UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The Limits to Growth concept,popularised by the Club of Rome study,uses systems models to argue that exponential growth in population,industry and resource use cannot continue indefinitely on a finite planet. It warns that surpassing ecological limits could trigger sudden decline or collapse. The idea calls for stabilising both economic and population growth within sustainable bounds. Thus the description in the question clearly refers to limits to growth.

Option A:
The tragedy of the commons explains how individual users acting in self interest can over exploit a shared resource. While related to resource depletion,it does not explicitly model global population and economic growth overshooting planetary limits. Therefore it is not the exact concept described.

Option B:
Demographic dividend emphasises economic opportunities created by a favourable age structure,not planetary boundaries. It is generally seen as positive and does not focus on ecological collapse. Hence it does not match the statement in the stem.

Option C:
Ecological modernisation suggests that environmental protection and economic growth can be reconciled through technological innovation and institutional reform. It is more optimistic than the limits to growth perspective. Thus it is not the term intended by the question.

Option D:
Limits to Growth specifically examines interactions among population,industrial output,resource use and pollution. It concludes that without deliberate stabilisation policies,these factors may exceed planetary carrying capacities. This argument is exactly what the stem summarises.

Degrowth is a critical concept that challenges the pursuit of endless economic expansion on a finite planet. It advocates deliberate downscaling of material and energy throughput in wealthy societies while improving quality of life through equity and non material values. The stem describes a planned reduction of production and consumption aimed at sustainability and well being,which aligns closely with degrowth. Thus Option B is correct.

Option A:
Reindustrialisation seeks to revitalise industrial sectors,usually to boost employment and output. It tends to increase production rather than reduce it and therefore runs counter to the notion in the question.

Option B:
Hypergrowth denotes extremely rapid economic expansion,often associated with technology firms or emerging economies. It is the opposite of the planned contraction described in the stem.

Option C:
Degrowth debates focus on reshaping social priorities,work patterns and consumption habits to live within ecological limits. This approach explicitly values sufficiency over accumulation,matching the stem’s emphasis on well being rather than GDP.

Option D:
Stagflation refers to the combination of stagnant economic growth and high inflation. It is generally seen as a macroeconomic problem,not a normative sustainability strategy,so it does not fit the description.