Paris Agreement

In the news

• IPCC meets in Addis Ababa amid deadlock over when to publish its next climate reports 13 October 2026 · The Hindu

  Should the world's climate science arrive in time for the 2028 stocktake, or wait so poorer nations can be heard?

• At NGT's climate conference, Modi says developing nations are wrongly blamed for emissions 20 September 2026 · The Hindu

  India's per capita emissions are under half the world average. Does that settle who must cut first?

• UNEP says 1.5°C will be crossed and maps an 'overshoot, peak and decline' path 3 September 2026 · The Hindu

  If 1.5°C can no longer be held, can the world go above it and still come back down?

Key facts

• The IPCC's 65th session opened in Addis Ababa on 12 October 2026 with its 195 member states deadlocked over the timing of the AR7 working group reports. (13 October 2026)
• The co-chairs propose approving all three working group reports by September 2028, in time for the second global stocktake that concludes in November 2028. (13 October 2026)
• PM Modi told an NGT-organised conference on 19 September 2026 that responsibility for carbon emissions has been wrongly placed on developing countries. (20 September 2026)
• He said India's per capita carbon emissions are less than half the global average and that developed countries' per capita emissions are six times India's. (20 September 2026)
• UNEP's report Limiting Overshoot (2 September 2026) says exceeding 1.5°C is now widely assessed as unavoidable, likely within the next few years. (3 September 2026)
• In UNEP's best case, warming peaks at about 1.8°C; most scenarios peak above 2°C. (3 September 2026)

Previous-year questions

1. 2023 · GS3 · 15 marks The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) has predicted a global sea level rise of about one metre by AD 2100. What would be its impact in India and the other countries in the Indian Ocean region?
2. 2022 · GS2 · 15 marks 'Clean energy is the order of the day.' Describe briefly India's changing policy towards climate change in various international fora in the context of geopolitics.
3. 2018 · GS2 · 15 marks How far do you agree with the view that tribunals curtail the jurisdiction of ordinary courts? In view of the above, discuss the constitutional validity and competency of the tribunals in India.
4. 2017 · GS3 · 15 marks 'Climate Change' is a global problem. How India will be affected by climate change? How Himalayan and coastal states of India will be affected by climate change?
5. 2023 · Prelims Consider the following activities: 1. Spreading finely ground basalt rock on farmlands extensively 2. Increasing the alkalinity of oceans by adding lime 3. Capturing carbon dioxide released by various industries and…
6. 2016 · Prelims With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in…
7. 2016 · Prelims Consider the following statements: 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations…