Question 1 · Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension
MCQ
The passage given below discusses the socioeconomic implications of geoengineering. Based on the passage, which of the following statements is impossible to infer?
The discourse surrounding geoengineering often presents it as a purely technological fix for climate change, obscuring its profound socioeconomic implications. By promising to manage solar radiation or capture carbon without altering the fossil-fuel-dependent economic order, geoengineering functions as a moral hazard, incentivizing the postponement of systemic emissions reductions. Furthermore, the unilateral deployment of such technologies by wealthy nations could impose catastrophic climatic side-effects on the Global South, effectively externalizing the risks of climate management onto those least responsible for the crisis. Thus, geoengineering is not merely an environmental tool but a mechanism for entrenching global economic inequalities under the guise of technological salvation.
The discourse surrounding geoengineering often presents it as a purely technological fix for climate change, obscuring its profound socioeconomic implications. By promising to manage solar radiation or capture carbon without altering the fossil-fuel-dependent economic order, geoengineering functions as a moral hazard, incentivizing the postponement of systemic emissions reductions. Furthermore, the unilateral deployment of such technologies by wealthy nations could impose catastrophic climatic side-effects on the Global South, effectively externalizing the risks of climate management onto those least responsible for the crisis. Thus, geoengineering is not merely an environmental tool but a mechanism for entrenching global economic inequalities under the guise of technological salvation.
Correct Answer:
C
Step-by-Step Solution
Key idea: This is a Science + Economy synthesis question in a 'which is impossible' format, recognisable because it critiques a technological solution (geoengineering) for its hidden socioeconomic costs and moral hazards.
Step 1: Map the argument. Premise 1: Geoengineering is presented as a tech fix but obscures socioeconomic implications. Premise 2: It acts as a moral hazard by allowing the fossil-fuel economy to continue, postponing emissions reductions. Premise 3: Unilateral deployment by wealthy nations externalizes risks to the Global South. Conclusion: It entrenches global economic inequalities.
Step 2: Test each option against the passage's explicit claims. The question asks what is impossible to infer. This means finding the option that directly contradicts the author's main thesis.
Step 3: Evaluate Option A. Possible. The passage explicitly states it is a 'mechanism for entrenching global economic inequalities' by not altering the economic order.
Step 4: Evaluate Option B. Possible. The passage explicitly states unilateral deployment 'could impose catastrophic climatic side-effects on the Global South'.
Step 5: Evaluate Option C. Impossible. The passage explicitly denies this. It states geoengineering 'obscures its profound socioeconomic implications' and is 'not merely an environmental tool'. Claiming it is a 'purely technological solution' with 'no socioeconomic implications' directly contradicts the author's core critique.
Step 6: Evaluate Option D. Possible. The passage states it functions as a moral hazard, 'incentivizing the postponement of systemic emissions reductions' by not altering the economic order.
Answer: Option C