KSLU Solved Question Papers
Environmental Law
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 10
2019 Jun Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 10 Environmental Law 2019 Jun Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2019 Jun examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2019 Jun examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2019 Jun examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 100 · 13 questions answered
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1What is green house effect ? Discuss the consequences of global warming.[16]
Answer
For full marks, cover: Part I, the greenhouse effect: the greenhouse comparison; how the effect works step by step; the greenhouse gases, their sources and their relative strength (a table); the natural effect and the enhanced effect; the evidence that the enhanced effect is warming the earth (IPCC: about 1.1 degrees Celsius by 2011 to 2020; carbon dioxide above 420 ppm; sea level up about 0.20 m from 1901 to 2018); Part II, the consequences of the greenhouse effect and global warming, grouped (temperature and heat, ice and rivers, the sea, extreme weather, farming and food, forests and wildlife, health, economy and society), the feedback loops and the special exposure of India; the legal response (UNFCCC, Kyoto, Paris, the Kigali Amendment, India's plan and targets); the cases (Ranjitsinh, Hindustan Zinc, the ITLOS opinion of 2024, the ICJ opinion of 2025); and a conclusion.
Part I: the greenhouse effect
The comparison. A glass greenhouse lets sunlight in but keeps the warmth from escaping, so plants grow even in a cold climate. Certain gases in the air act in a similar way for the whole earth. That is why the process is called the greenhouse effect.
How it works.
- Energy from the sun arrives mostly as visible light. It passes through the air and warms the land and the oceans.
- The warm surface sends energy back towards space as infra-red radiation, which is heat.
- Some gases in the lower atmosphere absorb this infra-red radiation. They then send part of it back towards the surface.
- So the surface and the lower air stay warmer than they would be without these gases.
Why only some gases trap heat. Nitrogen and oxygen, which make up about ninety-nine per cent of dry air, let infra-red radiation pass. Gases whose molecules have three or more atoms absorb it. These are the greenhouse gases.
| Gas | Main human sources | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon dioxide | burning coal, oil and gas; cement; cutting forests | the largest contributor; stays in the air for centuries |
| Methane | rice paddies, cattle, landfills, leaks from gas and coal | far stronger than carbon dioxide over a short period |
| Gas | Main human sources | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrous oxide | chemical fertilisers, some industry | long-lived and strong |
| Fluorinated gases (HFCs and others) | refrigeration, air conditioning, industry | tiny amounts, but extremely powerful |
| Water vapour | mostly natural | amplifies warming caused by the other gases |
The natural greenhouse effect is essential to life. Without it the earth's average surface temperature would be well below freezing, and the oceans would freeze.
The enhanced greenhouse effect. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has added large amounts of these gases. The concentration of carbon dioxide has risen from about 280 parts per million before industry to over 420 parts per million today. More heat is trapped than before. This extra trapping is the enhanced greenhouse effect. Its result is global warming, a long-term rise in the earth's average temperature, which in turn changes the climate.
The evidence. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assesses the science for the United Nations. In its Sixth Assessment it found:
- the earth about 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer in 2011 to 2020 than in 1850 to 1900;
- human influence on that warming "unequivocal"; and
- global mean sea level about 0.20 metres higher in 2018 than in 1901, rising faster in recent years.
Part II: the consequences
1. Temperature and heat. Heatwaves are hotter, longer and more frequent. Nights stay warm, giving the body no relief. Outdoor work becomes dangerous in the hottest months.
2. Ice and rivers. Mountain glaciers are retreating, including the Himalayan glaciers that feed the Ganga, the Indus and the Brahmaputra. At first melt swells the rivers and causes floods. Later, as the glaciers shrink, summer flows fall and water becomes scarce.
3. The sea. Water expands as it warms, and melting ice sheets add more water. Rising seas erode low coasts, flood deltas and push salt water into wells and fields. Islands such as Lakshadweep and coastal cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata are at risk. The oceans absorb much of the extra carbon dioxide and become more acidic, which damages corals and shellfish. Warmer seas also bleach coral reefs.
4. Extreme weather. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapour. The result is heavier rain in short bursts, longer dry spells between them, stronger cyclones and a less reliable monsoon.
5. Farming and food. Heat during flowering and erratic rain lower the yields of wheat and rice. Droughts, floods and salt water on coastal land add to the losses. Food prices rise and rural incomes fall.
6. Forests and wildlife. Species must move to cooler places or adapt, and many cannot. Forest fires become more frequent. Mountain and island species have nowhere left to go, and some face extinction.
7. Health. Heat stroke and heat-related deaths increase. Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue spread to new areas and seasons. Floods spread water-borne disease.
8. Economy and society. Floods and cyclones damage homes, roads and harvests. People migrate from drowned or dried-out areas. The heaviest burden falls on the poor and on developing countries, who did least to cause the problem. This is why the climate treaties speak of equity.
Feedback loops. Some consequences make warming worse:
- melting ice exposes darker land and sea, which absorb more sunlight;
- thawing frozen soil in the Arctic releases carbon dioxide and methane;
- a warmer ocean absorbs less carbon dioxide; and
- warmer air holds more water vapour, itself a greenhouse gas.
Why India is especially exposed. India has a long, densely populated coastline, depends on the monsoon and on glacier-fed rivers, and has a large farming population. It also faces some of the world's highest summer temperatures.
The legal response
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992. Its objective is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that prevents dangerous interference with the climate. It rests on common but differentiated responsibilities.
- Kyoto Protocol 1997. It set binding emission cuts for developed countries.
- Paris Agreement 2015. Every country sets its own nationally determined contribution, with the aim of holding warming well below 2 degrees Celsius and pursuing 1.5 degrees.
- Kigali Amendment 2016. It brings the powerful HFC gases under the Montreal Protocol for a phased reduction. India ratified it in 2021 and will freeze HFC use in 2028, cutting it by 85 per cent by 2047.
- India. The National Action Plan on Climate Change of 2008 set up national missions on solar energy, energy efficiency and other areas. India's updated target is to cut the emission intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels. It aims at net zero by 2070.
The cases
M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India, (2024) 5 SCC 597. The Great Indian Bustard, close to extinction, was dying in collisions with power lines in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Laying every line underground would have slowed the solar and wind projects that cut India's emissions. The Supreme Court held that Articles 14 and 21 give a right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. It set up an expert committee to balance the bird and clean energy.
Hindustan Zinc Ltd v. Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission, decided on 13 May 2015. Industries with their own power plants were obliged to buy a share of renewable energy. The Supreme Court upheld the obligation, relying on the Kyoto Protocol and on Articles 21, 48A and 51A(g).
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea gave an advisory opinion on 21 May 2024. The case is the Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law. It advised that greenhouse gas emissions absorbed by the sea are pollution of the marine environment. States must take all necessary measures to reduce them.
On 23 July 2025 the International Court of Justice gave its advisory opinion on the obligations of States in respect of climate change. The judges were unanimous on the core findings. States must act with due diligence to prevent significant harm to the climate system, and a breach of these obligations is an internationally wrongful act.
Conclusion. The greenhouse effect is the trapping of the earth's outgoing heat by gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. In its natural form it keeps the planet habitable. Human emissions have enhanced it, warming the earth by about 1.1 degrees Celsius. The consequences are heatwaves, melting glaciers and rising, acidifying seas. Extreme weather, lower crop yields, lost species, disease and displacement follow, all worsened by feedback loops. The law answers through the Climate Convention, Kyoto, Paris and Kigali. In India, Ranjitsinh treats protection from these effects as a fundamental right.
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