Which one among the following reports defines Sustainable Development as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs?
- A.Brundtland Report
- B.United Nations Human Development Report
- C.Agenda-21 of the Rio Earth Summit
- D.OECD Policy Brief (2006)
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Brundtland Report. This 1987 report gave the world the standard definition of sustainable development quoted in the question.
The report, titled Our Common Future, was prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development, set up by the United Nations in 1983. The commission was chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, then Prime Minister of Norway, which is why the report carries her name. It argued that economic growth, social equity and care for the environment must go together. Its ideas led directly to the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and, much later, to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015.
Option B is wrong because the Human Development Report, published by the UNDP since 1990, ranks countries on the Human Development Index. Option C is wrong because Agenda 21 was the action plan adopted at Rio in 1992, five years after the definition was given. Option D is wrong because an OECD policy brief of 2006 came long after the definition and did not originate it.
Exam tip: Brundtland Report = Our Common Future, 1987; Rio Earth Summit = 1992, Agenda 21.
Practice Questions
View allOne carbon credit is accepted as equivalent to
- A.100 kg of carbon
- B.100 kg of carbon dioxide
- C.1000 kg of carbon
- D.1000 kg of carbon dioxide
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One carbon credit stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases, kept out of the atmosphere.
Read the full explanation →The 'Ramsar Convention' relates to which one of the following areas ?
- A.Wetland preservation
- B.Promote afforestation
- C.Action plan on climate change
- D.Combat desertification
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The Ramsar Convention is the international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. It was signed on 2 February 1971 at Ramsar, a town in Iran on the Caspian Sea, and came into force in 1975.
Read the full explanation →A new species of pit-viper was discovered in 2019 and named after the State in which it was found. Identify the State from among the following :
- A.Kerala
- B.Arunachal Pradesh
- C.Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- D.Assam
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The species was named Trimeresurus arunachalensis, the Arunachal pit viper, after the state where it was found. Pit vipers are venomous snakes with a heat-sensing pit between each eye and nostril, which lets them detect warm-blooded prey in the dark.
Read the full explanation →Cheetahs were recently re-introduced to India from Africa. From which language is the name 'Cheetah' derived ?
- A.Swahili
- B.Afrikaans
- C.Somali
- D.Sanskrit
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The word comes from the Sanskrit 'chitraka', meaning the spotted or speckled one, and reached English through the Hindi 'cheeta'.
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following is the correct order of tiger reserves situated from North to South in India ?
- A.Corbett - Simlipal - Sariska - Periyar
- B.Periyar - Sariska - Simlipal - Corbett
- C.Corbett - Sariska - Simlipal - Periyar
- D.Periyar - Simlipal - Sariska - Corbett
Show answer
Going by their states, Uttarakhand lies furthest north, then Rajasthan, then Odisha, and Kerala lies furthest south.
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