UPSC Prelims 2012·CSAT·Reading Comprehension·Passage Comprehension

Read the following passages and answer the items that follow passage. Your answer to these items should be based on the passage only. Today's developing economies use much less energy per capita than developed countries such as the United States did at similar incomes, showing the potential for lower-carbon growth. Adaptation and mitigation need to be integrated into a climate smart development strategy that increases resilience, reduces the threat of further global warming, and improves development outcomes. Adaptation and mitigation measures can advance development, and prosperity can raise incomes and foster better institutions. A healthier population living in better-built houses and with access to bank loans and social security is better equipped to deal with a changing climate and its consequences. Advancing robust, resilient development policies that promote adaptation is needed today because changes in the climate, already begun, will increase even in the short term. The spread of economic prosperity has always been intertwined with adaptation to changing ecological conditions. But as growth has altered the environment and as environmental change has adaptability demands greater capacity to understand our environment, generate new adaptive technologies and practices, and diffuse them widely. As economic historians have explained, much of humankind's creative potential has been directed at adapting to the changing world. But adaptation cannot cope with all the impacts related to climate change, especially as large changes unfold in the long term. Countries cannot grow out of harm's way fast enough to match the changing climate. And some growth strategies, whether driven by the government or the market, can also add to vulnerability- particularly if they overexploit natural resources. Under the Soviet development plan, irrigated cotton cultivation expanded in water- stressed Central Asia and led to the near disappearance of the Aral Sea, threatening the livelihoods of fisherman, herders and farmers. And clearing mangroves- the natural coastal buffers against storm surges- to make way for intensive farming or housing development, increases the physical vulnerability of coastal settlements, whether in Guinea or in Louisiana. Which of the following conditions is/are necessary for sustainable economic growth? 1) Spreading of economic prosperity more. 2) Popularising/spreading of adaptive technologies widely. 3) Investing on research in adaptation and mitigation technologies. Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

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  1. AOnly 1
  2. BOnly 2 and 3Correct
  3. COnly 1 and 3
  4. D1, 2 and 3

Explanation

The correct answer is B because the passage explicitly links sustainable growth and climate resilience to the capacity to understand the environment and generate and diffuse new adaptive technologies. Statement 1 is incorrect because the passage suggests that economic growth alone is not a sufficient condition for sustainability. It warns that some growth strategies can actually increase vulnerability and overexploit natural resources, as seen in the examples of the Aral Sea and mangrove clearing. Therefore, simply spreading prosperity more does not guarantee sustainability. Statement 2 is correct because the passage states that adaptability demands the ability to generate new adaptive technologies and practices and diffuse them widely. This is presented as a requirement for dealing with environmental changes. Statement 3 is correct because the text emphasizes that adaptation demands a greater capacity to understand our environment and generate new technologies. This necessitates investment in research and development for both adaptation and mitigation to integrate them into a climate smart development strategy. Since statements 2 and 3 are supported as necessary conditions for resilient and sustainable growth according to the text, option B is the correct choice.
Reading Comprehension: Read the following passages and answer the items that follow passage. Your answer to these items should be based on the

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