UPSC Quiz – 2026 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 29th September 2026

Solution (b)
Explanation: E-methanol is an electricity-based e-fuel produced through a three-step pathway: (1) renewable electricity → electrolysis of water → green hydrogen; (2) capture of CO₂ from industrial, biogenic or direct-air sources; and (3) catalytic synthesis of hydrogen with CO₂ to form methanol. When renewable energy and sustainably sourced carbon are used, it can substantially reduce lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions compared to fossil-based methanol. Option (a) describes bioethanol, a first-generation biofuel from fermentation. Option (c) incorrectly frames it as a fossil blend. Option (d) describes coal-based methanol, which lacks the renewable hydrogen and captured-carbon basis of e-methanol. India’s first port-based e-methanol facility is coming up at Kandla, Gujarat — a ₹2,300-crore project producing 150 TPD, with Deendayal Port Authority (76%) and Assam Petro-Chemicals Ltd (24%) as partners. Phase I (50 TPD; ₹1,200 crore) targets January 2027, and Phase II (100 TPD; ₹1,100 crore) targets March 2027, supplying green fuel for ships on the Asia–Europe International Trade Corridor.
Why this question? The e-fuel vs. biofuel distinction is the core conceptual trap, with “green hydrogen + captured CO₂” as the identifying signature.
Why important for UPSC? Green hydrogen value chains, maritime decarbonisation and alternative fuels are emerging energy-transition themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions distinguishing fuel generations and identifying production pathways of alternative fuels.

Solution (b)
Explanation: PFOS (Perfluorooctane Sulfonate) belongs to the PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) family — highly persistent synthetic chemicals known as “forever chemicals” because of their resistance to heat, water, grease and chemical degradation. It has an eight-carbon backbone with a sulfonate functional group, and has been used in stain-, grease- and water-resistant products and in firefighting foams at airports and military facilities. PFOS can persist in the environment, move through groundwater, bioaccumulate and biomagnify through food chains, especially in aquatic systems, reaching humans through contaminated water and seafood. It is listed under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) with specified exemptions/acceptable purposes; India ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2006. The Basel Convention deals with transboundary movement of hazardous wastes, the Rotterdam Convention with prior informed consent for hazardous chemicals in trade, and the Minamata Convention with mercury.
Why this question? The four-convention cluster (Basel, Stockholm, Rotterdam, Minamata) is a high-frequency UPSC trap; attributing PFOS to the correct convention is the discriminator.
Why important for UPSC? Chemical pollution, POPs and multilateral environmental agreements are recurring environment prelims content.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to one-liner questions mapping pollutants to their governing international conventions.

Solution (d)
Explanation: Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder caused by abnormal haemoglobin S (HbS), in which red blood cells become sickle-shaped, causing haemolysis and blockage of small blood vessels, leading to anaemia, recurrent pain crises and organ damage. Inheritance is generally autosomal recessive — both parents must carry the trait for the disease to manifest. Hydroxyurea is an important disease-modifying therapy that reduces pain crises and complications. India’s National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, launched in 2023, aims to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia as a public-health problem by 2047 through screening, early diagnosis, counselling, treatment, follow-up and digital tracking — with more than 7.29 crore people screened by September 2026. India co-hosted with Nigeria the launch of OneSCD — Global Partnership to Advance Equity and Transform Sickle Cell Care on the sidelines of UNGA81 in New York, with partners including WHO, UNICEF, Africa CDC, the World Coalition on Sickle Cell Disease and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Why this question? Tests genetics, therapeutics and India’s flagship mission together, with the co-hosting detail adding current affairs depth.
Why important for UPSC? Genetic disorders, national health missions and global health partnerships are recurring prelims themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions linking inherited disorders to their genetic basis and India’s disease-elimination missions.

Solution (d)
Explanation: The Global Cooling Pledge was launched at COP28 (2023) as the first collective global commitment focused specifically on reducing the climate impact of cooling while expanding access to sustainable cooling. Its targets: by 2050, reduce cooling-related emissions by at least 68% below 2022 levels; and by 2030, improve the global average efficiency of new air-conditioning equipment by 50% compared with the 2022 installed baseline. The inaugural Cool Leaders Awards, launched by the UNEP-led Cool Coalition at the Global Cooling Pledge Assembly 2026 in Singapore (17 September 2026), recognised Singapore (passive cooling and heat resilience), the UAE (district cooling and integration of cooling into climate/development policy) and Dong Mingzhu of Gree Electric Appliances (ultra-efficient, low-carbon cooling technologies). The Assembly also announced the Global Roadmap on Heat Resilience, the Nature for Cooling Challenge (joined by Brazil, Cambodia and Côte d’Ivoire, promoting urban forests, parks and green roofs), a Manufacturing Platform for efficient cooling equipment with low/ultra-low-GWP refrigerants, and an Intergovernmental Committee on Cooling (IGCC).
Why this question? Tests pledge targets, award recipients and complementary initiatives in one integrated stem.
Why important for UPSC? Sustainable cooling, HFC phase-down and heat resilience are emerging climate-governance themes linked to the Kigali Amendment.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on COP-launched pledges, their quantified targets and associated institutional mechanisms.

Solution (a)
Explanation: Vizellopsidites miocenicus is an ancient microscopic, epifoliar (leaf-dwelling) fungus discovered on a ~12-million-year-old fossilised leaf from the Middle Siwalik sediments of Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, with the study published in the New Zealand Journal of Botany in September 2026. Fossilised leaves were chemically treated through maceration to isolate the leaf cuticle, followed by microscopic examination; the species shows larger cells, a loose net-like arrangement of alternating branches, and distinct circular fruiting bodies associated with spore production. Because its modern relatives occur in warm and highly humid tropical environments, its presence indicates that the Himalayan foothills during the Late Miocene (roughly 8–12 million years ago) experienced a much warmer and wetter tropical climate than today. Statement 3 is incorrect on two counts: the Siwalik Group represents Neogene (not Palaeogene) deposits, and it is an important source of fossil plants and animals — predominantly terrestrial/fluvial, not marine.
Why this question? Tests the Siwalik’s stratigraphic age (Neogene vs. Palaeogene) and terrestrial fossil character—two precise traps.
Why important for UPSC? Palaeoclimate reconstruction, Himalayan geology and the Siwalik fossil record are recurring geography-environment themes.
PYQ Pattern Link: Similar to questions on Siwalik stratigraphy, fossil evidence for palaeoclimate, and Himalayan geological history.