Daily Quiz #14 UPSC Prelims Marathon – November 16 , 2019

Explanation: Careful measurement of environmental trends and progress provides a foundation for effective policymaking. The 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranks 180 countries on 24 performance indicators across ten issue categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. These metrics provide a gauge at a national scale of how close countries are to established environmental policy goals. The EPI thus offers a scorecard that highlights leaders and laggards in environmental performance, gives insight on best practices, and provides guidance for countries that aspire to be leaders in sustainability. The EPI is produced jointly by Yale University and Columbia University in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

Explanation: Supply of Bharat Stage-VI grade petrol and diesel has begun in cities adjoining the national capital recently. Delhi in April 2018 became the first city in the country to leapfrog from BS-IV grade petrol and diesel to BS-VI fuels.

Explanation: Recently a session was held at United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to review the first global assessment of land degradation, which seeks to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030.

Explanation: The E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 introduced the concept of EPR for the first time in India which made all the producers of electronic goods responsible for the waste production management. The amendment to the e-waste policy, with the new E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016, set stringent targets for the producers to collect and recycle end-of-life products of their goods. The EPR policy also finds place in Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 as well as the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

Explanation: The Climate Change Performance Index published by Germanwatch, CAN International and the NewClimate Institute evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 56 countries and the EU. The Climate Change Performance Index is an independent monitoring tool of countries’ climate protection performance. It aims to enhance transparency in international climate politics and enables the comparability of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries. On the basis of standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 56 countries and the EU that are, together, responsible for nearly 90 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. 80 percent of the evaluation is based on objective indicators of emissions, renewable energy and energy use. 20 percent of the index results are built upon national and international climate policy assessments by about 300 experts from the respective countries.