Which of the following is not a Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) related to climate change?

Question

Which of the following is not a Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) related to climate change?

1. A. UNFCCC
2. B. Kyoto Protocol
3. C. Paris Agreement
4. D. CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

Key Points

• The question asks which agreement is not climate-related. CITES, adopted in 1973 and in force from 1975, regulates international trade in wild fauna and flora so that trade does not threaten species survival. It is a biodiversity and wildlife-trade instrument with no climate mandate.
• The other three form the core of the climate regime:
  • UNFCCC (1992) is the parent framework convention.
  • The Kyoto Protocol (1997) placed binding emission-reduction targets on developed (Annex I) countries.
  • The Paris Agreement (2015) replaced that model with Nationally Determined Contributions from all parties.

Additional Information

• CITES works through three appendices graded by threat: Appendix I bars commercial international trade in species threatened with extinction, Appendix II permits regulated trade, and Appendix III covers species protected within a particular country seeking others' cooperation.
• India implements CITES chiefly through the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Customs Act, with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau as the enforcement agency.
• A useful sorting rule for these questions: treaties naming a gas, temperature or emissions target are climate instruments; those naming species, habitats or trade are biodiversity instruments.
• Paris set the goal of holding warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C.