- Prologue
- What is sustainable development?
- India and GHG
- India and Sustainable development
- National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
- Hill areas: challenges and solutions
- Sustainable Agriculture Development
- Coastal Zone Management
- Forest and Tree Cover
Prologue
This three article series contains gist of Economic survey ch.12 + 12th FYP’s chapter on Sustainable development. (MINUS RIO+20, COP18-Doha and COP11-Hyderabad, because they were already covered and available on Mrunal.org/enb
Part 1 of 3 | Basics + 8 missions of NAPCC |
Part 2 of 3 | Industries, Housing, transport |
Part 3 of 3 | Financing the climate change and some challanges in clean energy |
What is sustainable development?
- When a local mafia cultivates sugarcane using bio-fertilizer, bio-insecticides and drip-irrigation, runs his distillery on solar or wind power, uses earthen-pots instead of polythene bags for distributing his final-product, then we can say he is brewing desi liquor in a sustainable manner.
- Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- This definition was given by Brundtland Commission in 1987.
- Official name of Brundtland Commission = World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
- Name of their report = “Our Common Future”
India and GHG
- India has signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)
- India has acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002, although as a developing country, India (or China) doesn’t have compulsory targets for emission reduction.
- But still, India has given voluntary commitment that “by 2020 we’ll reduce the GHG emission intensity of our GDP by 20-25% of 2005 level.”
- Globally, India’s policy to achieve sustain-able development is guided by the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibility’ (CBDR). India is one of the countries that prefer an ‘aspirational’ rather than a mandatory or ‘prescriptive’ approach for emission reduction.
- It is estimated that India’s per capita emission in 2031 will still be lower than the global per capita emission in 2005
- 2005: global =4.22tonnes of CO2 equivalent
- 2031: India = under 4 tonnes
- India is part of 94 Multilaterals Environmental Agreements including
- Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES),
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
- Environmental protection is even provided in the Constitution
- environment protection is enshrined in our Constitution
- DPSP: Article 48A
- Fundamental duties: 51A
- Concurrent list: forest; protection of wild animals and birds.
India and Sustainable development
What? |
Where is Sustainable angle? |
12th Five Year plan (2012-17) | Theme: faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth. |
National Environmental Policy (NEP) | It says, The development which respects ecological constraints and the imperatives of social justice, is sustainable development. |
National Agricultural Policy (NAP) | Use of country’s natural resources should be
|
National Electricity Policy (NEP) | Underscores the use of renewable sources of energy. |
National Urban Sanitation Policy |
|
^This list is not exhaustive, it has become a fashion to plug “sustainable development” everywhere so in almost every government policy you’ll find them talking about sustainable development.
National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)
2008 | PM launched NAPCC. |
2009 | PM requested state govt. to prepare SAPCC. (State Action plan on climate change).So far, 21 state governments have prepared such plans. |
8 Missions under NAPCC
Himalayan Eco System
- acts as a giant carbon ‘sink’.
- forms a considerably large part of identified Himalayan Biodiversity global hotspot.
States covered entirely | name |
Entirely (10) |
|
Partially (2) | The hill districts of Assam and West Bengal |
Now let’s see what 12th FYP has to say
Hill Areas
- Sustainable Management of Himalayan Ecosystem and Western Ghats
- Continue following programs in 12th FYP
- Hill Area Development Programme (HADP)
- Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP)
- An Indian Alpine Initiative should also be started for tracking the dynamics of alpine biomes in the context of climate change.
Hill areas: challenges and solutions
- most of the hill areas lack infrastructure, particularly roads, power, educational institutions and health care centres.
- These areas deserve high priority under the flagship programmes, particularly Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the National Health Mission (NHM).
- many nation-wide programmes are not suitable for hilly areas, for example, wages should be higher than the wages pre-scribed under MNREGA.
- Bill to include the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Area in the Sixth Schedule needs to be expeditiously considered.
Sustainable Agriculture Development
- Pricing water and electricity appropriately will help recharge the depleting aquifers.
- Shift urea to a nutrient-based subsidy regime.
- improve the welfare of farmers and agricultural labour, and help eradicate rural poverty
Coastal Zone Management
Coastal areas are currently classified into four categories (CZ 1 to 4) with different levels of permissions for development activities.
Category | What? |
1 | ecologically sensitive areas |
2 | permit construction activities based on vulnerability |
3 | |
4 | islands |
Swaminathan Committee (on coastal zone regulation) has recommended that local circumstances and vulnerabilities should be the basis of coastal zone management and regulations.
Forest and Tree Cover
- There is already a Green India mission under NAPCC.
- But The business-as-usual scenario will however, not suffice.
- The 12th FYP wants green India mission to be re-organized into a more comprehensive ‘National Mission for a Green India’.
- Mission is still being finalized, but the realistic aim would to double the present reforestation and afforestation efforts to about 2 mha of forest and tree cover annually.
Mock Questions given @end of part 3 of 3.
One frnd got 208 – not selecred.
Another got 210- selected.
Both general.
What abt obc?
one of my friend cleared with 209 general category. Brijesh upadyay
total 255.34, OBC CATEGORY, WROTE MAINS
for authenticated cutt off prediction can anybody plz roll no. and date of birth. just for help as well as helping others for concrete plan for csat
if it is int excessive to say now, gen score got skewed becoz of paper 2. paper 1 score of 90 is average . people excelled 120+ in 2 inspit of increased difficulty. if any amount of moderation is expected 2 b done paper 1 wold b more kick-ukw
On one hand government talk about setting up various commisons/Panels on environment and climate change,while on the other side of card it keep on changing existing rules and laws that safeguard our Forests/biospheres.Like we have seen recent changes done in Madhav gadgil report on western ghats.
I don,t understand the fact, how this type of model will work?
Government appoints committees to postpone the matter and to get the desired results. If it requires more time or does not get the desired findings, it appoints another. Environmentally it wont work but politically it certainly does.
212 qualified 67 + 145
i got 208..did not qualify
i got 208..did not qualify
According to one of my friend….
Gen cut off- 209 , SC -186, and ST – 182
any idea about OBC ? plz share.
sir,its a wonderful experience to read your articles ,in the means of this stance can u help to understand abt basic general science topics which r prior important for prelims…
thank you
OBC cut off – around 196-198.
Oh God! What a procedure? Even some low level competitve exams are having sectional cut off or individual cut off in each paper. Assume that some body who is preparing for CAT, GMAT, MAT..etc will perform well in 2 paper… Even they are capable scoring 95+ %. Then what about civils aspirants?(we know that we are jack of all trades and master of nothing) I think this is not fair game. Unfortunate..
sir, I’ve passed B.sc(chem) this year. sir, I want to start my preparation for UPSC exam. I want to keep History and geography for mains is it possible. sir plz tell me about C-sat and mains also recommend me books and strategy to complete it.
hi …there is a mistake the duty is prescribed in article 51 g not a(regarding environment protection)
there is absolutely no mistake…part 4 deals with directive principles and 4A covers fundamental duties…similarly articles 36 to 51 cover directives while article 51A(4A has just this one article) covers fundamental duties…it was added by 42nd amendment 1976,that is later,hence this sort of numbering…part 5 has union,part 6 has states and so on…hope it is clear now.
sir is there any definition for forest cover or tree cover according to GOI?