UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2025

The World Bank has warned that India could become one of the first places in which wet-bulb temperatures will routinely exceed 35°C. Which of the following statements best reflect(s) the implication of the above-said report? I. Peninsular India will most likely suffer from flooding, tropical cyclones and droughts. II. The survival of all living beings including humans will be affected because it will become difficult for them to shed their body heat through perspiration. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. I only
  2. II only
  3. Both I and II
  4. Neither I nor II

Answer

Correct Answer

II only

Explanation

Wet-bulb temperature is a direct measure of the combined effect of heat and humidity on the human body's ability to cool itself through evaporation of sweat; when it routinely exceeds around 35°C, humans and animals cannot dissipate body heat effectively, posing survival risks (II is the direct and correct implication). Statement I (flooding, cyclones, droughts) is not the direct implication of high wet-bulb temperatures specifically.

Topics: climate change, environment, wet-bulb temperature