Read the passage and answer the questions:
The developed countries of the North want to discuss the environmental issue as it stands now and want everyone to be equally responsible for ecological conservation. The developing countries of the South feel that much of the ecological degradation in the world is the product of industrial development undertaken by the developed countries. If they have caused more degradation, they must also take more responsibility for undoing the damage now. Moreover, the developing countries are in the process of industrialisation and they must not be subjected to the same restrictions, which apply to the developed countries. Thus the special needs of the developing countries must be taken into account in the development, application, and interpretation of rules of international environmental law. This argument was accepted in the Rio Declaration at the Earth Summit in 1992 and is called the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’. The relevant part of the Rio Declaration says that “States shall cooperate in the spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystem.”
What does the phrase “common but differentiated responsibilities” mean?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The special needs of the developing countries must be taken into account in the development, application, and interpretation of rules of international environmental law.
Option (1) The special needs of the developing countries must be taken into account ... — Correct. Countries share a common duty to protect the environment, but their duties differ by their contribution to the damage. The special needs of the developing countries must be taken into account; this was accepted in the Rio Declaration in 1992 and is called the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.
Option (2) The developed countries of the South want ... everyone to be equally responsible for ecological conservation. — Incorrect. It is the developed countries of the North that want everyone equally responsible, and that view is the opposite of the principle.
Option (3) The developing countries of the North feel ... undertaken by the least developed countries. — Incorrect. The developing countries of the South blame the industrial development of the developed countries.
Option (4) The countries of the North and South are equally responsible for environmental degradation. — Incorrect. The principle says responsibilities are common but differentiated: all states share the duty to protect the Earth, but those that caused more degradation, the developed countries, must take more responsibility for undoing it. Equal responsibility for all is the view of the North, which the principle does not accept.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 11-05-2026 (Slot 2) and 23-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Common but Differentiated Responsibilities … We have noted above a difference in the approach to environment between the countries of the North and the South. The developed countries of the North want to discuss the environmental issue as it stands now and want everyone to be equally responsible for ecological conservation. The developing countries of the South feel that much of the ecological degradation in the world is the product of industrial development undertaken by the developed countries. If they have caused more degradation, they must also take more responsibility for undoing the damage now. Moreover, the developing countries are in the process of industrialisation and they must not be subjected to the same restrictions, which apply to the developed countries. Thus the special needs of the developing countries must be taken into account in the development, application, and interpretation of rules of international environmental law. This argument was accepted in the Rio Declaration at the Earth Summit in 1992 and is called the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.… Common but Differentiated Responsibilities … China, India, and other developing countries were, therefore, exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol.…” |