2020 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2020 · GS Paper I

Question 85: Environment and Ecology

Which one of the following statements best describes the term ‘Social Cost of Carbon’ ? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the

along-term damage done by a tonne of CO₂ emissions in a given year.
brequirement of fossil fuels for a country to provide goods and services to its citizens, based on the burning of those fuels.
cefforts put in by a climate refugee to adapt to live in a new place.
dcontribution of an individual person to the carbon footprint on the planet Earth.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (a).

The Social Cost of Carbon is the monetary estimate of the long-term damage done by emitting one more tonne of CO2 in a given year, adding up future harms such as crop losses, health costs and sea-level rise, and discounting them to present value. It is used to weigh climate policies. It is not about fossil fuel needs, a climate refugee's effort or an individual's footprint.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Right: monetary value of long-term damage per tonne emitted.
  • (b) Wrong: fossil fuel needs of an economy are not the social cost.
  • (c) Wrong: a refugee's adaptation effort is not the definition.
  • (d) Wrong: an individual's carbon footprint is a different measure.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.