ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The economic development that is achieved so far has come at a very heavy price, at the cost of environmental quality. As we step into an era of globalization that promises higher economic growth, we have to bear in mind the adverse consequences of the past development path on our environment and consciously choose a path of sustainable development. To understand the unsustainable path of development that we have taken and the challenges of sustainable development, we have to first understand the significance and contribution of environment to economic development.

The environment can continue to support life for millions of years, when left to itself. The single most unstable and potentially disruptive element in the scheme is the human species. Human beings, with modern technology, have the capacity to bring about, intentionally or unintentionally, far-reaching and irreversible changes in the environment.

1. Environment

Environment is defined as the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources. It includes all the biotic and abiotic factors that influence each other. The biotic factors include all living organisms like plants, animals, fishes etc., While the abiotic factors include sunlight, rocks, air etc.,

The study of interrelationship between biotic and abiotic factors is considered as environment.

Functions of environment: The environment performs few vital functions. The environment is able to perform these functions without any interruption as long as the demand on the function is within its carrying capacity.

1. Renewable and non- renewable resources are continuously supplied by the environment. Examples include trees in forest and fishes in the ocean(renewable). Non- renewable resources are those which get exhausted with extraction and use like fossil fuel.
2. It assimilates waste
3. It sustains life by providing genetic and biodiversity
4. It also provides aesthetic services like scenery.

The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water and other resources available.

• The resource extraction is not above the rate of regeneration of the resources and the wastes generated are within the assimilating capacity of the environment.
• When this is not so, the environment fails to perform its third and vital function of life sustenance and this results in an environmental crisis.
• This is the situation today all over the world. The rising population of the developing countries and affluent consumption, production standards of the developed world have placed a huge stress on the environment in terms of its first two functions.
• Many resources have become extinct and the wastes generated are beyond the absorptive capacity of the environment.
• Absorptive capacity means the ability of the environment to absorb degradation. The past development has polluted and dried up rivers I’m other aquifers making water an economic good.
• Besides, the intensive and extensive extraction of both renewable and non renewable resources has exhausted some of these vital resources and we are compelled to spend huge amounts on technology and research to explore new resources.
• Added to these are the health costs of degraded environmental quality, decline in air and water quality have resulted in increased incidence of respiratory and water-born diseases. Hence the expenditure on health is also rising.
• To make matters worse, global environmental issues like global warming and ozone depletion also contribute to increased financial commitments for the government. It is clear that the opportunity costs of negative environmental impacts are high.
• In the early days, when the civilization just began, or before this phenomenal increase in , before countries took to industrialization, the demand for environmental resources and services was much less than their supply.
• This means that the pollution was within the absorptive capacity of the environment and the rate of resource extraction was less than the rate of regeneration of these resources.
• With population explosion and with the advent of industrial revolution to meet the growing needs of the expanding population, things changed.
• The result was that the demand for resources for both production and consumption went beyond the rate of regeneration of the resources; the pressure on the absorptive capacity the environment increased tremendously.
• Thus there happened a reversal supply-demand relationship for environmental quality- We are now faced with increased demand for environmental resources but their supply is limited due to overuse and misuse. Hence the environmental issues of waste generation and pollution have become critical today.

2. Global warming

• Global warming is a gradual increase in the average temperature of the earth’s lower atmosphere as a result of the increase in greenhouse gases since the industrial revolution.
• Much of the recent observed and projected global warming is human induced. It is caused by man-made increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases through the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
• Adding carbon dioxide, methane, and such other gases to the atmosphere with no other changes will make our planet’s surface warmer.
• The atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane have increased by 31% and 149% respectively above preindustrial levels since 1750.
• During the past century the atmospheric temperature has risen 1.1⁰ F and sea level has risen several inches.
• Some of the longer-term results of global warming are melting of polar ice with a resulting rise in sea level and coastal flooding, disruption of drinking water supply dependent on snow melts; extinction of species as ecological niches disappear; more frequent tropical storms and an increased incidence of tropical diseases.
• Among factors that contribute to global warming are the burning of coal and petroleum products(source of carbon-dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone), deforestation, methane gas released from animal waste, increased cattle production, use of fossil fuels.

A UN conference on climate change, held in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, resulted in an international agreement to fight global warming which called for reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases by industrialized nations.

3. Ozone Depletion

• Ozone depletion refers to the phenomenon of reductions in the amount of ozone in the stratosphere.
• The problem of ozone depletion is caused by high levels of chlorine and bromine compounds in the stratosphere.
• The origins of these compounds are chlorofluorocarbons(CFC), used as cooling substances in air conditioners and refrigerators or as aerosol propellants, and bromo fluorocarbons(halons), used in fire extinguishers.
• As a result of depletion of the ozone layer, more ultraviolet radiations(UV) enters earth’s surface and causes damage to living organisms.
• UV radiation seems responsible for skin cancer in humans; It also lowers production of phytoplankton and thus affects other aquatic organisms.
• It can also influence the growth of terrestrial plants. A reduction of approximately 5% of ozone layer was detected from 1979- 1990.
• Since the ozone layer prevents most harmful wavelengths of ultraviolet light From passing through the Earth’s atmosphere observed and projected decrease in the ozone have generated worldwide concern.
• This led to the adoption of Montreal protocol banning the use of chlorofluorocarbon compounds(CFC), as well as other ozone depleting chemicals like carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethane and bromine compounds known as halons.

4. India’s Environment

• India has abundant natural resources in terms of rich quality of soil, hundreds of rivers and tributaries, lush green forest, plenty of mineral deposits beneath the land surface, Vast stretch of the Indian Ocean, ranges of mountains etc.
• The black soil of the Deccan plateau is particularly suitable for cultivation of cotton, leading to concentration of textile industries in this region.
• The Indo-Gangetic  plains, spread from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, is one of the most fertile, intensively cultivated, densely populated regions of the world.
• India’s forest though unevenly distributed, provide green cover for a majority of its population and natural cover for its wildlife.
• Large deposits of iron-ore, coal and natural gas are found in the country. India alone can account for nearly 20% of the world’s total iron-ore reserves. Bauxite, copper, chromate, diamonds, gold, lead, lignite, manganese, zinc, uranium, etc, are also available in different parts of the country.
• However, the developmental activities in India have resulted in pressure on its finite natural resources, besides creating impacts on human health and well-being.
• The threat to India’s environment poses a dichotomy -threat to poverty-induced environmental degradation, and at the same time, threat of pollution from affluence and a rapidly growing industrial sector.  
• Air pollution, water contamination, soil erosion, deforestation and wildlife extinction are some of the most pressing environmental concerns of India.

1. Land degradation
2. Biodiversity loss
3. Air pollution with reference to vehicular pollution in urban cities
4. Management of freshwater
5. Solid waste management.

Land in India suffers from varying degrees and types of degradation stemming mainly from unstable use and inappropriate management practices.

Some of the factors responsible for land degradation are-

1. Loss of vegetation occurring due to deforestation
2. Unsustainable fuel wood and fodder extraction
3. Shifting cultivation
4. Encroachment into forest lands
5. Forest fires and overgrazing
6. Non-adoption of adequate soil conservation measures
7. Improper crop rotation
8. Indiscriminate use of Argo-chemicals like fertilizers, pesticides
9. Improper planning and management of irrigation systems
10. Extraction of ground water in excess of the recharge capacitythe
11. Open access resource
12. Poverty of the agriculture-dependent people.

India supports approximately 17% of the world’s human and 20% of livestock population on a mere 2.5% of world’s geographical area. The high density of population, livestock and the competing uses of land for forestry, agriculture, pastures, human settlements and industries exert an enormous pressure on the country’s finite land resources.

The per capita forest land in the country is 0.08 hectare against the requirement of 0.47 hectare to meet basic needs, resulting in excess felling of about 15 million cubic meter forests over the permissible limit.

Estimates of soil erosion show that soil is being eroded at a rate of 5.3 billion tonnes a year for the entire country as a result of which the country loses 0.8 million tonnes of phosphorus and 26.3 million tonnes of potassium every year. According to the Government of India, the quantity of nutrients lost due to erosion each year ranges from 5.8 – 5.4 million tonnes.

5. Pollution Control Boards (PCB)

• In order to control water and air pollution, the government set up the Central Pollution  Control Board(CPCB) in 1974. This was followed by states establishing their own state level boards to address all the environmental concerns.
• They investigate, collect and disseminate information to water, air and land pollution, lay down  standards for  sewage/ trade effluent and emissions.
• These boards provide technical assistance to governments in promoting cleanliness of  streams and wells by prevention, control and abatement of water pollution and improve the quality of air and to prevent air pollution in the country.
•  The PCB’s prepare manuals, codes and guidelines relating to treatment and disposal of sewage and trade effluents.
•  They assess the air quality through regulation of industries. In fact state boards, through their district level officials, periodically inspect every industry under their jurisdiction to assess the adequacy of treatment measures provided to treat the affluent and gaseous emissions.
• It also provides background air quality data needed for industrial siting and town planning.
•  The pollution control boards collect, collate and disseminate technical and statistical data relating to water pollution. They monitor the quality of water in 125 rivers- including the tributaries, lakes, wells, creeks,, ponds, tanks, drains and canals.
•  In India air pollution is widespread in urban areas where vehicles are the major contributors and in a few other areas which have high concentration of industries and thermal power plants.
• Vehicular emissions are of particular concern since these are of  ground level sources and have the maximum impact on the general population.
• The number of motor vehicles has increased from three lakhs in 1951 to 67 crores in 2003, personal transport vehicles constituted about 80% of the total number of registered vehicles thus contributing significantly total air pollution load.
• India is one of the 10 most industrialized nations of the world. But this status has brought with  unwanted consequences like unplanned urbanization, pollution and the risk of accidents.
• The CPCB has identified 17 categories of industries as significantly polluting.
• Various measures adopted by the ministry of environment and the central and state pollution control boards may not yield  reward unless a path of sustainable development is adopted.
• The concern for future generations alone can make development  last forever. Development to enhance our current living styles, without concern for posterity will deplete resources and degrade environment at a place that is bound to result in both environmental and economic crisis.

6. Sustainable Development

• Environment and economy are interdependent to each other. Hence, development that ignores its repercussions on the environment will destroy the environment that sustains life forms.
• The concept of sustainable development was emphasized by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development(UNCED), Which defined it as-“ development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs”.
•  The seminal report- our common future- explained sustainable development as“ meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life.” 
• Meeting the needs of all requires redistributing resources and is hence a moral issue.
•  It is also defined as, one which is directly concerned with increasing the material standard of living of the poor at the grass root level- this can be  quantitatively measured in terms of increased income, real income, educational services, health care, sanitation, water supply etc.,
• In more specific terms, sustainable development aims at decreasing the absolute poverty of the poor by providing lasting and secure livelihoods that minimize, resource depletion, environmental degradation, cultural disruption and social instability.
•  Sustainable development is,  a development that meets the basic needs of all, particularly the poor majority, for employment, food, energy, water, housing and ensures the growth of agriculture, manufacturing, power and services to meet these needs.
•  The Brundtland Commission emphasizes unprotecting the future generation. This is the line with the argument of the environmentalists who emphasize  that we have a moral obligation to hand over the planet earth in good order to the future generation, that is the present generation should bequeath a better environment to the future generation.

The present generation can promote development that enhances the natural and built environment in ways that are compatible with

1. conservation of natural assets
2. Preservation of the regenerative capacity of the world’s natural ecological system
3. Avoiding the imposition of added costs or risks  on future generations.

 A leading environmental economist, Herman Daly, suggested the following needs to be achieved

• Limiting the human population to a level within the carrying capacity of the environment. The carrying capacity of the environment is like “plimsoll line”  of the ship. In the absence of plimsoll line for the economy, human scale grows beyond the carrying capacity of the earth and deviates from sustainable development.
• Technological progress should be input efficient and not input consuming.
• Renewable resources should be extracted on a sustainable basis, that is, rate of extraction should not exceed rate of regeneration.
• For non- renewable resources rate of depletion should not exceed the rate of creation of renewable substitutes.
• Inefficiencies arising from pollution should be corrected.

7. Strategies for Sustainable Development

Use of Non-conventional Sources of Energy

• India is hugely dependent on thermal and hydro-power plants to meet its power needs.
• Both of these have adverse environmental impacts. Thermal power plants emit large quantities of carbon dioxide which is a green house gas.
• It also produces fly ash which, if not used properly, can cause pollution of water bodies, land and other components of the environment.
• Hydroelectric projects inundate forests and interfere with the natural flow of water in catchment areas and the river basins.
• Wind power and solar rays are good examples of conventional but cleaner and greener energy sources but are not yet been explored on a large scale due to lack of technological devices.

Lpg, Gobar Gas in Rural Areas

• Households in rural areas generally use wood, dung cake or other biomass as fuel. This practice has several adverse implications like deforestation, reduction in green cover, wastage of cattle dung and air pollution.
• To rectify the situation, subsidized LPG is being provided through easy loans and subsidy. As far as Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) is concerned, it is a clean fuel, it reduces household pollution to a large extent.
• Also, energy wastage is minimized. For the gobar gas plant to function, cattle dung is fed to the plant and gas is produced which is used as fuel while the slurry which is left over is a very good organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.

CNG, Urban Areas: The use of CNG-Compressed Natural Gas, as fuel in public transport system has significantly lowered air pollution and the air has become cleaner in the last few years.

Wind Power: In areas where speed of wind is usually high, wind mills can provide electricity without any adverse impact on the environment. Wind turbines move with the wind and electricity is generated. The initial cost is high, but the benefits are such that the high cost gets easily absorbed.

Solar Power Through Photovoltaic Cells: India is naturally endowed with a large quantity of solar energy in the form of sunlight. Sunlight is used to dry clothes, grains, Plants use solar energy to perform photosynthesis. With the help of voltaic cells solar energy can be converted into electricity. These cells use special kind of materials to capture solar energy and then convert into electricity. This technology is extremely useful for remote areas and for places where supply of power through grid or power lines is either not possible or very costly. This technique is totally free from pollution. India is taking efforts to increase the power generation through solar. India is leading an international body called International Solar Alliance(ISA).

Mini-Hydel Plants: Mini-hydel is the development of hydroelectric power on a scale serving a small community or industrial plant. Mini-hydel plants use the energy from the perennial streams to move small turbines. The turbines generate electricity which can be used locally. It’s generating capacity is up to  25 megawatts(MW), it is generally accepted at the upper limit. Search power plants are more or less environment friendly as they do not change the land use pattern in areas where they are located; They generate enough power to meet local demands. This means that they can also do away with the need for large scale transmission towers and cables and avoid transmission loss.

8. Traditional Knowledge Practices

• Indians have been close to the environment and a component of the environment but not a controller.
• Agriculture system, health care system, housing, transport were all  environment friendly. We drifted away from the traditional systems and caused large scale damage to the environment and also our rural heritage.
• India is highly privileged to have about 15000 species of plants which have medicinal properties.
• With the sudden onslaught of the western system of treatment we are  ignoring our traditional systems like Ayurveda, Unani, Tibetan and folk systems. These health care systems are in great demand for treating chronic health problems.

9. Biopest Control 

The use of more and more chemical fertilizers for higher yield has become common after the advent of green revolution. Soon the adverse effects were exposed like-

• food products were contaminated
• Soil, water bodies and even ground water were polluted with pesticides
• Milk, meat and fishes were also contaminated

To meet this challenge, efforts to bring in better methods are made to control pest. One such step is the use of pesticides based on plant products. Neem trees are proving to be useful. Several types of pest controlling chemicals were isolated from neem and are used effectively. Mixed cropping and growing different crops in consecutive years on the same land helped farmers.

Awareness is spreading about various animals and birds which help in controlling pests. For instance, snakes are the prime group of animals which prey upon rats, mice and various other pests. Similarly large varieties of birds, like owls, peacocks prey upon vermin and pests. If these animals including lizards are allowed to stay near agricultural land, they can clear large varieties of pests and insects.

Biocomposting

• To increase agricultural productivity during last five decades, farmers completely switched to chemical fertilizers. The result is that large tracts of productive land have been adversely affected, water bodies have suffered due to chemical contamination and demand for irrigation has been increased.
• Farmers, in large numbers all over the country, have again started using compost made of organic wastes from different sources. Cattle are maintained only to produce dung which is an important fertilizer and soil conditioner.
• Earthworms can convert organic matter into compost faster than the normal composting process. This process is now widely used. Indirectly, the civic authorities are benefited too as they have to dispose reduced quantity of waste.

Economic development, which aimed to increase the production goods and services to meet the needs of rising population, put greater pressure on the environment. In the initial stages of development, the demand for environmental resources but their supply is limited due to over use and misuse. Sustainable development aims at promoting the kind of development that minimizes environmental problems and meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.