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Q85·GS Paper 1 · Prelims 2020

Concept of Social Cost of Carbon

EnvironmentClimate Change & NegotiationsFactual singleEasyStatic

Question

Which one of the following statements best describes the term 'Social Cost of Carbon'? It is a measure, in monetary value, of the

Options

a

long-term damage done by a tonne of CO2 emissions in a given year.

Answer
b

requirement of fossil fuels for a country to provide goods and services to its citizens, based on the burning of those fuels.

c

efforts put in by a climate refugee to adapt to live in a new place.

d

contribution of an individual person to the carbon footprint on the planet Earth.

Explanation

The Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is an economic metric representing the marginal external cost (in monetary terms) of emitting one additional tonne of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It quantifies the long-term economic damage caused by climate change impacts (like reduced agricultural yields, health issues, and property damage from flooding) resulting from that emission. > One-line conceptual takeaway: The Social Cost of Carbon assigns a dollar value to the economic damages caused by a single tonne of CO2 emissions. Answer: (a).

Question details

Year

2020

Paper

GS Paper 1

Question

Q85

Subject

Environment

Sub-topic

Climate Change & Negotiations

Type

Factual single

Difficulty

Easy

Nature

Static

Source hint

Climate Economics Basic Concepts

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