UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 82
Consider the following statements :
Statement I : At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the 'Declaration on Climate and Health'.
Statement II : The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration; and if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonize health sector.
Statement III : If India's health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Correct Option: C (Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I)
Explanation: India did not endorse the COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health. The declaration is voluntary, not legally binding; India's stated concern involved healthcare resilience and access during rapid or inflexible decarbonisation.
Statement / Pair / Item-wise Analysis:
I: True-India declined to sign.
II: False-the declaration is non-binding and imposes no automatic legal duty.
III: True in the stated policy context-poorly managed decarbonisation could strain reliable cooling and medical services, explaining the concern.
Option-wise Analysis:
A. Incorrect-this wrongly treats both supporting statements as valid or assigns an incorrect explanatory relationship.
B. Incorrect-this wrongly treats both supporting statements as valid or assigns an incorrect explanatory relationship.
C. Correct-this matches the facts and the item-wise assessment above.
D. Incorrect-omits I which the answer requires.