Environment means as the total planetary inheritance and totality of all resources.
- FUNCTIONS OF ENVIRONMENT:
- It Provides the resources
- it provides environmental resources –Both renewable or non-renewable
- It sustains life by providing genetic and bio-diversity
- It provide aesthetic services like scenery etc.
- CARRYING CAPACITY: this implies the resources extraction is not above the rate of regeneration of resources and the waste generated are within the assimilating capacity of the environment.
- ABSORBTIVE CAPACITY: it means the ability of the environment to absorb degradation. The result –we are today at the threshold of environment crisis. The past development has polluted and dried up rivers and other aquifers making water an economic good.
- Two major environment crisis issues facing the world today are global warming and ozone depletion.
Also contribute to increased financial commitments for the government. Thus it’s clear that the opportunity costs of negative environment impacts are high.
Earlier the demand for environment resources and services was much less than their supply. This meant that pollution was within absorptive capacity of the environment and the rate of regeneration of these resources. Hence environmental problems did not arise.
STATE OF INDIA’S ENVIRONMENT:
- India has abundant natural resources in terms of rich quality of soil, hundreds of rivers and tributaries lush green forests, plenty of mineral deposits beneath the land surface, vast stretch of the Indian oceans ranges of mountains etc.
- The black soil of the ocean plateau is particularly suitable for cultivation of cotton.
- The indo-gangatic plains spread from the Arabian sea to the bay of Bengal are one of the most fertile, intensively cultivated and densely populated regions in the world.
- India account for nearly 20% of the world’s total iron is reserves. Bauxite, copper, chromate, diamonds, gold, lead, lignite, manganese, zinc, uranium etc. are also available in the different parts of the country.
CHALLENGES TO INDIA’S ENVIRONMENT
- Land degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Air solid waste management
- pollution, vehicular pollution in urban areas.
- Management of fresh water
SOME FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR LAND DEGRADATION
- Loss of vegetation occurring due to deforestation
- Unsuitable fuel food and fodder extraction
- Shifting cultivation
- Encroachment into forest land
- Forest fir and over grazing
- Improper crop rotation
- Indiscriminate use of agro chemical such as pesticides and fertilizers
- Improper planning and management of irrigation system
- Extraction of ground water in excess of the recharge capacity
- Poverty of agricultural dependent people
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
Sustainable development implies meeting the basic needs of everyone and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspiration for better life without compromising on the needs of future.
THEY IMPROVE ENVIRONMENT BY POLICIES:
| UNCED | EDWARD BARBIER | BRUNDTLAND COMMISSION | HERMAN DALY |
| Development that meets the need of present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs. | He defined sustainable development as one which is directly concerned with the material standard of living of the poor at the grass root level. This quantity measured in terms of increased income, real income, educational services, health care, sanitation, water supply etc.. It means reduction of poverty. | Environment protection.
|
|
STRATEGIESFOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
- Use of non-conventional resources
- Use of LPG, goober gas in rural areas
- Mini hydel plants
- Bio-pest control
- Bio composting
- Traditional knowledge and practice
- wind power
- CNG in urban areas.
