Which one of the following is an international agreement setting targets for industrialized countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The Kyoto Protocol (1997)
The Kyoto Protocol is the international agreement that sets targets for industrialised countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
Option (1) Antarctic Treaty (1959) — Incorrect. It is one of the path-breaking agreements on the global commons, the areas outside the sovereign jurisdiction of any one state, such as Antarctica, the ocean floor and outer space. It deals with the governance of Antarctica, not with emission targets.
Option (2) Montreal Protocol (1989) — Incorrect. This is another of those path-breaking agreements on the global commons, signed in 1987. It too sets no greenhouse gas targets for industrialised countries.
Option (3) Antarctic Environmental Protocol (1991) — Incorrect. It belongs to the same group of global-commons agreements and lays down rules for protecting the Antarctic environment, not for cutting emissions.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Protection of Global Commons … Cooperation over the global commons is not easy. There have been many path-breaking agreements such as the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, the 1987 Montreal Protocol, and the 1991 Antarctic Environmental Protocol.… Common but Differentiated Responsibilities … The parties to the Convention agreed that the largest share of historical and current global emissions of greenhouse gases has originated in developed countries. It was also acknowledged that per capita emissions in developing countries are still relatively low. China, India, and other developing countries were, therefore, exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement setting targets for industrialised countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.…” |