Environment and Ecology Mixed Practice — MCQs with Answers (Set 33)

About 70% of Rajasthan’s assessment units (214 of 302) were over-exploited, far above the national average.

The Panchamrit pledges include cutting the economy’s carbon intensity by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030, alongside the 500 GW capacity target and a 2070 net-zero goal.

Coal accounts for about 47% of installed capacity but roughly 75% of actual generation, since intermittent renewables don’t run around the clock.

In 2015, India set a target of 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022, split mainly between 100 GW solar and 60 GW wind.

India reached 50% non-fossil installed capacity in June 2025, five years ahead of its 2030 target.

PM Modi announced ‘Panchamrit’ at COP26, five climate pledges including 500 GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.

Urban flooding has become an increasing concern, driven by poor drainage infrastructure and rapid, often unplanned, city expansion.

Embankments, while reducing flooding in some areas, can also worsen flood severity elsewhere by constraining a river’s natural floodplain.

The Central Water Commission monitors river flow levels and issues flood forecasts for major river basins across India.

Flood management combines structural measures, including embankments and dams, with non-structural measures like early warning and land-use planning.

India’s flood-prone areas are concentrated in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin, along with several other major river systems across the country.

The Kedarnath tragedy exposed real risks. These were the risks of unregulated construction and tourism. This occurred in ecologically fragile Himalayan terrain.

The Indian Ocean Tsunami directly led to major investment. This investment was in tsunami early warning infrastructure. It covers India’s coastline.

Biological disasters, like disease outbreaks, are distinct. They require specialized response measures. These measures differ from those used for physical hazards like earthquakes or floods.

India’s Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant has drawn public safety concerns. There is also debate around it. This debate is over nuclear energy’s role in India’s power mix.

Nuclear disasters range in severity. Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 are the two most widely studied major examples.

India’s floods experience illustrates a recurring disaster-management tension. Structural measures like dams and embankments can reduce flood frequency. But they can also encourage settlement in flood-prone areas, raising the damage when a larger flood eventually does occur.

Reconstruction after a disaster raises a genuine policy choice. Rebuilding exactly as before is faster. But rebuilding to higher, hazard-resistant standards reduces damage from the next disaster, at higher upfront cost.

Floods management in India combines two kinds of measures. Structural measures include embankments and dams. Non-structural measures include early warning and evacuation planning.

Post-disaster work has three main parts. Relief provides immediate aid. Rehabilitation restores basic living conditions, and reconstruction rebuilds infrastructure long-term.

An incident command structure gives disaster response a clear chain of authority. This allows multiple agencies to coordinate. Without it, agencies would otherwise act independently.

Population growth and urbanization put direct pressure on conservation efforts. Expanding cities and farmland compete with land. That land would otherwise remain protected habitat.

The environment versus development debate is a real, recurring tension. Infrastructure and industrial projects can conflict directly with conservation goals. This tension shows up repeatedly in real policy decisions.

A high-level committee headed by Madhav Gadgil studied conservation. The subject was the Western Ghats. The committee recommended strict ecological zoning.

A Green Building Code sets construction standards. These standards reduce a building’s energy use and water use. They also reduce the building’s overall environmental footprint.

Sustainable development has a specific meaning. It means meeting present needs. It does this without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Climate negotiations are difficult for a specific reason. Developed countries industrialized first and emitted more historically. Developing countries argue they need room to grow economically too.

REDD+ stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. It tries to give developing countries a financial incentive. The incentive is to preserve forests, rather than clear them for short-term economic gain.

Climate change mitigation involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptation is different from mitigation. Adaptation involves adjusting systems and behaviour to cope with unavoidable climate effects.

An Environmental Impact Assessment evaluates a proposed project. It looks at the project’s likely environmental effects. This evaluation happens before the project is approved.

Global warming is a long-term rise in temperature. This rise is in Earth’s average surface temperature. It is driven mainly by greenhouse gas emissions.