength decreases from red to blue light, so does the ability of light to penetrate water. Blue
light penetrates best, green light is second, yellow light is third, followed by orange light and red light. Red
light is quickly filtered from water as depth increases.

Red algae are able to grow in depth of seas as compared to green algae because of the presence of more
quantity of pigment phycoerythrin in red algae growing at depth. Phycoerythrin can absorb blue- green
wavelength of visible spectrum of light that can reach the maximum depth of water and help in
photosynthesizing those red algae.

54. Answer- A

Topic: Organisms and Populations

Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Heat loss or heat gain is a function of surface area. Since small animals have a larger surface area relative
to their volume, they tend to lose body heat very fast when it is cold outside; then they have to expend
much energy to generate body heat through metabolism. This is the main reason why very small animals
are rarely found in polar regions.

55. Answer: C

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

Topic: Organisms and Populations
Difficulty: Difficult
Type: Factual

Explanation:
Regulation: The mechanism by which organisms regulate their internal conditions in sync with the
external conditions is called regulation

Conform: An overwhelming majority (99 per cent) of animals and nearly all plants cannot maintain a
constant internal environment. Their body temperature changes with the ambient temperature. In aquatic
animals, the osmotic concentration of the body fluids changes with that of the ambient water osmotic
concentration. These animals and plants are simply conformers.

Migrate: The organism can move away temporarily from the stressful habitat to a more hospitable area
and return when stressful period is over.

Suspend: In bacteria, fungi and lower plants, various kinds of thick-walled spores are formed which help
them to survive unfavourable conditions – these germinate on availability of suitable environment.

56.Answer: D

Topic: Organisms and Populations

Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Competition: Competition is when organisms compete for the same resources. This is a negative
relationship because both organisms are harming each other.

Predation: This is where one organism hunts and eats the other organism. The organism hunting is called
the predator, while the organism being hunted is called the prey.

Parasitism: Parasitism is a relationship in which one organism (the parasite) benefits while the other (the
host) is harmed. This is a positive, negative relationship.

Mutualism: Mutualism is when organisms benefit from each other. This is a positive relationship.

Commensalism: Commensalism is a relationship in which one organism benefits from another organism
that is not affected. This is a positive, neutral relationship.

Amensalism: Amensalism is any relationship between organisms of different species in which one
organism is inhibited or destroyed while the other organism remains unaffected.

Explanation:

57. Answer: C

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty: Easy
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
An ecosystem can be visualised as a functional unit of nature, where living organisms interact among
themselves and also with the surrounding physical environment.

58. Answer: D

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Factual

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

Explanation:
decomposers break down complex organic matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, water
and nutrients and the process is called decomposition. Dead plant remains such as leaves, bark, flowers
and dead remains of animals, including fecal matter, constitute detritus, which is the raw material for
decomposition. The important steps in the process of decomposition are fragmentation, leaching,
catabolism, humification and mineralisation.

59.Answer: A

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Factual

60. Answer: B

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

61. Answer: A

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Factual

62.Answer: C

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Each trophic level has a certain mass of living material at a particular time called as the standing crop.
The standing crop is measured as the mass of living organisms (biomass) or the number in a unit area.
The biomass of a species is expressed in terms of fresh or dry weight. Measurement of biomass in terms of
dry weight is more accurate.

63. Answer: D

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Pyramid of energy is always upright, can never be inverted, because when energy flows from a particular
trophic level to the next trophic level, some energy is always lost as heat at each step.

64. Answer: D

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Factual

65. Answer: A

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual

66. Answer: A

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
As explained in Q63, pyramid of energy cannot be inverted.

67. Answer: A

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
In primary succession in water, the pioneers are the small phytoplanktons, they are replaced with time by
rooted-submerged plants, rooted-floating angiosperms followed by free-floating plants, then reed-swamp,
marsh-meadow, scrub and finally the trees. The climax again would be a forest. With time the water body
is converted into land.

68. Answer: A
Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Factual

Explanation:
If we look at the total quantity of global carbon, we find that 71 per cent carbon is found dissolved in
oceans. This oceanic reservoir regulates the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The atmosphere
only contains about 1 per cent of total global carbon.

69.Answer: D
Topic: Biodiversity and Conservation
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
 Speciation is generally a function of time, unlike temperate regions subjected to frequent glaciations
in the past, tropical latitudes have remained relatively undisturbed for millions of years and thus,
had a long evolutionary time for species diversification.
 Tropical environments, unlike temperate ones, are less seasonal, relatively more constant and
predictable. Such constant environments promote niche specialisation and lead to a greater species
diversity.
 There is more solar energy available in the tropics, which contributes to higher productivity; this in
turn might contribute indirectly to greater diversity.

70. Answer: A

Topic: Biodiversity and Conservation

Difficulty Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an
island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place
are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere.

71. Answer: C
Topic: Biodiversity and Conservation
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Factual

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

Explanation:
Ex situ Conservation– In this approach, threatened animals and plants are taken out from their natural
habitat and placed in special setting where they can be protected and given special care. Zoological parks,
botanical gardens and wildlife safari parks serve this purpose. There are many animals that have become
extinct in the wild but continue to be maintained in zoological parks.

Conservation in National Parks is a way of in-situ conservation.

72. Answer: C
Topic: Environmental Issues
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

73. Answer: C
Topic: Environmental Issues
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

74. Answer: C
Topic: Environmental Issues
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
CFCs are responsible for ozone layer depletion, as they react with ozone, and are also greenhouse gases
because they absorb the heat emitted from the earth. This responsibility is the only thing these two issues
have in common – they are very different phenomena, based on different principles.

The greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion are two independent phenomena. They do not influence
or affect one another. Ozone layer depletion does not cause the greenhouse effect. It allows more
ultraviolet energy to reach the Earth’s surface, but it does not affect the absorption of heat inside the
atmosphere. Ozone layer depletion cannot cause any increase in the Earth’s temperature. CO2, which is
the main greenhouse gas, whose concentration in the atmosphere is increasing due to human activity,
does not cause any depletion of the ozone layer.

75. Answer: B
Topic: Environmental Issues
Difficulty Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Ozone layer depletion cannot cause any increase in the Earth’s temperature.

76. Answer: B

Topic: Environmental Issues

Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
High doses of UV-B causes snow-blindness. UV-C have short wavelength and are almost completely
absorbed by the ozone layer and atmosphere.

77. Answer: B

Topic: Environmental Issues

Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Conceptual

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

78. Answer : D

Topic: Environmental Issues

Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Biochemical oxygen demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms to
break down organic material present in a given water sample at certain temperature over a specific time
period. A high Biological Oxygen Demand indicates high level of microbial pollution.

79. Answer: D

Topic: Environmental Issues

Difficulty Level: Easy
Type: Factual

80. Answer: C

Topic: Environmental Issues

Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Conceptual

Explanation:
Radiation induced mutations are alterations in the genome - either a change in chromosomes or
individual genes. If they occur in gametic cells, then the mutation may be passed on to future
generations. Importantly, radiation induced mutations increase the rates of hereditary diseases that occur
naturally in the population.

81. Answer: B

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Conceptual

82. Answer: B

Topic: Ecosystem
Difficulty Level: Easy
Type: Conceptual

83. Answer: A

Topic: Biodiversity and Conservation

Difficulty Level: Difficult
Type: Factual

Explanation:
The broadly utilitarian argument says that biodiversity plays a major role in many ecosystem services
that nature provides. The fast-dwindling Amazon forest is estimated to produce, through photosynthesis,
20 per cent of the total oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere. We cannot put an economic value on this
service by nature. Pollination is another service, ecosystems provide through pollinators layer – bees,
bumblebees, birds and bats. There are other intangible benefits – that we derive from nature–the aesthetic
pleasures of walking through thick woods, watching spring flowers in full bloom or waking up to a
bulbul’s song in the morning.

Bioprospecting, that is, exploring molecular, genetic and species-level diversity for products of economic
importance comes under Narrowly utilitarian argument.

84. Answer: B

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

Topic: Environmental Issues
Difficulty Level: Easy
Type: Factual

Explanation:
Lichens are widely used as environmental indicators or bio-indicators. If air is very badly polluted with
sulphur dioxide there may be no lichens present, just green algae may be found. If the air is clean,
shrubby, hairy and leafy lichens become abundant. A few lichen species can tolerate quite high levels of
pollution and are commonly found on pavements, walls and tree bark in urban areas. The most sensitive
lichens are shrubby and leafy while the most tolerant lichens are all crusty in appearance. Since
industrialisation many of the shrubby and leafy lichens such as Ramalina, Usnea and Lobaria species
have very limited ranges, often being confined to the parts of Britain with the purest air such as northern
and western Scotland and Devon and Cornwall.

85. Answer: A

Topic: Environmental Issues

Difficulty Level: Moderate
Type: Facual

Explanation:
Dental fluorosis (also termed mottled enamel) is an extremely common disorder, characterized by
hypomineralization of tooth enamel caused by ingestion of excessive fluoride during enamel formation.

86. Answer-c

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) unites 183 countries in partnership with international
institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental
issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.
It was established by the world bank and not the IMF.

87. Answer-a

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious
Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification
and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies
supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.

88. Answer-d
the GIAHS Sites in India are the following:
Koraput, Odisha-
Saffron Heritage of Kashmir,
Grand Anicut (Kallanai) and associated farming system in Cauvery Delta Zone of Tamil Nadu
Kuttanad Below Sea Level Farming System, India

89. Answer-d
The 2 February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on
Wetlands on 2 February 1971 and was established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for
humanity and the planet.

90. Answer-a
The CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey (Raptors MOU)
aims to promote internationally coordinated actions to achieve and maintain the favourable conservation
status of migratory birds of prey throughout their range and to reverse their decline when and where
appropriate.
The CMS or Bonn Convention, under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP),
aims to conserve migratory species throughout their range.
India had become a party to the CMS since 1st November 1983.

91. Answer-c
i. Rotterdam convention – Pesticides and industrial chemicals

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

ii. Stockholm convention – production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
iii. Cartagena protocol – L.M.O
iv. Vienna convention – Protection of the Ozone Layer

92. Answer-b

The Montreux Record is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance
where changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of
technological developments, pollution or other human interference. It is maintained as part of the Ramsar
List. Currently, two wetlands of India are in Montreux record viz. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan and
Loktak Lake, Manipur. Further, Chilka lake was placed in the record but was later removed from it.

93. Answer: D

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is under threat
from humans. Norman Myers wrote about the concept.

To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 0.5% or
1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary
vegetation.

94. Answer: A

To coincide with Earth Day, over 500 new city actions have been added to the Non-State Actor Zone for
Climate Action (NAZCA) portal, which was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru,
in December 2014.

NAZCA, a UNFCCC-hosted website, showcases actions of non-state actors,

including municipalities, regions and investors, and aims to help build momentum for a global climate
agreement in Paris in December 2015.

Currently, 400 cities, 71 subnational regions and 264 companies are taking 1514 climate-related actions
listed on the NAZCA portal.

95. Answer: A

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits
Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as the Nagoya Protocol
on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is a 2010 supplementary agreement to the 1992 Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD).

Its aim is the implementation of one of the three objectives of the CBD: the fair and equitable sharing of
benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity.

The Protocol was adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, and entered into force on 12 October
2014. It has been ratified by 93 parties, which includes 92 UN member states and the European Union. It
is the second Protocol to the CBD; the first is the 2000 Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

96. Answer: D

The Emissions Trading-mechanism allows parties to the Kyoto Protocol to buy 'Kyoto units'(emission
permits for greenhouse gas) from other countries to help meet their domestic emission reduction targets.

International Emission Trading provides the means for Annex B countries to sell "surplus" portions of
their emissions allocations under the Protocol. Emissions trading is not a project-based mechanism, like
JI and CDM. Moreover, International Emission Trading applies only to countries with emissions reduction
obligations, since without an agreed-upon target, countries have nothing to trade. Through the Joint
Implementation, any Annex I country can invest in emission reduction projects (referred to as "Joint
Implementation Projects") in any other Annex I country as an alternative to reducing emissions
domestically. Through the CDM, countries can meet their domestic emission reduction targets by buying

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

greenhouse gas reduction units from (projects in) non Annex I countries to the Kyoto protocol (mostly
developing countries). Non-Annex I countries have no GHG emission restrictions, but have financial
incentives to develop GHG emission reduction projects to receive Certified Emission Reductions that can
then be sold to Annex I countries, encouraging sustainable development.

97. Answer: A

The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions, based on the premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) human-made CO2 emissions have
caused it.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16
February 2005. There are currently 192 parties (Canada withdrew effective December 2012 to the
Protocol.

The Protocol's first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. A second commitment period
was agreed on in 2012, known as the Doha Amendment to the protocol, in which 37 countries have
binding targets: Australia, the European Union (and its 28 member states), Belarus, Iceland,
Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

98. Answer: B

Durban COP Decision: Agrees to continue considering a general framework for cooperative sectoral
approaches and sector-specific actions with a view to adopting a decision on this matter at COP 18;
Requests considering issues relating to agriculture; and agrees to continue consideration of issues related
to addressing emissions from international aviation and maritime transport.

99. Answer: A

Although it took seven years to come to fruition, the Kigali agreement to amend the Montreal Protocol and
substantially limit the emission of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) that contribute to global warming
represents major progress. The important role played by this group of chemicals, used in refrigeration and
air conditioning, is evident from the scientific estimate that without a mitigation plan, HFCs could warm
the world by an additional half a degree Celsius by the end of the century. As with other such global
compacts on environmental matters, India pressed for a more lenient deadline at the Rwanda
negotiations. Ultimately, it agreed to start freezing HFC use in 2028, four years later than its peer club
countries China, Brazil and those in Africa,
and achieving maximum reduction by 2047, two years after they do.

In welcome contrast, however, India has ordered the manufacturers of HFC 23 — a by- product of another
chemical used in refrigerant gas manufacture and with a staggeringly high contribution to global warming
— to now capture and dispose of it at their own cost. The decision is of particular significance,
considering the expansion of refrigeration and air conditioning in India with a rise in incomes, leading to
higher levels of HFC release into
the atmosphere.

100. Answer: D

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also
known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.

It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975. Its aim is
to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival
of the species in the wild, and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of
animals and plants. Roughly 5,000 species of animals and 29,000 species of plants are protected by
CITES against over-exploitation through international trade. Each protected species or population is

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations

included in one of three lists, called Appendices. The Appendix that lists a species or population reflects
the extent of the threat to it and the controls that apply to
the trade.

Appendix I, about 1200 species, are species that are threatened with extinction and are or may be
affected by trade. Commercial trade in wild-caught specimens of these species is illegal (permitted only in
exceptional licensed circumstances).

Appendix II, about 21,000 species, are species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but
may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid
utilization incompatible with the survival of the species in the wild. In addition, Appendix II can include
species similar in appearance to species already listed in the Appendices. International trade in
specimens of Appendix II species may be authorized by the granting of an export permit or re-export
certificate.

Appendix III, about 170 species, are species that are listed after one member country has asked other
CITES Parties for assistance in controlling trade in a species. The species are not necessarily threatened
with extinction globally. In all member countries, trade in these species is only permitted with an
appropriate export permit and a certificate of origin from the state of the member country who has listed
the species.

The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides
the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of
wetlands and their resources.

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It
is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the
Convention was signed in 1971. India became a contracting party to the Ramsar Convention in 1981.

GS – 7 (Economy NCERTs + Environment Part 1) Answers and Explanations