Since ecology is interaction of organisms with their environment, we are indeed ‘the ecology’ as sixty percent of our body is microbial life, and only forty percent is parental genetics. And since environment is about conditions that influence the sustainability of life of all organisms present on earth, we are ‘the environment’, too. Despite this, and Vedic seers solemnly declaring an enduring filial allegiance of humankind to Mother Earth, humans have not conceded that they are a consequence of all other lives instead of the other way around!
Consequently, human activities and their way of “development” (extractive, and exploitative) have altered more than 70 per cent of the Earth’s land, and as much as 40 per cent of it is degraded; 52 per cent of agricultural soils are also degraded. The ocean contains 97 per cent of the planet’s water, providing us food, regulating the climate, and generating most of the oxygen we breathe. But there will likely be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Biodiversity is vanishing. Nearly 70 per cent of the vertebrate population has disappeared in the last 50 years. The loss of biodiversity on the planet is on the scale of 27,000 species per year, and the main cause is soil degradation. Deforestation is a major factor in environmental degradation and the destruction of biodiversity. Lowered biodiversity has as pronounced an impact as climate change and pollution on ecosystems.
Soil is the largest living system in the known universe. The health of the soil, plants, animals, environment and humans is interconnected. Next to the ocean, the soil is the largest carbon sink on the planet, but industrial farming techniques release stored carbon from the soil and reduce the capacity of the soil to store carbon.
Bharat is home to 17.5 per cent of the world’s population, 2 percent of the landmass, and has 4 per cent of the world’s freshwater resources. But it is also the world’s largest groundwater extractor, pumping out nearly 25 per cent of the global groundwater usage annually. Five of the world’s 20 largest cities under water stress are in Bharat, with Delhi second on the list. If Bengaluru is a real crisis of our water planning, other cities are not too far off. By 2030, Bharat will have only 50 per cent of water available if consumption remains at the same pace as today, and its water recycling capacity is only 30 per cent.
According to the World Air Quality Report, by Swiss organization IQAir, Bharat ranks as the world’s third-most polluted country. 42 of the 50 most polluted cities in the world are in Bharat, with Delhi featuring as the world’s most polluted capital. Bharat witnessed the highest loss of tree cover in 2008, when overall 3 million hectares were gone as a result of forest fires, deforestation and other drivers of loss. Bharat has 700 rivers; In the last 50 years, river depletion has been to 60 per cent. In Bharat 96% of the rivers are monsoon/forest fed. The 45/50 days of rainfall water is required to be held for 365 days, which is possible only when the soil has the necessary organic content and vegetation.
The President of India is clear, “You must protect India’s Forest wealth by balancing modernity and tradition and advancing the interests and rights of the people to whom these forests belong.” But Bharat has to go beyond as its forests currently stand at 21 per cent of total geographical area (TGA) as against a target of 33 per cent.
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) is an attempt to increase the tree cover towards creating an additional carbon sink to meet the nation’s intended Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030 to combat climate change. It is also useful to raise the share of trees outside forests in green cover from 2.9 per cent to at least 5 per cent over the next 10 years. The river revitalization must include tree plantation for a minimum width along the entire river’s length on either side of the river. Every inch of land can act as a catchment and augment river flow and groundwater. Agricultural practices that can increase soil organic carbon content include agroforestry methods. Agriculture and forestry can be important realms for mitigating climate change, as they can store large quantities of carbon in the soil. The potential for carbon sequestration through regenerative agricultural practices is promising. Afforestation must be fast-tracked to replenish our rivers and groundwater, eventually minimizing flooding and landslide events.
In 2022, Bharat implemented the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2021, which banned 19 categories of single-use plastic, although they account for only 11 per cent of single-use plastic in the country. But their use is still rampant, with sales continuing across several outlets. It is well known that focusing on waste management and recycling will not be enough to address the plastic crisis. Slashing production is, therefore, key to mitigating the problem in the long run.
Air pollution is the greatest threat on Earth to life expectancy. Dust aside, biomass burning contributes most to PM2.5 led air pollution countrywide. Households are bigger emitters than farmers. Industry emissions come next. Controlling air pollution, inter-alia, calls for negotiations that cover airsheds, as air is mobile and beyond artificial legal jurisdictions. As almost 75 per cent of Bharat’s workforce depends on heat-exposed labor in agriculture and construction, Bharat might account for almost 43 per cent of global job losses from heat stress-associated productivity declines by 2030. We must reconfigure incentives given to water-guzzling crops such as sugarcane and rice in irrigated areas in Punjab, parts of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in favor of water-maximizing grains such as millets that also have the potential to improve public-health outcomes. Other obvious measures would include planting more trees in public spaces, and stipulating architectural standards that reduce the pressure on air conditioning.
Funding green growth requires substantial investments. Carbon pricing, deepening capital markets, dealing with coal dependence, blended finance structures, and strengthening the climate-information architecture are some of the policy challenges. It is essential that governments, international financial institutions, and the private sector work together, leveraging their respective expertise to mobilize green finance. Europe is implementing a Carbon Adjustment Border Mechanism (CABM), which will levy a duty on imports from countries where the exporter does not have to bear the burden of paying for carbon emissions. The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), to be effective from December 2024, intends to guarantee that the products consumed by the EU citizens do not contribute to deforestation or forest degradation anywhere in the world. Alongside finding credible responses to these global movements, it’s important Bharat nudges fresh paradigms around Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, which is linked with global funding. The corporates must concentrate on sustainable environmental impact actions, and the policy wonks must deal with ‘S’ and ‘G’ issues separately under the rubric of our dharmic governance (principle-based, non-prescriptive, and introspective) rather than allow the current global narratives getting pushed under the garb of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Administratively, Bharat’s principal ecological agency must have the regulatory mechanisms to deal with the ‘prudential’, ‘conduct’ and ‘crisis management’ functions under one umbrella. We need a ‘prudential’ system of environmental scrutiny to find the balance between ‘environment’ and ‘development’. The ‘conduct’ function must rest on Standard Act, set of rules, audit and juridical scrutiny rather than allowing the polluting industry to pollute at a cost. The ‘crisis management’ must be through Disaster Management Division. The advisory panel must have the ‘grassroot environmentalists’ to make it a collaborative model.
Advanced countries have caused 89 per cent of historical greenhouse gas emissions. The carbon footprints of the richest 1 per cent are much larger than those of the poorest 66 per cent. However, since Bharat has committed to significant climate goals, the circular economy can be a powerful strategy to minimize dependence on natural resources, curtail waste, and encourage sustainable design practices. A green taxonomy is the foundation upon which a financial system aligns with a country’s environmental obligations. The country must leapfrog to new green technologies, create a responsible economy and sustainable ecology. This is ‘the environment’ we must create using our timeless civilizational approach of dharmic governance, and respecting filial responsibilities to our Mother Earth.
Arun Agarwal is an author, columnist, teacher and ex-CEO. He is currently a Professor of Practice at Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai.