Free-Response Prompts

Warm-Up

Explain the greenhouse effect mechanism and reconcile a seeming paradox: per molecule, CO₂ is the WEAKEST major GHG, yet it dominates anthropogenic climate change. What makes CO₂ different from CH₄, N₂O, and CFCs?

Build-Up

The sample exam asks about the Brazilian NDC (53% reduction by 2030 vs. 2005, net-zero by 2050) and Brazil's September 2023 Sovereign Sustainable Bond Framework. Using the Kyoto vs. Paris framework, CBDR, and the labelled-bond market, evaluate whether Brazil's strategy is well-designed for both climate effectiveness and international credibility.

Intermediate

Compare the Montreal Protocol (1987) and the Kyoto Protocol (1997). Montreal is generally considered the most successful international environmental treaty; Kyoto generally a failure (world ended 6% above 1990 levels). What structural features explain the divergence, and what lessons did Paris attempt to learn from Kyoto?

Advanced

Use the World Bank (2010) three-driver vulnerability framework + the Honduras/Ethiopia coping case studies to design an adaptation policy package for a low-income, agriculture-dependent Sahel country facing increasing drought. Address physical exposure, economic sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Integrate gender and marginalized-community considerations from the Nepal case.

Hard

A policymaker argues: "The difference between the 2°C and 1.5°C Paris targets is trivial — we should focus resources on 2°C compliance rather than the politically unrealistic 1.5°C goal." Construct a rigorous scientific and economic rebuttal incorporating IPCC SR1.5 (non-linear impacts), tipping points, the MDC/MCC framework, and intergenerational equity. Honestly engage the "politically unrealistic" point.