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The Paris Agreement, carbon markets and India's climate action

తెలుగులో వివరణ

Climate change · Part 3 / 3 · Fact-checked on 8 November 2026 · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

The Paris Agreement's goals, nationally determined contributions, the transparency framework and the global stocktake; India's NDC and net zero 2070; Article 6 carbon markets; India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme and Green Credit Programme; climate finance and the loss and damage fund; the NAPCC and its eight missions; India-led alliances.

Each idea is explained first in Telugu (తెలుగు), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Telugu and revise it in English.

క్యోటోలో పెద్దలు కొందరికే లక్ష్యాలు పెట్టారు. పారిస్ ఒప్పందం దాన్ని మార్చింది: ఊరి బావి బాగుచేయడానికి ప్రతి ఇల్లు తానే ఎంత ఇస్తుందో చెప్పినట్టు, ప్రతి దేశం తన జాతీయంగా నిర్ణయించిన సహకారం తానే రాస్తుంది. ఐదేళ్లకోసారి అందరి మాటలు కలిపి సరిపోతాయా అని చూస్తారు. తర్వాత డబ్బు, మార్కెట్లు, చివరగా మన దేశం ప్రణాళికలు. (→ English: Paris Agreement; nationally determined contribution · हिन्दी: पेरिस समझौता; राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर निर्धारित योगदान)

In exam EnglishPart 2 ended with negotiators giving up on targets handed down to countries on a 1992 list. This part shows what replaced that approach: the Paris Agreement of 2015, under which every country, rich or poor, writes its own pledge, the nationally determined contribution, and the world checks every five years whether the pledges add up. It then turns to the money and the markets that support those pledges, and finally to India: its targets, its own carbon trading scheme, its national plan of 2008 and the international groups it has launched.

పారిస్ ఒప్పందం 2015లో కుదిరి 2016లో అమలులోకి వచ్చింది; మన దేశం గాంధీ జయంతి రోజు దాన్ని ఆమోదించింది. దానికి మూడు గురిలు. జ్వరం 2 డిగ్రీలు దాటకుండా, వీలైతే 1.5 వద్దే ఆపాలి అన్నట్టు భూమి వేడిని కట్టడి చేయడం; పంటలకు నష్టం లేకుండా మారిన వాతావరణానికి అలవాటు పడటం; డబ్బు ప్రవాహాన్ని శుభ్రమైన అభివృద్ధి వైపు మళ్లించడం. శతాబ్దం రెండో సగంలో విడుదలయ్యే వాయువులు, పీల్చుకునే వాటితో సమానం కావాలి. ఈ ఒప్పందం సభ్యుల సమావేశం కూడా భాగస్వామ్య దేశాల సదస్సు లోనే జరుగుతుంది. (→ English: Paris Agreement; well below 2 °C; 1.5 °C; Conference of the Parties · हिन्दी: पेरिस समझौता; 2 °C से काफ़ी नीचे; 1.5 °C; पक्षकारों का सम्मेलन)

In exam EnglishThe Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016, once at least 55 parties accounting for at least 55 per cent of global emissions had joined; India ratified it on 2 October 2016, Gandhi Jayanti. Article 2 sets three aims. The first is to hold the rise in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C. The second is to strengthen the ability to adapt to climate impacts in a way that does not threaten food production. The third is to make flows of finance consistent with low-emission, climate-resilient development. Article 4 adds a long-term aim: global emissions should peak as soon as possible, and in the second half of this century the gases people release should be balanced by what sinks remove. The Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC also serves as the meeting of the Agreement's parties.

జాతీయంగా నిర్ణయించిన సహకారం అంటే ఒక దేశం 'నేను ఇంత తగ్గిస్తాను' అని రాసి ఇచ్చే మాట. ఐదేళ్లకోసారి కొత్త మాట, అది పాతదానికంటే పెద్దదిగా ఉండాలి. ఇక్కడ చిక్కు: మాట రాసి, చెప్పి, నవీకరించడం తప్పనిసరి; ఆ అంకె సాధించడం చట్టపరంగా తప్పనిసరి కాదు. క్యోటో ప్రోటోకాల్ లో అంకెలే తప్పనిసరి, కానీ కొన్ని దేశాలకే. ఉమ్మడి కానీ విభిన్న బాధ్యతలు ఇంకా ఉన్నాయి, 'ప్రతి దేశ పరిస్థితిని బట్టి' అనే మాటతో. (→ English: nationally determined contribution; Kyoto Protocol; common but differentiated responsibilities · हिन्दी: राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर निर्धारित योगदान; क्योटो प्रोटोकॉल; साझा किंतु विभेदित उत्तरदायित्व)

In exam EnglishThe engine of the Agreement is the nationally determined contribution under Article 4. Each party must prepare, communicate and maintain successive contributions, pursue domestic measures aimed at meeting them, and submit a new one every five years; each new contribution is expected to go further than the last. The legal duty is about process: a country is bound to make, report and update a pledge, but not to achieve the number written in it. This is the reverse of the Kyoto Protocol, whose targets were binding but applied only to listed countries. The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities survives with an added phrase, 'in the light of different national circumstances'.

అందరూ వేర్వేరుగా మాట ఇస్తే, ఎవరు ఏం చేశారో లెక్క కావాలి. అందుకే ప్రతి దేశం ఒకే పద్ధతిలో తన లెక్కలు చూపాలి, నిపుణులు చూస్తారు. ప్రపంచ స్థితి సమీక్ష ఐదేళ్లకోసారి జరుగుతుంది: తరగతి మొత్తం సిలబస్‌లో ఎంత దూరం వచ్చిందో టీచర్ చూసినట్టు, ఒక్కో విద్యార్థికి మార్కులు వేయదు. మొదటిది 2023 దుబాయ్‌లో: పునరుత్పాదక శక్తి మూడింతలు, సామర్థ్య మెరుగుదల రెట్టింపు, శిలాజ ఇంధనాల నుంచి దూరంగా. శిక్షలు వేసే కమిటీ లేదు, సహాయం చేసే కమిటీ ఉంది. (→ English: enhanced transparency framework; global stocktake; transition away from fossil fuels · हिन्दी: संवर्धित पारदर्शिता ढाँचा; वैश्विक स्टॉकटेक; जीवाश्म ईंधनों से दूर हटना)

In exam EnglishPledges made separately need a way to be checked and added up. Article 13 sets up an enhanced transparency framework: every party reports its emissions and its progress under a common set of rules, and expert teams review the reports. Article 14 creates the global stocktake, a collective review held every five years to judge how far the world remains from the Agreement's goals; it does not grade individual countries, but its findings are meant to shape the next round of contributions. The first stocktake concluded at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023. Its decision called on parties to contribute to tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling the rate of energy-efficiency improvement by 2030, and to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner. A compliance committee under Article 15 works in a facilitative way and imposes no penalties.

మన దేశం మాట: 2030 నాటికి ప్రతి రూపాయి ఉత్పత్తికి వచ్చే పొగను 2005 కంటే 45 శాతం తగ్గించడం, విద్యుత్ సామర్థ్యంలో సగం శిలాజేతర వనరుల నుంచి, అడవుల ద్వారా అదనపు కార్బన్ సింక్. ఇది 'తీవ్రత' లక్ష్యం: ఒక కుటుంబం సంపాదన పెరిగినా, ప్రతి వంద రూపాయలకు ఖర్చు తగ్గించినట్టు; మొత్తం ఖర్చు ఇంకా పెరగొచ్చు. 2070 నాటికి నికర శూన్య ఉద్గారాలు గ్లాస్గోలో ప్రకటించారు. 2022 నవీకరించిన జాతీయంగా నిర్ణయించిన సహకారం లో జీవనశైలి ఉద్యమం LiFE కూడా ఉంది. (→ English: emissions intensity of GDP; carbon sink; net zero; nationally determined contribution; Mission LiFE · हिन्दी: GDP की उत्सर्जन तीव्रता; कार्बन सिंक; नेट ज़ीरो; राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर निर्धारित योगदान; मिशन LiFE)

In exam EnglishIndia's first contribution, submitted in October 2015, promised to cut the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33–35 per cent below the 2005 level by 2030, to raise non-fossil sources to about 40 per cent of installed electricity capacity, and to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5–3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through more forest and tree cover. At COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021 the Prime Minister announced a five-point agenda, the 'Panchamrit', which included net zero emissions by 2070. The updated nationally determined contribution, approved by the Union Cabinet in August 2022, raised the intensity cut to 45 per cent and the non-fossil share of installed capacity to about 50 per cent by 2030, kept the forest-sink goal, and added a mass movement for sustainable lifestyles, Mission LiFE. Intensity means emissions per unit of GDP, so total emissions can still grow. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy reported in July 2025 that non-fossil sources had crossed half of installed capacity.

అనుచ్ఛేదం 6 దేశాల మధ్య కొనుగోలు-అమ్మకాలకు దారి. రెండు దేశాలు నేరుగా ఒప్పందం చేసుకుంటే, అమ్మిన దేశం ఆ టన్నును తన లెక్క నుంచి తీసేయాలి: ఒకే పొలాన్ని ఇద్దరికి అమ్మకూడదు అన్నట్టు. రెండో దారి ఐరాస పర్యవేక్షణలో కేంద్ర కార్బన్ మార్కెట్; అది ప్రతి నిర్ధారిత టన్నుకు ఒక కార్బన్ క్రెడిట్ ఇస్తుంది, పాత స్వచ్ఛ అభివృద్ధి యంత్రాంగం స్థానంలో వచ్చింది. మూడో దారిలో వ్యాపారం ఉండదు. నియమాలు గ్లాస్గో, బాకు సదస్సుల్లో పూర్తయ్యాయి. (→ English: Article 6; corresponding adjustment; carbon market; carbon credit; Clean Development Mechanism · हिन्दी: अनुच्छेद 6; संगत समायोजन; कार्बन बाज़ार; कार्बन क्रेडिट; स्वच्छ विकास तंत्र)

In exam EnglishArticle 6 lets countries cooperate to meet their contributions. Under Article 6.2, two countries can agree that one transfers emission cuts to the other; these internationally transferred mitigation outcomes count towards the buyer's target, and the seller must make a 'corresponding adjustment', adding the sold amount back to its own account so that the same tonne is not counted twice. Article 6.4 creates a central carbon market supervised under the UN, now called the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism; it issues a carbon credit for each verified tonne from approved projects and succeeds the Clean Development Mechanism, and part of its credits goes to fund adaptation. Article 6.8 covers cooperation that involves no trading at all. The basic rules were agreed at COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 and the remaining details at COP29 in Baku in 2024.

మన దేశం తన సొంత కార్బన్ మార్కెట్ కడుతోంది. 2022 ఇంధన సంరక్షణ చట్ట సవరణతో అధికారం వచ్చింది, 2023లో విద్యుత్ మంత్రిత్వ శాఖ పథకం ప్రకటించింది, ఇంధన సామర్థ్య బ్యూరో నడుపుతుంది. పెద్ద కర్మాగారాలకు 'ప్రతి టన్ను ఉత్పత్తికి ఇంతే పొగ' అని లక్ష్యం; లక్ష్యం కంటే బాగా చేసిన ఫ్యాక్టరీ సర్టిఫికెట్లు సంపాదించి, వెనకబడిన ఫ్యాక్టరీకి అమ్మొచ్చు, పరీక్షలో అదనపు మార్కులు అమ్మినట్టు. ఇతరులు స్వచ్ఛందంగా ప్రాజెక్టులు నమోదు చేయొచ్చు. ఇది 2012 నాటి PAT పథకంపై నిర్మించారు. (→ English: carbon market; Carbon Credit Trading Scheme; Bureau of Energy Efficiency; compliance mechanism; offset mechanism; Perform, Achieve and Trade · हिन्दी: कार्बन बाज़ार; कार्बन क्रेडिट व्यापार योजना; ऊर्जा दक्षता ब्यूरो; अनुपालन तंत्र; ऑफ़सेट तंत्र; प्रदर्शन, उपलब्धि और व्यापार)

In exam EnglishIndia is building its own domestic carbon market. The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022 empowered the Central Government to specify a carbon credit trading scheme, and the Ministry of Power notified the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme on 28 June 2023. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency administers it, and each carbon credit certificate stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent. The scheme has two routes. Under the compliance mechanism, notified energy-intensive industries receive targets for greenhouse gas emissions per unit of output, and those that beat their targets earn certificates that they can sell to those that fall short. Under the offset mechanism, entities without such obligations can register projects that cut or remove emissions and earn certificates voluntarily. It builds on the Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme of 2012, under which large plants that beat their energy-use targets could sell Energy Saving Certificates.

హరిత క్రెడిట్ వేరే విషయం. 2023లో పర్యావరణ మంత్రిత్వ శాఖ నియమాలు తెచ్చింది: ఎవరైనా చెట్లు నాటినా, నీటిని నిల్వ చేసినా, చెత్తను సరిగా నిర్వహించినా, మడ అడవులను కాపాడినా క్రెడిట్ వస్తుంది. బడిలో మంచి పనికి స్టార్ ఇచ్చినట్టు, ఇది ఏ రకమైన మంచి పనికైనా. కార్బన్ క్రెడిట్ మాత్రం టన్నుల వాయువు లెక్క, విద్యుత్ మంత్రిత్వ శాఖ కింద. రెండూ కలపొద్దు. (→ English: Green Credit Programme; green credit; carbon credit · हिन्दी: हरित क्रेडिट कार्यक्रम; हरित क्रेडिट; कार्बन क्रेडिट)

In exam EnglishThe Green Credit Programme is a different instrument. It was set up under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 through the Green Credit Rules notified by the Environment Ministry in October 2023, and it rewards voluntary environmental actions by individuals, companies, local bodies and other organisations with green credits that can be traded. Its list of activities reaches well beyond carbon: tree planting, water conservation and harvesting, sustainable agriculture, waste management, reducing air pollution, conserving mangroves and similar work. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education administers it. The distinction to hold on to: a carbon credit under the trading scheme measures tonnes of greenhouse gas and sits under the Energy Conservation Act and the Ministry of Power, while a green credit rewards an environmental action of any kind and sits under the Environment Ministry.

వాతావరణ ఆర్థిక సహాయం అంటే పేద దేశాలు పొగ తగ్గించడానికి, మారిన వాతావరణానికి అలవాటు పడటానికి ధనిక దేశాలు ఇచ్చే డబ్బు. దానికి కొన్ని నిధులు: 1991 నాటి ప్రపంచ పర్యావరణ సౌకర్యం, 2010 కాన్‌కున్‌లో పుట్టిన హరిత వాతావరణ నిధి, క్యోటో నాటి అనుసరణ నిధి. నష్టం మరియు హాని అంటే అలవాటు పడినా తప్పని నష్టం: సముద్రం మింగేసిన పొలం లాంటిది. దాని నిధి 2022లో అంగీకరించి 2023లో మొదలైంది. 2024 బాకులో కొత్త లక్ష్యం ఏటా 300 బిలియన్ డాలర్లు; మన దేశం అది చాలా తక్కువ అంది. (→ English: climate finance; Global Environment Facility; Green Climate Fund; Adaptation Fund; loss and damage; new collective quantified goal · हिन्दी: जलवायु वित्त; वैश्विक पर्यावरण सुविधा; हरित जलवायु कोष; अनुकूलन कोष; हानि और क्षति; नया सामूहिक परिमाणित लक्ष्य)

In exam Englishclimate finance is the money that helps developing countries cut emissions and adapt. The UNFCCC places the duty to provide it on developed countries, and Article 9 of the Paris Agreement repeats that duty. Several funds carry the money. The Global Environment Facility, set up in 1991 with the World Bank as trustee, serves the climate convention and several other environmental treaties. The Green Climate Fund, created at Cancún in 2010 and based in Songdo, South Korea, is the largest dedicated climate fund. The Adaptation Fund, born under Kyoto and financed partly by a share of CDM credits, now also serves the Paris Agreement. Money for loss and damage, harm that adaptation cannot prevent, such as farmland lost to the sea, was the newest demand: COP27 at Sharm el-Sheikh (2022) agreed to set up a fund, and COP28 in Dubai (2023) made it operational on its first day, with the World Bank as interim host. At COP29 in Baku (2024) a new collective goal replaced the old 100 billion dollar pledge: developed countries are to take the lead in mobilising at least 300 billion US dollars a year by 2035. India criticised the figure as far too small.

The main climate funds
Fund	Set up	Key facts
Global Environment Facility (GEF)	1991	World Bank is trustee; serves the UNFCCC and other environmental conventions
Green Climate Fund	COP16, Cancún, 2010	Based in Songdo, South Korea; funds mitigation and adaptation
Adaptation Fund	Under the Kyoto Protocol	Financed partly by a share of CDM credits; now also serves the Paris Agreement
Fund for responding to loss and damage	Agreed at COP27 (2022); operational at COP28 (2023)	World Bank as interim host; for harm adaptation cannot prevent

వాతావరణ మార్పుపై జాతీయ కార్యాచరణ ప్రణాళిక 2008లో వచ్చింది, ఏ అంతర్జాతీయ లక్ష్యం రాకముందే. ఇల్లు కట్టేటప్పుడు ఒక్కో పనికి ఒక్కో మేస్త్రీ ఉన్నట్టు, ఎనిమిది మిషన్లు, ఒక్కోదానికి ఒక్కో మంత్రిత్వ శాఖ: సౌరశక్తి, ఇంధన సామర్థ్యం, సుస్థిర నివాసం, నీరు, హిమాలయ పర్యావరణం, హరిత భారత్, సుస్థిర వ్యవసాయం, వాతావరణ జ్ఞానం. రాష్ట్రాలు తమ సొంత ప్రణాళికలు రాశాయి; అనుసరణ పనులకు నాబార్డ్ ద్వారా జాతీయ నిధి ఉంది. (→ English: National Action Plan on Climate Change; eight national missions; State Action Plans on Climate Change; National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change · हिन्दी: जलवायु परिवर्तन पर राष्ट्रीय कार्य योजना; आठ राष्ट्रीय मिशन; जलवायु परिवर्तन पर राज्य कार्य योजनाएँ; जलवायु परिवर्तन के लिए राष्ट्रीय अनुकूलन कोष)

In exam EnglishAt home, the National Action Plan on Climate Change was released on 30 June 2008, years before India had any international target. It rests on eight national missions, each led by a ministry, which aim to make development cleaner and more resilient rather than to cap growth: the National Solar Mission, Enhanced Energy Efficiency, Sustainable Habitat, the National Water Mission, Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, Green India, Sustainable Agriculture and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change. States were asked to prepare State Action Plans on Climate Change in line with the national plan, and a National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change, set up in 2015 with NABARD as the implementing entity, pays for adaptation projects in the states.

The eight missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008)
Mission	Lead ministry or department
National Solar Mission	New and Renewable Energy
Enhanced Energy Efficiency	Power
Sustainable Habitat	Housing and Urban Affairs
National Water Mission	Jal Shakti
Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem	Science and Technology
Green India	Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Sustainable Agriculture	Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change	Science and Technology

మన దేశం తన ఆలోచనలతో అంతర్జాతీయ కూటములు కట్టింది. అంతర్జాతీయ సౌర కూటమి 2015లో పారిస్‌లో ఫ్రాన్స్‌తో కలిసి మొదలైంది, ప్రధాన కార్యాలయం గురుగ్రామ్‌లో: ఎండ ఎక్కువ ఉన్న దేశాలన్నీ కలిసి సౌర శక్తి పెంచుకోవడం, ఊరంతా కలిసి సోలార్ పంపులు కొన్నట్టు. విపత్తులను తట్టుకునే రోడ్లు, విద్యుత్ లైన్ల కోసం CDRI (2019, సచివాలయం ఢిల్లీ). భారీ పరిశ్రమల కోసం స్వీడన్‌తో LeadIT. 2023 G20లో జీవ ఇంధన కూటమి. (→ English: International Solar Alliance; Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure; LeadIT; Global Biofuels Alliance · हिन्दी: अंतरराष्ट्रीय सौर गठबंधन; आपदा-रोधी अवसंरचना गठबंधन; LeadIT; वैश्विक जैव ईंधन गठबंधन)

In exam EnglishIndia has also built international groups around its own priorities. The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France at COP21 in Paris on 30 November 2015 to spread solar energy, especially among sunshine-rich countries. Its framework agreement entered into force on 6 December 2017, and its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana, make it the first treaty-based intergovernmental organisation based in India. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, launched by India at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York in September 2019, with its secretariat in New Delhi, helps countries build roads, power lines and other infrastructure that can withstand disasters. At the same summit India and Sweden launched the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) to help heavy industries such as steel and cement cut emissions. The Global Biofuels Alliance followed at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023.

మొత్తం చూస్తే: క్యోటో ప్రోటోకాల్ పైనుంచి కొందరికి 'ఇంత తగ్గించు' అని చెప్పింది; పారిస్ ఒప్పందం ప్రతి దేశాన్ని 'నువ్వేం చేస్తావు' అని అడుగుతుంది, తర్వాత లెక్కలు, సమీక్ష, తోటివారి ఒత్తిడితో ప్రతి జాతీయంగా నిర్ణయించిన సహకారం పెరిగేలా చూస్తుంది. మార్కెట్లు కొత్త రూపంలో ఉన్నాయి. డబ్బే అసలు కీలు; అందుకే మన దేశం ప్రతి సదస్సులో ఉమ్మడి కానీ విభిన్న బాధ్యతలు గుర్తుచేస్తుంది. మన దేశం దారి: తీవ్రత లక్ష్యాలు, 2070 నికర శూన్యం, ఎనిమిది మిషన్లు, సౌర కూటమి. (→ English: Kyoto Protocol; Paris Agreement; nationally determined contribution; common but differentiated responsibilities · हिन्दी: क्योटो प्रोटोकॉल; पेरिस समझौता; राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर निर्धारित योगदान; साझा किंतु विभेदित उत्तरदायित्व)

In exam EnglishSeen as a whole, the climate regime has moved from top-down to bottom-up. The Kyoto Protocol told a few countries what to cut; the Paris Agreement asks every country what it will do, then relies on transparency, the five-yearly stocktake and the pressure of peers to push each nationally determined contribution upwards. Markets survive in a new form under Article 6. Finance is the hinge: developing countries' ambition depends on money that has repeatedly fallen short of their needs, which is why India keeps returning to common but differentiated responsibilities at every COP. India's own record combines intensity targets rather than absolute caps, net zero by 2070, a national plan built on eight missions, and leadership of alliances on solar power and resilient infrastructure. With the science of Part 1 and the institutions of Part 2, this completes the chapter.

Exam traps

The Paris temperature goal is to hold warming 'well below 2 °C' while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C. It is wrong to say the Agreement sets 1.5 °C as a binding cap or 2 °C as the level to aim for.
Under the Paris Agreement a country is legally bound to prepare, communicate and update its NDC every five years, not to achieve it. Binding targets for listed countries were the Kyoto model.
India's NDC targets emissions intensity of GDP (45 per cent below 2005 by 2030), not absolute emissions; the 50 per cent figure is the non-fossil share of installed electricity capacity, not of total energy or of generation.
India's net zero year is 2070, announced at COP26 in Glasgow (2021). It was not part of the Paris pledge of 2015 and is not 2050.
The global stocktake reviews collective progress and does not rate individual countries; the first ended at COP28 in Dubai (2023), and stocktakes recur every five years.
The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (2023) comes under the Energy Conservation Act, the Ministry of Power and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency; the Green Credit Programme (2023) comes under the Environment (Protection) Act, the Environment Ministry and ICFRE.
The loss and damage fund was agreed at COP27 (Sharm el-Sheikh, 2022) and made operational at COP28 (Dubai, 2023). The Warsaw mechanism on loss and damage (2013) and the Green Climate Fund (Cancún, 2010) are different bodies.
The International Solar Alliance was launched by India and France (2015) and is headquartered in Gurugram; CDRI was launched by India (2019) with its secretariat in New Delhi; LeadIT is an India–Sweden initiative.

Recap

Paris Agreement: adopted 12 December 2015 (COP21), in force 4 November 2016; India ratified 2 October 2016.
Article 2 goals: well below 2 °C, efforts for 1.5 °C; adaptation without threatening food production; finance flows consistent with low-emission development.
NDCs (Article 4): every party, every five years, each more ambitious; binding to submit, not to achieve. Transparency framework (Article 13); global stocktake every five years (Article 14), first at COP28, 2023.
India's updated NDC (2022): emissions intensity 45 per cent below 2005 by 2030; about 50 per cent non-fossil installed capacity; 2.5–3 billion tonne extra forest sink; Mission LiFE. Net zero by 2070 (COP26, 2021).
Article 6: 6.2 bilateral transfers with corresponding adjustments; 6.4 Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism, successor to the CDM; 6.8 non-market approaches.
India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (28 June 2023, Energy Conservation Act, BEE): compliance and offset mechanisms; builds on PAT (2012). Green Credit Programme (October 2023, EPA 1986, ICFRE) rewards wider environmental actions.
Climate finance: GEF (1991), Green Climate Fund (Cancún 2010, Songdo), Adaptation Fund (Kyoto), loss and damage fund (agreed COP27 2022, operational COP28 2023); new goal at COP29 (2024): at least 300 billion dollars a year by 2035.
NAPCC (30 June 2008): eight missions; State Action Plans; National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (2015, NABARD). India-led: ISA (2015, Gurugram), CDRI (2019, New Delhi), LeadIT (with Sweden, 2019), Global Biofuels Alliance (2023).

Practice questions

Q1. In which year did the Paris Agreement on climate change enter into force?

2015
2016
2018
2020

Show answer

Answer: B. 2016

It entered into force on 4 November 2016, once 55 parties with 55 per cent of global emissions had joined. 2015 is the year of adoption at COP21; 2018 is when the rulebook was largely agreed at Katowice and has nothing to do with entry into force; 2020 was the start of the period its first contributions covered, not its entry into force.

Q2. Consider the following statements about the Paris Agreement:
1. Each party is legally bound to achieve the emission targets in its nationally determined contribution.
2. A global stocktake of collective progress is to be held every five years.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2

Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 2 is correct (Article 14). Statement 1 is wrong: the binding duty is to prepare, communicate and maintain an NDC and pursue measures towards it, not to achieve it. Option 1 picks the false statement, option 3 includes it, and option 4 rejects the true statement 2.

Q3. Under its updated nationally determined contribution of 2022, India aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 2030, compared with the 2005 level, by:

33–35 per cent
40 per cent
45 per cent
50 per cent

Show answer

Answer: C. 45 per cent

The 2022 update raised the intensity target to 45 per cent. 33–35 per cent was the first (2015) target; 40 per cent was the 2015 goal for the non-fossil share of installed capacity; 50 per cent is the updated non-fossil capacity goal, not an intensity cut.

Q4. Consider the following pairs:
Fund : Where it was agreed
1. Green Climate Fund : COP16, Cancún
2. Fund for responding to loss and damage : COP21, Paris
3. Adaptation Fund : Kyoto Protocol
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Only one
Only two
All three
None

Show answer

Answer: B. Only two

Pairs 1 and 3 are correct. Pair 2 is wrong: the loss and damage fund was agreed at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh (2022) and made operational at COP28 in Dubai (2023), not at Paris. So 'only one' undercounts, 'all three' includes the wrong pair, and 'none' rejects two correct pairs.

Q5. Consider the following statements about India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023:
1. It was notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
2. It is administered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
3. It includes an offset mechanism under which entities without targets can register projects voluntarily.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: B. 2 and 3 only

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 1 is wrong: the scheme was notified by the Ministry of Power under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, as amended in 2022; it is the Green Credit Programme that rests on the Environment (Protection) Act. Options 1, 3 and 4 all include the false statement 1.

Q6. Which one of the following is NOT one of the eight national missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (2008)?

National Mission for a Green India
National Water Mission
National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change
National Wind Energy Mission

Show answer

Answer: D. National Wind Energy Mission

There is no wind mission among the eight; the energy missions are the National Solar Mission and Enhanced Energy Efficiency. Green India, the Water Mission and Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change are all among the original eight, so options 1–3 are missions and cannot be the answer.

Q7. Consider the following pairs:
Initiative : Launched by or with
1. International Solar Alliance : India and France
2. Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) : India and Sweden
3. Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure : India and Japan
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

1 only
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3

Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 2 only

Pairs 1 and 2 are correct. Pair 3 is wrong: CDRI was launched by India at the UN Climate Action Summit (2019), with its secretariat in New Delhi; it is not an India–Japan initiative. Option 1 leaves out the correct pair 2, and options 3 and 4 include the wrong pair 3.

Q8. Under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, a 'corresponding adjustment' is made in order to:

prevent the same emission reduction from being counted by both the selling and the buying country
send a fixed share of every transfer to the Adaptation Fund
convert old Kyoto credits into Paris credits
set a single world price for carbon

Show answer

Answer: A. prevent the same emission reduction from being counted by both the selling and the buying country

The seller adds the transferred amount back to its own emissions account so that one tonne is counted only once. A share of proceeds for adaptation is a feature of the Article 6.4 mechanism, not of corresponding adjustments; the transition of old CDM activities is a separate rule; and the Agreement sets no global carbon price.

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Sources

Paris Agreement, 2015 (Articles 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 21) — https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf
Decisions of the UNFCCC COP and of the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement: Glasgow decisions on Article 6 (2021); funding arrangements for loss and damage (COP27, 2022, and COP28, 2023); outcome of the first global stocktake, decision 1/CMA.5 (2023); new collective quantified goal on climate finance (CMA.6, Baku, 2024) — https://unfccc.int/decisions
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: India's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (2015) and Updated First NDC (August 2022); India's Long-Term Low-Carbon Development Strategy (November 2022); National Action Plan on Climate Change (30 June 2008); National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change — https://moef.gov.in
Energy Conservation Act, 2001, as amended by the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2022 (section 14(w)); Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023, Ministry of Power notification of 28 June 2023 and its amendment adding the offset mechanism; Perform, Achieve and Trade scheme (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) — https://www.indiacode.nic.in
Green Credit Rules, 2023, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in October 2023 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 — https://moef.gov.in
Press Information Bureau: India's ratification of the Paris Agreement (2 October 2016); the Prime Minister's national statement at COP26 (November 2021); Cabinet approval of the updated NDC (3 August 2022); International Solar Alliance, CDRI and LeadIT; Global Biofuels Alliance (September 2023); Ministry of New and Renewable Energy on non-fossil installed capacity (July 2025) — https://pib.gov.in
Official sites of the Global Environment Facility (trustee: World Bank; established 1991), the Green Climate Fund (Songdo) and the Adaptation Fund — https://www.greenclimate.fund