Environment & Ecology is one of the important subjects of civil services examination. Questions have been asked frequently from this section in both UPSC Prelims and Mains. Hence, it becomes important to catch hold of notes on important Environment topics for the IAS Exam.
 Environment and related topics are a part of both the UPSC Prelims Syllabus and the UPSC Mains Syllabus (GS III). At times, Environment related topics also come in the IAS Mains Essay paper.
This article will provide you with important articles and PDFs of UPSC notes on Environment and Ecology for the Civil Services Exam. which you can refer to for your preparation.
Important Environment & Ecology Notes for IAS Exam
Given below are some of the most important Environment & Ecology topics important for UPSC 2022.
Focus areas in Environment & Ecology for UPSC prelims and IAS mains:
- Environmental Ecology
- Biodiversity
- Climate Change
- Institutions
- Acts/Laws/Policies related to Environment
Preparing less concrete topics like above can pose a challenge to IAS aspirants. Ideally, the UPSC preparation strategy should comprise reading NCERTs and actively tracking current affairs. Also, going through the UPSC previous year question papers should be a part of the preparation.
These UPSC notes on Environment and related topics are prepared by subject matter experts keeping the Civil Services exam in mind. For a holistic approach to IAS preparation, check out the links at the bottom of the article.
Check the previous year’s Environment and Ecology Questions asked in UPSC Prelims in the linked article.
Environment and Ecology Notes PDF for UPSC Prelims exam and IAS Mains
The PDFs provided below will help for better preparation for both prelims and UPSC Mains.
Topics | |
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EE Notes-1 |
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EE Notes-2 |
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EE Notes-3 |
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EE Notes 4 |
How to best use these Environment notes for UPSC preparation?
- Aspirants often have the Environment related relevant information but presenting all the information in the IAS exam becomes a challenge, especially in the UPSC mains.
- Make a habit of listing current affairs along with static parts of the UPSC notes.
- If one goes through the UPSC previous year question papers, one can see the nature of questions are changing. While the emphasis on basic concepts and static part is still there, the dynamic aspects are getting more weightage.
Few Environment questions from UPSC previous year question papers are given below.
Q.1 Consider the following pairs:
Terms sometimes seen in the news Their origin
- Annexe- I Countries: Cartagena Protocol
- Certified Emissions Reductions: Nagoya Protocol
- Clean Development Mechanism: Kyoto Protocol
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 3 only
- 1,2 and 3
Ans. C
Q 2 Which of the following best describes/describe the aim of ‘Green India Mission’ of the Government of India?
- Incorporating environmental benefits and costs into the Union and State Budgets thereby implementing the ‘green accounting’
- Launching the second green revolution to enhance agricultural output so as to ensure food security to one and all in the future
- Restoring and enhancing forest cover responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
- 1 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 3 only
- 1,2 and 3
Ans. C
Q.3 What is/are the unique about the ‘Kharai Camel’ a breed found in India
- It is capable of swimming up three kilometres in seawater
- Its survives by grazing on mangroves
- It lives in the wild and cannot be domesticated
Select the correct answers using the code given below
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Ans. A
Q.4 What is ‘greenhouse gas protocol ‘?
- it is an international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify and manage greenhouse gas emissions
- it is an initiative of the united nations to offer financial incentives to developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adopt eco-friendly technologies
- it is an inter-governmental agreement ratified by all the member countries of the united nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to specified levels by the year 2022
- it is one of the multilateral REDD+ initiatives hosted by the world bank
Ans. A
Q.5 With reference to ‘Agenda 21’, sometimes seen in the news, consider the following statements:
- It is a global action plan for sustainable development.
- It originated in the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Ans. A
UPSC Preparation:
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