Which one of the following statements best describes the term 'Social Cost of Carbon' ?
It is a measure, in monetary value, of the
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Answer: A. The Social Cost of Carbon is the money value of the long-term damage (to health, farming, property and so on) caused by emitting one extra tonne of CO2 in a given year. It helps compare the cost of cutting emissions with the harm avoided.
Watch for: Option D sounds similar, but 'carbon footprint' measures emissions, not the money value of damage.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Wrong because it does not measure a country's need for fossil fuels.
- C. Wrong because it is not about climate refugees.
- D. Wrong because a person's contribution is their carbon footprint, not the social cost of carbon.
Source to check: US EPA, The Social Cost of Carbon (epa.gov); IPCC AR5 Working Group III glossary
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.