Environment VS Economy: An Approach That Puts India At Risk Of COVID-19-Like Infections
Pandemics, or large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases, have resulted in significant losses in human life in addition to negative societal and economic effects. Since the beginning of recorded history, there have been numerous zoonotic pandemic outbreaks that have resulted in illness and mortality over a broad geographic territory.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been warning for years that habitat destruction is affecting infectious disease patterns. This includes a growing range of zoonotic diseases, such as rabies, Nipah, Ebola, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19, which pass from animals to humans. When people enter biodiversity hotspots, where a great number of animal species can be found, the risk of contracting zoonotic diseases increases.
In the ongoing debate between environmental conservation and economic growth, India stands at a crucial juncture. The nation's rapid industrialisation and urbanisation have often come at the expense of its natural ecosystems. The COVID-19 epidemic has shown the dangers of tampering with the environment. As we navigate through this era of unprecedented health crises, it becomes increasingly clear that neglecting environmental sustainability can exacerbate vulnerabilities to infectious diseases.
In the ongoing debate between environmental conservation and economic growth, India stands at a crucial juncture. The nation's rapid industrialisation and urbanisation have often come at the expense of its natural ecosystems. The COVID-19 epidemic has shown the dangers of tampering with the environment. As we navigate through this era of unprecedented health crises, it becomes increasingly clear that neglecting environmental sustainability can exacerbate vulnerabilities to infectious diseases.
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Uttarakhand's tourism services provider Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited, and Coal India's subsidiary, Western Coalfields Limited, received the largest number of ECs from the MoEFCC. Simultaneously, the Centre has weakened environmental safeguards, causing stakeholders to warn that such intervention not only jeopardizes habitat and ecosystems but also puts public health at risk.
Pressures from the economy to develop
Prakash Javadekar, the Environment Minister, has repeatedly created a pro-business image for
the MoEFCC, pledging to improve the 'ease of doing responsible business' while speeding up clearances for Indian businesses. Within 50 days of being re-elected for a second term, Modi
declared a goal of making India a $5-trillion economy by 2024-25.
the MoEFCC, pledging to improve the 'ease of doing responsible business' while speeding up clearances for Indian businesses. Within 50 days of being re-elected for a second term, Modi
declared a goal of making India a $5-trillion economy by 2024-25.
Economists believe that spending on public infrastructure will help the country reach its $5
trillion GDP goal. One of the main causes of the present economic slowdown is a drop in
governmental investment since around 2011. Infrastructure developments like highways, port facilities, and power would attract private investment and provide the manufacturing sector a
much-needed boost. This, in turn, is critical for creating jobs for India's rapidly rising
working-age population, which is estimated to reach over 800 million by 2050.
trillion GDP goal. One of the main causes of the present economic slowdown is a drop in
governmental investment since around 2011. Infrastructure developments like highways, port facilities, and power would attract private investment and provide the manufacturing sector a
much-needed boost. This, in turn, is critical for creating jobs for India's rapidly rising
working-age population, which is estimated to reach over 800 million by 2050.
Stakeholders and environmentalists fear that India's infrastructure drive and desire to lure
investment is leading to undesirable and ill-conceived projects that harm the environment. They
claim that under the pretense of development, the environment ministry is rejecting minimal
proposals, risking the last surviving pockets of biodiversity and natural resource reserves,
reducing our resistance to climate change challenges.
Environment or Economy?
Since 2014, institutional mechanisms such as public consultations and other environmental safeguards that were seen as impediments to growth have gradually eroded or been eliminated. Environmental clearances are not required for onshore and offshore exploratory drilling by oil and gas firms like ONGC. Polluting sectors, such as coal and fly ash disposal, are no longer required to undergo routine inspections and are instead expected to self-regulate.
Despite objections, the government has approved the clearing of hundreds of hectares of natural forests in central India. Despite on-the-record evidence of residents claiming their signatures on approval documents were acquired fraudulently, government records show that environmental clearances have been granted to firms. Dams, mining, and infrastructure projects in other parts of the country have jeopardized India's last pockets of biodiversity and natural resources, including projects in the Western Ghats, which are home to vital rainforests and diverse wildlife.
In its recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN body designed to study the science of climate change, forecast greater floods, storms, and erratic rainfall in India. Global warming, rising sea levels, and an increasingly irregular monsoon are putting strain on Indian communities. The Indo-Gangetic plain's 600 million residents are not only facing water scarcity, but also breathing some of the world's most polluted air. Flooding has already posed a hazard to an estimated 31 million people who live along the shore.
Lax consultants, fewer experts, and apathetic committees have all contributed to the MoEFCC's high approval rate for environmental clearances. Non-experts are increasingly being staffed on EACs, which are panels entrusted with making a final decision on whether project proposals are granted environmental clearance. Even as the MoEFCC's monitoring is diminishing, expert committees are spending less time assessing each proposal. In several situations, the MoEFCC granted over 100 petitions in a single day while ignoring committee recommendations.
More projects are being delegated to state authorities to speed up the process. Putting environment clearance in the hands of the states is problematic because state and union territory environment departments are severely understaffed and spend much of their time dealing with approvals, leaving them little opportunity to adopt proactive conservation measures. After analyzing data from 14 states, the rejection rate ranges from zero to less than one percent. Following this pattern, the MoEFCC intends to cut the number of days it takes to give environmental clearance to 70-80 days, from the current 108 days.
After the amendment to the EIA notification in March 2020, the document was given to state governments for input as well as comments from stakeholders. Environmentalists have cautioned that the new revisions will encourage proposers to submit low-quality environmental impact assessments, raise the case for exemptions, and lower the need for public consultations, paving the way for even more project proposals to be granted more quickly. Decisions that make it easier to do business are given more weightage. In most situations, economic growth comes at the trade-off of the environment and local livelihoods.
investment is leading to undesirable and ill-conceived projects that harm the environment. They
claim that under the pretense of development, the environment ministry is rejecting minimal
proposals, risking the last surviving pockets of biodiversity and natural resource reserves,
reducing our resistance to climate change challenges.
Environment or Economy?
When addressing the merits of a poor country spending on mitigating initiatives that help conserve wildlife, transport minister Nitin Gadkari remarked in July 2019 that India must choose between the environment and the economy. In September 2019, Javadekar announced a shift in the government's position, stating to Parliament that in order to accomplish the $5 trillion economy goal, development and the environment must go hand-in-hand.
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is a powerful tool in India's arsenal for ensuring that development and the environment go hand in hand. An EIA is the first step in obtaining environmental clearance for any proposed infrastructure, mining, processing, or manufacturing project. The purpose of the EIA is to flag any significant project proposal that could have a damaging impact on the environment. Depending on the proposed project site, separate forest and wildlife approvals may be required.
In March 2020, the Centre released a new draft of the EIA notification. The proposal aims to allow for post-facto approval of projects that have already begun but have not yet received environmental clearance. It also exempts certain operations from requiring an EC, such as extraction and sourcing of ordinary earth for linear projects like highways and pipelines. Among other proposed dilutions, the draft seeks to exempt activities such as dam dredging and desilting of dams, reservoirs, rivers, and canals. A lot of ecologically valuable and vulnerable land is currently being encroached upon.
Counting numbers, compromising the value
According to a February 2020 report by WWF, India's projected GDP loss due to environmental degradation could be over 1.5% by 2050 if it continues on its current course of high environmental degradation and carbon emissions. At the policy level, the importance of nature is undervalued. Policy coherence is required.
When talking in the context of investing Rs 738 crore to build underpasses on a 9 km stretch of National Highway-7 that runs through Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve, the government is sending mixed messages. It is vital to protect animals, from being run over on roads that encroach on their natural habitat. According to a 2019 study by the Indian Institute of Forest Management's Centre for Ecological Services Management, protecting tiger reserves could produce a per-rupee return of between Rs 347-7,488 through the conservation of natural forests. This shows that governments have a financial incentive to maintain safeguards for protected areas.
It is not helpful to put the environment in economic terms, owing to the irreplaceability of the myriad ecosystem services provided by the environment. Forest cover, for example, functions as a sponge, holding the soil together. When it rains, this ecosystem takes the water and gently releases it over time. This means that local communities in the vicinity of such forests will have a steady supply of water. Forests play an important role in the water cycle, and cutting them down could adversely impact rainfall patterns.
While the construction of much-needed infrastructure will inevitably affect areas of the ecosystem, there are measures to mitigate this. Development is not simple, but we must work together to bring all aspects of society and the environment forward. Wherever possible, we should make use of existing institutional mechanisms and minimise conflicts.
Weakening safeguards
Since 2014, institutional mechanisms such as public consultations and other environmental safeguards that were seen as impediments to growth have gradually eroded or been eliminated. Environmental clearances are not required for onshore and offshore exploratory drilling by oil and gas firms like ONGC. Polluting sectors, such as coal and fly ash disposal, are no longer required to undergo routine inspections and are instead expected to self-regulate.
Despite objections, the government has approved the clearing of hundreds of hectares of natural forests in central India. Despite on-the-record evidence of residents claiming their signatures on approval documents were acquired fraudulently, government records show that environmental clearances have been granted to firms. Dams, mining, and infrastructure projects in other parts of the country have jeopardized India's last pockets of biodiversity and natural resources, including projects in the Western Ghats, which are home to vital rainforests and diverse wildlife.
In its recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN body designed to study the science of climate change, forecast greater floods, storms, and erratic rainfall in India. Global warming, rising sea levels, and an increasingly irregular monsoon are putting strain on Indian communities. The Indo-Gangetic plain's 600 million residents are not only facing water scarcity, but also breathing some of the world's most polluted air. Flooding has already posed a hazard to an estimated 31 million people who live along the shore.
Inadequate evaluations and an unsatisfactory approval rates
Lax consultants, fewer experts, and apathetic committees have all contributed to the MoEFCC's high approval rate for environmental clearances. Non-experts are increasingly being staffed on EACs, which are panels entrusted with making a final decision on whether project proposals are granted environmental clearance. Even as the MoEFCC's monitoring is diminishing, expert committees are spending less time assessing each proposal. In several situations, the MoEFCC granted over 100 petitions in a single day while ignoring committee recommendations.
More projects are being delegated to state authorities to speed up the process. Putting environment clearance in the hands of the states is problematic because state and union territory environment departments are severely understaffed and spend much of their time dealing with approvals, leaving them little opportunity to adopt proactive conservation measures. After analyzing data from 14 states, the rejection rate ranges from zero to less than one percent. Following this pattern, the MoEFCC intends to cut the number of days it takes to give environmental clearance to 70-80 days, from the current 108 days.
After the amendment to the EIA notification in March 2020, the document was given to state governments for input as well as comments from stakeholders. Environmentalists have cautioned that the new revisions will encourage proposers to submit low-quality environmental impact assessments, raise the case for exemptions, and lower the need for public consultations, paving the way for even more project proposals to be granted more quickly. Decisions that make it easier to do business are given more weightage. In most situations, economic growth comes at the trade-off of the environment and local livelihoods.
Redressal systems disappear
In many instances, the Centre has emphasized business-friendly reform over environmental conservation. The MoEFCC decided in 2016 to exempt real estate projects of up to 150,000 sq m from obtaining environmental permits, meaning that they are low-risk and do not require inspection. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) postponed the notification in December 2017, highlighting how the judicial system may act as a vital backstop when potentially significant regulatory changes are proposed.
However, the Tribunal's power is fading. This is one of the most prominent ways in which redressal mechanisms have weakened over time. Previously, there was a greater opportunity to ask the government questions and interact with the people. That is no longer the case. The NGT's new appointments haven't resulted in a more responsible environmental oversight. Environmental advocacy is often regarded as a major impediment to the government's desire for rapid expansion. Ultimately, there isn't much enthusiasm for boosting the judiciary at the moment.
While India faces the difficult task of balancing competing interests, several countries are taking steps to conserve natural resources. Canada's budget included billions of dollars for water, wastewater, and green infrastructure development. New Zealand lawmakers passed a "zero-carbon" bill in 2019, aiming to make the country carbon neutral by 2050. The Himalayan nation, Bhutan has declared almost 51% of its land as protected, allowing the country to absorb more carbon than it emits.
Closer home local communities are driving conservation while balancing developmental requirements. An indigenous institute, the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, in the union territory of Ladakh, a cold desert attempts to identify local solutions to local challenges. After research revealed that the state's rainfall and temperature patterns were shifting, the state administration in Meghalaya launched a campaign to involve local populations in conservation efforts.
Sanghera,T & Shetty D. (2020). Environment Vs Economy: An Approach That Exposes India
To COVID-19-Like Infections. IndiaSpend.
In many instances, the Centre has emphasized business-friendly reform over environmental conservation. The MoEFCC decided in 2016 to exempt real estate projects of up to 150,000 sq m from obtaining environmental permits, meaning that they are low-risk and do not require inspection. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) postponed the notification in December 2017, highlighting how the judicial system may act as a vital backstop when potentially significant regulatory changes are proposed.
However, the Tribunal's power is fading. This is one of the most prominent ways in which redressal mechanisms have weakened over time. Previously, there was a greater opportunity to ask the government questions and interact with the people. That is no longer the case. The NGT's new appointments haven't resulted in a more responsible environmental oversight. Environmental advocacy is often regarded as a major impediment to the government's desire for rapid expansion. Ultimately, there isn't much enthusiasm for boosting the judiciary at the moment.
Conclusion
Many barriers against diseases are provided by a healthy ecosystem, but these are being
Many barriers against diseases are provided by a healthy ecosystem, but these are being
compromised by a variety of factors, as was covered in earlier sections. Therefore, making
deliberate progress towards ecosystem restoration is crucial.
While India faces the difficult task of balancing competing interests, several countries are taking steps to conserve natural resources. Canada's budget included billions of dollars for water, wastewater, and green infrastructure development. New Zealand lawmakers passed a "zero-carbon" bill in 2019, aiming to make the country carbon neutral by 2050. The Himalayan nation, Bhutan has declared almost 51% of its land as protected, allowing the country to absorb more carbon than it emits.
Closer home local communities are driving conservation while balancing developmental requirements. An indigenous institute, the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, in the union territory of Ladakh, a cold desert attempts to identify local solutions to local challenges. After research revealed that the state's rainfall and temperature patterns were shifting, the state administration in Meghalaya launched a campaign to involve local populations in conservation efforts.
At the policy level, ministries should work together to make decisions. The environment ministry must have the same political clout as the railways, highways, and other ministries. Prioritizing development while keeping stringent checks and controls is critical. Project proposals that intend to encroach on core areas need to be evaluated considerably more carefully. To the fullest extent possible, these areas should be preserved. We will never be able to rebuild these vital regions if they are destroyed.
SOURCES:
Mish Mele, M., & Magazzino, C. (2020). Pollution, economic growth, and COVID-19 deaths
in India: a machine learning evidence. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(3),
2669–2677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10689-0
Mi Mishra, J., Mishra, P., & Arora, N. K. (2021). Linkages between environmental issues and zoonotic diseases: with reference to COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Sustainability, 4(3), 455–467. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42398-021-00165-x
Sanghera,T & Shetty D. (2020). Environment Vs Economy: An Approach That Exposes India
To COVID-19-Like Infections. IndiaSpend.
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