What was India's rank in the world greenhouse gases emission in 2022?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, 10th (as marked in the official UPPSC 2023 SET-D answer key). India's greenhouse-gas emissions rank swings sharply with the measure used: by TOTAL (absolute) emissions India is the world's third-largest emitter, after China and the United States, whereas on PER-CAPITA emissions India ranks among the lowest of the major economies. For this item, lock the key's marked answer (10th) and remember the general rule — an 'emissions rank' means little until you know whether it is measured in absolute or per-capita terms.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Not the rank marked by the official UPPSC key for this item; a different position on the emissions table.  (c) India is 3rd on ABSOLUTE emissions — a tempting confusion — but that is not the rank the key marks here.  (d) Not the value accepted by the key; India's per-capita rank is far lower, but the item is keyed to 10th.

Concept: India's greenhouse-gas footprint has two very different faces. By total (absolute) emissions India is the third-largest emitter in the world, because of its large population and coal-heavy energy mix. But when emissions are measured per person, India ranks very low among major economies — the average Indian emits far less than the average American or Chinese citizen. A 'rank' therefore depends entirely on which metric is used, which is why an exact single number is hard to state.

State PCS 2023 Q45 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q45 — Environment & Ecology PYQ with Answer