Consider the following statements :

Statement I : At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), India refrained from signing the ‘Declaration on Climate and Health’.
Statement II : The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health is a binding declaration; and if signed, it becomes mandatory to decarbonize health sector.
Statement III : If India’s health sector is decarbonized, the resilience of its health-care system may be compromised.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

(a)    Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
(b)    Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
(c)    Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement
(d)    Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct

The correct answer is (c) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I.

Explanation

Statement I: Correct. India, along with a few other countries, did not sign the ‘COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health’ in December 2023.
Statement II: Incorrect. This is the key to the question. The COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health was voluntary and non-binding. It encouraged countries to integrate climate change into health policies and to move towards decarbonizing their health sectors, but it did not create a “mandatory” legal obligation to do so.
Statement III: Correct. This statement accurately reflects the reason (or concern) that India cited for not signing. The Indian Health Ministry’s position was that for a developing country like India, the primary priority is to build a robust and resilient health system that can ensure universal health coverage. The concern was that a premature focus on decarbonization (like phasing out fossil-fuel-powered generators in hospitals) might compromise the resilience and expansion of its health-care system, especially in remote areas.

Evaluating the Options

Statement I is the action.
Statement II is false (it wasn’t mandatory).
Statement III is the reason for the action.

Based on this, (c) is the only logical choice. Only one of the subsequent statements (Statement III) is correct, and that correct statement (the why) directly explains Statement I (the what).