UPSC Mains 2024 GS4 Q2b: model answer
Global warming and climate change are the outcomes of human greed in the name of development, indicating the direction in which extinction of organisms including human beings is heading towards loss of life on Earth. How do you put an end to this to protect life and bring equilibrium between the society and the environment?
What the question wants
Ethical and practical steps to restore balance between society and nature.
How to structure it
Intro: Gandhi's need vs greed. Body: (1) greed-driven harm; (2) ethical shift (intergenerational equity, eco-centrism); (3) personal action (LiFE); (4) policy action; (5) global justice (CBDR). Conclusion.
- 1(1) greed-driven harm
- 2(2) ethical shift (intergenerational equity, eco-centrism)
- 3(3) personal action (LiFE)
- 4(4) policy action
- 5(5) global justice (CBDR)
Model answer
Gandhi said the earth provides enough for every man's need but not for every man's greed. Rising temperatures and species loss prove him right.
Ethical shift needed
- From human-centred to eco-centred thinking: nature has value in itself.
- Intergenerational equity: we hold the earth in trust for the young.
- Indian traditions like Bishnoi conservation and sacred groves show restraint.
Personal action
- Mission LiFE: save energy and water, cut waste, prefer public transport.
- Responsible consumption, less single-use plastic.
Policy action
- Green growth: renewables, India's target of net zero by 2070.
- Carbon pricing, circular economy, protection of forests and wetlands.
Global justice: common but differentiated responsibilities; climate finance from rich nations.
Balance returns when development is measured by well-being, not by consumption.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
need vs greed intergenerational equity Mission LiFE CBDR eco-centrism
Where most answers lose marks
- Only listing government schemes.
Fresh examples from current affairs
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In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
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19 Oct 2026
NBA shares Rs 1.19 crore with 29 State Biodiversity Boards from use of crop genetic resources
On 17 October 2026 the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) said it had shared ₹1.19 crore with 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council. The money came from seed companies that used Indian maize, rice, pearl millet and cotton for research and commercial hybrids. As the crops were bought from markets and the original holders could not be traced, the amount was split in proportion to each State’s cultivation area. The release comes two days before the CBD COP 17 opens in Yerevan.
UPSC angle: Prelims: NBA, BD Act 2002, Nagoya Protocol, BMCs, CBD COP 17. · Mains GS-III: benefit sharing and community-led conservation.
18 Oct 2026
National Biodiversity Authority shares ₹2.02 crore Access and Benefit-Sharing money from seed companies
The National Biodiversity Authority distributed ₹2.02 crore of Access and Benefit-Sharing money, paid by seed companies using crops such as rice, tomato and okra, among 27 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 UT councils by cultivation area. Its total ABS disbursement has now reached ₹202 crore, ahead of CBD COP 17 in Yerevan from 19 October 2026.
UPSC angle: Prelims: ABS, KMGBF targets, COP 17 venue. · Mains GS-III: biodiversity conservation and benefit-sharing.
10 Oct 2026
NHAI documents 2,150+ wildlife mitigation structures on national highways
NHAI released a document on wildlife mitigation measures during National Wildlife Week (2-8 October 2026). It records over 2,150 wildlife crossing structures built or proposed on national highways and about ₹19,700 crore spent in five years on such measures, from animal underpasses and overpasses to viaducts, tunnels and canopy crossings.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Wildlife Week, types of crossings. · Mains GS-III: conservation and infrastructure.
8 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC question paper: https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/QP_CSM_2024_GenStud_IV_03102024.pdf The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.