Answer: An international agreement (1997) requiring developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change.
- A An international treaty establishing several protected zones specifically for global marine life and coastal conservation
- B An international agreement (1997) requiring developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change
- C A multilateral treaty primarily concerned with banning all forms of underground nuclear weapons testing worldwide
- D An international agreement focused mainly on regulating ozone-depleting substances specifically, separate from emissions
Correct answer: B. An international agreement (1997) requiring developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change
Explanation: The Kyoto Protocol (1997) was the first binding international agreement requiring industrialized nations to reduce GHG emissions. It set binding targets for 37 developed countries and the EU. The Paris Agreement (2015) succeeded it with broader participation.
Sunlight passes through the atmosphere and warms the surface; the surface re-radiates this energy as infrared heat, which greenhouse gases (CO₂, CH₄, water vapour) absorb and trap - a naturally beneficial process that intensifies into global warming as gas concentrations rise from human activity.
Concept context
Pollution, global warming, ozone depletion, deforestation, and sustainability. Important for NEET and general awareness.