Read the passage and answer the questions:
India signed and ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol in August 2002. India, China and other developing countries were exempt from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol because their contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases during the industrialisation period (that is believed to be causing today’s global warming and climate change) was not significant. However, the critics of the Kyoto Protocol point out that sooner or later, both India and China, along with other developing countries, will be among the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. At the G-8 meeting in June 2005, India pointed out that the per capita emission rates of the developing countries are a tiny fraction of those in the developed world. Following the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, India is of the view that the major responsibility of curbing emission rests with the developed countries, which have accumulated emissions over a long period of time.
India’s international negotiating position relies heavily on principles of historical responsibility, as enshrined in UNFCCC. This acknowledges that developed countries are responsible for most historical and current greenhouse gas emissions, and emphasizes that ‘economic and social development are the first and overriding priorities of the developing country parties’. So India is wary of recent discussions within UNFCCC about introducing binding commitments on rapidly industrialising countries (such as Brazil, China and India) to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. India feels this contravenes the very spirit of UNFCCC. Neither does it seem fair to impose restrictions on India when the country’s rise in per capita carbon emissions by 2030 is likely to still represent less than half the world average of 3.8 tonnes in 2000. Indian emissions are predicted to rise from 0.9 tonnes per capita in 2000 to 1.6 tonnes per capita in 2030.
Why were India and China exempted from the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Because no significant contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases during the industrialisation period
Option (1) Because no significant contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases during the industrialisation period — Correct. India, China and other developing countries were exempt because their contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases during the industrialisation period was not significant.
Option (2) Because developing countries are in the process of industrialisation and must be subjected to the same restrictions as the developed countries. — Incorrect. This turns the developing countries’ argument upside down: they say that because they are in the process of industrialisation, they must not be subjected to the same restrictions as the developed countries.
Option (3) Because by not subjecting them to the protocol they wanted to be politically powerful in the South Asian region — Incorrect. The exemption had nothing to do with political power in South Asia; it rested on how little these countries had emitted during the industrialisation period.
Option (4) Because developed countries bear more responsibility in their pursuit of non-sustainable development. — Incorrect. India does hold that the major responsibility of curbing emission rests with the developed countries, but that is India’s view of who should cut emissions; the reason given for the exemption is the developing countries’ own small past contribution.
Note 1: This passage is taken from the NCERT chapter ‘Environment and Natural Resources’, the section ‘India’s Stand on Environmental Issues’, almost word for word. Learn India’s own stand on each world issue line by line; NTA built all five questions here from two paragraphs.
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 24-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT: Contemporary World Politics — Chapter 6: Environment and Natural Resources (2025-26)
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