Environment, Climate Change And Sustainable Development
Dr. Sharad Kumar
Associate Professor & Head
P.G. Department of Economics & Research
Hindu P.G. College, Zamania, Ghazipur (U.P.)
Abstract
Climate has been changing throughout history, and there has
been a steady evolution in the climate conditions. But in the past,
most of these changes took place as part of natural processes, over
which humanity did not have any control or say, even now such
changes continue to take place. However, what is really worrying the
entire world today is the climate change that is taking place as a
result of human intervention of different kind. As a result of human
interference during the past 100 year or so, knowingly or
unknowingly, the average air temperature near the Earth’s surface
has risen by about one degree Celsius or 1.8 degree Fahrenheit. This
in turn caused unprecedented increase in storms, floods, forests fires
etc. According to experts, an increase of one degree Celsius makes
the Earth warmer now than it has been for at least a thousand years.
In the immediate past few years (about 13 years) the world has
recorded 11 warmest years. The first half of 2010 was the hottest
climate ever recorded.
Environment degradation has been increasing globally as a
serious threat to the entire ecosystem. Increasing population,
economic growth, urbanization, increased use of natural resources
and deforestation are the main drivers of these changes. Worldwide ,
as the latest trend, new partnership have been developed between
government, NGOs and private sectors for conservation project
based on new approaches departing from traditional regulation and
cantering on protective strategies. Habitat protection is the
fundamental strategy of preserving biodiversity.
Keywords: SD,CC,ENV.
1. INTRODUCTION
Man has lived for centuries in harmony with nature. Such
symbiotic relationship with nature has shaped human development
until the beginning of industrial era. Man’s capacity to adjust his
Corresponding author, Tel.:+ 09452307510
E-mail : sharadkumar11@gmail.com
relationship with the natural and the man-made environment, and to
transform the environment itself, has passed through various phases.
The fundamental factor that distinguishes modern society
from the past is the accelerating pace of the changes caused in the
environment by the scientific and technological revolution. It is the
human intervention in the natural processes, particularly during the
last few decades, which has created ecological destabilization and
environmental problems of serious magnitude.
2. Objectives
The main reason for climatic change is environmental
degradation by human activities. Every country is aiming for high
growth and in order to gain this growth they are depleting natural
resources and thus causing environmental degradation.This
exploitation can be controlled by assesing the development projects
and reducing the harmful impacts on environment.This can be simply
achieved by sustainable development.
2.1 Data & Methodology
In order to meet the objectives of the study is exclusively
based on the secondary data. The relevant data have been collected
from the different publications, periodicals, magazines, books and
web search. Though the researchers tried their best to bring in
perfection and own ideas used in this paper.
2.2 Literature Review
Quite a good spate of literature has focused on the
environmental pollution and climate change. In world development
report (2010) a thorough discussion has been made about the climate
insurance as one measure of protecting climate. Cost-benefit analysis,
climate-smart polices are also emphasized here. Solomona et. al
(2009) in their article highlight about the irreversible climate changes
due to CO2 emissions, and possible irreversible effects on the planet.
The study by khapekar et.al. (2008) shows the effect of thermal
stations on aquatic ecosystem. Mishra (2007) has focused on the
status of thermal plants with respect to emission of pollutants. Parikh
et.al. (2002) have perceived about the problem of climate change and
sustainable development in India.
3. Environmental And Pollution Degradation
Even during the 19th century, pollution and environmental
degradation had been recognized as a major problem in the
industrialized nations of the west. Many developing countries are
now faced with similar problems, because in recent years large
number of development projects have been undertaken with harmful
consequences to the natural environment and human habitat. Thus
humanity is threatened at present by two immediate problems:
overpopulation and irreparable destruction of precious resource
affecting biosphere’s environmental quality such as soil erosion,
fresh water availability, food production, energy utilization, pollution
loading, rates of deforestation, rates of desertification and levels of
soil salinization. Therefore the problems of the relationship between
economic development and environmental and social issue are the
subject of serious concern .
4. Climate Change Due To Global Environmental Concerns
21st century is the century of a race of rapid growth among
the countries of the world. Perhaps the waves of globalization has
stimulated the hunger of growth for all countries, developed and
developing as well. Developed countries run fast to keep them self up
at the top while developing countries try to run equally fast to narrow
down their gap from developed countries. The world has now
realized that climate change poses a threat to human society and to
the natural world. The key has created challenges to the entire
biosphere.
As early as 1896, the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius has
predicated that human activities would interfere with the way the sun
interacts with the earth resulting in climate change. His predication
has become true and climate change is now disrupting global
environmental stability. The surface temperature of the earth has
increased by 0.2 to 0.6 percent during the last century. The hottest 10
years in the last century were since the 1980’s. The examples of
environmental issues of global significance are :- ozone layer
depletion, global warming and loss of biodiversity. One of the most
important characteristics of this environmental degradation is that it
affects all mankind on a global scale without regard to any particular
country, region or race.Economic growth increases the emission of
GHG which include CO2, CH4, NO2 and CFC etc. They are emitted
due to industrial activities,due to fossil fuel consumption, use of
nitrogenous fertilizers, mining and several other industrial activities.
5. Climate Change Scenario in India
India is one of the countries which is widely exposed to
adverse impacts of climate change in terms of water availability,
foods production and coastal cities. Compared to developed countries
of the world, India has a variety of choices to meet the global threat
of climate change. A recent study has shown that an Indian citizen
emits less than 0.25 tons of carbon every year whereas a citizen of
U.S.A. emits than 5.5. tons.
To increase carbon credits, government has reduced the
custom duty on hybrid cars from 25 percent to 14.5 percent in 2007.
Moreover companies like Reliance, Godrej were involved in
alternative sources of energy reaping the benefit of carbon trading.
India cannot concentrate on its GDP growth without mitigating the
dangerous impact of climate change.
6. Sustainable Development Dimension and Environment
The achievement of sustained and equitable development
remains the greatest challenge facing the human race. More than a
billion people still live in acute poverty and suffer grossly
inadequate access to the resources required to give them a change for
a better life. The essential task of development is to provide
opportunities so that these people and the hundreds of millions not
much better off, can reach their potential .
While the desirability of development is universally
recognized, recent years have witnessed rising concern about whether
environmental constraints will limit development and whether
development will cause serious environmental damage in turn
impairing the quality of life of this and future generation. .
7. Suggestions
Development policies tended to be viewed in the past as
promoting growth in human activity, while environmental policies
were seen as those that tried to restrict it. But lately the idea of
“environment as constraint” has yielded place to concept of
“environment as partner” There is clearly no choice between
preserving the environment or promoting development. We can not
have one without the other. And it is not merely the question of
integrating policies for development and the environment. But the
real issue is what kind of development. Unless alternative paths of
development, not inimical to ecological processes and life-support
systems, are evolved are future of humanity and our planet earth
would remain in jeopardy. Truly the kind of social economic we want
will ultimately determine whether the environment will be conserved
or further destroyed.
8. Conclusions
The paper focuses on environmental degradation,climate
change, economic development and lastly sustainable development in
india. Environmental degradation is a burning phenomenon for the
whole world, but being a developing country, India is more vunerable
because to have a rapid economic development,economic activities
should be generated with the country and this is mostly at the cost of
environment. Change in climate is leading to many problems and
each nation is responsible for reduction in carbon emission, for which
India is really taking serious efforts through environmental
policies.For sustainable development of India, adverse effect of
economic activities and climate change should be nulified,and so
alternate paradigm should be developed.
Reference
1. Gandhi, Indira (1972) key note Address at the International
Conference on Human Environment, Stockholm.
2. The State of India’s Environment – 1982, A Citizens Report,
Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi.
3. Parikh, J.K. and et.al. (2002), “Climate Change ; India’s
Perceptions, Positions, Policies and Possible Lies” OECD.
4. World Bank Report (2010), Development and Climate Change,
World Bank, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
5. Cine W.R. (1992)- Economics of Global Warming.
6. The Hindu Magazine, Special Issued on Environment.
7. India : Addressing Energy Security & Climate Change by
Ministry of Environment & Forest.
8. Sonwal, Mukul (2010):” for a Low- Carbon Economic and
Society,” the Economic Times, February 5.
9. Soloman, S. and etal (2009), “ Irrevessible Climate Change due
to Carbon Dioxide Emission” PNAS, vol. 106, No. 6.
10. Mishra P.C. (2007), “Environmental Impact Assessment of
Power Sector Reform in Orissa,” Indian Journal of Environment
and Eco Planning Society of Environmental Science, vol. 14 (12), PP. 15-28.
11. Khapekar, R.R. and et. al, “Effect of Tharwal Power Station and
Aquatic Ecosystems” Ecology; Environment & Conservation,
Karad, India, vol 14 (1-2), PP. 15-28.