As the pandemic made its mark in 2022, the planet _________(25)_________ a series of growing environmental challenges. At the UN, the struggles of farmers and the global food system, the ________ (26)_________ loss of biodiversity, and the ever-heating planet dominated the agenda, culminating at November’s COP26 climate conference. This challenge is especially ______ (27)______ in India, where more than 700 million people depend on forests and agriculture for their sustenance. More than 85% of them are small and marginal landholders, leaving them especially _________ (28)_________ as the climate changes the world around them. Fortunately, pioneers across India are deploying a set of techniques, known as landscape restoration, that can _______(29)______ damaged ecosystems and ______(30)____ biodiversity.

(28)

The correct answer is exposed.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Contextual Analysis:
The passage discusses how climate change poses serious risks to farmers and landholders in India. The sentence highlights that more than 85% of these individuals are small and marginal landholders, which makes them particularly vulnerable and at risk when environmental conditions change.

2. Evaluating the Options:

• exposed: Means left without protection or vulnerable to harm. In this context, small landholders are left vulnerable ("exposed") to the negative impacts of climate change.
• fortified: Means strengthened or protected against attack, which is the opposite of the intended meaning.
• shielded: Means protected from danger, which contradicts the point about them facing struggles.
• annexed: Means appended or added to a territory, which makes no sense in this context.
• braced: Means prepared for something difficult, but it doesn't fit grammatically or semantically to express their heightened vulnerability in the sentence structure.

3. Conclusion:
Therefore, the word exposed fits blank (28) precisely, completing the thought that small landholders are left vulnerable as the climate changes.