Chapter - 6
Environment and natural resources
Earlier the environmental problem was not taken seriously but since the 1960s the environmental issue has gained momentum and now various countries are ready to talk on the issue of environment.
Various problems in the environment
- arable land is decreasing
- The pastures are running out of fodder
- fish stocks are declining
- water pollution is on the rise
- water is running short
- food production is declining
- There is no clean drinking water in developing countries
- Forests are being cut down indiscriminately
- Biodiversity is being lost greatly
- there is a hole in the ozone layer
How is the environmental problem a political issue ?
- These environmental problems can be solved only by the governments of different countries, that is why it is considered a political issue.
- A group of scholars called the Ram Club wrote a book called Limits to Growth in 1972
- This book shows how resources are depleting due to the increase in population.
- UNEP organized conferences on environmental issues
Rio conference or Earth conference
- The Rio Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.
- UNO had a conference on the issue of environment and development. 170 countries participated in this conference. Thousands of voluntary organizations participated in this conference. Many multinational corporations were also involved in it.
- It is also called Earth Summit
- Five years before the Rio conference, in 1987, a report called “Our Common Future” was published. In this report, it was stated that the current methods of economic development would not prove to be sustainable in the future because the demand for industrial development in the southern part of the world is stronger.
- It was clearly revealed in the Rio conference that the countries of the northern and southern hemispheres face different problems and challenges. Countries of the northern hemisphere - developed and rich countries, countries of the southern hemisphere - poor and developing countries.
- Some rules were laid down in the Rio conference regarding climate change, biodiversity, forestry and some measures for development were suggested in the form of Agenda-21.
- It was agreed in the conference that the method of economic growth should be such that it does not harm the environment, this was called the method of sustainable development
- Some critics say that Agenda 21 is biased towards economic growth rather than environmental protection
The common heritage of the world
Shared property refers to resources that are owned not by just one person but by the entire community
Example -
1. Joint family hearth
2. Grassland
3. Ground
4. The Well
5. River etc.
Universal Property or Common Heritage of Humanity
Some parts and regions of the world are outside the jurisdiction of any one country, so they are managed jointly by the international community. These are called global heritage or common heritage of humanity.
Example -
1. Atmosphere
2. Outer space
3. Antarctica
4. Sea surface etc.
Treaties to protect global wealth
1. Antarctica Treaty 1959
2. Montreal Court 1987
3. Antarctica Environmental Justice Act 1991
Shared but separate responsibilities
- There is a difference in the attitude of countries of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere towards the environment
- The developed countries of the Northern Hemisphere want to discuss the environment in the same condition in which it exists today
- These countries want that every country should play an equal role in environmental protection but the developing countries of the Southern Hemisphere believe that developed countries have caused more damage to the environment
- Therefore, the more developed countries should compensate for this loss, while the developing countries are still going through the process of industrialization
- So that these should not be banned, it was proposed and accepted in the 1992 Rio Conference. This principle was called common but differentiated responsibilities.
rules of the united nations
UNFCCC (1992)
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (1992), the UN body's rules on climate change, also states that countries that have accepted this treaty will try to protect the environment by fulfilling common but differentiated responsibilities based on their share in environmental degradation according to their capacity.
The countries that accepted this regulation agreed that
- Historically and at present, developed countries play the biggest role in the emission of greenhouse gases.
- Developing countries have low per capita emissions potential
- Because of this, China, India and other developing countries were kept out of the obligations of the Kyoto Protocol .
Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement under which targets were set for industrial countries to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and hydrochlorofluorocarbons, which are believed to play a role in increasing global warming.
Forest area
Some parts of the forests are considered sacred and are not cut down. It is believed that these places are inhabited by gods and goddesses. These are called forest regions. We often get to see such places in villages. These forest regions are known by different names in different states.
Different names of forest region
1. Vani in Rajasthan
2. Jehra Than and Sarna in Jharkhand
3. Lyngdoh in Meghalaya
4. Kav in Kerala
5. Than or Devbhoomi in Uttarakhand
6. Dev Rahtis in Maharashtra
India's stand on environmental issues
- India signed the Kyoto Protocol in 2002
- It is believed that India and China will also soon be ahead in the emission of greenhouse gases.
- India says that developed countries should have the biggest responsibility in reducing greenhouse gases
- India's greenhouse gas emissions will be 0.9 tonnes by 2000 and 1.6 tonnes by 2030
Steps taken by the Indian government to protect the environment
- India changes its National Auto Fuel Policy
- Clean fuel made compulsory in India
- Vehicles started running on CNG in India
- Energy Conservation Act was passed in 2001
- Electricity Act was passed in 2003
- The use of clean coal began to be promoted
- Use of biodiesel approved
- Approval for electric vehicles
- promotion of cooking gas
Environmental Movement
- People who are environmentally conscious and aware
- People who want to protect the environment from harm
- Such people have started movements for the protection of the environment
- Such movements have been carried out both at national and international level
- Today the environmental movement has become a vibrant, diverse and powerful movement all over the world
- These movements have been carried out in different countries on different issues.
As -
1. Against deforestation - Chile, Indonesia, India
2. Against mining - Southern Hemisphere
3. Against Dam - Australia
4. Against MNCs - in different countries
Some important environmental movements
Forest movements have taken place in southern countries like Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, Africa and India. Deforestation has been opposed here and due to this, mineral industries have been criticized and opposed in many parts of the world.
Example -
- Several groups and organizations in the Philippines have come together to campaign against Western Mining Corporation, an Australian multinational company
- Some movements have also been against big dams. Anti-dam movements are seen as movements to save rivers.
- In the early and mid-1980s the world's first anti-dam movement took place in the Southern Hemisphere; this movement took place in Australia
- There was a movement to save the Franklin River and its subsequent forests
- There is a race to build big dams in the countries of the Southern Hemisphere from Türkiye to Thailand and South Africa, from Indonesia to China
- Anti-dam movements have also been launched in India, such as the Narmada Bachao Andolan
Geopolitics of resources
- Different types of resources are available at different places in the world. Disputes over these resources have been going on since the past.
- Some countries have mineral resources, some have oil resources, some have timber, some have rivers, mountains, rocks, some have trees, vegetation, animals, water etc.
- The aim of the European powers' global expansion was resources; timber and oil resources have always been important
- There have always been attempts to gain control over petroleum. Attempts have been made to seize the oil resources of the Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil producing country. Iraq comes in second place.
- Water is also an important resource. Life cannot exist without water. Clean drinking water is not available in some parts of the world. Therefore, water resources can become the root cause of conflict. It is believed that the third world war will be fought because of water (water war).
- Countries near water resources misuse it and there have been violent clashes over water
Example -
1. War between Israel, Syria, Jordan in the 1950s and 1960s
2. Euphrates river water dispute between Türkiye, Syria, Iraq.
Native
- Indigenous peoples are defined as descendants of people who have lived in an existing country for a long time
- Then people of another country's culture and ethnic origin came here and made these people their slaves
- The natives still live according to their culture and tradition and lead their lives in their own special way
- Indigenous people live all over the world. There is some similarity in their lifestyle, culture and tradition. They give importance to their traditions.
Statistics of indigenous people
1. There are 300 million indigenous people in the world
2. Philippines - 2 million indigenous people
3. Chile – Mapuche, 1 million
4. Bangladesh - 6 lakhs
5. North American - 3 lakh 50 thousand
6. Northern Soviet - 1 million
Problems and rights of indigenous people
- Struggle for equality
- Struggle for development
- Indigenous people demand independent identity
- Demand for rights on indigenous place
- Demand to not destroy forests
- Demand not to interfere in their lives
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