Yes to Development, No to Environmental Degradation

TRANSCEND MEMBERS, BRICS, 1 Jun 2015

Dr Ravi P Bhatia – TRANSCEND Media Service

The emphasis of many developing economies including India today is on economic growth and development. The underlying assumption is that if there is adequate growth and development, jobs will be created and economic and social disparities will be reduced. This will lead to satisfying the basic human needs of food, shelter, health care and education of poor and vulnerable people.

Mr Modi and the NDA government are focussed on all round development and increasing job opportunities. There is an extreme shortage of jobs for the existing job seekers who are mainly young people. Provision has also to be made for an additional about one crore youngsters who are expected to swell the job market annually. For this purpose, the government is simplifying procedures for land acquisition, boosting FDI and FII among other measures. It is promoting development both in rural and urban centres in all critical areas especially manufacturing. One of its distinctive mottos is “Make in India” which will help promote manufacturing and service sector, create jobs and boost exports.

Wherever the Prime Minister is going on his overseas trips – China, Korea, Australia, Germany, USA, he is encouraging and urging his counterparts to invest in India, to bring investments and to help in boosting the Indian economy.

However, with economic growth as the main focus of our development the question of sustainability of the environment is generally overlooked. What does this concept mean? This concept has several dimensions – economic, social, our relation with nature and its biodiversity etc. When we want to have development we must ensure that we are aware of the impact on the environment or the ecosystem in general – the air, the rivers and water bodies, forests and all living beings – plants, birds, animal, fish etc. All parts of this ecosystem are interrelated and any harm to one has an impact on the other parts also. If deforestation takes place on a large scale its adverse effect will be experienced by flora and fauna, by worsening air quality and so on.

In 1987 the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development released the report Our Common Future, commonly called the Brundtland Report. The report provided one of the most widely recognised definitions of sustainable development. “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The UN Millennium Declaration of 1992 laid stress on sustainable development, including economic development, social development and environmental protection. It defined sustainable development as a systems approach to growth and development for managing natural and social capital for the welfare of their own and future generations.

Mahatma Gandhi was also critical of affluent people’s habit of over consumption, wastage, and its adverse impact on the environment. He often said, “Nature produces enough for peoples’ needs but not for their greed”; “Characteristic aspect of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of wants”, etc. Thus, let us have development and create jobs but not at the expense of our environment and biodiversity.

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Dr Ravi P Bhatia is a retired professor of Delhi University and Convenor Religion and Peace Commission, IPRA-International Peace Research Association.

Published in the Economic Times on 19 May 2015.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 1 Jun 2015.

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