Climate Initiatives and Alliances for UPSC: ISA, Green Grids, LeadIT, IBCA, New York Declaration on Forests and the EU's Net-Zero Laws
How UPSC Tests Climate Initiatives and Alliances
🎯 Exam priority: Tier-2. These questions are about 'who launched it, what it does and who is in it'; the same ten initiatives recur. UPSC asked about the New York Declaration on Forests (2021), Climate-Smart Villages and the CCAFS programme (2021), the Climate Group's EP100 (2022), the EU's Net-Zero Industry Act (2024) and the EU Nature Restoration Law (2025). The 2021 Mains asked the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at COP26.
Group them by theme and by who leads them: Indian-led initiatives (ISA, Green Grids, CDRI, LeadIT, IBCA, Global Biofuels Alliance, LiFE), UN or multilateral programmes (Climate Neutral Now, the New York Declaration), business-sector campaigns (RE100, EV100, EP100) and regional laws (the EU's Green Deal laws).
India-Linked Initiatives: ISA, Green Grids, LeadIT, IBCA, CDRI
India-linked initiatives
Initiative | What it is | Exam facts |
International Solar Alliance (ISA) | Intergovernmental alliance of sun-rich countries between the tropics (developed countries can join too); headquartered in Gurugram | Launched during COP21 (2015); legal status came in 2017 after the 15th ratification |
Green Grids Initiative - One Sun One World One Grid | A plan to link solar-rich regions through transnational grids; implemented by the ISA with the World Bank Group | Proposed by India at the first ISA Assembly (October 2018); merged with a UK initiative in May 2021 and launched at COP26 (November 2021); the 2021 Mains asked its purpose |
Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) | A multi-stakeholder platform for decarbonising heavy industry (steel, cement and others), co-led by India and Sweden | Launched September 2019; LeadIT 2.0 launched at COP28 (2023) by the Prime Ministers of India and Sweden; the India-Sweden Industry Transition Partnership runs working groups on steel, cement, innovation, carbon markets and finance |
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) | Conserves seven big cat species worldwide | Launched April 2023; framework agreement in force from 23 January 2025; 18-19 members |
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) | Partnership on resilient infrastructure; secretariat in Delhi | Launched by India in 2019 (standard fact; confirm details) |
Global Biofuels Alliance | A platform to promote biofuels, launched by India at the G20 | Launched in 2023 (standard fact; confirm details) |
Mission LiFE | A behavioural-change movement | Introduced at COP26 (2021); see the India climate action article |
Global, Business and EU Initiatives the Exam Has Used
Global and business initiatives the exam has used
New York Declaration on Forests (2014): a political declaration from the UN Secretary-General's Climate Summit, endorsed by governments, companies and civil-society and indigenous groups; it aims to end natural forest loss by 2030 (with a 50 per cent cut by 2020 as a milestone); it is voluntary and not legally binding; India did not endorse it. The 2021 key was statements 1, 2 and 4.
Climate-Smart Agriculture and Climate-Smart Villages: CSA manages crops, livestock, forests and fisheries to raise productivity sustainably, build resilience and cut emissions. The Climate-Smart Village approach in India is part of the CCAFS research programme, which works under CGIAR, headquartered in France (2021: all three statements correct).
The Climate Group is an international non-profit that runs RE100 (renewable electricity), EV100 (electric vehicles) and EP100 (energy productivity), the last in partnership with the Alliance to Save Energy; Mahindra and Mahindra is an EP100 member. (2022: the statement that the International Energy Agency launched EP100 with the Climate Group was wrong.)
Climate Neutral Now is a UNFCCC Secretariat initiative; the Common Carbon Metric (UNEP) measures the carbon footprint of building operations; the Climate Action Tracker is an independent database run by Climate Analytics and NewClimate Institute.
Regional laws that shape trade and policy
EU Net-Zero Industry Act (2024): the European Parliament approved it to boost production of clean technologies, with a target of meeting 40 per cent of the Union's annual deployment needs in net-zero technologies from its own production by 2030. The EU's climate-neutrality target is 2050 (the 2024 'Statement-II' claiming 2040 was wrong).
EU Nature Restoration Law (2024): the 2025 question's answer was the European Union (the law sets restoration targets for degraded ecosystems).
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): the EU's carbon levy on certain imports, with a transitional reporting phase before a definitive phase from 2026 (standard fact; check the current rules because it matters for India's exports).
How UPSC Could Ask This Next
Matching: initiative with launch forum and sponsor (ISA at COP21; Green Grids at COP26; LeadIT with Sweden; CDRI; IBCA).
Statements on legal status: binding or voluntary (the New York Declaration, COP28 declarations), who has endorsed it.
Business campaigns: what RE100, EV100 and EP100 each commit to.
EU measures: the Net-Zero Industry Act, Nature Restoration Law and CBAM and their link to Indian trade.
Further Reading
NCERT Biology (Class 12) and Geography textbooks, the India State of Forest Report, the MoEFCC Annual Report, the Economic Survey and the official lists cited in this note — the primary sources behind every figure above.
Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs
Twelve practice questions on climate alliances and initiatives, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions and the exact Mains question on the Green Grid Initiative.
Practice Questions
Q1. The International Solar Alliance (ISA)
(a) is an intergovernmental alliance of countries between the tropics, headquartered in Gurugram, launched during COP21
(b) is restricted to developing countries
(c) is a private company in Paris
(d) is a UN agency headquartered in Geneva
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Developed countries can also join; the legal framework came into force in 2017.
Q2. The Green Grids Initiative - One Sun One World One Grid, launched at COP26, aims to
(a) link solar-rich regions through transnational power grids, implemented by the ISA with the World Bank Group
(b) plant trees along rivers
(c) ban coal power globally
(d) tax carbon across borders
Show answer
Answer: (a) — It was proposed by India in 2018 and merged with a UK initiative in 2021.
Q3. Consider the following statements about the New York Declaration on Forests:
1. It was endorsed at the UN Climate Summit in 2014.
2. It endorses a global timeline to end the loss of natural forests.
3. It is a legally binding international declaration.
4. India was one of the signatories at its inception.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 3 and 4
(b) 1, 2 and 4
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Statements 1 and 2 are right. It is a voluntary, non-binding declaration (3 is wrong) and India did not endorse it (4 is wrong).
Q4. The Climate-Smart Village approach in India is part of a research programme led by CCAFS, which is carried out under
(a) the World Bank
(b) UNEP, headquartered in Nairobi
(c) CGIAR, headquartered in France
(d) FAO, headquartered in Rome
Show answer
Answer: (c) — CCAFS (Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security) works under CGIAR.
Q5. Which of the following is NOT a campaign of the Climate Group?
(a) RE100
(b) Climate Neutral Now
(c) EV100
(d) EP100
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Climate Neutral Now is a UNFCCC Secretariat initiative.
Q6. The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) is co-led by India and
(a) Japan
(b) Brazil
(c) Germany
(d) Sweden
Show answer
Answer: (d) — LeadIT was launched in 2019 and LeadIT 2.0 at COP28 by the Prime Ministers of India and Sweden.
Q7. The EU Net-Zero Industry Act aims to meet about what share of the EU's annual deployment needs in net-zero technologies from its own production by 2030?
(a) 10 per cent
(b) 100 per cent
(c) 70 per cent
(d) 40 per cent
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The Act's target is 40 per cent; the EU's climate-neutrality target is 2050.
Q8. Which organisation has enacted the Nature Restoration Law to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss?
(a) The European Union
(b) The OECD
(c) The World Bank
(d) The FAO
Show answer
Answer: (a) — It is an EU regulation (2024).
Q9. International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was launched in April 2023 to conserve how many big cat species worldwide?
(a) 5
(b) 10
(c) 7
(d) 3
Show answer
Answer: (c) — IBCA covers seven big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, puma and jaguar.
Q10. The 'Climate Action Tracker', which monitors countries' emission-reduction pledges, is
(a) a database created by a coalition of research organisations
(b) a committee of the UNFCCC
(c) an agency financed by UNEP and the World Bank
(d) a wing of the IPCC
Show answer
Answer: (a) — It is run by Climate Analytics and NewClimate Institute.
Q11. The Common Carbon Metric, supported by UNEP, has been developed for
(a) measuring emissions of fossil fuels worldwide
(b) assessing the carbon footprint of building operations around the world
(c) assessing national carbon footprints of governments
(d) enabling farms to trade carbon
Show answer
Answer: (b) — It measures the operational carbon footprint of buildings.
Q12. Which one of the following is TRUE of the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) of the European Union?
(a) It puts a carbon price on certain imports and is relevant for exporters such as India
(b) It is a UN treaty
(c) It bans all imports from developing countries
(d) It subsidises coal power
Show answer
Answer: (a) — It is an EU measure with a transitional reporting phase followed by a definitive phase.
UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key.
Q1. (2021) With reference to the 'New York Declaration on Forests', which of the following statements are correct?
1. It was first endorsed at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014.
2. It endorses a global timeline to end the loss of forests.
3. It is a legally binding international declaration.
4. It is endorsed by governments, big companies and indigenous communities.
5. India was one of the signatories at its inception.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 2 and 5
(b) 3 and 4
(c) 1, 3 and 5
(d) 1, 2 and 4
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The New York Declaration on Forests came out of the 2014 UN Climate Summit, aims to end natural forest loss by 2030, is endorsed by governments, firms and indigenous groups, and is voluntary rather than legally binding. India did not endorse it, so 1, 2 and 4.
Q2. (2021) In the context of India's preparation for Climate-Smart Agriculture, consider the following statements:
1. The 'Climate-Smart Village' approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme.
2. The project of CCAFS is carried out under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France.
3. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR's research centres.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The Climate-Smart Village approach is part of the CCAFS programme, which works under CGIAR (headquartered in France). All three statements are correct.
Q3. (2024) Consider the following statements : Statement-I : The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently. Statement-II : The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(c) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The European Parliament did approve the Net-Zero Industry Act. The EU's climate-neutrality target is 2050, and the Act aims to produce 40% of its needs by 2030, so Statement-II is wrong.
Q4. (2025) Which organization has enacted the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss?
(a) The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(b) The European Union
(c) The World Bank
(d) The Food and Agriculture Organization
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The European Union enacted the Nature Restoration Law (2024) to restore degraded ecosystems.
Mains Practice Questions
Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.
Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at COP26. When was the idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance?
Discuss India's leadership in global climate alliances (ISA, CDRI, LeadIT, IBCA) and how they serve its foreign-policy and development goals.
Evaluate the significance of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for India and the options before India.
What are Climate-Smart Villages and how can they help Indian agriculture adapt to climate change?
Why has the New York Declaration on Forests not been endorsed by India, and how else does India contribute to forest-based climate action?
UPSC Mains — Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years)
These are the actual GS Mains questions UPSC has asked on this theme — real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each.
2021 (GS-III): Explain the purpose of the Green Grid Initiative launched at World Leaders Summit of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November, 2021. When was this idea first floated in the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?