APSC CCE 2023 · Question 89 of 163

The Global Drought Snapshot, released in December 2023 at the beginning of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP-28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai, exposes the devastating consequences of droughts on lives, economies, and various sectors. Based on the data reported by 101 parties to the UNCCD, which of the following statements is/are correct? (i) The report reveals that a staggering 1.84 billion people experienced the effects of drought; among them 4.7% faced severe or extreme drought conditions. (ii) Notably South Africa faced the highest number of declarations. (iii) Drought severity prompted emergency declarations in 23 countries. (iv) The US, Canada, India and Sri Lanka are the countries that never declared drought emergencies. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Environment

1. A(i) only
2. B(ii) and (iv) only
3. C(i) and (iii) onlyCorrect
4. D(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)