UNIT 6:
Social Issues and The Environment
6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 165
6.2 URBAN PROBLEMS RELATED TO ENERGY 167
6.3 WATER CONSERVATION, RAIN WATER HARVESTING, WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT 168
6.3.1 Water conservation 168
6.3.2 Rain water harvesting 170
6.3.3 Watershed management 171
6.4 RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF PEOPLE; ITS PROBLEMS
AND CONCERNS. CASE STUDIES 172
6.5 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 173
6.5.1 Resource consumption patterns and the need for their equitable utilisation 173
6.5.2 Equity – Disparity in the Northern and Southern countries 175
6.5.3 Urban – rural equity issues 175
6.5.4 The need for Gender Equity 175
6.5.5 Preserving resources for future generations 176
6.5.6 The rights of animals 177
6.5.7 The ethical basis of environment education and awareness 178
6.5.8 The conservation ethic and traditional value systems of India 181
6.6 CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING, ACID RAIN, OZONE LAYER DEPLETION,
NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AND NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. CASE STUDIES 182
6.6.1 Climate change 182
6.6.2 Global warming 183
6.6.3 Acid rain 184
6.6.4 Ozone layer depletion 185
6.6.5 Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Holocaust 186
Social Issues and The Environment 163
Chapter6.p65 163 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
, 6.7 WASTELAND RECLAMATION 187
6.8 CONSUMERISM AND WASTE PRODUCTS 189
6.9 ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 193
6.10 AIR (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 194
6.11 WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 196
6.12 WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT 197
6.13 FOREST CONSERVATION ACT 199
6.14 ISSUES INVOLVED IN ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION 201
6.14.1Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 201
6.14.2 Citizens actions and action groups 202
6.15 PUBLIC AWARENESS 204
6.15.1 Using an Environmental Calendar of Activities 204
6.15.2 What can I do? 205
164 Environmental Studies for Undergraduate Courses
Chapter6.p65 164 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
, 6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO SUSTAIN- sound environmental management. He stressed
ABLE DEVELOPMENT on the need for sanitation based on recycling
human and animal manure and well-ventilated
Until two decades ago the world looked at eco- cottages built of recyclable material. He envi-
nomic status alone as a measure of human de- sioned roads as being clean and free of dust.
velopment. Thus countries that were His main objective was to use village made goods
economically well developed and where people instead of industrial products. All these princi-
were relatively richer were called advanced na- pals are now considered part of sound long-term
tions while the rest where poverty was wide- development. Gandhiji had designed a sustain-
spread and were economically backward were able lifestyle for himself when these concepts
called developing countries. Most countries of were not a part of general thinking.
North America and Europe which had become
industrialized at an earlier stage have become A growing realization of the development strat-
economically more advanced. They not only ex- egy that Mahatma Gandhi had suggested many
ploited their own natural resources rapidly but decades earlier is now accepted by experts on
also used the natural resources of developing development across the world. This is based on
countries to grow even larger economies. Thus his concept that the world could support
the way development progressed, the rich coun- people’s needs but not their greed. It has be-
tries got richer while the poor nations got come obvious that the quality of human life has
poorer. However, even the developed world has worsened as economies grew. The world now
begun to realise that their lives were being seri- appears to be at a crossroad. It has taken the
ously affected by the environmental conse- path of short term economic growth and now
quences of development based on economic suffers the consequences of environmental deg-
growth alone. This form of development did not radation at the cost of loss of ‘quality of human
add to the quality of life as the environmental life’. The earth cannot supply the amount of re-
conditions had begun to deteriorate. sources used and wasted by the economically
well off sectors of society as well as that required
By the 1970s most development specialists be- for day to day sustenance of the ever growing
gan to appreciate the fact that economic growth population in less developed countries. Society
alone could not bring about a better way of life must thus change its unsustainable development
for people unless environmental conditions were strategy to a new form where development will
improved. Development strategies in which only not destroy the environment. This form of sus-
economic considerations were used, had begun tainable development can only be brought about
to suffer from serious environmental problems if each individual practices a sustainable lifestyle
due to air and water pollution, waste manage- based on caring for the earth.
ment, deforestation and a variety of other ill
effects that seriously affected peoples’ well be- It was also realized that these were not simple
ing and health. There were also serious equity issues. Indira Gandhi said in the Stockholm Con-
issues between the “haves and the have nots” ference in 1972 that poverty was the greatest
in society, at the global and national levels. The polluter. This meant that while the super rich
disparity in the lifestyles between the rich and nations had serious environmental problems, the
the poor was made worse by these unsustain- under-developed in Asia, Africa and South
able development strategies. America had a different set of environmental
problems linked to poverty. Developing coun-
Many decades ago, Mahatma Gandhi envi- tries were suffering the consequences of a rap-
sioned a reformed village community based on idly expanding human population with all its
Social Issues and The Environment 165
Chapter6.p65 165 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
, effects on the over utilization of natural re- economic opportunity on one hand and the re-
sources. quirements of environment on the other. It is
based on improving the quality of life for all,
Thus increasingly the world began to see the especially the poor and deprived within the car-
need for a more equitable use of earth resources. rying capacity of the supporting ecosystems. It
The control over natural resources and the is a process which leads to a better quality of
wealth that it produces also begins to create life while reducing the impact on the environ-
tensions between people that can eventually ment. Its strength is that it acknowledges the
lead to both strife within a country and wars interdependence of human needs and environ-
between nations. This is also a major cause for mental requirements.
the loss of quality of life. How then could a new
form of development be brought about that To ensure sustainable development, any activ-
could solve the growing discontent in the world? ity that is expected to bring about economic
It has become obvious that development must growth must also consider its environmental
begin to change from aiming at short term eco- impacts so that it is more consistent with long
nomic gains to a long term sustainable growth term growth and development. Many ‘devel-
that would not only support the well being and opment projects’, such as dams, mines, roads,
quality of life of all people living in the world industries and tourism development, have se-
today but that of future generations as well. vere environmental consequences that must be
studied before they are even begun. Thus for
The current strategies of economic development every project, in a strategy that looks at sustain-
are using up resources of the world so rapidly able development, there must be a scientifically
that our future generations, the young people and honestly done EIA, without which the
of the world, would have serious environmen- project must not be cleared.
tal problems, much worse than those that we
are facing at present. Thus current development Large dams, major highways, mining, industry,
strategies have come to be considered unsus- etc. can seriously damage ecosystems that sup-
tainable for the world’s long-term development. port the ecological health of a region. Forests
The newer concept of development has come are essential for maintaining renewable re-
to be known as “Sustainable Development”. The sources, reducing carbon dioxide levels and
nations of the world came to clearly understand maintaining oxygen levels in the earth’s atmo-
these issues at the Rio Conference in 1992. Sev- sphere. Their loss impairs future human devel-
eral documents were created for the United opment. Loss of forests depletes biodiversity
Nations Conference on Environment and De- which has to be preserved to maintain life on
velopment (UNCED), which brought out the fact earth. Major heavy industries if not planned care-
that environment and development were closely fully lead to environmental degradation due to
connected and that there was a need to ‘care air and water pollution and generate enormous
for the Earth’. quantities of waste that lead to long term envi-
ronmental hazards. Toxic and Nuclear wastes
Sustainable development is defined as de- can become serious economic problems as get-
velopment that meets the needs of the ting rid of them is extremely costly. Thus the
present without compromising the ability economic benefits of a project must be weighed
of future generations to meet their own against the possible environmental costs before
needs. It also looks at the equity between coun- a project is permitted.
tries and continents, races and classes, gender
and ages. It includes social development and
166 Environmental Studies for Undergraduate Courses
Chapter6.p65 166 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
Social Issues and The Environment
6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 165
6.2 URBAN PROBLEMS RELATED TO ENERGY 167
6.3 WATER CONSERVATION, RAIN WATER HARVESTING, WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT 168
6.3.1 Water conservation 168
6.3.2 Rain water harvesting 170
6.3.3 Watershed management 171
6.4 RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF PEOPLE; ITS PROBLEMS
AND CONCERNS. CASE STUDIES 172
6.5 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS 173
6.5.1 Resource consumption patterns and the need for their equitable utilisation 173
6.5.2 Equity – Disparity in the Northern and Southern countries 175
6.5.3 Urban – rural equity issues 175
6.5.4 The need for Gender Equity 175
6.5.5 Preserving resources for future generations 176
6.5.6 The rights of animals 177
6.5.7 The ethical basis of environment education and awareness 178
6.5.8 The conservation ethic and traditional value systems of India 181
6.6 CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING, ACID RAIN, OZONE LAYER DEPLETION,
NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AND NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. CASE STUDIES 182
6.6.1 Climate change 182
6.6.2 Global warming 183
6.6.3 Acid rain 184
6.6.4 Ozone layer depletion 185
6.6.5 Nuclear Accidents and Nuclear Holocaust 186
Social Issues and The Environment 163
Chapter6.p65 163 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
, 6.7 WASTELAND RECLAMATION 187
6.8 CONSUMERISM AND WASTE PRODUCTS 189
6.9 ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT 193
6.10 AIR (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 194
6.11 WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF POLLUTION) ACT 196
6.12 WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT 197
6.13 FOREST CONSERVATION ACT 199
6.14 ISSUES INVOLVED IN ENFORCEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION 201
6.14.1Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) 201
6.14.2 Citizens actions and action groups 202
6.15 PUBLIC AWARENESS 204
6.15.1 Using an Environmental Calendar of Activities 204
6.15.2 What can I do? 205
164 Environmental Studies for Undergraduate Courses
Chapter6.p65 164 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
, 6.1 FROM UNSUSTAINABLE TO SUSTAIN- sound environmental management. He stressed
ABLE DEVELOPMENT on the need for sanitation based on recycling
human and animal manure and well-ventilated
Until two decades ago the world looked at eco- cottages built of recyclable material. He envi-
nomic status alone as a measure of human de- sioned roads as being clean and free of dust.
velopment. Thus countries that were His main objective was to use village made goods
economically well developed and where people instead of industrial products. All these princi-
were relatively richer were called advanced na- pals are now considered part of sound long-term
tions while the rest where poverty was wide- development. Gandhiji had designed a sustain-
spread and were economically backward were able lifestyle for himself when these concepts
called developing countries. Most countries of were not a part of general thinking.
North America and Europe which had become
industrialized at an earlier stage have become A growing realization of the development strat-
economically more advanced. They not only ex- egy that Mahatma Gandhi had suggested many
ploited their own natural resources rapidly but decades earlier is now accepted by experts on
also used the natural resources of developing development across the world. This is based on
countries to grow even larger economies. Thus his concept that the world could support
the way development progressed, the rich coun- people’s needs but not their greed. It has be-
tries got richer while the poor nations got come obvious that the quality of human life has
poorer. However, even the developed world has worsened as economies grew. The world now
begun to realise that their lives were being seri- appears to be at a crossroad. It has taken the
ously affected by the environmental conse- path of short term economic growth and now
quences of development based on economic suffers the consequences of environmental deg-
growth alone. This form of development did not radation at the cost of loss of ‘quality of human
add to the quality of life as the environmental life’. The earth cannot supply the amount of re-
conditions had begun to deteriorate. sources used and wasted by the economically
well off sectors of society as well as that required
By the 1970s most development specialists be- for day to day sustenance of the ever growing
gan to appreciate the fact that economic growth population in less developed countries. Society
alone could not bring about a better way of life must thus change its unsustainable development
for people unless environmental conditions were strategy to a new form where development will
improved. Development strategies in which only not destroy the environment. This form of sus-
economic considerations were used, had begun tainable development can only be brought about
to suffer from serious environmental problems if each individual practices a sustainable lifestyle
due to air and water pollution, waste manage- based on caring for the earth.
ment, deforestation and a variety of other ill
effects that seriously affected peoples’ well be- It was also realized that these were not simple
ing and health. There were also serious equity issues. Indira Gandhi said in the Stockholm Con-
issues between the “haves and the have nots” ference in 1972 that poverty was the greatest
in society, at the global and national levels. The polluter. This meant that while the super rich
disparity in the lifestyles between the rich and nations had serious environmental problems, the
the poor was made worse by these unsustain- under-developed in Asia, Africa and South
able development strategies. America had a different set of environmental
problems linked to poverty. Developing coun-
Many decades ago, Mahatma Gandhi envi- tries were suffering the consequences of a rap-
sioned a reformed village community based on idly expanding human population with all its
Social Issues and The Environment 165
Chapter6.p65 165 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
, effects on the over utilization of natural re- economic opportunity on one hand and the re-
sources. quirements of environment on the other. It is
based on improving the quality of life for all,
Thus increasingly the world began to see the especially the poor and deprived within the car-
need for a more equitable use of earth resources. rying capacity of the supporting ecosystems. It
The control over natural resources and the is a process which leads to a better quality of
wealth that it produces also begins to create life while reducing the impact on the environ-
tensions between people that can eventually ment. Its strength is that it acknowledges the
lead to both strife within a country and wars interdependence of human needs and environ-
between nations. This is also a major cause for mental requirements.
the loss of quality of life. How then could a new
form of development be brought about that To ensure sustainable development, any activ-
could solve the growing discontent in the world? ity that is expected to bring about economic
It has become obvious that development must growth must also consider its environmental
begin to change from aiming at short term eco- impacts so that it is more consistent with long
nomic gains to a long term sustainable growth term growth and development. Many ‘devel-
that would not only support the well being and opment projects’, such as dams, mines, roads,
quality of life of all people living in the world industries and tourism development, have se-
today but that of future generations as well. vere environmental consequences that must be
studied before they are even begun. Thus for
The current strategies of economic development every project, in a strategy that looks at sustain-
are using up resources of the world so rapidly able development, there must be a scientifically
that our future generations, the young people and honestly done EIA, without which the
of the world, would have serious environmen- project must not be cleared.
tal problems, much worse than those that we
are facing at present. Thus current development Large dams, major highways, mining, industry,
strategies have come to be considered unsus- etc. can seriously damage ecosystems that sup-
tainable for the world’s long-term development. port the ecological health of a region. Forests
The newer concept of development has come are essential for maintaining renewable re-
to be known as “Sustainable Development”. The sources, reducing carbon dioxide levels and
nations of the world came to clearly understand maintaining oxygen levels in the earth’s atmo-
these issues at the Rio Conference in 1992. Sev- sphere. Their loss impairs future human devel-
eral documents were created for the United opment. Loss of forests depletes biodiversity
Nations Conference on Environment and De- which has to be preserved to maintain life on
velopment (UNCED), which brought out the fact earth. Major heavy industries if not planned care-
that environment and development were closely fully lead to environmental degradation due to
connected and that there was a need to ‘care air and water pollution and generate enormous
for the Earth’. quantities of waste that lead to long term envi-
ronmental hazards. Toxic and Nuclear wastes
Sustainable development is defined as de- can become serious economic problems as get-
velopment that meets the needs of the ting rid of them is extremely costly. Thus the
present without compromising the ability economic benefits of a project must be weighed
of future generations to meet their own against the possible environmental costs before
needs. It also looks at the equity between coun- a project is permitted.
tries and continents, races and classes, gender
and ages. It includes social development and
166 Environmental Studies for Undergraduate Courses
Chapter6.p65 166 4/9/2004, 5:21 PM
