Sustainable development balances economic growth with environmental protection and social equity, challenging the conventional growth-focused model. India faces critical environmental challenges including deforestation, water scarcity, air pollution, and climate change vulnerabilities. The tension between development priorities and environmental concerns is particularly pronounced in developing economies like India that need to balance poverty alleviation with ecological sustainability. Policy responses include promoting renewable energy, implementing pollution control measures, conserving biodiversity, and adopting cleaner technologies. The concept of sustainable development requires rethinking growth patterns by incorporating resource efficiency, circular economy principles, and traditional ecological knowledge.
Chapter 9: Environment and Sustainable Development
Environment and sustainable development address the complex relationship between economic growth, social equity, and environmental protection. As India pursues rapid economic development, balancing these dimensions becomes increasingly important to ensure long-term well-being for all.
Concept of Environment:
- Environment includes all living and non-living entities surrounding us
- Components: atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere
- Natural resources: renewable and non-renewable
- Ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services
- Environmental functions: source of resources, sink for wastes, life support system
Environmental Issues in India:
- Pollution:
- Air pollution: Particulate matter, industrial emissions, vehicular exhaust
- Water pollution: Industrial effluents, domestic sewage, agricultural runoff
- Soil pollution: Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, improper waste disposal
- Noise pollution: Industrial, vehicular, and urban sources
- Resource Depletion:
- Deforestation and forest degradation
- Groundwater depletion
- Loss of biodiversity and habitat destruction
- Land degradation and desertification
- Overexploitation of natural resources
- Climate Change:
- Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns
- Increased frequency of extreme weather events
- Sea level rise affecting coastal areas
- Impacts on agriculture, water resources, and health
- Vulnerability of marginalized communities
Development-Environment Relationship:
- Conventional view: Environment and development as competing goals
- Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis: Pollution increases with early growth, then decreases
- Limits to Growth thesis: Finite resources constrain infinite economic growth
- Green growth perspective: Synergies between environmental protection and economic development
Concept of Sustainable Development:
- “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission, 1987)
- Three pillars: economic growth, environmental protection, social equity
- Intergenerational equity: Fair distribution of resources across generations
- Intragenerational equity: Fair distribution within current generation
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 goals adopted by UN for 2030 Agenda.
Strategies for Sustainable Development:
- Use of Non-Conventional Energy Sources:
- Solar energy: Photovoltaic cells, solar thermal, National Solar Mission
- Wind energy: Wind farms in suitable locations
- Biomass energy: Agricultural residues, biogas plants
- Tidal and geothermal energy
- Small hydropower projects
- Environmental Legislation and Regulation:
- Environment Protection Act, 1986
- Water and Air Pollution Control Acts
- Forest Conservation Act
- Wildlife Protection Act
- Environmental Impact Assessment regulations
- Market-Based Instruments:
- Polluter Pays Principle
- Resource pricing reflecting true social costs
- Tradable permits for emissions
- Environmental taxes and subsidies
- Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES)
- Promoting Sustainable Practices:
- Organic farming and sustainable agriculture
- Water harvesting and conservation
- Energy efficiency and conservation
- Waste reduction, recycling, and reuse
- Sustainable urban planning
- Community Participation:
- Joint Forest Management
- Community-based natural resource management
- Environmental education and awareness
- Role of civil society organizations
- Traditional ecological knowledge
Global Environmental Agreements and India’s Role:
- Paris Agreement on Climate Change
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances
- UN Convention to Combat Desertification
- India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
India’s Initiatives for Sustainable Development:
- National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
- Green India Mission
- National Clean Air Programme
- Namami Gange for river cleaning
- National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
- Swachh Bharat Mission
- Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
Challenges in Achieving Sustainable Development:
- Balancing economic growth with environmental protection
- Population pressure on limited resources
- Poverty and its environmental implications
- Technological and financial constraints
- Coordination across different sectors and levels of government
- Changing consumption patterns and lifestyle aspirations
- Global environmental challenges requiring international cooperation
Way Forward:
- Mainstreaming environmental concerns in development planning
- Promoting cleaner production technologies
- Strengthening environmental governance
- Enhancing awareness and capacity building
- Investing in research and innovation for sustainability
- Developing green accounting systems
- Promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Building climate resilience in vulnerable sectors and communities
Sustainable development requires a paradigm shift from conventional growth models to more inclusive, equitable, and environmentally responsible approaches. India’s challenge is to balance its development aspirations with environmental imperatives, ensuring a better quality of life for present and future generations.
Complete Chapter-wise Hsslive Plus One Economics Notes
Our HSSLive Plus One Economics Notes cover all chapters with key focus areas to help you organize your study effectively:
Economics: Indian Economic Development
- Chapter 1 Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence
- Chapter 2 Indian Economy 1950-1990
- Chapter 3 Liberalisation, Privatisation and Globalisation -An Appraisal
- Chapter 4 Poverty
- Chapter 5 Human Capital Formation in India
- Chapter 6 Rural Development
- Chapter 7 Employment-Growth, Informalisation and Related Issues
- Chapter 8 Infrastructure
- Chapter 9 Environment Sustainable Development
- Chapter 10 Comparative Development Experience of India with its Neighbours
Economics: Statistics for Economics
- Chapter 11 Introduction
- Chapter 12 Collection of Data
- Chapter 13 Organisation of Data
- Chapter 14 Presentation of Data
- Chapter 15 Measures of Central Tendency
- Chapter 16 Measures of Dispersion
- Chapter 17 Correlation
- Chapter 18 Index Numbers
- Chapter 19 Uses of Statistical Methods