Environment, Biodiversity & Climate Change — UPSC Questions
General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.
Previous year questions and Mains practice questions on this exact syllabus topic, collected from every GainingSun analysis mapped to it. Each question links back to the analysis it came from, so you can read the material behind the answer.
Previous year questions (from 7 analyses)
Questions UPSC has set on this syllabus topic, as cited in our analyses.
How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 helpful in conservation of flora and fauna? (UPSC Mains GS3, 2018) [18]
From Saving Girdled Trees: Bridge Grafting, Tiger Habitats and Forest Rights Explained
Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in the light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (UPSC Mains GS3, 2022)
From Kigali Amendment at 10: India's HFC Phase-Down and Sustainable Cooling Challenge Explained
Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining coastal ecology. (UPSC Mains GS3, 2019)
From Indira Point Lighthouse Explained: Why India Plans to Protect Its Southernmost Landmark
Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the "Ten Degree Channel"? (UPSC Prelims 2014) A) Andaman and Nicobar B) Nicobar and Sumatra C) Maldives and Lakshadweep D) Sumatra and Java Correct Answer: A Explanation: The Ten Degree Channel runs along the 10°N parallel and separates the Andaman group (Little Andaman) from the Nicobar group (Car Nicobar). It is about 150 km wide and is an important maritime route within the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 helpful in conservation of flora and fauna? (UPSC Mains GS3, 2018)
From Turtle Trafficking by Rail Explained: Why Protected Freshwater Turtles Are Being Smuggled
Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats. (UPSC Mains GS Paper 1, 2021)
Three of the following criteria have contributed to the recognition of Western Ghats–Sri Lanka and Indo-Burma regions as hotspots of biodiversity: 1. Species richness 2. Vegetation density 3. Endemism 4. Ethno-botanical importance 5. Threat perception 6. Adaptation of flora and fauna to warm and humid conditions. Which three of the above are correct criteria in this context? (a) 1, 2 and 6 (b) 2, 4 and 6 (c) 1, 3 and 5 (d) 3, 4 and 6. Answer: (c). (UPSC Prelims, 2011)
From Western Ghats ESA Explained: Gadgil vs Kasturirangan & the 6th Draft Notification
How does biodiversity vary in India? How is Biological Diversity Act, 2002 helpful in the conservation of flora and fauna? (UPSC Mains GS3, 2018)
From Great Nicobar Coral Translocation: Galathea Bay Port and Ecology Explained
Mains practice questions (from 30 analyses)
Practice questions written for this topic, each tied to the current affairs that would answer it.
“Rescuing damaged trees is only one part of restoring a protected forest.” Discuss with reference to the girdling of trees in Udanti–Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. Explain how scientific restoration, geospatial monitoring and community forest rights can be integrated into conservation management. (250 words)
From Saving Girdled Trees: Bridge Grafting, Tiger Habitats and Forest Rights Explained
The Kigali Amendment represents an important opportunity to integrate climate mitigation with sustainable cooling and energy security. Examine India's challenges in implementing its HFC phase-down commitments and suggest measures to ensure affordable, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable cooling. (250 words, 15 marks)
From Kigali Amendment at 10: India's HFC Phase-Down and Sustainable Cooling Challenge Explained
Data centres are emerging as the critical infrastructure of the artificial intelligence era, yet India hosts only a small fraction of global capacity despite generating a fifth of the world's data. In light of recent state-level initiatives such as Gujarat's Data Centre Policy 2026-29, examine the opportunities and challenges in making India a global data centre hub, with particular reference to energy, water and environmental sustainability. (250 words, 15 marks)
From Gujarat Data Centre Policy 2026-29 Explained: ₹6 Lakh Crore Push for 7.5 GW Green AI Hub
The Indira Point Lighthouse project shows the tension between strategic maritime infrastructure, tourism development and fragile island ecology. Discuss how India can balance coastal development with environmental safeguards in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
From Indira Point Lighthouse Explained: Why India Plans to Protect Its Southernmost Landmark
The Island Coastal Regulation Zone framework seeks to balance ecological conservation with strategic and developmental needs in India's island territories. In light of recent proposals for infrastructure on Great Nicobar Island, critically examine the challenges of applying coastal regulation norms to ecologically sensitive island ecosystems. (250 words)
Wildlife trafficking in India is increasingly using ordinary transport networks such as railways. Discuss the ecological, legal and governance challenges involved in controlling freshwater turtle trafficking, and suggest measures for stronger inter-agency enforcement.
From Turtle Trafficking by Rail Explained: Why Protected Freshwater Turtles Are Being Smuggled
The repeated failure to finalise an Ecologically Sensitive Area for the Western Ghats reflects the deeper tension between ecological conservation and developmental aspirations in India. In this context, critically examine the recommendations of the Gadgil and Kasturirangan committees and suggest a balanced way forward. (250 words)
From Western Ghats ESA Explained: Gadgil vs Kasturirangan & the 6th Draft Notification
The Great Nicobar Project highlights the challenge of balancing strategic infrastructure with fragile island ecology. Discuss the environmental, legal and governance safeguards required for such projects in India.
From Great Nicobar Coral Translocation: Galathea Bay Port and Ecology Explained
"The Great Nicobar Island Development Project illustrates the tension between strategic infrastructure development and ecological and tribal protection." Critically examine the project's strategic rationale and the environmental and human concerns it raises, and suggest a balanced way forward. (15 marks, 250 words)
From Great Nicobar Project: Strategic Port, Galathea Bay Ecology & Tribal Rights Explained
Citizen-science initiatives such as city bird atlases are emerging as valuable tools for biodiversity monitoring and urban conservation. Discuss their significance, and examine the challenges of conserving avian diversity in rapidly urbanising regions of India. (15 marks, 250 words)
From Delhi Bird Atlas Explained: 471 Species, the Central Asian Flyway and Bird Diversity
"A single thriving population is not the same as a secure species." In the light of the recurring disease threats to the Asiatic Lion in Gir, critically examine the ecological rationale for establishing multiple lion populations and discuss the factors that have stalled translocation in India. (250 words / 15 marks)
Disease outbreaks in wildlife are increasingly linked to the interface between domestic animals and wild species. Discuss this in the context of the Asiatic Lion, and suggest measures to strengthen disease surveillance and One Health approaches in India's protected areas. (150 words / 10 marks)
From Gir Lion Deaths & Babesiosis Explained: Why Asiatic Lions Need Multiple Homes Beyond Gujarat
"Tiger corridors are as critical to long-term tiger survival as the reserves themselves, yet they remain the weakest link in India's wildlife protection regime." In light of recent project clearances in central India, examine the legal safeguards for tiger corridors and analyse the challenge of balancing conservation with regional development in Left-Wing Extremism–affected, tribal-majority districts. (15 marks, 250 words)
From Gadchiroli Mining & Tadoba-Indravati Tiger Corridor: Why Wildlife Clearance Matters
The dominance of Prosopis Juliflora (Vilayati Kikar) across 63.48% of Delhi's Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary highlights the deepening crisis of biological invasion in India's protected areas. Critically examine the ecological impacts of invasive alien species on India's biodiversity and evaluate the adequacy of the legal and institutional framework, including the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity, in addressing this challenge. (15 marks, 250 words)
The successful community biogas model in Ekauni village of Uttar Pradesh demonstrates an effective solution to rural energy challenges amid the LPG crisis. In this context, discuss the potential of decentralised biogas plants in achieving India’s clean energy and sustainable development goals while addressing issues of women’s health and climate change.
From UP Village of 500 Beats LPG Crisis with Biogas Plant: Ekauni Model Shows Sustainable Path
Discuss the role of judicial intervention in balancing wildlife conservation with eco-tourism development in India, with special reference to the Rajasthan High Court’s order banning night safaris in Jawai Leopard Reserve and its linkage to constitutional provisions on environmental protection.
Evaluate the significance of innovative techniques like the jumpstart method in the conservation of critically endangered species such as the Great Indian Bustard, and discuss how inter-state cooperation and captive breeding programmes can support long-term population recovery in India.
Examine the significance of India’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions in the context of global climate finance challenges and shifting energy policies of major economies, and discuss how these targets balance environmental goals with national development priorities.
Examine the geopolitical factors influencing US sanctions relief on Venezuela's oil sector and its implications for global energy security in a multipolar world.
Evaluate the implications of the 2025 decline in coal-fired electricity generation for India's energy transition and its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Analyze the geopolitical ramifications of the US withdrawal from key multilateral organizations, with special reference to its effects on climate diplomacy and the shifting balance of power towards China in global governance.
Discuss the significance of the Madhav Gadgil report in the context of environmental conservation in the Western Ghats, analyzing the reasons for its opposition and the implications of its partial implementation for sustainable development in India.
Discuss the implications of the US withdrawal from the UNFCCC on global climate governance and analyze its potential impact on India's climate policy and international relations.
Discuss the role of energy conservation in achieving India's sustainable development goals, with reference to key government initiatives and their impact on environmental and economic fronts. (250 words)
From President of India Presents National Energy Conservation Awards on National Energy Conservation Day
Discuss the challenges in managing human-wildlife conflicts in India, with reference to the role of legal frameworks like the Wildlife Protection Act in ensuring species conservation and community welfare.
Examine the challenges of balancing national security needs with environmental conservation in India's border regions, with reference to recent infrastructure developments in Ladakh.
Evaluate the contributions of judicial oversight in managing climate-exacerbated environmental risks in ecologically sensitive zones like the Himalayas, and recommend holistic approaches for aligning conservation efforts with disaster preparedness in India.
From Himachal Floods' Floating Logs: Nature's Uproot, Not Illegal Cut, State Assures Supreme Court
Examine the challenges in balancing eco-tourism development with environmental conservation in ecologically sensitive areas like the Aravalli hills, in the context of recent judicial interventions.
Discuss the implications of waiving public consultation for mining critical and atomic minerals on India's environmental governance and strategic autonomy. Suggest ways to reconcile developmental imperatives with sustainable practices in this context. (250 words)
Evaluate the environmental and economic implications of boundary rationalization in tiger reserves like Sariska, and discuss measures to ensure sustainable wildlife conservation amid developmental pressures.
Discuss the ecological and socio-economic significance of expanding the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. How does it contribute to wildlife conservation and climate resilience in India?
From Sundarbans to Become India’s Second-Largest Tiger Reserve