NCERT Class 11 Economics Environment And Sustainable Development

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

9.1 INTRODUCTION

In the earlier chapters we have discussed the main economic issues faced by the Indian economy. The economic development that we have achieved so far has come at a very heavy price—at the cost of environmental quality. As we step into an era of globalisation that promises higher economic growth, we have to bear in mind the adverse consequences of the past development path on our environment and consciously choose a path of sustainable development. To understand the unsustainable path ofdevelopment that we have taken and the challenges of sustainable development, we have to first understand the significance andcontribution of environment to economic development. With this in mind, this chapter is divided into three sections. The first part deals with the functions and role of environment. Th second section discusses the state of India’s environment and the third section deals with steps and strategiesto achieve sustainable development.

9.2 ENVIRONMENT — DEFINITION AND FUNCTIONS

Environment is defined as the total planetary inheritance and the totality of all resources. It includes all the biotic and abiotic factors that influence each other. While all living elements—the birds, animals and plants, forests, fisheries etc.—are biotic elements, abiotic elements include air, water, land etc. Rocks and sunlight are all examples of abiotic elements of the environment. A study of the environment then calls for a study of the interrelationship between these biotic and  abiotic components of the environment.Functions of the Environment: The environment performs four vital functions (i) it supplies resources: resources here include both renewable and non-renewable resources.Renewable resources are those which can be used without the possibility of the resource becoming depleted or exhausted. That is, a continuous supply of the resource remains available. Examples of renewable resources are the trees in the forests and the fishes in the ocean. Non-renewable resources, on the other hand, are those which get exhausted with extraction and use, for example, fossil fuel (ii) it assimilates waste (iii) it sustains life by  providing genetic and bio diversity and(iv) it also provides aesthetic services like scenery etc.

The environment is able to perform these functions without any interruption as long as the demand on these this results in an environmental crisis. This is the situation toda all over the world. The rising population of the developing countries and the affluent consumption and production standards of the developed world have placed a huge stress on the environment in terms of its first two functions. Many resources have become extinct and the wastes generated are beyond the absorptive capacity of the environment. Absorptive capacity means the ability of the environment to absorb degradation. The result — we are today at the threshold of environmental crisis. The past development has polluted and dried up rivers and other aquifers making water an economic good. Besides, the intensive and extensive extraction of both renewable and non-renewable resources has exhausted some of these vital resources and we are compelled to spend huge amounts on technology and research to explore new resources. Added to these are the health costs of degraded environmental quality — decline in air and water quality (seventy per cent of water in India is polluted) have resulted in increased incidence of respiratory and water-borne diseases. Hence the expenditure on health is also rising. To make matters worse, global environmental issues such as global warming and ozone depletion also contribute to increased financial commitments for the government.

EXERCISES

1. What is meant by environment?

2. What happens when the rate of resource extraction exceeds that of their regeneration?

3. Classify the following into renewable and non-renewable resources

(i) trees (ii) fish (iii) petroleum (iv) coal (v) iron-ore (vi) water.

4. Two major environmental issues facing the world today are ____________ and _____________.

5. How do the following factors contribute to the environmental crisis in India? What problem do they pose for the government?

(i) Rising population

(ii) Air pollution

(iii) Water contamination

(iv) Affluent consumption standards

(v) Illiteracy

(vi) Industrialisation

(vii) Urbanisation

(viii) Reduction of forest coverage

(ix) Poaching

(x) Global warming.

6. What are the functions of the environment?

7. Identify six factors contributing to land degradation in India.

8. Explain how the opportunity costs of negative environmental impact are high.

9. Outline the steps involved in attaining sustainable development in India.

10. India has abundant natural resources—substantiate the statement.

11. Is environmental crisis a recent phenomenon? If so, why?

12. Give two instances of

(a) Overuse of environmental resources

(b) Misuse of environmental resources.

13. State any four pressing environmental concerns of India. Correction for environmental damages involves opportunity costs—explain.

14. Explain the supply-demand reversal of environmental resources.

15. Account for the current environmental crisis.

16. Highlight any two serious adverse environmental consequences of development in India. India’s environmental problems pose a dichotomy — they are poverty induced and, at the same time, due to affluence in living standards—is this true?

17. What is sustainable development?

18. Keeping in view your locality, describe any four strategies of sustainable development.

19. Explain the relevance of intergenerational equity in the definition of sustainable development.

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