UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment and Geography MCQs on Emissions Gap Report, ISFR-2023 and more (Week 91)

1. It is released annually and involves forest cover mapping of the country using satellite data.

2. The report is used in the planning and formulation of policies in forest management, forestry, and agroforestry sectors.

3. The net forest cover has decreased between 2021 and 2023.

4. There is an increase in the tree cover in 2023 as compared to 2021.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav launched the 18th biennial State of Forest Report (ISFR-2023) on December 21 at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun.

— The ISFR is produced biennially and entails mapping the country’s forest cover with satellite data. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— The ISFR uses data derived from wall-to-wall mapping of India’s forest cover using remote sensing techniques to plan and formulate policy in the forest management, forestry, and agroforestry sectors. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— India’s green cover has surpassed the 25% mark, with forest (21.76%) and tree (3.41%) covering 8,27,357 square kilometres (25.17%) of the country. Of this, 4,10,175 square kilometres are designated as thick forests.

— The net forest cover increased by 156.41 sq km between 2021 and 2023, bringing the geographical area under forest cover to 21.76 percent, a mere 0.05 percent increase from the 2021 assessment. With the increased net forest area, the total area under forest cover is currently 7,15,342.61 square kilometres. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— Between 2003 and 2013, forest cover rose by 0.61 percentage point, from 20.62% to 21.23%. In the following ten years, it increased by only 0.53 percentage points to 21.76%.

— The tree cover has increased the most dramatically. It grew from 2.91% in 2021 to 3.41% in 2023, resulting in an expansion of 1,285.4 square kilometres. The overall green cover has expanded by 1,445.81 square kilometres since 2021, accounting for 25.17 percent of the geographical area. Hence, statement 4 is correct.

— In the two decades since 2003, India’s dense forests have been completely destroyed, covering 24,651 square kilometres (more than 6.3%). As a single forest unit, it would be roughly half the size of Punjab.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

With reference to the Halari Donkey, consider the following statements:

1. These donkeys are generally black in colour.

2. They are native to the desert region of Rajasthan.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— Halari donkeys are indigenous to the Saurashtra area of Gujarat. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The donkeys are white in colour. The muzzle and hooves are black. The forehead is mostly convex. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— Halari donkeys are strong-built and huge in stature, with an average height at the withers of 108cm in males and 107cm in females, and an average body length of 117cm in males and 115 cm in females.

— These donkeys have an extremely gentle temperament and are utilised as pack animals during pastoralist migrations and for transportation in donkey carts. During migration, Halary Donkeys can trek up to 30-40 kilometres per day.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: icar.org.in)

QUESTION 3

Consider the following statements:

Statement 1: Plant cover across the Antarctic Peninsula has increased more than 10 times over the past few decades.

Statement 2: The continent is warming twice as fast as the global average, at a rate of between 0.22 degrees Celsius and 0.32 degrees Celsius per decade currently.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(b) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.

(c) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.

(d) Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct.

Explanation

— According to a new study, plant cover on the Antarctic Peninsula, a long, mountainous extension of Antarctica that extends north towards South America, has increased by more than tenfold in recent decades as temperatures have risen. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— “It is the beginning of dramatic transformation,” Olly Bartlett, a remote-sensing specialist at the University of Hertfordshire and one of the authors of ‘Sustained greening of the Antarctic Peninsula recorded from satellites’, told Nature.

— The study, published last week in the journal Nature Geoscience, was conducted by academics from the Universities of Exeter and Hertfordshire in England, as well as the British Antarctic Survey.

— A 2023 study published in the journal Nature Climate Change discovered that the continent is warming twice as rapidly as the world average, at a pace of 0.22 to 0.32 degrees Celsius per decade. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations agency that advances scientific knowledge about climate change, estimates that the Earth is warming at a pace of 0.14 to 0.18 degrees Celsius every decade.

— The Antarctic Peninsula is warming five times faster than the global average, making the situation worse than elsewhere in Antarctica. The average temperature on the Antarctic Peninsula has increased by nearly 3 degrees Celsius since 1950.

Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Consider the following statements:

1. This National Park is a world heritage site and was declared as a National Park in 1974.

2. It is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence.

3. It is placed beside the Brahmaputra River on the North and the Karbi Anglong mounts on the South India.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Dibru Saikhowa National Park

(b) Nameri National Park

(c) Keibul Lamjao National Park

(d) Kaziranga National Park

Explanation

— Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site, is famed for the Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros. The topography of Kaziranga includes sheer forest, thick elephant grass, rough reeds, marshes, and tiny lakes. It was declared a national park in 1974.

— Kaziranga National Park is one of the few uninhabited locations in eastern India. It is home to the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as a variety of mammals like as tigers, elephants, panthers, and bears, and hundreds of birds.

— Kaziranga National Park is one of the world’s greatest national parks, as well as a popular tourist destination in North East India.

— The park, which is located in an intense geographical area, offers a wide spectrum of natural beauties. Kaziranga National Park is located in the Golaghat and Nagaon regions of Assam, India.

— It is also located near the Brahmaputra River in the north and the Karbi Anglong mountains in the south of India. Kaziranga National Park, surrounded by rich tea plants, provides a spectacular picturesque view. Kaziranga National Park is the home of 37 roadways that run through it.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: kaziranga.nptr.in)

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Emissions Gap Report 2024, consider the following statements:

1. China and India are two of the top three emitters of greenhouse gas emissions.

2. It is a biennial publication of the UN Environment Programme.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— According to a new United Nations estimate, China and India, two of the top three emitters, will increase their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% and 6.1%, respectively, in 2023. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The UN Environment Programme’s annual Emissions Gap Report warned that the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius would be “gone within a few years” and that the 2 degree Celsius threshold could be breached unless countries dramatically scale up their climate actions to reduce global emissions in two years. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— The report, which is released just before the annual climate change conference, stated that current climate actions, even in the most optimistic scenario, could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by only 10% by 2030 from 2019 levels, when the bare minimum required to meet the 1.5 degree target was a 42% reduction. The reductions must grow to 57% by 2035.

— The research recommended a substantial increase in investment in pollution reductions. It stated that the emissions gap between 2030 and 2035 may still be closed at a cost of $200 per tonne of CO2 equivalent. At this cost, over 31 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent may be reduced from annual emissions by 2030, above the nearly 28 billion CO2 equivalent required for the 1.5 degree objective.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 91)

Daily subject-wise quiz —  Science and Technology (Week 91)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 90)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 90)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 90)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 90)

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