Environment, Globalization and Economic Development (My Paper : Environmental Concerns for Sustainable Development, By Dr. S. Vijay Kumar), New Century Publications, New Delhi (2013)
Environment,
Globalization and Economic Development
By G. Rajaiah
 |
||||||||||||||||||
ABOUT THE BOOK
|
||||||||||||||||||
Environmental
pollution is one of the major problems faced by the world community,
especially in the cities of the developing countries which have experienced
unbridled growth of population, urbanization and industrialization.
The concept of sustainable development is inextricably linked
with environment protection. It is a strategy for improving the quality of
human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystem.
Sustainable development entails commitment, protection and preservation of
environment.
Protection of the
environment has to be a central part of any sustainable inclusive growth
strategy. This aspect of development is especially important when
consciousness of the dangers of environmental degradation has increased
greatly.
This volume contains
12 research papers, authored by experts in the field, which provide deep
insights into the relationship between economic development and environment
in the context of increasing globalization of the world economies.
|
||||||||||||||||||
CONTENTS
|
||||||||||||||||||
1. Environment-Development Interface
G. Bhaskar and M.
Yadagira Charyulu
2. Sources and Effects of Air Pollution
M.N. Swarna, M.
Rajani and B.S. Rao
3. Women Workers in the Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone
(VSEZ)
P. Tara Kumari and
K. Siva Prasad
4. Environmental Concerns for Sustainable Development
S. Vijay Kumar
5. Land Acquisition for Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
M. Yadagiri and N.
Sreenivas
6. Environmental Stress and Gender
K. Hari Babu and K.
V. R. Srinivas
7. Environmental Education in India
A. Srivasacharyulu
and K. Hari Babu
8. Environment and Development
M. Galaiah
9. School Education for Environment
N. Alivelu Manga and
G. Rajaiah
10. Environmental Movements and Conflicts over Natural
Resources
C. Basavaiah and I.
Malyadri
11. Judicial Activism for Environment
J.V. Siva Kumar
12. Global Environmental Issues in the 21st Century
Dhulasi Birundha
Varadarajan
Appendix: National
Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development
Index
|
||||||||||||||||||
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
|
||||||||||||||||||
Dr. G. Rajaiah is
presently Professor
of Economics and Co-ordinator, SAP-DRS-II (UGC), Department of Economics,
Kakatiya University, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh. He obtained his M.Phil from
Delhi School of Economics (DSE), University of Delhi and Ph.D from Osmania
University, Hyderabad.
Dr. Rajaiah was also Principal, University
Post-Graduate College, Kakatiya University, Warangal and presently he is also
the Vice-Chairman for the Andhra Pradesh Economic Association. Apart from having more than six books to his
credit, he has participated and presented papers in various conferences and
seminars at the national and international level. His areas of specialization
include macroeconomics, development economics and environment.
His areas of specialization include
agricultural economics, rural development and environmental problems.
|
||||||||||||||||||
At Serial No. 4. Environmental Concerns for Sustainable Development
S. Vijay Kumar
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS AND
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INDIA
Economic development
is a process whereby an economy’s real national income increases over a long
period of time. There is direct relationship between environment and economy.
Economic development without environmental considerations can cause serious
environmental damage in turn impairing the quality of life of present and
future generations. In the process of economic development, the environmental
problems have been ignored or less concentrated. Now, the need of the hour is
to concentrate on sustainable development. Sustainable development means,
“Meeting the needs of present generation without compromising with the needs of
future generations.”
In
1983, the United Nations set up the World Commission on Environment and
Development called 'the Brundtland Commission' to examine the problems related
to this area. The Commission in its report entitled "Our Common
Future" submitted in 1987, used and defined this concept of sustainable
development for the first time.
OBJECTIVES OF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable
development aims at the creation of the sustainable improvements in the quality
of life for all people and this should be the principal goal of development
policy. Accordingly, the main objectives of sustainable development are stated
as under:
(1) Accelerating
economic growth (2) Meeting basic needs (3) Raising living standards (4)
Helping in ensuring clean environment free from all types of pollution (5)
Maximizing the net effects of economic development (6) Preservation and
enhancement of the stock of the environmental, human and physical capital (7)
Inter generational equity and (8) Overall strict control on gross exploitation
of the natural resources of each country.
The
purpose of this paper is to review the current state of the environment and
identifying the policy issues for promoting sustainable development. It is
broadly divided into six sections they are i) Environment-economy linkages, ii)
Review of major environmental concerns, iii) Impact of environmental
degradation on society, (iv) the policies of sustainable development, v) Global
Environmental Issues, and vi) Link between bio-diversity and climate change.
SECTION - I
ENVIRONMENT-ECONOMY
LINKAGES:
All
economic activities either affect or are affected by natural and environmental
resources. Activities such as extraction, processing, manufacture, transport,
consumption and disposal change the stock of natural resources add stress to
the environmental systems and introduce Wastes to environmental media.
Moreover, economic activities today affect the stock of natural resources
available for the welfare of the future and have intertemporal
welfare effects. From this perspective, the productivity of an economic system
depends in part on the supply and quality of natural and environmental
resources.
Natural
and environmental resources have three economic roles: (1) Waste disposal
services, (2) Natural resources inputs into production and (3) Directly
consumed life support services and authentic amenities. The natural and
environmental resource input function is central to understanding the
relationship between economic growth and environment. Water, soil, air,
biological, forest and fisheries resources are productive assets, whose quality
helps to determine the productivity of the economy. Focusing on this role of
environment as producer good highlight the direct effect the environmental
problems have on economic growth. Thus economic management lays emphasis on the
environment and the environmental quality in turn on the efficient working of
the economy. Environmental degradation imposes costs on the economy that
results in output and human capital losses.
Loss
of labor productivity resulting from ill health, foregone crop output due to
soil degradation and erosion, lost fisheries output and tourism receipts from
coastal erosion or lost soil productivity from deforestation can be some of the
manifestations of such reduced output. Moreover growing bodies of
epidemiological studies suggest that air and water population are taking a
heavy toll, particularly of people in the developing world, through ill health
and premature mortality. The impact of water and air pollution is particularly
adverse on the younger, the very aged and the poor. Pollution control is thus
linked to sustainable development and not a luxury good to be afforded after
the development process has taken off.
SECTION-II
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS:
A country's
environmental problems vary with its stage of development; structure of its
economy, production technologies in use and its environmental policies. While
some problems may be associated with the lack of economic development, others
are exacerbated by the growth of economic activity, Poverty presents special
problems for a densely populated country with limited resources.
Soil Degradation:
In India out
of the total geographical areas of 329 million hectares, 175 million hectares
are considered degraded. Erosion by water and wind is the most important factor
to soil erosion with other factors like water logging, salivation etc., adding
to the degradation. While soil erosion by rain and river in hill areas causes
landslides and floods, deforestation, overgrazing, traditional agricultural
practices, mining and incorrect setting of development projects in forest areas
have resulted in opening up of these areas to heavy soil erosion. In the arid
west, wind erosion causes expansion of desert, dust storms, whirlwinds and
destruction of crops, while moving sand covers the land and makes it sterile.
In the plains, riverine erosion due to floods and eutrophication due to
agricultural run off are noticed. Increased dependence on intensive agriculture
and irrigation also results in salination, alkalization and water logging in
irrigated areas of the country.
Deforestation:
Forest is
renewable resource and contributes substantially to the economic development by
providing goods and services to forest dwellers, people at large and forest
based industries, besides generating substantial volume of employment. Forests
are playing main role in enhancing the quality of environment by influencing
the ecological balance and life support system.
Biodiversity:
Biodiversity is one of
the major environmental concerns in India, now India is in the
tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.
The biodiversity in forests, non-irrigated lands, irrigated lands and hill
areas deserts and marines ecosystems is subject to many pressures. One of the
major causes of the loss of biological diversity has been the depletion of
vegetative cover in order to expand agriculture. Since most of the biodiversity
rich forests also contain the maximum mineral wealth and also the best sites
for water impoundment, mining and development projects in such areas have led
to destruction of habitats. Poaching and illegal trade of wildlife products
too, have adversely affected biodiversity.
Pollution:
The main factors
contributing to urban air quality deterioration are growing industrialization
and increasing vehicular pollution. It has been aggravated by developments that
typically occur as countries industrialize, growing cities, increasing traffic,
rapid economic development and industrial growth, all of which are closely
associated with higher energy consumption. Industrial pollution is concentrated
in industries like petroleum refineries, textiles, pulp and paper, industrial
chemicals, iron and steel and nonmetallic mineral products. Small scale
industries especially foundries, chemical manufacturing and brick making are
also significant polluters. In the power sector, thermal power, which
constitutes bulk of the installed capacity for electricity generation, is an
important source of air pollution.
Vehicle traffic is the
most important source of pollution in all the mega cities. The number of
vehicles in these cities has increased manifold. This increase has been
characterized by a boom in private transport. Other reasons for high vehicular
pollution are two stroke engines, aged vehicles, congested traffic, poor roads
and outdated automotive technologies and traffic management system.
Coastal and marine
pollutions are most contributing factors to environment. The coastal areas
of India, with a coast line of over 7500 km harbor a variety of
specialized marine ecosystems like mangroves, coral reefs, salt lakes and
mudflats which mainly form the habitat for endangered marine species and commercially
important marine flora and fauna.
An
important impact of climate change and global warming may be the rise in sea
level. The primary effect of sea level rise will be increased coastal flooding,
erosion, storm surges and wave activity. Primary studies on the impact of
one-meter sea level rise on the Indian coastline indicate that 0.41 %
of India's coastal area will be inducted.
Poverty is also one of the reasons
for environmental degradation in India. The circular link between poverty
and environment is an extremely complex phenomenon. Inequality may foster
unsustainability because the poor, who rely on natural resources more than the
rich, deplete natural resources faster as they have no real prospects of
gaining access to other type of resources. Acceleration in poverty alleviation
is imperative to break this link between poverty and environment.
SECTION - III
IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON SOCIETY:
IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ON SOCIETY:
Environmental
degradation is the result of the dynamic interplay of socioeconomic,
institutional and technological activities. Environmental changes may be driven
by many factors including economic growth, population growth, urbanization,
intensification of agriculture, rising energy use and transportation. Poverty
still remains a problem at the root of several environmental problems. The
impact of environmental degradation on society has been discussed in the
following:
It has been estimated
that the process of deforestation, bad soil and water management, submergence
of and in dam reservoirs, industrial and urban expansion, overgrazing, wind and
water erosion, salination, flooding, water logging and so on, contribute to a
loss of productivity in roughly one million hectare of land annually. The above
process results in desertification and creation of drought prone conditions,
leading to the immersion of those dependent on land for their daily
subsistence.
Given these processes
and the resultant, decline in livelihood for the millions critically dependent
on these resources, there are few options but to cultivate increasingly
marginal lands, thereby compounding the sustainability crisis. The impact on
women is even more severe, as the loss access to fuel, fodder and water forces
them to walk miles to collect the essential necessities for their subsistence. The
consequent escalation in the pressure on available arable land is so enormous
that it has contributed to the growth of criminalization in the country side
with illegal occupation of community lands, the formation of land armies by
land lords to oppose any demands by marginal farmers for land, as well as
increasingly militant movements to assert local control over productive
resources like land and forests. The latter process most often results in state
repression, compounding the climate of social unrest. Much of these have
severally strained social relations within communities and between communities
and the state. For instance, every year, over five lakh people are forcibly
displaced by development projects alone. Most of them are not rehabilitated,
and alternatives are rarely provided. In the process, communities and families
are broken up, destroying structure of social and economic support.
Loss of cultural
diversity is an inevitable consequence. For instance, a report based on a
comprehensive survey of people displaced by the Rihan Dam stated that,
"Many of the oustees, particularly the tribals, have fallen into the
typical cycle of debt bondage, coupled with increasing destitution and
intermittent employment as contract labourers in coal mines and elsewhere ...
most were simply kicked out with nothing left to fend for themselves."
DIMENSIONS OF THE
ENVIRONEMENTAL CRISIS IN INDIA:
Of the 266 million
hectares considered productive, about 175 million hectares are degraded in
varying degrees (arid, alkaline, saline, waterlogged, ravine and the like).
About 90 million hectare are acutely degraded, chiefly on account of loss of
tree cover and top soil, leading to floods and drought.
Depletion of forest
covers to about 19% of the total geographical area, instead of the desired
33%. India has only 2% of the forestland of the world but supports
16% of the world population.
Shortage of fuel wood
and fodder for rural needs, leading to more pressure on the forests.
Threats to faunal and
floral species and biological diversity, because of disturbance of their
habitat.
Adverse impact of
development activities such as mining, power generation, irrigation and
industrialization.
Degradation of fragile
ecosystems such as mangroves, irrigation lands, beaches and hill areas due to
over exploitation, use of commercial agricultural practices, tourism and
indiscriminate building activities.
Pollution of water
from domestic and industrial waste.
Pollution of coastal
areas and seas.
Air pollution due
to emission from industries.
Increased production,
transportation and use of hazardous chemicals.
Degradation of the
urban environment because of rapid expansion and inadequate basic services.
SECTION - IV
POLICIES FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
Environmental problems
like air pollution, water pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, loss of
bio-diversity, etc are caused by such diverse factors population growth,
poverty, industrialization, agricultural development, transport development,
urbanization, market failure etc. Such environmental degradation harms human
health, reduces economic productivity and leads to the loss of amenities.
Therefore, the damaging effects of environmental degradation can be reduced by
a judicious choice of economic and environmental policies and environmental
investments. The important policy measures for sustainable development are as
follows:
1. Reducing
Poverty:
Reduction of poverty
should be the foremost priority of the Government. It should select those
projects which provide greater employment opportunities to the poor. It should
expand health, family planning and education that will help reduce population
growth. Supply of drinking water, sanitation facilities, and slum clearance
should be given top priority.
2. Removing
Subsidies:
To reduce
environmental degradation at no net financial cost to the Government, subsidies
for resource use by the private and public sectors should be removed. Because,
subsidies on the use of electricity, fertilizers, pesticides, diesel, petrol,
gas, irrigation, water etc lead to their wasteful use and environmental
problems.
3. Clarifying
and Extending Property Rights:
Lack of property
rights over excessive use of resources leads to degradation of environment.
This leads to overgrazing, deforestation and over exploitation of minerals.
Therefore, clarifying and assigning ownership titles to private owners will
solve environmental problems
4. Market
based Approaches:
Various market based
approaches should be adopted to protect environment. Market based instruments
in the form of emission tax, pollution taxes, marketable permits, depositor
fund system, input taxes, differential tax rates, user administrative charges,
subsidies for pollution abatement equipment etc should be extensively used to
protect environment.
5. Regulatory
Policies:
Regulatory policies
are the other weapons for reducing environmental degradation. Regulators have
to make decisions regarding price, quantity and technology. They decide the
technical standards, regulations and charges on air, water and land pollutants.
6. Public
Participation:
Public awareness and
participation are highly effective to improve environmental conditions. For
this purpose various formal & informal education programme, environmental
awareness programmes, advertisement, public movements, aforestation,
conservation of wild life etc are to be organized on a large scale.
7. Trade
and Environment:
The Government should
formulate an environment friendly trade policy covering both domestic and
international trade. It should encourage the establishment of less polluting
industries, adoption of cleaner technologies, adoption of environment friendly
processes etc to control environmental degradation.
8. Participation
in Global Environmental Efforts:
Participation in
various international conventions and agreements on environmental protection
and conservation can also help to minimize damages of environmental
degradation. They include the Montreal protocol,
the Basel convention, the Rio Declaration, the Agenda 21, the Earth
summits, etc.
9. Renewable
energy:
Policies should be
framed for the use of renewable energy like solar and wind in place of coal and
petrol. Atomic Energy Agency predicted that renewable energy would overtake
natural gas to become the second largest source of power generation world wide
with in two years, and that global wind and solar generating capacity would
increase by more than 30 per cent.
SECTION- V
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES:
As early as 1896, the
Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius had predicted that human activities would
interfere with the way, the sun interacts with the earth, resulting in global
warming and climate change. His prediction has become true and climate change
is now disrupting global environmental stability. The last few decades have
seen many treaties, conventions, and protocols for the cause of global
environmental protection.
Few examples of
environmental issues of global significance are:
· Ozone
layer depletion
· Global
warming
· Loss
of biodiversity
Ozone Layer Depletion:
Earth’s atmosphere is
divided into three regions, namely troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere.
The stratosphere extends from 10 to 50 kms from the Earth’s surface. This region
is concentrated with slightly pungent smelling, light bluish ozone gas. The
ozone gas is made up of molecules each containing three atoms of oxygen; its
chemical formula is O3. The ozone layer, in the stratosphere acts as an
efficient filter for harmful solar Ultraviolet B (UV-B) rays. Ozone is produced
and destroyed naturally in the atmosphere and until recently, this resulted in
a well-balanced equilibrium. Ozone is formed when oxygen molecules absorb
ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths less than 240 nanometres and is
destroyed when it absorbs ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths greater than
290 nanometres. In recent years, scientists have measured a seasonal thinning
of the ozone layer primarily at the South Pole. This phenomenon is being called
the ozone hole.
Effects of Ozone Layer
Depletion:
Effects on Human and
Animal Health:
Increased penetration
of solar UV-B radiation is likely to have high impact on human health with
potential risks of eye diseases, skin cancer and infectious diseases.
Effects on Terrestrial
Plants:
In forests and
grasslands, increased radiation is likely to change species composition thus
altering the bio-diversity in different ecosystems. It could also affect the
plant community indirectly resulting in changes in plant form, secondary
metabolism, etc.
Effects on Aquatic
Ecosystems:
High levels of
radiation exposure in tropics and subtropics may affect the distribution of
phytoplanktons, which form the foundation of aquatic food webs. It can also
cause damage to early development stages of fish, shrimp, crab, amphibians and
other animals, the most severe effects being decreased reproductive capacity
and impaired larval development.
Effects on
Bio-geo-chemical Cycles:
Increased solar UV
radiation could affect terrestrial and aquatic bio-geo-chemical cycles thus
altering both sources and sinks of greenhouse and important trace gases, e.g.
carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbonyl sulfide (COS), etc. These
changes would contribute to biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks responsible for the
atmosphere build-up of these greenhouse gases.
Effects on Air Quality:
Reduction of
stratospheric ozone and increased penetration of UV-B radiation result in
higher photo dissociation rates of key trace gases that control the chemical reactivity
of the troposphere. This can increase both production and destruction of ozone
and related oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide, which are known to have adverse
effects on human health, terrestrial plants and outdoor materials.
The ozone layer, therefore,
is highly beneficial to plant and animal life on earth filtering out the
dangerous part of sun’s radiation and allowing only the beneficial part to
reach earth. Any disturbance or depletion of this layer would result in an
increase of harmful radiation reaching the earth’s surface leading to dangerous
consequences.
Ozone Depletion
Counter Measures:
International
cooperation, agreement (Montreal Protocol) to phase out ozone depleting
chemicals since 1974
Tax imposed for ozone
depleting substances
Ozone friendly
substitutes- HCFC (less ozone depleting potential and shorter life)
Recycle of CFCs and
Halons.
Global Warming:
Before the Industrial
Revolution, human activities released very few gases into the atmosphere and
all climate changes happened naturally. After the Industrial Revolution,
through fossil fuel combustion, changing agricultural practices and
deforestation, the natural composition of gases in the atmosphere is getting
affected and climate and environment began to alter significantly. Over the
last 100 years, it was found out that the earth is getting warmer and warmer,
unlike previous 8000 years when temperatures have been relatively constant. The
present temperature is 0.3 - 0.6oC warmer than it was 100 years ago.
The
key greenhouse gases (GHG) causing global warming is carbon dioxide. CFC's,
even though they exist in very small quantities, are significant contributors
to global warming. Carbon dioxide, one of the most prevalent greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere, has two major anthropogenic (human-caused) sources: the
combustion of fossil fuels and changes in land use. Net releases of carbon
dioxide from these two sources are believed to be contributing to the rapid
rise in atmospheric concentrations since Industrial Revolution. Because
estimates indicate that approximately 80 percent of all anthropogenic carbon
dioxide emissions currently come from fossil fuel combustion, world energy use
has emerged at the center of the climate change debate.
Global Warming (Climate Change) Implications:
Rise in global
temperature:
Observations show that
global temperatures have risen by about 0.6 °C over the 20th century. There is
strong evidence now that most of the observed warming over the last 50 years is
caused by human activities. Climate models predict that the global temperature
will rise by about 6 °C by the year 2100.
Rise in sea level:
In general, the faster
the climate change, the greater will be the risk of damage. The mean sea level
is expected to rise 9 - 88 cm by the year 2100, causing flooding of low lying
areas and other damages.
Food shortages and
hunger:
Water resources will be
affected as precipitation and evaporation patterns change around the world.
This will affect agricultural output. Food security is likely to be threatened
and some regions are likely to experience food shortages and hunger.
India could be more
at risks than many other countries
Models predict an
average increase in temperature in India of 2.3 to 4.8oC
for the benchmark doubling of Carbon-dioxide scenario. Temperature would rise
more in Northern India than in Southern India. It is estimated that 7
million people would be displaced, 5700 km of land and 4200 km
of road would be lost, and wheat yields could decrease significantly.
Loss of Biodiversity
Biodiversity
refers to the variety of life on earth, and its biological diversity. The
number of species of plants, animals, micro organisms, the enormous diversity
of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as
deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all a part of a biologically diverse
earth. Biodiversity actually boosts ecosystem productivity where each species,
no matter how small, all have an important role to play and that it is in this
combination that enables the ecosystem to possess the ability to prevent and
recover from a variety of disasters.
It
is now believed that human activity is changing biodiversity and causing
massive extinctions. The World Resource Institute reports that there is a link
between biodiversity and climate change. Rapid global warming can affect
ecosystems chances to adapt naturally. Over the past 150 years, deforestation
has contributed an estimated 30 percent of the atmospheric build-up of CO2. It
is also a significant driving force behind the loss of genes, species, and
critical ecosystem services.
SECTION - VI
Link between
Biodiversity and Climate change:
Climate change is
affecting species already threatened by multiple threats across the globe.
Habitat fragmentation due to colonization, logging, agriculture and mining etc.
are all contributing to further destruction of terrestrial habitats.
Individual species may
not be able to adapt. Species most threatened by climate change have small
ranges, low population densities, restricted habitat requirements and patchy
distribution.
Ecosystems will
generally shift northward or upward in altitude, but in some cases they will
run out of space – as 10C change in temperature correspond to a 100 Km change
in latitude, hence, average shift in habitat conditions by the year 2100 will
be on the order of 140 to 580 Km.
Coral reef mortality
may increase and erosion may be accelerated. Increase levels of carbon dioxide
adversely impact the coral building process (calcification).
Sea level may rise,
engulfing low-lying areas causing disappearance of many islands, and
extinctions of endemic island species.
Invasive species may
be aided by climate change. Exotic species can out-compete native wildlife for
space, food, water and other resources, and may also prey on native wildlife.
Droughts and wildfires
may increase. An increased risk of wildfires due to warming and drying out of
vegetation is likely. Sustained climate change may change the competitive
balance among species and might lead to forests destruction.
The Kyoto Protocol:
There is a scientific
consensus that human activities are causing global warming that could result in
significant impacts such as sea level rise, changes in weather patterns and
adverse health effects. As it became apparent that major nations such as
the United States and Japan would not meet the voluntary
stabilization target by 2000, Parties to the Convention decided in 1995 to
enter into negotiations on a protocol to establish legally binding limitations
or reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It was decided by the Parties that
this round of negotiations would establish limitations only for the developed
countries, including the former Communist countries (called annex A countries).
Negotiations
on the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) were completed December 11, 1997, committing the industrialized
nations to specify, legally binding reductions in emissions of six greenhouse
gases. The 6 major greenhouse gases covered by the protocol are carbon dioxide
(CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), per
fluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur xafluoride (SF6).
Mr.
Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, who received the Sustainable Development
Leadership Award 2009 at the Delhi Sustainable Summit said “a balanced,
comprehensive and effective” international agreement will take place by the end
of Dec.2009 at Copenhagen. As a regime, it must also be “ratifiable” as a
successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Mr.
Ban said eradication poverty is not possible if we neglect or depleted our
natural capital. He said science had shown that we were depleting the planet’s
natural assets at an unsustainable rate. “Failure to combat climate change would
increase poverty and hardships, destablise economies, and breed insecurity in
many countries.
CONCLUSION:
Rapid environmental
degradation that has been taking place all over the world in recent decades has
alarmed economists and environmentalists alike. Fostering sustainable
development requires the effective management of naturally human and physical
capital. Improved coordination across the countries to share the global
resources, technology and also scarce resources has become the need of the
hour. Global level generosity in promoting and protecting democracy, exchange
of technology, maintaining stability of prices in the various economies,
judicious use of all environmental material throughout to enhance human
development and sustainable development. Sustainable development can be
achieved only if the environment is conserved and improved.
REFERENCES
Chopra Kanchan and
Kadekodi G.K. (1999), 'Operationalising Sustainable Development:
Economic-Ecological Modeling for Developing Countries' Concept Publishers, New
Delhi.
Govt. of India,
'Economic Survey -1998-99.
Jayanta Bandyopadhyay
and Bidisha Malik (2003), ‘Ecology and Economics in Sustainable Water Resources
Development in India’, in Kanchan Chopra et al (eds) ‘Water Resources
Sustainable Livelihoods and Eco-system Services’, Concept Publishers, New
Delhi.
Krishnamurthy, H.R.
(2005), ‘Economic Development of India’, Sapna Publishers, Bangalore.
Misra, S.K. and Puri,
V.K. (2005), ‘Indian Economy’, Himalaya Publishing House, New Delhi.
Prakash, H. et al (2005),
‘Environment and Sustainable Development’, Southern Economist, 43(21).
Sengupta Ramprasad
(2001), ‘Ecology and Economics : An Approach to Sustainable
Development’, Oxford University Press, India.
Viegas, Philip, Menon,
Geetha (1989), ‘The Impact of EnvironmentalDegradation on People’, Indian
Social Institute, New Delhi.
9. The
Hindu (English Daily), dated: 18-12-2009.
10. The Hindu
(English Daily), dated: 6-02-2009 & 7-02-2009.
Comments
Post a Comment