Q. Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The European Parliament approved The Net- Zero Industry Act recently.
Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-1
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Correct answer: (c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
Question from UPSC Prelims 2024 GS Paper
Explanation:
Statement-I: The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently.
This statement is correct. The European Parliament did indeed approve the Net-Zero Industry Act in November 2023. This act aims to boost the EU’s capacity to manufacture green technologies and reduce dependency on imports.
Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time.
This statement contains inaccuracies:
1. The EU’s official target for achieving carbon neutrality is 2050, not 2040.
2. While the EU is working to develop its clean technology capabilities, it doesn’t aim to develop “all of its own” clean technology. The goal is to increase domestic production capacity, but not to completely eliminate imports or international cooperation in this field.
Given this analysis, the correct answer is:
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect