UPSC PYQPrelims 2020

Civil Services Examination · Question 85

Which one of the following statements best describes the term 'Social Cost of Carbon'? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the

  1. long-term damage done by a tonne of CO2 emissions in a given year.
  2. requirement of fossil fuels for a country to provide goods and services to its citizens, based on the burning of those fuels.
  3. efforts put in by a climate refugee to adapt to live in a new place.
  4. contribution of an individual person to the carbon footprint on the planet Earth.
Show answer & explanation

Answer: (A) long-term damage done by a tonne of CO2 emissions in a given year.

Explanation

The social cost of carbon estimates the economic damage from emitting one additional tonne of CO2 in a given year.