The main threat to maintaining progress in human development comes from the increasingly evident sustainability of production and consumption patterns. Current production models rely heavily on fossil fuels. We now know that this is unsustainable because the resources are finite. The close link between the resources is finite. The close link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions needs to be severed for human development to become truly sustainable. Some developed countries have begun to alleviate the worst effects by expanding recycling and investing in public transport and infrastructure. But most developing countries are hampered by the high costs and low availability of clean energy sources. Developed countries need to support developing countries transition to sustainable human development.

Consider the following statements:
Developed countries can support developing countries transition to sustainable human development by
1. making clean energy sources available at low cost.
2. providing loans for improving their public transport at nominal interest rates.
3. encouraging them to change their production and consumption patterns.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 1 only.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

To understand why Statement 1 is correct while Statements 2 and 3 are not directly supported by the passage, let us analyze the text provided in the question carefully.

1. Analyzing the constraints and information in the passage:
The passage explicitly states: "But most developing countries are hampered by the high costs and low availability of clean energy sources."
It immediately follows this with: "Developed countries need to support developing countries transition to sustainable human development."
By combining these two sentences, we can directly infer that since developing countries are limited by the high cost and low availability of clean energy, developed countries must assist them by overcoming these specific hurdles—namely, by making clean energy sources available and affordable (low cost).

2. Evaluating Statement 1 (Correct):
"making clean energy sources available at low cost."
This directly addresses the core hurdle identified in the text (high costs and low availability of clean energy sources). Therefore, Statement 1 is a correct way for developed countries to support developing countries based on the passage.

3. Evaluating Statement 2 (Incorrect):
"providing loans for improving their public transport at nominal interest rates."
While the passage mentions that some developed countries have improved their own transport infrastructure, it does not state that developed countries should provide loans to developing countries for this purpose. The passage highlights the need for support specifically to overcome high costs and low availability of clean energy. Hence, Statement 2 is an extrapolation not directly supported as the main mode of support.

4. Evaluating Statement 3 (Incorrect):
"encouraging them to change their production and consumption patterns."
Mere "encouragement" does not address the practical and financial constraints (high costs and low availability of technology/clean energy) that hamper developing nations. The passage emphasizes active support for the transition rather than just encouraging a change. Thus, Statement 3 is incorrect in the context of the supported transition mechanism.

Therefore, only Statement 1 is correct. Hence, the correct option is "1 only".