Day-608 | Daily MCQs | UPSC Prelims | ENVIRONMENT

Answer. B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: Sharks and their relatives are some of the most imperilled animals on Earth: More than one-third of all known species are threatened with extinction. Losing marine predators can destabilise entire food webs and the ecosystems that these food webs depend on. Shark finning involves cutting off a shark’s fin, often while the shark is still alive, and dumping the animal back into the sea to die slowly. The fins are used for shark fin soup, an East Asian dish associated with wealth and festivity.
Statement 2 is correct: Pangolins are among the most trafficked wild mammals globally. They are poached for their scales, used as an ingredient in traditional medicine in China and Southeast Asia.
The Indian Pangolin has been classified as ‘Endangered’ and the Chinese Pangolin as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Poaching and hunting of the Sangai deer (endemic to Loktak lake, Manipur) for its meat and antlers (not horns) has been a significant threat to its survival. The antlers of the male Sangai deer are highly valued for their medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine, which has created its demand for them in the illegal wildlife trade.

Answer. A
Explanation:
Statements 1 and 2 are incorrect: The Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) Notification does not involve displacement and evacuation of farmers/people living in the villages.
The activities in the ESZ are generally regulated and not prohibitory in nature barring a few such as: (i) commercial mining, stone quarrying and crushing units;
(ii) major hydroelectric project;
(iii) handling of hazardous substances;
(iv) discharge of untreated effluents;
(v) setting up of brick kilns;
(vi) setting up of polluting industries, which have high potential for environmental damage.
As such, there is no prohibition on ongoing agriculture and horticulture practices by local communities, dairy farming, aquaculture, fisheries, poultry farm, goat farm, food related units etc. Further, the activities like infrastructure augmentation including civic amenities, widening of roads, non-polluting industries etc. are also under regulated category.
Statement 3 is correct: No new commercial construction of any kind is permitted within 1 Kilometre from the boundary of the Protected Area or up to extent of the Eco-Sensitive Zone whichever is nearer. However, there is no restriction for local people, they may undertake construction in their land for their use.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct: India’s wind energy sector is led by indigenous wind power industry and has shown consistent progress. The expansion of the wind industry has resulted in a strong ecosystem, project operation capabilities and manufacturing base of around 12,000 MW per annum. The country currently has the fourth highest wind installed capacity in the world with total installed capacity of 41.93 GW (as on 31st December, 2022) of which 1.85 GW was added during January to December, 2022.
Statement 2 is incorrect: According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the states leading in wind power installed capacity, in descending order are:
Tamil Nadu-Gujarat-Karnataka-Maharashtra

Answer: A
Explanation:
Statement 1 is correct but statement 2 is incorrect: Launched at the first Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement at Copenhagen, Denmark in April 2019, the Cool Coalition was assembled by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the belief that a unified effort of governments, cities, businesses, and civil society that share the objective of advancing, sustainable cooling will be more effective in bringing about change than acting alone.
It is a global multi-stakeholder network that connects a wide range of key actors from government, cities, international organizations, businesses, finance, academia, and civil society groups to facilitate knowledge exchange, advocacy and joint action towards a rapid global transition to efficient and climate-friendly cooling. The Cool Coalition is now working with over 100 partners, including 23 countries. India is also a member of the Cool Coalition.
Additional information
The Cool Coalition and COP28 UAE Presidency launched the Global Cooling Pledge at COP28 of the UNFCCC, with nearly 70 government signatories and more than 50 supporters from international organizations, international finance institutions and industry. The Global Cooling Pledge marks the world’s first collective effort to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions from the cooling sector.
The Pledge aims to reduce global cooling-related emissions by 68 per cent by 2050, improve energy efficiency of cooling technologies by 50 per cent by 2030 and to increase access to sustainable cooling for the most vulnerable – all of which is needed to keep the 1.5°C goal in reach.

Answer: B
Explanation:
Tapir can best be described as resembling a pig but with a long snout, it actually belongs to the family of horses and rhinoceroses. They inhabit parts of Latin America and in Asia are found in Malaysia, Thailand and may wander into India along the border shared with Myanmar.
Statement 1 is correct: By virtue of being placed in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Tapirs enjoy the highest degree of protection in India just like other endangered species such as tigers and elephants.
Statement 2 is correct: Malayan Tapir is the largest of the world’s tapirs and the only one found in Asia, predominantly in South East Asia. The other 3 tapir species are known to live in Central and South America. The Malay tapir is listed as ‘Endangered’ by the IUCN due to threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting, road-kills and by-catches by snare hunters.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Mountain tapir is not found in the Western Ghats. Also known as woolly tapir, it lives high in the Andes Mountains. Woolly tapirs, named for their warm and protective coat, are the smallest of all tapirs. There are no tapirs in India currently.