Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 22, 2025

Option (a) is incorrect: Large-scale resort infrastructure often leads to habitat fragmentation, increased pollution, and strain on local resources, making it unsustainable near wildlife sanctuaries.

Option (b) is incorrect: Construction within Eco-Sensitive Zones without impact assessments can have detrimental effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Such activities are regulated and require careful planning to ensure minimal environmental impact.

Option (c) is correct: Wildlife photography tours, when conducted responsibly with guidelines to minimize disturbance, can contribute to conservation awareness and generate revenue for local communities without significant ecological damage. This aligns with the principles of sustainable development.

Option (d) is incorrect: Unregulated trekking and camping can lead to soil erosion, vegetation loss, and pollution of water sources, especially in fragile high-altitude ecosystems. Sustainable tourism practices involve regulated access, designated campsites, and visitor education to minimize impact.

Statement 1 is correct: This is the official definition of Sustainable Development from the Brundtland Commission Report (1987). It emphasizes intergenerational equity, meaning development today should not harm the prospects of future generations. It promotes a balanced approach to growth that considers long-term environmental, social, and economic impacts.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Sustainable Development is built on three interconnected pillars:

1. Economic development – promoting inclusive and sustained economic growth.
2. Social inclusion – reducing inequality and improving quality of life.
3. Environmental sustainability – protecting natural resources and ecosystems.

Ignoring economic development would contradict the very foundation of Sustainable Development.

Statement 3 is correct: The UN 2030 Agenda was adopted by all UN Member States in September 2015. It includes 17 SDGs and 169 targets aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all. Examples of SDGs include:

1. No Poverty
2. Quality Education
3. Climate Action
4. Gender Equality
5. Clean Water and Sanitation

Statement 4 is incorrect: While environmental protection is a key component, Sustainable Development also includes:

1. Economic growth (e.g., decent work, innovation)
2. Social equity (e.g., reducing poverty, improving health and education)

Focusing only on the environment ignores the holistic nature of Sustainable Development.

Secondary Succession refers to the ecological succession that occurs in an area where a previous community has been disturbed or destroyed but where soil and sediments remain. It is a process of recovery and ecological restoration that follows disturbances such as fires, floods, or human activities like deforestation that do not eliminate soil and its microorganisms.

Statement 1 is correct: El Niño disrupts global weather patterns by altering atmospheric circulation. It often leads to reduced monsoon rainfall in India and severe droughts in Australia and Southeast Asia.

Statement 2 is correct: El Niño causes sea surface temperatures to rise in the eastern Pacific. This reduces nutrient upwelling, which is vital for fish populations. As a result, fisheries in Peru and Ecuador suffer major declines during El Niño years.

Statement 3 is correct: Paleoclimate studies using coral records, lake sediments, and tree rings show evidence of El Niño events dating back thousands of years. Archaeological evidence from ancient civilizations also suggests impacts from El Niño-like climate disruptions.

Statement 4 is incorrect: El Niño tends to cause warmer winters in parts of the northern hemisphere, especially in North America. While it can influence snowfall patterns, it does not typically increase snowfall across the entire northern hemisphere. In fact, some regions may experience less snow due to warmer temperatures.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Adaptation Fund was not launched by the Bali Action Plan. It was established earlier, under the Kyoto Protocol, and became operational around the time of COP-13, but its creation was not a direct outcome of the Bali Action Plan. The Bali Action Plan focused more broadly on adaptation strategies, but did not specifically launch the fund.

Statement 2 is correct: One of the key pillars of the Bali Action Plan was technology transfer. It aimed to promote development and dissemination of climate-friendly technologies, especially to support developing countries in both mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Statement 3 is correct: The Bali Action Plan called for a shared vision for long-term cooperative action. This included discussions on a global goal for emission reductions, though it did not set specific targets. It laid the groundwork for future negotiations, including the Copenhagen Accord (2009) and the Paris Agreement (2015).

Statement 4 is incorrect: The Bali Action Plan did not set binding targets. It initiated a negotiation process to consider measurable, reportable, and verifiable mitigation commitments, but binding targets were not agreed upon at COP-13. Binding targets were part of the Kyoto Protocol, not the Bali Action Plan.