CAPF AC 2020 Q86: Environment & Ecology – International Environmental Treaties & Summits
- (a) combat the greenhouse gasses and to reduce the global warming and climate change
- (b) biosafety, negotiated under the aegis of the Convention on Biological Diversity
- (c) combat the ozone depleting substances to protect the human lives from diseases
- (d) combat the phenomenon of desertification by improving dry land farming in dry regions
Answer: (b) biosafety, negotiated under the aegis of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Explanation
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
How to think: match each option with its own treaty.
Three options describe other well-known treaties.
The one left is biosafety.
| Option | Treaty it describes | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Greenhouse gases and climate change | Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement | Incorrect |
| (b) Biosafety, under the Convention on Biological Diversity | Cartagena Protocol | Correct |
| (c) Ozone depleting substances | Montreal Protocol | Incorrect |
| (d) Desertification | UN Convention to Combat Desertification | Incorrect |
Facts on the Cartagena Protocol:
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Parent treaty | Convention on Biological Diversity |
| Adopted | 2000, at Montreal |
| In force | 2003 |
| Deals with | Safe movement of Living Modified Organisms across borders |
| India | A party since 2003 |
The other protocol under the Convention is the Nagoya Protocol on access and benefit sharing.
Answer: (b) biosafety, negotiated under the aegis of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Greenhouse gases are dealt with by the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
- (b) CORRECT. The Cartagena Protocol is the biosafety protocol of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- (c) Incorrect. Ozone depleting substances are covered by the Montreal Protocol.
- (d) Incorrect. Desertification has its own convention, the UNCCD.
Key point
Convention on Biological Diversity has two protocols: Cartagena (biosafety, Living Modified Organisms; 2000, in force 2003) and Nagoya (access and benefit sharing; 2010).
Remember
Cartagena = biosafety; Nagoya = benefit sharing; both under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up Cartagena (biosafety) with Nagoya (access and benefit sharing).
- Thinking it was signed at Cartagena; it was adopted at Montreal and named after the Colombian city.
- Linking every protocol to climate change.
Exam tip
Educated guess: greenhouse gas is Kyoto, ozone is Montreal, desertification is UNCCD. Only biosafety has no other owner.
Sources
- Convention on Biological Diversity — Text of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
- NCERT Class XII Biology — Biodiversity and Conservation