This document organises Environment questions from the sources by year, identifies the relevant UPSC syllabus point, and highlights key terms essential for examination focus.
| Year |
Thematic Questions and Key Concepts |
| 2024 |
- Industrial pollution of river water and government mitigation measures.
- The role of environmental NGOs and activists in influencing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) outcomes.
- Alternative technologies to solve the freshwater shortage crisis.
|
| 2023 |
- The National Wetland Conservation Programme and Indian wetlands included as Ramsar Sites.
- The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predictions on sea level rise and its impact on India and the Indian Ocean region.
|
| 2022 |
- Formation and effects of photochemical smog and the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol.
- Causes, effects, and management techniques for coastal erosion in India.
- Global warming, its effects on climate, and control measures for greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol 1997.
|
| 2021 |
- Major outcomes of COP26 (UNFCCC) and India’s specific commitments.
- Revised WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) and required changes to India’s National Clean Air Programme.
- The Green Grid Initiative launched at the COP26 World Leader Summit.
|
| 2020 |
- Differences between the draft EIA Notification 2020 and the EIA Notification 2006.
- Salient features of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan for water conservation and security.
- Key features of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
|
| 2019 |
- Impact of legal and illegal coastal sand mining along Indian coasts.
- The concept of carrying capacity of an ecosystem and its importance in sustainable development planning.
|
| 2018 |
- Impediments in solid waste disposal and the safe removal of toxic wastes.
- Definition of wetlands and the Ramsar concept of ‘wise use’.
- Ecological and economic benefits of Sikkim as India’s first ‘Organic State’.
- Variation of biodiversity in India and the Biological Diversity Act 2002.
|
| 2017 |
- Advantages and environmental impacts of river linking.
- Impact of climate change on India, specifically its Himalayan and coastal states.
|
| 2016 |
- Mitigation of environmental impacts related to the rehabilitation of human settlements during major developmental projects.
|
| 2015 |
- Evaluation of the Namami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) programmes.
|
| 2014 |
- Pursuit of carbon credits and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) under the UNFCCC in relation to India's energy needs.
- Environmental impact of coal-fired thermal plants located at pitheads.
|
| 2013 |
- Consequences of illegal mining and the concept of ‘GO AND NO-GO’ zones for coal mining.
- The National Water Policy of India and strategies for river water pollution control, specifically for the Ganges.
|
