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Essay on Environmental Protection

Environmental protection is improving, defending, and maintaining the quality of the environment. The main methods of environmental protection are recycling, reusing, and reducing; however, some other methods such as Green Energy production, green transportation development, and eco-friendly industrialization also exist. Not only residents but also businesses and industries should play their basic roles to improve the environment.

The History of Environmental Protection  

Humankind has always been concerned about the environment. The ancient Greeks were the first to develop environmental philosophy, and they were followed by other major civilizations such as India and China. In more recent times, the concern for the environment has increased because of growing awareness of the ecological crisis. The Club of Rome, a think tank, was among the first to warn the world about the dangers of overpopulation and pollution in its report "The Limits to Growth" (1972).

In the early days of environmentalism, people thought that the best way to protect nature was to set aside areas where humans would not disturb the environment. This approach, which is known as preservation, was given a major boost in the United States with the establishment of the National Park Service in 1916.

The modern environmental movement began in the 1960s when concerns about the negative impact of humans on the environment began to increase. In response to these concerns, governments around the world began to pass legislation to protect the environment. In the United States, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970.

The Principles of Environmental Protection

There are three fundamental principles of environmental protection:

The precautionary principle: This principle states that if an activity has the potential to cause harm to the environment, then steps should be taken to prevent that harm even if there is no clear evidence that the activity is damaging.

The polluter pays principle: This states that the party responsible for causing pollution should be held responsible for cleaning it up.

The public right to know the principle: This principle states that the public has a right to know about any potential threats to the environment and what is being done to address them.

The goals of Environmental Protection

There are three main goals of environmental protection:

To protect human health: This is the most important goal of environmental protection because humans cannot survive without a healthy environment.

To protect ecosystems: Ecosystems are the foundation of life on Earth, and they provide many benefits to humans, such as clean air and water, food, and fiber.

To promote sustainable development: Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Environmental protection is a practice that aims to protect the natural environment from the hands of individuals, organizations, and governments. It is the need of the hour because the Earth's environment is deteriorating every day, and the reasons are human beings. They are mishandling the Earth's environment to fulfill their needs. If it goes like this, then it is difficult to say that the future generation will have a safer environment to live in. Through this essay, you will learn the importance of environmental protection.

A Long Essay on Environmental Protection

It is imperative to protect our natural environment from deteriorating, and the only way to do that is through environmental protection. This process should be adopted by every country as soon as possible before it is too late. The objective of this process is to conserve all the natural resources and try to repair some parts of the environment that are possible to get repaired. The biophysical environment is getting degraded permanently because of overconsumption, population growth, and the rapid development of technology. This can be stopped if the government plan strategies to restrict these activities to perform in a controlled way. This environmental protection essay can be a great help for the students to understand the environment they are living in.

Voluntary Environmental Agreements

Voluntary environmental agreements are getting popular in most industrial countries. Through this free essay on environmental protection, one will learn more about this type of agreement. These agreements provide the companies with a platform where they are recognized if they are moving beyond the minimum regulatory standards for protecting the environment. These agreements support the development of one of the best environmental practices. For example, the India Environment Improvement Trust (EIT) has been working in this environment field since the year 1998. Through this environmental protection essay, one is getting so much to learn.

Ecosystems Approach

An ecosystem approach to environmental protection aims to consider the complex interrelationships of the ecosystem as a whole to the process of decision making rather than just focusing on specific issues and challenges. The environmental protection essay writing will give a more precise overview of this approach. The ecosystems approach aims to support the better transferring of information, develop strategies that can resolve conflicts, and improve regional conservation. This approach has played a major role in protecting the environment. This approach also says that religions also play an important role in the conservation of the environment.

International Environmental Agreements

In the present scenario, many of the Earth's natural resources have become vulnerable because of humans and their carelessness towards the environment across different countries. As a result of this, many countries and their governments have come into different agreements to reduce the human impact on the natural environment and protect it from getting deterioration. Through this environmental protection essay in English, one will get a much clearer view on this matter particularly.

The agreements made between different governments of various countries are known as International Environmental Agreements. This agreement includes factors such as climate, oceans, rivers, and air pollution. These agreements are sometimes legally bound, and in case they are not followed, it may lead to some legal implications. These agreements have a long history with some multinational agreements that were made in the year 1910 in Europe, America, and Africa. Some of the most well-known international agreements are the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Through this environmental protection essay, it is clear that governments are taking steps to solve the environmental issue, but it is not enough.

A Short Paragraph on Environmental Protection in English

Earth is a beautiful place to live in, with the most favorable environmental conditions for living beings. But we humans are making it vulnerable and are destroying our own homes with activities that are causing pollution at an increased rate. In this protecting the environment essay, 200 words will be explained properly on how to save the environment.

Environmental protection has become the need of the hour as it is getting destroyed each day. So, governments are making policies and are coming into agreements with other countries to come up with strategies that can protect the environment. Some companies also have the same aim of protecting the environment from the activities of humans.

In this short article on environmental protection, it is clear that if sudden steps are not taken then, our future generation will have to live in a polluted environment that is conserved very conserve difficult. Environmental protection is the key to a safe and secure future with a beautiful environment to live in. 

With pollution increasing each year and causing deterioration of the natural environment, it has become necessary to take steps to protect the natural environment. As we know that the reason for all these problems is humans, governments should make policies to restrict their activities that are causing harm to the environment. If they are not stopped urgently, then the world might see some catastrophic destruction in the coming years. For example, climate change has been a huge problem, and this is one of the causes of increased pollution. A secured future depends on the environment as a whole.

FAQs on Environmental Protection Essay

1. What are International Environmental Agreements?

International environmental agreements are legal contracts between countries that discuss the protection of the environment to provide better living to present and future generations. These include issues such as climate, oceans, rivers, air pollution, etc. we should always consider that if we harm our environment, then it can affect us as well, and we will become more vulnerable. If we do not take action now, it might get a lot worse. We need to be the generation that starts taking care of our planet and future generations!

2. What is the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol is one of the most well-known and successful international environmental agreements that has been made in the past to protect the environment. This agreement between countries was made to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases which are causing damage to the ozone layer and climate change. With the help of Kyoto, protocol countries have reduced emission rates by 8% and are planning to reduce them more so that future generations can live in a healthy environment in which they can flourish.

3. What is the Paris Agreement?

The Paris Agreement was made in 2015 to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and to stop climate change. This agreement is very important as it includes every country in the world, and all have agreed to work together to stop climate change. This is a huge step forward as it means that everyone is now working together to try to save our planet. If we try to solve these problems together, then we will have a chance to save our planet.

4. What is the Green Climate Fund?

The Green Climate Fund comes from an agreement made in 2010 to provide money for developing countries that are going through issues such as deforestation and air pollution by making them more sustainable. This fund has a goal of collecting 100 billion dollars by 2020 for supporting developing countries. If this can happen, then many lives can be saved, and we will be able to see a lot of positive changes in the coming years and decades so that we can see an improved environment.

5. What are some activities that harm the Environment?

Some activities that harm the environment include burning fossil fuels, deforestation, air pollution, and wastewater discharge. These activities harm not only the environment but also humans, and we must take action now to reduce the impact which we are causing. For example, the burning of fossil fuels is one of the main reasons for climate change and air pollution, which both have a huge impact on humans. If we stop these activities, then it will be a lot better for everyone!

6. How can we protect the Environment?

Environmental protection is very much required in today's time. Some of the ways to protect the environment are to reduce, reuse, recycle, conserve water, save electricity, clean up the community, educate people on pollution, conserve water, preserve soil, tree plantation, use long-lasting bulbs, and plant trees. Heaven these are the ways which help us to protect the environment from getting polluted.

7.  Why is Environmental Protection Important?

The ecosystem in which we live provides the natural services that are very much important to humans and other species for health, quality of life, and survival. So to protect that, environmental protection is very important. Hence, governments of various countries should make strategies to protect our natural environment from getting polluted.

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Table of Contents

Introduction to environmental laws and policies.

In a world grappling with the repercussions of climate change and environmental degradation, it’s imperative to understand the role of environmental laws and policies in India. This article explores India’s commitment to preserving its natural resources and fostering sustainable development through an array of regulations and initiatives.

The Evolution of Environmental Laws and Policies

India’s journey towards formulating comprehensive environmental laws began in the early 1970s. The urgency to address environmental issues gained prominence during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972. This landmark event laid the foundation for India’s environmental policy framework.

The Environmental Protection Act, 1986

One of the pivotal moments in India’s environmental legislation was the enactment of the Environmental Protection Act in 1986. This act empowered the central government to take necessary measures to safeguard and improve the environment.

Key Environmental Policies

India’s approach to environmental protection is rooted in several key policies and strategies, aiming to strike a balance between economic growth and ecological preservation.

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)

India’s NAPCC, launched in 2008, outlines a comprehensive strategy to combat climate change while promoting sustainable development. It consists of eight national missions, each targeting specific climate-related challenges.

Forest Rights Act, 2006

Recognizing the importance of tribal communities in conserving forests, this act grants legal rights to forest dwellers over the land they have inhabited for generations. It not only protects forests but also empowers marginalized communities.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change, launched in 2008, is a pivotal policy document that outlines India’s comprehensive strategy to combat climate change while simultaneously promoting sustainable development. It comprises eight national missions, each targeting specific climate-related challenges:

National Solar Mission

India’s National Solar Mission aims to promote the development and deployment of solar energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy security.

National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency

This mission focuses on improving energy efficiency in various sectors, including industries, transportation, and agriculture, to reduce energy consumption and mitigate climate change.

National Water Mission

The National Water Mission addresses water-related issues, such as water conservation, efficient water use, and sustainable management of water resources, to ensure water availability for all.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture

This mission seeks to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices and reduce emissions from the agricultural sector while ensuring food security.

National Mission on Sustainable Habitat

With rapid urbanization, this mission aims to promote sustainable urban planning and development, emphasizing energy-efficient buildings and public transport systems.

National Mission for Green India

Focused on forest and biodiversity conservation, this mission aims to restore and enhance forest and tree cover, as well as protect wildlife habitats.

This mission aims to promote climate-resilient agricultural practices and reduce emissions from the agricultural sector while ensuring food security.

National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change

This mission focuses on creating and disseminating knowledge related to climate change, adaptation, and mitigation strategies.

The Forest Rights Act, enacted in 2006, recognizes the historical injustice meted out to forest-dwelling tribal and indigenous communities. It grants legal rights to forest dwellers over the land they have inhabited for generations. This act not only protects forests but also empowers marginalized communities by giving them control over their resources.

Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

This legislation aims to prevent and control water pollution by regulating the discharge of pollutants into water bodies and setting water quality standards.

Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

Similar to the Water Act, the Air Act of 1981 addresses air pollution issues by regulating emissions from industries and vehicles, thereby improving air quality.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

This act provides legal provisions for the protection and conservation of wildlife in India. It designates protected areas and regulates hunting and poaching activities.

Challenges and Controversies

Despite India’s efforts to strengthen its environmental laws, several challenges and controversies persist. Rapid urbanization, industrialization, and population growth continue to exert pressure on the environment, leading to concerns about air and water pollution.

Rapid Urbanization and Industrialization

India’s rapid urbanization and industrial growth have brought economic prosperity but also environmental challenges. The expansion of cities and industries often leads to increased pollution, deforestation, and habitat destruction, impacting air and water quality, as well as biodiversity.

Air and Water Pollution

Air pollution is a significant concern in many Indian cities, with high levels of particulate matter and pollutants affecting public health. Water pollution, driven by industrial discharges and inadequate sewage treatment, poses a severe threat to water bodies and public health.

Deforestation and Loss of Biodiversity

The growth of infrastructure projects and agricultural expansion has resulted in deforestation and the loss of critical habitats for wildlife. This poses a threat to India’s rich biodiversity and can lead to ecological imbalances.

Inadequate Implementation and Enforcement

Despite robust environmental laws and policies, their effective implementation and enforcement can be challenging. Inconsistent enforcement across states and regions, bureaucratic delays, and corruption can hinder the intended impact of these policies.

Displacement of Indigenous Communities

Large-scale infrastructure projects, such as dams and mining, often lead to the displacement of indigenous and tribal communities who depend on the land for their livelihoods. This raises ethical and human rights concerns.

Water Scarcity and Resource Management

India faces significant challenges related to water scarcity and mismanagement of water resources. Competing demands for water from agriculture, industry, and households often lead to conflicts.

Controversy Over Environmental Clearances

The process of granting environmental clearances for development projects is often mired in controversy. Critics argue that some projects receive approval without adequate scrutiny of their environmental impact.

Climate Change Vulnerability

India is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events. Adapting to and mitigating these changes require substantial resources and policy adjustments.

Waste Management and Plastic Pollution

Inefficient waste management systems and the proliferation of single-use plastics contribute to environmental degradation. Proper disposal and recycling of waste materials are ongoing challenges.

Lack of Public Awareness and Participation

Engaging the public in environmental conservation efforts remains a challenge. Limited awareness and engagement hinder collective action for environmental protection.

Addressing these challenges and controversies requires a multifaceted approach that includes stricter enforcement of existing laws, sustainable development practices, public awareness campaigns, and proactive measures to combat pollution and protect natural resources. Achieving a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability is an ongoing endeavor for India’s policymakers and citizens.

• The Environmental Protection Act, 1986, empowers the central government to take measures to safeguard and improve the environment, making it a cornerstone of India’s environmental legislation.
• The Forest Rights Act grants legal rights to forest dwellers, helping conserve forests and empowering marginalized communities.
• NAPCC is a comprehensive strategy to combat climate change while promoting sustainable development through various national missions.
• India faces challenges such as rapid urbanization, industrialization, and population growth, leading to concerns about pollution and resource depletion.
• Individuals can contribute by adopting sustainable practices, conserving resources, and supporting initiatives that promote environmental conservation…. .Read more
• #Environmental Laws and Policies

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5 Biggest Environmental Issues in India in 2024

In its latest climate assessment, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) made it very clear that the climate crisis is accelerating at a pace like never before and warned that it is “ now or never ” to limit global warming to 1.5C. From deforestation and droughts to air pollution and plastic waste , there are several factors exacerbating global warming, with consequences felt everywhere in the world. However, some nations suffer more than others. Despite making little to no contribution to climate change, countries in the Global South historically bear the most brunt as they often lack financial resources to tackle the emergency and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events. Here are some of the biggest environmental issues in India right now and how the country is dealing with them.

1. Air Pollution

Undoubtedly one of the most pressing environmental issues in India is air pollution. According to the 2021 World Air Quality Report, India is home to 63 of the 100 most polluted cities, with New Delhi named the capital with the worst air quality in the world. The study also found that PM2.5 concentrations – tiny particles in the air that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller in length – in 48% of the country’s cities are more than 10 times higher than the 2021 WHO air quality guideline level. 

Vehicular emissions, industrial waste, smoke from cooking, the construction sector, crop burning, and power generation are among the biggest sources of air pollution in India. The country’s dependence on coal, oil, and gas due to rampant electrification makes it the world’s third-largest polluter , contributing over 2.65 billion metric tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere every year.  

The months-long lockdown imposed by the government in March 2020 to curb the spread of Covid-19 led to a halt in human activities. This unsurprisingly, significantly improved air quality across the country. When comparing the Air Quality Index (AQI) data for 2019 and 2020, the daily average AQI in March-April 2019 was 656, the number drastically dropped by more than half to 306 in the same months of 2020.  

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Unfortunately, things did not last long. In 2021, India was among the world’s most polluted countries, second only to Bangladesh. The annual average PM2.5 levels in India was about 58.1 µg/m³ in 2021, “ending a three-year trend of improving air quality” and a clear sign that the country has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Scientists have linked persistent exposure to PM2.5 to many long-term health issues including heart and lung disease, as well as 7 million premature deaths each year. In November 2021, air pollution reached such severe levels that they were forced to shut down several large power plants around Delhi. 

In recent years, the State Government of the Indian capital has taken some stringent measures to keep a check on air pollution. One of which is the Odd-Even Regulation – a traffic rationing measure under which only private vehicles with registration numbers ending with an odd digit will be allowed on roads on odd dates and those with an even digit on even dates. Starting from January 2023, there will also be a ban on the use of coal as fuel in industrial and domestic units in the National Capital Region (NRC). However, the ban will not apply to thermal power plants, incidentally the largest consumers of coal. Regardless of the measures taken to curb air pollution, as the World Air Quality Report clearly shows – the AQI in India continues to be on a dangerous trajectory.

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2. Water Pollution

Among the most pressing environmental issues in India is also water pollution. The Asian country has experienced unprecedented urban expansion and economic growth in recent years. This, however, comes with huge environmental costs. Besides its air, the country’s waterways have become extremely polluted, with around 70% of surface water estimated to be unfit for consumption. Illegal dumping of raw sewage, silt, and garbage into rivers and lakes severely contaminated India’s waters. The near-total absence of pipe planning and an inadequate waste management system are only exacerbating the situation. Every day, a staggering 40 million litres of wastewater enter rivers and other water bodies. Of these, only a tiny fraction is adequately treated due to a lack of adequate infrastructure.

In middle-income countries like India, water pollution can account for the loss of up to half of GDP growth, a World Bank report suggests. Water pollution costs the Indian government between US$6.7 and $7.7 billion a year and is associated with a 9% drop in agricultural revenues as well as a 16% decrease in downstream agricultural yields.

Besides affecting humans, with nearly 40 million Indians suffering from waterborne diseases like typhoid, cholera, and hepatitis and nearly 400,000 fatalities each year, water pollution also damages crops, as infectious bacteria and diseases in the water used for irrigation prevent them from growing. Inevitably, freshwater biodiversity is also severely damaged. The country’s rivers and lakes often become open sewers for residential and industrial waste. Especially the latter – which comprises a wide range of toxic substances like pesticides and herbicides, oil products, and heavy metals – can kill aquatic organisms by altering their environment and making it extremely difficult for them to survive.

Fortunately, the country has started addressing the issue by taking steps to improve its water source quality, often with local startups’ help. One strategy involves the construction of water treatment plants that rely on techniques such as flocculation, skimming, and filtration to remove the most toxic chemicals from the water. The upgrade process at one of the country’s largest plants located in Panjrapur, Maharashtra, will enable it to produce more than 19 million cubic metres of water a day , enough to provide access to clean water to approximately 96 million people. 

The government is also looking at ways to promote water conservation and industrial water reuse by opening several treatment plants across the country. In Chennai, a city in Eastern India, water reclamation rose from 36,000 to 80,000 cubic metres between 2016 and 2019. 

Finally, in 2019, Gujarat – a state of more than 70 million citizens – launched its Reuse of Treated Waste Water Policy , which aims to drastically decrease consumption from the Narmada River. The project foresees the installation of 161 sewage treatment plants all across the state that will supply the industrial and construction sectors with treated water.

3. Food and Water Shortages

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), India is the country expected to pay the highest price for the impacts of the climate crisis. Aside from extreme weather events such as flash floods and widespread wildfires, the country often experiences long heatwaves and droughts that dry up its water sources and compromise crops. 

Since March 2022 – which was the hottest and driest month recorded in 120 years – the North West regions have been dealing with a prolonged wave of scorching and record-breaking heat . For several consecutive days, residents were hit by temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius, while in some areas, surface land temperatures reached up to 60C. There is no doubt among experts that this unprecedented heatwave is a direct manifestation of climate change .

The heatwave has also contributed to an economic slowdown due to a loss of productivity, as thousands of Indians are unable to work in the extreme heat. The agriculture sector – which employs over 60% of the population – is often hit hard by these erratic droughts, impacting food stability and sustenance. Currently, farmers are struggling to rescue what remains of the country’s wheat crops, piling on existing fears of a global shortage sparked by the war in Ukraine.

Already among the world’s most water-stressed countries , the heatwave is causing further water shortages across the nations. Even though water tankers are keeping communities hydrated, the supply is not enough to cover the needs of all residents. But heat is not the only factor contributing to water scarcity. In an interview with the Times of India , lead researcher at Pune-based Watershed Organisation Trust Eshwer Kale described the national water policy as very ‘irrigation-centric’. Indeed, over 85% of India’s freshwater is used in agriculture. This has led to a crisis in several states, including Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. The indiscriminate use of water for irrigation, coupled with the absence of conservation efforts and the huge policy gap in managing water resources has left over 10% of the country’s water bodies in rural areas redundant. A 2019 report predicts that 21 major cities – including New Delhi and India’s IT hub of Bengaluru – will run out of groundwater by 2030, affecting nearly 40% of the population. 

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4. Waste Management

Among the most pressing environmental issues in India is also waste. As the second-largest population in the world of nearly 1.4 billion people, it comes as no surprise that 277 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are produced there every year. Experts estimate that by 2030, MSW is likely to reach 387.8 million tonnes and will more than double the current value by 2050. India’s rapid urbanisation makes waste management extremely challenging. Currently, about 5% of the total collected waste is recycled, 18% is composted, and the remaining is dumped at landfill sites .

The plastic crisis in India is one of the worst on the planet. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India currently produces more than 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day on average, which accounts for almost 6% of the total solid waste generated in the country. India stands second among the top 20 countries having a high proportion of riverine plastic emissions nationally as well as globally. Indus, Brahmaputra, and Ganges rivers are known as the ‘highways of plastic flows’ as they carry and drain most of the plastic debris in the country. Together with the 10 other topmost polluted rivers, they leak nearly 90% of plastics into the sea globally. 

To tackle this issue, in 2020 the government announced that they would ban the manufacture, sale, distribution, and use of single-use plastics from July 1 2022 onwards . Furthermore, around 100 Indian cities are set to be developed as smart cities . Despite being still in its early phase, the project sees civic bodies completely redrawing the long-term vision in solid waste management, with smart technologies but also awareness campaigns to encourage community participation in building the foundation of new collection and disposal systems. 

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5. Biodiversity Loss

Last but not least on the list of environmental issues in India is biodiversity loss. The country has four major biodiversity hotspots , regions with significant levels of animal and plant species that are threatened by human habitation: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the Sundaland (including the Nicobar Islands), and the Indo-Burma region. India has already lost almost 90% of the area under the four hotspots, according to a 2021 report issued by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), with the latter region being by far the worst affected.

Moreover, 1,212 animal species in India are currently monitored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with over 12% being classified as ‘endangered’ . Within these hotspots, 25 species have become extinct in recent years.

Due to water contamination, 16% of India’s freshwater fish, molluscs, dragonflies, damselflies, and aquatic plants are threatened with extinction and, according to the WWF and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) , freshwater biodiversity in the country has experienced an 84% decline. 

Yet, there is more to it. Forest loss is another major driver of biodiversity decline in the country. Since the start of this century, India has lost 19% of its total tree cover . While 2.8% of forests were cut down from deforestation, much of the loss have been a consequence of wildfires, which affected more than 18,000 square kilometres of forest per year – more than twice the annual average of deforestation. 

Forest restoration may be key to India’s ambitious climate goals, but some argue that the country is not doing enough to stop the destruction of this incredibly crucial resource. Indeed, despite committing to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030, Narendra Modi’s government faced backlash after refusing to sign the COP26 pledge to stop deforestation and agreeing to cut methane gas emissions. The decision was justified by citing concerns over the potential impact that the deal would have on local trade, the country’s extensive farm sector, and the role of livestock in the rural economy. However, given these activities’ dramatic consequences on biodiversity, committing to end and reverse deforestation should be a priority for India.

If you liked reading about some of the biggest environmental issues in India, you might also like: 14 Biggest Environmental Problems of 2024

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Greening India’s Environment: Challenges Faced and Prospects for Future Cooperation

• May 10, 2021

The beginning of 2021 has been exceptionally challenging for India. In January, India’s capital city New Delhi was hit not only by a hailstorm, but also by the heaviest rainfall in 21 years, according to the India Meteorological Department ( IMD ). Furthermore, the country was then plunged into a cold wave in the Northern regions. However, Central and South India have been particularly hot, so much so that January 2021 was the warmest in 62 years in terms of average recorded temperature. What is more, on the 7 th of February 2021, a massive piece of a Himalayan glacier broke off in northern India, causing at least 26 deaths, with a further 170 people missing. In view of the increase in natural disasters in India, the national government raised awareness of global warming in various ways. For instance, in 2008, the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change ( PMCCC ) published India’s first National Action Plan on Climate Change ( NAPCC ), outlining the government’s initiatives and strategies on climate change. 

Nevertheless, more than a decade after the release of the NAPCC, India is facing increasing extreme weather that has disastrous effects on humans, animals and the ecosystem. Thus, the effectiveness of Indian environmental policies should be assessed. As a starting point, the environmental situation in India will be examined. With this in mind, we will then look into the initiatives implemented on the domestic and international levels to remedy the situation. Lastly, EU-Indian cooperation on climate change, water and energy issues as well as their future prospects will be tackled. This paper suggests that for India, in order to combat climate change, a sustainable and feasible environmental action plan resides in finding the balance between environmental protection and economic development , notably in ensuring energy security . As an active developing country, India possesses significant potential to improve its environmental standing and move towards a “greener” economic model while cooperating with other regional and international partners. All that is needed now is to act upon it. 

Assessment of India’s Vulnerability to Climate Change

In the Germanwatch 2020 Global Climate Risk Index report, India is ranked fifth amongst the most affected countries by climate change. The Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences ’ 2020 report estimates that the average temperature in India is expected to climb by 4.4°C before the end of the century, exacerbating concerns over rising sea levels. With a coastline of 7517km on which major Indian cities are located (namely Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai), this is especially worrying. These cities are already at risk of being submerged every year during monsoon season. While flooding and droughts become increasingly frequent in India, extreme weather conditions also spur worries about food security and energy supplies, since its population is expected to surpass China’s in 2027, becoming the world’s most populous country. Despite exceptional climatic conditions being perceived as “natural disasters”, human activity weighs heavily on the environment. As the third-largest global producer of carbon dioxide in 2020, the exploitation of fossil fuels, soaring levels of pollution from industries and Indian megacities all contribute to carbon emissions, leading to an acceleration of climate change. 

Indian Domestic Environmental Initiatives

Many Indian cities are known for their heavy traffic situations and smog. The AirVisual’s 2018 World air quality report indicated that 22 out of the 30 most polluted cities are located in India. Air quality has also been assessed as “ airpocalyptic ” in a Greenpeace report issued in January 2017. The severity of the matter should not be underestimated, particularly during winter months where air quality worsens due to atmospheric factors, heating systems and post-monsoon biomass burning. Around 60 percent of the Indian population still relies on biomass such as wood or charcoal for cooking and energy supply. In order to combat the emission of these fumes, the Indian government adopted the Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana ( PMUY ) scheme in 2016 which provides clean liquefied petroleum gas ( LPG ) connections to poor households freely for cooking purposes. It is aimed to reach 80 million households by 2022. Combating air pollution is an important concern , given that poor air quality has a significant health impact, reducing average life expectancy by more than 10 years in Delhi. In November 2020 for instance, New Delhi’s air pollution level was nine times higher than what the World Health Organization deems safe, to the point where the air was considered dangerous to breathe. According to the state-run System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research ( SAFAR ), the levels of PM 2.5, which is considered one of the most toxic particles, climbed to about 250 micrograms per cubic meter. A thick smog rendered the city’s gray winter sky a sickly yellow and shrouded national monuments. People’s vulnerability to air pollution has been exacerbated by the pandemic, as a combination of air pollution and COVID-19 makes people with chronic medical conditions more prone to lung inflammation and other health conditions. As Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi’s chief minister stated , “the corona situation is worsening because of pollution.” As a consequence, the Indian Ministry of Environment launched the national clean air programme ( NCAP ), which sets the framework for sub-federal states to institute and adequately implement the necessary measures. Since many Indian cities are amongst the most polluted in the world, this programme aims at reducing the concentration of coarse (PM10) and fine particles (PM2.5) in 102 cities across the country by 20-30 percent by 2024, as compared to 2017.

Besides the deteriorating air quality, water pollution also poses a severe threat in India. According to the 2018 “ Composite water management index ”, India’s water index is ranked 120 th out of 122 countries. In urban and rural areas, untreated sewage water from farms and factories flows into rivers and lakes, contaminating drinkable underground water. Farmers subsequently use the untreated water to irrigate their crops, generating food security challenges and illnesses among the consumers further down the food production chain. For years, the Ganges – Hinduism’s holy rivers, have been polluted to the extent that its water is unsafe in some areas due to the risk posed by heavy metals. This prompted the launch of the National Mission for Clean Ganga ( NMCG ) in 2014. At the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, nearly USD 3 billion of funds were committed to a five-year clean-up of the Ganges by 2020. However, the NMCG was criticized for its slow pace of cleaning-related work. According to the most recent data available from the Central Pollution Control Board ( CPCB ), amongst its 2,500-kilometer length, the Ganges’ average water quality has not reached a level considered safe for drinking and bathing due to the fact that untreated sewage water has continually been discharged into the Ganges. 

Furthermore, urban planning failures , manifested in clogged drainage systems and the encroachment of water bodies, play a critical role in the impact of natural disasters on cities. In summer 2020, many Indian cities experienced flooding . The expansion of mega-cities in India makes them more vulnerable to heavy rainfalls, especially in locations with a high concentration of people such as slums and squatter settlements. Inadequate urban development policies go hand in hand with poor waste management, also causing food and health problems. In an attempt to address this, the Modi government has launched the Swachh Bharat Mission (‘ Clean India ’ project), aimed at decluttering the streets, clearing sewage pipes and the building of millions of public toilets across the country between 2014 and 2019. The project has paid off. It has been reported that since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Mission, at least 180,000 diarrhoeal deaths were averted in rural India. According to a survey conducted by the National Statistical Office ( NSO ) in 2018 and released in 2019, 71 percent of rural households had access to toilets in 2018, showing a significant improvement compared to 40 percent in 2012. On 1st February 2021, the Indian  finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the “Urban Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0” initiative, where Rs 1,41,678 crore are allocated to complete faecal sludge management and wastewater treatment over five years from 2021. The ‘ Smart Cities Mission ’ also contributed to developing public transport, sewerage, water supply and sanitation. The program will vary on a city to city basis, with financial aid payments being staggered between 2017 and 2022. Due to the severity of the pandemic, the project had to slow down to the extent that only 11 percent is completed until 2021. Thus, it has been estimated that benefits will be reaped from 2022 onwards. 

To protect the “lungs” of the earth and fight against illegal timber trafficking, the National Green Tribunal was set up in October 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2020 to enforce laws on forest conservation and natural resources . Forests are known to absorb carbon dioxide, contributing to global temperature reduction and the slowing down of climate change. Mangrove forests served as a natural barrier to take in excessive water and hold the earth firmly in the ground. However, due to economic development, the demand for wood has increased in India. As a result, heavy rain loosens the soil, taking away the earth, while devastating agricultural outputs. Deforestation has aggravated the current environmental situation, not only in India but also on the border with Bhutan and Myanmar. Illegal traffickers from the northeastern states of India smuggled timber from Bhutan, to such an extent that they have been called the “ timber mafia ”. Despite a ban on timber logging since 1996 in the northeastern states of India, the policy has not been enforced very strictly. In India, due to its federal system, regional entities have, to some degree, power to decide what measures should be implemented. As the 7 th largest country in the world, constituted by 7 union territories and 29 states, the Indian central government needs more stringent policies to better control measures in the different regions. Regional governments are dependent on the central government in terms of finance. Therefore, one solution could be to introduce financial penalties or specific taxation schemes in areas failing to adhere to environmental protection policies. There is a clear need for concordance between legislation set forth by the central government and its implementation by the states.

India’s International Engagement in Environmental Issues 

Policy awareness has been driven at the international level under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Third Biennial Update Report ( BUR-3 ) to the UNFCCC was published in February 2021 by the Indian Ministry of Environment. Through the development of green technologies in the sectors of industry, agriculture, business and commerce, the BUR-3 highlighted India’s consistent efforts to combat the challenges of global warming. Besides meeting its commitments to the UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, India has enhanced initiatives in climate change mitigation and adaptation. According to Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State for Environment, “India, as a front-runner in climate action, is one of the few countries on track to overachieve the 2 degrees celsius compatible Nationally Determined Contribution (NDCs) targets submitted as part of the Paris Agreement.” The 2015 Paris Agreement adopted at the global level by up to 190 Parties is an important milestone, as it is the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate change agreement. Despite the withdrawal of the United States of America from the Paris Agreement in 2016, India and other partners such as the European Union (EU) proved to be strong advocates of environmental protection and leaders in the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable alternatives as a means of energy production. For instance, the International Solar Alliance ( ISA ), which promotes the use of solar energy, was launched by France and India in November 2015 at the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris.  

Indeed, one of India’s enormous challenges will be re-orientating its energy model, which today still relies heavily on coal, fossil fuels and biomass. Since the country will become the world’s most populous country in the coming years, it faces an enormous demand for electricity provided by fossil fuels. Following its commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement, the Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced an ambitious target of 500 gigawatts (GW) of renewables by 2030 , and has pledged to source 40 percent of its electricity from renewable and other low-carbon sources the same year. Incentives have paid off, as India’s is among the top ten performers in adopting substantial measures to mitigate climate change in the 2020 climate change performance index ( CCPI ). The construction of the Bhadla solar power park in Rajasthan, which is one of the world’s largest solar power plants, is the perfect example of solar energy production promotion as it can reach a maximum capacity of 2.245MW and serves as an excellent alternative to fossil fuel-based energy production. 

However, India’s “ solar-powered revolution ” and its solar manufacturing capacity have proven challenging to expand, since it relies heavily on the importation of Chinese solar equipment. According to R. K. Singh, the Indian renewable energy minister: “India imported solar cells and modules worth USD 1,179.89 million from China in the first nine months – April to December of the financial year 2019-2020.” The reason resides in the fact that “solar panels or modules imported from China are generally cheaper than those produced by domestic manufacturers,” Singh added. The Indian government ought to incentivize businesses to produce domestically manufactured components under the government-sponsored projects, such as the PM-KUSUM Scheme ( Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan ) or the Rooftop solar scheme, to discourage Chinese imports and provide protection to the domestic MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) solar firms. The lack of skilled workers in the Indian green industry also needs to be urgently addressed through advanced training in the sector and the creation of new job opportunities. As a result, these initiatives would not only lessen India’s dependency on Chinese imports, but also increase its economic competitiveness vis-à-vis China, as well as its readiness for sustainable structural change in the long run. 

Challenges and Future Prospects of EU-India Climate Cooperation

In reaction to the commitments to the Paris Agreement, the EU-India Summit in March 2016 marked a milestone in their cooperation in leading climate action and clean energy transition. Based on a shared vision for sustainable energy production, both sides agreed on a joint declaration on Clean Energy and Climate Partnership , including renewables, energy efficiency, sustainable finance, smart grids and grid integration. The Partnership aims to support the European Investment Bank in deploying funds for renewable energy and climate change programs with India. Additionally, through the EU’s Partnership Instrument project “Clean Energy Cooperation between the EU and India” ( CECI ), specific technical assistance is also brought to India to reinforce its climate research capacity. In regards to sustainable management of water resources, a joint declaration on an India-EU Water Partnership ( IEWP ) was also agreed following the Summit, assisting in the implementation of the Indian government’s Ganga Rejuvenation Initiative. From exchanging perspectives with the Indian government on regulatory approaches in tackling the cleaning of Ganga, the EU can take in valuable lessons in reforming its Water Framework Directive ( WFD ) for the Rhine and Danube. 

The EU-India Summit in October 2017 focused on facilitating EU-India business-to-business interaction, including new cooperation on green cooling, solar pumping, energy storage and advanced biofuels. Both leaders emphasized the importance of transitioning to a circular economy to minimize primary resource demand and increase clean energy development. As a result, collaboration in the fields of resource efficiency and circular economy has increased under the EU’s Resource Efficiency Initiative ( EU-REI ) for India. Besides, a joint declaration on smart and sustainable development was agreed on creating cities with sustainable urbanization. For instance, the EU supports India’s Eco-Cities project which promotes use of renewable energy, clean technology and energy efficiency in five cities – Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune metropolitan regions to meet its goals in the NCDs. The EU collaborates with Indian Urban Local Bodies to develop basic facilities and encourage sustainable urban management. Under the International Urban Cooperation programme ( IUC ), 12 city-to-city pairings between European and India cities aimed to support India Local Action Plans in promoting smart, green and inclusive growth. 

On the 15 th of July 2020, the 15 th EU-India Summit was held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. As a common roadmap to guide joint action and further strengthen the EU-India Strategic Partnership, the “ EU-India Strategic Partnership: A Roadmap to 2025 ” was endorsed, aiming to develop a “sustainable modernization partnership.” The EU and India reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Paris Agreement and agreed upon constructive bilateral relations in the context of a post-pandemic economic recovery plan by employing a “greener” and sustainable framework. For instance, the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership established at the 2016 Summit will be reinforced. Based on the principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity, further dialogue in sharing knowledge and expertise in the areas of innovation and technology will be promoted. The EU’s main strategy to combat climate change is through its green recovery agenda. However, “the environmental and economic ambition of the Green Deal will not be achieved by Europe acting alone,” said   Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries at the summit. In times of the global pandemic, the EU-India Strategic Partnership in the field of resource efficiency and circular economy is poised to gain ever more significance in view of achieving the European green recovery plan. “The transition to a resource-efficient and circular economy is essential for the sustainability of the EU and India’s economic growth and requires working together for a global systemic shift,” with the involvement of other global powers such as China, Russia, and the United States, he added. Besides, according to a joint statement released after the summit, both parties agreed to work closely in creating a post-2020 global strategy to conserve biodiversity, which will be discussed and adopted at the UN Biodiversity Conference in 2021. The 8th May 2021 EU-India virtual Leaders’ Meeting reiterated the importance of transport and industry decarbonisation and projected a new work programme for the EU-India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership.

To sum up, climate change is a worldwide issue and needs to be dealt with not only through domestic policies but also international cooperation. As one of the most populous countries vulnerable to climate change, India needs to act now in order to protect its population from rising sea levels, pollution and the degradation of biodiversity. One solution resides in transitioning from biomass-produced energy to sustainable energy, thus creating a greener economic model. As Muthukumara Mani, a senior environmental economist in the Sustainable Development Department of the World Bank’s South Asia Region stated : “while the overall policy focus should be on meeting basic needs and expanding opportunities for growth, they should not be at the expense of unsustainable environmental degradation.” The dilemma is finding the delicate balance between socio-economic development and environmental preservation and protection. To achieve this, engaging in regional cooperation with China and international cooperation with the EU in the domains of clean energy, infrastructure-building, and climate research capacity could be beneficial for India in a greener circular economy. 

Author: Kemeng Liu, Junior Researcher, EIAS 

Photo Credits: Pixabay

Essay on Environmental Protection

Environmental protection is a responsibility we all share to safeguard our planet’s beauty and balance. In this essay, we will explore the significance of environmental protection, the threats our environment faces, and the actions we can take to ensure a healthier and more sustainable future.

The Importance of Environmental Protection

Environmental protection is like a shield that defends our planet against harm. It encompasses efforts to preserve our air, water, land, and the diverse life forms that call our planet home. Experts agree that without environmental protection, our world’s ecosystems and natural beauty are at risk.

Threats to Our Environment

Our environment faces numerous threats, including pollution, deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change. Pollution, such as air and water pollution, harms our health and the health of the planet. Deforestation disrupts ecosystems, leading to the loss of plant and animal species. Habitat destruction endangers wildlife, and climate change causes extreme weather events and rising temperatures.

The Role of Pollution

Pollution is a significant threat to our environment. According to statistics, air pollution contributes to respiratory diseases and global warming, while water pollution harms aquatic life. Reducing pollution through cleaner technologies and responsible waste disposal is a crucial aspect of environmental protection.

The Impact of Deforestation

Deforestation, the cutting down of trees on a large scale, has a severe impact on our environment. It leads to soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of the carbon cycle, contributing to climate change. Conservation efforts, reforestation, and sustainable logging practices are essential to protecting our forests.

Protecting Wildlife Habitats

Habitat destruction threatens countless species. When we destroy natural habitats for urban development or agriculture, we push animals out of their homes. Experts suggest creating protected areas and wildlife corridors to ensure the survival of diverse species.

Climate Change and Global Warming

Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues. Rising temperatures, caused by the greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere, lead to melting ice caps, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events. Mitigating climate change through reduced emissions and the use of clean energy sources is vital for environmental protection.

Actions for Environmental Protection

We all have a role to play in environmental protection. We can conserve resources by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Using public transportation or carpooling can help reduce air pollution. Planting trees and participating in clean-up events contribute to a healthier environment.

Education and Awareness

Educating ourselves and others about environmental issues is crucial. Experts believe that awareness and knowledge empower us to make informed decisions that benefit our planet. Schools, communities, and organizations can play a vital role in educating people about environmental protection.

Conclusion of Essay on Environmental Protection

In conclusion, environmental protection is not a choice but a responsibility that falls on each of our shoulders. We must recognize the significance of safeguarding our environment against pollution, deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change. By taking action, supporting conservation efforts, and raising awareness, we can ensure a brighter, more sustainable future for ourselves and the generations to come. Let us remember that environmental protection is not just a duty; it is a commitment to preserving Earth’s beauty and balance for all living creatures.

Also Check: Simple Guide on How To Write An Essay

Environmental protection in India

• Legal Blogs
• November 26, 2022

Introduction

Environmental Protection is one of the fundamental requirements for any nation’s overall development. Environmental Protection is improving and maintaining the quality of the environment. It focuses on the aspect that no part of nature is affected by any activity of human beings. India is now a country that experiences strong GDP growth.

This implies that when there is an increase in urbanization, industrialization, and use of resources the nation experiences a steady rise. All of these advancements cause a backlash on the environment such as pollution, water scarcity, and rising temperature. This leads the nation to adopt sustainable development for the protection of the environment.

History of environmental protection

To understand the present-day environmental law protection system, we need to look into the history of where the protection of the environment started. A look into the past Indian traditions and practices of protecting the environment will give an idea.

The evolution of environmental protection has been divided into four phases-

Ancient Indian policies

Even the pre-Vedic Indian Valley Civilization, which flourished in northern India around 5,000 years ago, can be said to have been conscious of the environment. All this has been gathered from archaeological evidence.

The awareness about hygiene and sanitation is evident from the construction of houses, streets, wells, and many more. Cleanliness was one of the main focuses of the Vedic culture.

The Charka Samhita gives many verses about the use of water for maintaining its purity. There were also many punishments prescribed for the man if he or she cut a tree or harm the environment.

Medieval Indian policies

During the Mughals, forests were considered for hunting. During this period there were no such major environmental protection acts to laws took place.

British Indian policies

There were some of the major laws for environmental protection introduced such as the Shore Nuisance (Bombay and Kolaba) Act, 1853 imposed restrictions on the fouling of seawater; The Merchant Shipping Act of 1858 dealt with the prevention of sea pollution by oil; The Fisheries Act, 1897; The Bengal Smoke Nuisance Act of 1905; Bombay Smoke Nuisance Act of 1912.

After independence policies

The Constitution of India did not mainly deal with any such environmental protection acts or subjects. In 1972, the Stockholm Declaration focused on environmental protection. The National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning was set up in 1972 to focus on environmental protection.

Another act named the Wildlife (Protection) Act, of 1972 , aimed at the logical and contemporary management of wildlife. Up to the present, there have been several policies and laws enacted for the protection of the environment.

Present-day environmental protection acts and policies

Before the independence, the laws and policies for the environmental protection act existed but after the independence at the Stockholm Conference, the National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning was established in 1972. Later, this became the Ministry of Environment and Forests. This is today one of the main bodies for the protection of the environment.

Let us now discuss some of the important and prevalent legislation for environmental protection:

The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974

The purpose of this act was to prevent and control water pollution and to maintain or restore the country’s water wholesomeness. This act mainly focuses to prohibit the discharge of pollutants into the water bodies and also puts penalties on those who do not comply with the said acts.

At the Centre, the CPCB, and at the State, the SPCBs are there to lay down the standards for the protection of the water bodies. The cess is gathered to supplement the funds available to the Central Board and State Boards for the prevention and control of water pollution, which was established by the 1974 Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. The Act last underwent revision in 2003.

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

The purpose of this act is to prevent and control air pollution and also maintain the pollutants realized into the air. the Boards at the Centre and the State have been built to carry out the purpose of air protection. There were standards established under the Air Acts for the protection of Air quality.

These standards were laid down by prohibiting the use of polluting fuels and substances in the air. Through this Act, the State was empowered with the right to declare any area as having polluted air.

The Environment Protection Act, 1986

The purpose of this act was to protect and improve environmental conditions. Through this act, there is a framework established for the studying and implementation of the long-term requirements of the environment for its protection.

The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010

This is a tribunal established to provide a basis for the effective disposal of cases that are related to environmental protection and conservation. This Act had the establishment of NGT to deal with environmental laws.

In light of the National Green Tribunal’s establishment under the National Green Tribunal Act of 2010 and notification number S.O. 2570(E) dated October 18, 2010, the National Environment Appellate Authority established under section 3(1) of the National Environment Appellate Authority Act of 1997 stands dissolved.

Some of the other acts that are important from a viewpoint of environmental protection are:

• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
• The Forest Conservation Act 1980.
• Public Liability Insurance Act 1991.
• The Biological Diversity Act 2022.

Constitutional aspects of environmental protection

The of India is a living document and has in past years invalidated a lot of provisions related to environmental protection and conservation . The provisions such as who has the power to make laws regarding the environmental laws, how the laws are to be enacted, what can be the possible ways to protect the environment, and many more.

Under the Environmental Protection Act, of 1986 the word environment has been defined as “environment includes water, air and land and the interrelationship which exists among and between air, water and land, and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organism, and property”.

Provision of the Constitution

At the Stockholm Conference, the Global Movement led the establishment of the 42nd Amendment of the Indian Constitution in 1976 . The environmental provisions were added to the Constitution. An example is that Article 48-A [1] was added to the Directive Principles of State Policy by this particular amendment.

Fundamental rights

These Articles state the right to a clean environment:

Article 14 states that every citizen is entitled to equality before the law and also gets equal protection from the law. This article is a way to have the state practice fairness between the citizens.

Article 19(1) can also be used in a way to deal with noise pollution.

Article 21 states that no person shall be deprived of the right to life and personal liberty.

Article 32 states the right to file a petition for constitutional remedies. Petitions can be filed under this section for matters related to environmental protection.

Fundamental duties

Article 51-A(g) : This article mentions that every citizen must preserve and enhance the natural environment such as the forests, lakes, rivers, animals, etc. Also, both the State and every person have the responsibility to preserve the environment.

Directive principles of state policy

Article 48-A: This article states that the State shall make every effort to protect the nation’s forests and wildlife, as well as to preserve and advance the environment. [2]

Importance of environmental protection

There is keen importance on environmental protection for the following reasons:

• To lessen pollution of the air, water, and land.
• To make it easier to protect natural resources for future generations.
• To make sure that biodiversity is protected.
• To put sustainable development into practice.
• To re-establish ecological harmony.
• To protect the environment from the damaging effects of global warming.

Environmental protection: need of the hour in India

As it is evident that the GDP of India is increasing and improving day by day. India is making constant efforts to become more and more self-sufficient and improve its economy.

As improving the economy requires more advanced technology, the advancement of technology is proportional to the harm the environment is causes by certain activities that the industries cause. Industrialization, urbanization, and all the means to lead a better life and have a clean and pure environment to live in.

So, for the conservation of the environment, India took some crucial steps such as obtaining sustainable development. India has brought measures for preserving water and energy resources, droughts, and many more.

There has to be a balance struck between economic development and the development of the environment. Certain steps can be taken, they are mentioned below:

• Sustainable development: In these, measures are taken to use the resources in a manner in which there is sufficient left for the future generation to use. India has adopted these models for better utilization of resources and the protection of the environment.
• Advancement and adoption of technology: India is taking certain steps to improve technology and advance it. There are steps taken such as Make in India, Smart Manufacturing, and Skill India.
• The three-fold collaboration: The collaboration and alliance between the industry, government and regulatory bodies will help the country to maintain the relationship between environmental protection and economic development. All the factors that contribute to the economy should in a combined way put efforts into the same.

Some of the recent environmental protection factors

There have been certain factors for the protection of the environment in respect of power generation the environment:

Special purpose vehicle (SPV) for afforestation

This is being set up jointing by NTPC and Central Power Sectors. This helps in the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Fly ash utilisation action plan

As per the Indian reports, all power stations together produce 90 million tonnes of fly ash per year. This plan has made several efforts and recommendations to use the fly ash in the production of cement, bricks, paving materials, floor tiles, wall panels, etc., as well as in farming, road building, land-filling, and mine backfilling.

Clean development mechanism (CDM)

The Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) has engaged in providing consultancy services for concerns related to environmental protection. Project development, baseline surveys for each project, negotiations with CDM parties, identification of counterpart CDM parties from developed countries, cost of CO2 monitoring and verification of CO2 emission reduction, and project implementation oversight are all included in the terms of reference.

This was established in November 1975 to maintain Sustainable Power Development. As per the reports, with an installed capacity of 21,749 MW (19% of India’s installed capacity), contributing to 26% of the nation’s total generation, and having a high availability factor of its power plants, National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. (NTPC) is now India’s largest power utility.

As to sum up, India is a developing country and is trying every day to make efforts for the improvement and advancement of the same. The judiciary of India has brought up a lot of laws and regulations for the same. The government is focusing on improving the economic conditions without the degradation of the environment.

Nature remaining intact is important for the people, flora, and fauna to survive. Recently, India has made a lot of new addition for the enhancement of the condition of the environment and its conservation as it is. Also, there have been constitutional provisions attached to environmental protection. There are fundamental duties, rights, and directive principles for the same.

The Indian government has passed and is working on many aspects that keep the economy growing and also protect the environment at the same time without any cost. Some of the major works are such as Make in India or Skill India. As for this moment, there are still advancements and improvements being made.

References:

[1] Indian Constitution.

[2] Sher Singh v. Himachal Pradesh it was held that “the residents of the country were found to have a fundamental right to a clean, safe, and dignified environment”.

This article has been authored by Suhani Gupta.

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Major Environmental Movements in India

Last updated on April 22, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

Contemporary India experiences almost unrestricted exploitation of resources because of the lure of new consumerist lifestyles.

The balance of nature is disrupted. This has led to many conflicts in society.

In this article, we discuss the major environmental movements in India.

Table of Contents

What is an Environmental Movement?

• An environmental movement can be defined as a social or political movement, for the conservation of the environment or for the improvement of the state of the environment . The terms ‘green movement’ or ‘conservation movement’ are alternatively used to denote the same.
• The environmental movements favour the sustainable management of natural resources. The movements often stress the protection of the environment via changes in public policy . Many movements are centred on ecology, health and human rights .
• Environmental movements range from highly organized and formally institutionalized ones to radically informal activities.
• The spatial scope of various environmental movements ranges from being local to almost global.

Some of the major environmental movements in India during the period 1700 to 2000 are the following.

Bishnoi Movement

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• Year: 1700s
• Place: Khejarli, Marwar region, Rajasthan state.
• Leaders: Amrita Devi along with Bishnoi villagers in Khejarli and surrounding villages.
• Aim: Save sacred trees from being cut down by the king’s soldiers for a new palace.

What was it all about : Amrita Devi, a female villager could not bear to witness the destruction of both her faith and the village’s sacred trees. She hugged the trees and encouraged others to do the same. 363 Bishnoi villagers were killed in this movement.

The Bishnoi tree martyrs were influenced by the teachings of Guru Maharaj Jambaji, who founded the Bishnoi faith in 1485 and set forth principles forbidding harm to trees and animals. The king who came to know about these events rushed to the village and apologized, ordering the soldiers to cease logging operations. Soon afterwards, the maharajah designated the Bishnoi state as a protected area, forbidding harm to trees and animals. This legislation still exists today in the region.

Chipko Movement

• Place: In Chamoli district and later in Tehri-Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.
• Leaders: Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, Sudesha Devi, Bachni Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Govind Singh Rawat, Dhoom Singh Negi, Shamsher Singh Bisht and Ghanasyam Raturi.
• Aim: The main objective was to protect the trees on the Himalayan slopes from the axes of contractors of the forest.

What was it all about : Mr. Bahuguna enlightened the villagers by conveying the importance of trees in the environment which check the erosion of soil, cause rains and provide pure air. The women of Advani village of Tehri-Garhwal tied the sacred thread around the trunks of trees and they hugged the trees, hence it was called the ‘Chipko Movement’ or ‘hug the tree movement’.

The main demand of the people in these protests was that the benefits of the forests (especially the right to fodder) should go to local people. The Chipko movement gathered momentum in 1978 when the women faced police firings and other tortures.

The then state Chief Minister, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna set up a committee to look into the matter, which eventually ruled in favour of the villagers. This became a turning point in the history of eco-development struggles in the region and around the world.

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Save Silent Valley Movement

• Place: Silent Valley, an evergreen tropical forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India.
• Leaders: The Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) an NGO, and the poet-activist Sughathakumari played an important role in the Silent Valley protests.
• Aim: To protect the Silent Valley, the moist evergreen forest from being destroyed by a hydroelectric project.

What was it all about: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) proposed a hydroelectric dam across the Kunthipuzha River that runs through Silent Valley. In February 1973, the Planning Commission approved the project at a cost of about Rs 25 crores. Many feared that the project would submerge 8.3 sq km of untouched moist evergreen forest. Several NGOs strongly opposed the project and urged the government to abandon it.

In January 1981, bowing to unrelenting public pressure, Indira Gandhi declared that Silent Valley will be protected. In June 1983 the Center re-examined the issue through a commission chaired by Prof. M.G.K. Menon. In November 1983 the Silent Valley Hydroelectric Project was called off. In 1985, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi formally inaugurated the Silent Valley National Park.

Jungle Bachao Andholan

• Place: Singhbhum district of Bihar
• Leaders: The tribals of Singhbhum.
• Aim: Against the government’s decision to replace the natural sal forest with Teak .

What was it all about: The tribals of the Singhbhum district of Bihar started the protest when the government decided to replace the natural sal forests with the highly-priced teak. This move was called by many “Greed Game Political Populism”. Later this movement spread to Jharkhand and Orissa.

Appiko Movement

• Place: Uttara Kannada and Shimoga districts  of Karnataka State
• Leaders: Appiko’s greatest strengths lie in it being neither driven by a personality nor having been formally institutionalised. However, it does have a facilitator in Pandurang Hegde. He helped launch the movement in 1983.
• Aim: Against the felling and commercialization of natural forest and the ruin of ancient livelihood.

What was it all about: It can be said that the Appiko movement is the southern version of the Chipko movement. The Appiko Movement was locally known as “Appiko Chaluvali”. The locals embraced the trees which were to be cut by contractors of the forest department. The Appiko movement used various techniques to raise awareness such as foot marches in the interior forest, slide shows, folk dances, street plays etc.

The second area of the movement’s work was to promote afforestation on denuded lands. The movement later focused on the rational use of the ecosphere by introducing alternative energy resource to reduce pressure on the forest. The movement became a success. The current status of the project is – stopped.

Narmada Bachao Andholan (NBA)

• Place:  Narmada River, which flows through the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Leaders: Medha Patker, Baba Amte, Adivasis, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists.
• Aim: A social movement against several large dams being built across the Narmada River.

What was it all about: The movement first started as a protest for not providing proper rehabilitation and resettlement for the people who have been displaced by the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Later on, the movement turned its focus on the preservation of the environment and the eco-systems of the valley. Activists also demanded the height of the dam to be reduced to 88 m from the proposed height of 130m. World Bank withdrew from the project.

The environmental issue was taken into court. In October 2000, the Supreme Court gave a judgment approving the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam with a condition that the height of the dam could be raised to 90 m. This height is much higher than the 88 m which anti-dam activists demanded, but it is definitely lower than the proposed height of 130 m. The project is now largely financed by the state governments and market borrowings. The project is expected to be fully com­pleted by 2025.

Although not successful, as the dam could not be prevented, the NBA has created an anti-big dam opinion in India and outside. It questioned the paradigm of development. As a democratic movement, it followed the Gandhian way 100 per cent.

Tehri Dam Conflict

• Year: 1990’s
• Place: Bhagirathi River near Tehri in Uttarakhand.
• Leaders: Sundarlal Bahuguna
• Aim: The protest was against the displacement of town inhabitants and the environmental consequence of the weak ecosystem.

Tehri Dam attracted national attention in the 1980s and the 1990s.  The major objections include seismic sensitivity of the region, the submergence of forest areas along with Tehri town etc. Despite the support from other prominent leaders like Sunderlal Bahuguna, the movement has failed to gather enough popular support at the national as well as international levels.

• Appiko – The Hindu
• NBA – The Hindu

Article by: Priyanka Sunil

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Reader Interactions

October 16, 2016 at 12:08 am

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March 20, 2017 at 3:47 pm

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November 26, 2016 at 3:05 pm

Hi, You are providing valuable information for competitive exam’s. Here in this article you have written about “Chipko Movement” is started from Tehri Garhwal. “Chipko Movement” was started from “Reni Village” of Chamoli ditrtict, which is near “Joshimath”.

So, plz correct that.

November 26, 2016 at 4:18 pm

Thanks Udit for pointing it out. We have updated the article.

The struggle Chipko’s first battle took place in early 1973 in Chamoli district, when the villagers of Mandal, led by Bhatt and the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Mandal (DGSM), prevented the Allahabad-based sports goods company, Symonds, from felling 14 ash trees. In Tehri Garhwal, Chipko activists led by Sunderlal Bahuguna began organising villagers from May 1977 to oppose tree-felling in the Henwal valley.

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February 28, 2018 at 7:47 am

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May 17, 2021 at 7:20 am

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June 3, 2021 at 12:12 pm

It’s really helpful . Thank you so much 💖🖤 But Silent movement is an environmental movement in Kerala so it’s a state movement according to my text book Any way this work really awesome and helpful for my project as a referring guide THANK YOU ❤💌

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October 21, 2021 at 9:48 am

Singhbhum district is not in Bihar it is Jharkhand. If you’re mentioning before the partition of the state then you shouldn’t mention the line ” then it was spread in Jharkhand and Orissa”. Please keep your information correct.

November 23, 2021 at 8:56 am

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November 27, 2021 at 9:19 pm

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May 12, 2022 at 4:14 pm

It’s really very much helpful . Thank you But Silent movement is an environmental movement Which must be going in India and Worldwide for water and wastewater treatment. Any way this work really awesome and helpful for my research as a referring guide THANK YOU 💌

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Essay on environmentalism in india (1861 words).

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Ramachandra Guha is probably the most outstanding Indian scholar to have contributed significantly to the understanding of ‘environmentalism in India’. In an early exposition, Guha identified three strands in the environmental movement in India – Crusading Gandhian, Appropriate Technology and Ecological Marxists – and argued that this ideological plurality is to be welcomed.

The strand represented by the Crusading Gandhians propagated an alternative, non-modern philosophy whose roots lay in Indian tradition; the Appropriate Technology mainly tried to demonstrate in practice a set of technological and social alternatives to the prevailing model of development; and, finally, the third strand embraced a variety of groups who arrived at environmentalism via conventional political philosophies, notably Marxism.

The last strand is most closely identified with the People’s Science Movements (PSMs) like the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP). According to Guha, the three contending ideologies exercised influence on each other. Guha has also attempted to trace lineage for Indian environmentalism.

According to him, the historical study of natural resource conflict and the anthropological study of indigenous conservation systems are two important ways of constructing a lineage for Indian environmentalism; he claims that his attempt takes up yet a third alternative, the provision of an intellectual genealogy for the movement. Thus, Guha concerns himself with those forgotten thinkers who provided important insights into the human-nature relationship in India.

He regards J.C. Kumarappa, Patrick Geddes, Verrier Elwin and Radhakamal Mukerjee as pioneers of human-ecological thinking in India. Guha’s The Unquiet Woods: Ecological Change and Peasant Resistance in the Himalaya was an attempt to trace the origins of the Indian environmental movement and to document protests against commercial logging in the Himalayan foothills. He traces the origins of environmental movements in India to the Chipko (Hug the Trees) movement of the Central Himalaya in the early 1970s; the following decade saw a wave of protests against commercial logging in the Himalayan foothills which had both the Gandhians as well as left wing activists involved.

Guha construes Chipko as a powerful statement against the violation of customary rights by state forestry which brought into focus a wide range of issues regarding forest policy and the environment debate as a whole. This Fissured Land: An Ecological History of India authored by Madhav Gadgil and Ramachandra Guha is hailed by Rahul as a pioneering effort to provide a framework for an ecological historiography and praxis; however, Rahul is quick to point out lacunae in their study.

According to Rahul, their effort is more conjecture than history; their framework for historical enquiry is itself flawed which has led them to reach some dubious and dangerous conclusions. Rahul has highlighted the validity of social science research from an ecological standpoint and has emphasized the necessity of evolving a framework for ecological historiography and praxis.

Guha undertakes a pioneering analysis of the social origins of the Chipko movement, in Social Ecology; he traces the origins of the movement to the beginning of the 20th century when peasants of the Garhwall region protested against destructive activities of forest officials. Ramachandra Guha and Madhav Gadgil have argued that nature-based conflicts revolving around competing claims over forests, land, water and fisheries have increased in frequency and intensity, thereby adding a new dimension to Indian democracy and civil society; the environmental movement also poses an ideological challenge to the dominant notions of the meaning, content and patterns of development in India. In another work, Ecology and Equity: The Use and Abuse of Nature in Contemporary India, they have tried to present a critique of the development model in our country since independence.

They advocate empowerment of the people, proper valuation of resources and knowledge dissemination; this ‘conservative-liberal-socialism’ is suggested as an alternative paradigm of development philosophy in our country. Recently, Guha has tried to examine European contribution to Indian environmentalism.

According to Guha, Europeans like Patrick Geddes, Dietrich Brandis, Verrier Elwin, Madeleine Slade, Albert Howard, Catherine Mary Heinman, Marjorie Sykes and Laurie Baker have made notable contribution to Indian environmental thought. He also distinguishes between two waves of Indian environmentalism: the first wave spanned from the late 19th century to the outbreak of the First World War and the second wave started in the early seventies.

During the first wave Indian thinkers associated with the national movement and some Europeans contributed to environmental thought; and, in the second wave intellectual reflection and popular social movement have come together to generate a public debate on ‘the conditions and prospects for sustainable development’.

Guha terms the period from August 1947 to the early 1970s an age of ecological innocence in which environmental concerns were relegated to the background, given the urge to industrialize rapidly and ‘catch up’ with the developed world. According to Guha, the environmental movement in India is presently in a state of exhaustion, though it is moving ahead. Now it has to confront the forces of globalization and liberalization.

In an early analysis, Harsh Sethi lamented the post-Cartesian mindset of our nationalist elite who primarily concerned themselves with how to spur economic growth. This, Sethi argued, prevented them to comprehend the organic link between nature and survival societies; they failed to see that the major conflicts in our society revolved around the control, use and nurturing of natural resources like soil, water and air.

He emphasized the necessity of learning from the experience of Chipko or the Jharkhand Movement or even the water sharing experiments of the Pani Panchayat and argued that it is only by delving deep into the ambit of mainstream statist and technicist development discourse that the voluntary movement can keep the option of exploring social alternatives open.

Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Vandana Shiva have made an attempt to provide a conceptual framework for analyzing the processes and structures of modern economic development from an ecological standpoint. They analyse the relationship between economic development and conflicts over natural resources to trace the roots of ecological movements.

According to them, while political independence transferred the control over natural resources to the Indian State, the colonial approach to management of natural resources remained unchanged. They argued that ecology movements developed in India as people’s response to threat to their survival and as a demand for the conservation of the vital life support systems; thus, threat posed to natural resources by unlimited development aspirations has been at the very centre of ecology movements in India.

Contested Domains:

The State, Peasants and Forests in Contemporary India by Akhileshwar Pathak made an attempt to analyze the conflict of interest with regard to forest lands between the state and forest dwellers. Pathak approaches the issue of state’s interests in forests from the point of view of the dominant classes in society.

He argues that the Indian State largely represents the interests of rich farmers and capitalists, together with the interests of politicians and bureaucrats; their project is to promote modernization and capitalism in India. In order to survive, the poor have to collaborate with their oppressors. The constitution of the state and the circumstances of the rural poor preclude the possibility of any common ground between the state and forest dwellers.

Sumi Krishna’s book Environmental Politics:

People’s Lives and Development Choices raises the issue of why environmentalism has not had a greater impact on development policy and people’s lives in our country. Krishna takes examples from villages to show how development processes marginalize the poor and how environmentalism fails to provide space for people to make their own development choices.

Krishna concludes that presently environmentalism does not offer an alternative strategy for human development and emphasizes the necessity of ‘redirecting environmentalism’; thus, environmentalism must expand its ambit to embrace developmental concerns like education and employment by confronting crucial socio-political issues.

In another work, Sumi Krishna attempts to examine the kaleidoscope of environmental discourses and to analyse some key elements in the characterization of the environmental crisis; she also briefly looks at the prospects for environmentalism in the arena of politics. According to Krishna, the environmental discourse in India is still in its early stages and is often confused; however, it has gone beyond specific campaigns to raise basic issues affecting the character and organization of Indian society and the direction of its development.

Krishna argues that if Indian environmental movement is to change the direction of development in India, it has to move into the arena of political struggle. In order to be effective, it must get united with the more explicit political movements, and its discourse must be aligned with the discourses of power and justice. In order to accomplish these tasks, the environmental discourse must discard its wide ideological spread. This, according to Krishna, is the dilemma faced by the Indian environmental movement.

According to Ashok Swain, recent years have witnessed tremendous increase in environmental movements in our country. The environmental movements have brought together the poor and marginalized people from all over the country in a struggle to safeguard their interests and survival. Environmental protests pose a serious challenge to our mainstream developmental processes.

These movements represent a wide spectrum of groups, activities and ideologies. This ideological plurality in Indian environmentalism, Swain thus argues, has helped to widen the sphere of the protest movements and sharpen the terms of the environmental debate. Environmental protests are facilitating the consolidation of Indian democracy by encouraging and enticing greater popular participation.

Like Guha, Swain has also lauded the ‘ideological plurality’ of Indian environmentalism. Sujata Patel discusses how to proceed on an analysis of the relationship between ecology and development. According to Patel, the current discourse on the relationship between ecology and development has not as yet taken coherent shape within the discipline of sociology.

This is partly because of the tensions between the conventional and emerging definitions of ecology and development. She has emphasized the necessity of understanding the interrelationship in and through the experience of communities; such an exercise, Patel argues, may help in outlining the area of environmental sociology in India.

The late Anil Agarwal talked about ‘four rays of hope’ despite dismal scenario with regard to environment. They are: India’s NGO movement, the role of judiciary in environmental protection, ordinary people’s initiatives represented by Sukhomajri and Ralegan Siddhi, and media’s support to environmental concerns. He called for a third war of independence by post-independence Indians, to be fought with themselves, to protect their environment, society and culture. Recently, castigating Arundhati Roy for drawing parallelism between ‘big dams and big bombs’, Gail Omvedt has raised the issues of leadership and representation in environmental movements like Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA). Omvedt argues that the NBA has become the voice of the eco-romanticists of the world, not that of the tribals, Dalits and backward farmers of the valley.

We propose to understand ‘environmentalism in India’ in the larger contexts of the model of development and the nature of prevailing politics. The nature, content and direction of economic reforms are being dictated by the nature of the Indian State which, in turn, is shaped by the ongoing politics in our country. Along these lines, the next section is devoted to a brief review of select literature on the interface between economic reforms, prevailing politics and the nature of the Indian State.

Related Articles:

• Liberalization, Ecological Disaster and Livelihood Struggles in India
• Environmental Movements in India

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Regulated tourism in Antarctica: India working to save fragile environment

Discussion on regulating tourism in antarctica will be on the agenda at the antarctic treaty consultative meeting (atcm) and a meeting of the committee for environmental protection (cep)..

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• Travel to Antarctica costs an estimated Rs 1 crore per person
• India's research stations in Antarctica are meticulously maintained
• It costs the government Rs 150 and Rs 200 crore to maintain the research bases

India is working with like-minded countries to promote regulated tourism in Antarctica as a steady increase in the number of tourists threatens to harm the fragile ecology in the White Continent.

Discussion on regulating tourism in Antarctica will be on the agenda at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and a meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) scheduled to be held in Kerala's Kochi from May 20 to May 30.

"The problem is that tourism in Antarctica is not properly regulated. So this year, there is a discussion on its regulation," M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said in an interaction with PTI editors here.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences is hosting the 46th meeting of the ATCM, the highest governing body for Antarctica, and the 26th CEP meeting.

Ravichandran also hinted at plans to facilitate visits to Indian research stations in Antarctica for the general public.

Travel to Antarctica costs an estimated Rs 1 crore per person for researchers who travel onboard a ship from Goa to Cape Town in South Africa and from there, to the White Continent.

Thamban Meloth, Director of the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), said India operates two active research stations in Antarctica -- Maitri and Bharati -- where scientists from different institutes across the country conduct research throughout the year.

It costs the government anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 200 crore every year to maintain the research bases in Antarctica.

Ravichandran emphasised that India's research stations in Antarctica are meticulously maintained, subject to regular inspections to ensure that those are kept in pristine condition.

He emphasised the strict protocols in place for waste management, including the requirement to transport all waste, including human waste, back to the mainland.

Notably, the number of tourists visiting Antarctica has been steadily increasing each year, with several thousands of visitors making the journey annually, transiting through Argentina or Chile.

"There is a major working group in the ATCM and they will discuss and recommend to the Antarctic Treaty to have some criteria that a tourist needs to fulfil when visiting Antarctica," Ravichandran said.

Tourism began in Antarctica way back in the 1950s with tourists hitching rides on supply ships and the numbers have increased steadily over the years.