POL 110

Introduction to Political Theory

Today’s Discussion Topic

Environment Degradation

Dr. Km. Birendri

 Introduction

 Recently, the landslide in Idukki district of Kerala has claimed nearly 50 lives and rendered
several homeless, this follows from a continuing spell of heavy rains in Kerala.
 Due to climate change, such hazards are increasingly becoming very common in other parts
of India. Moreover, the impact of climate change is not limited to landslides, but it also
results in devastating floods co-existing along with long dry spells and loss of biodiversity.
 However, the man-made changes and natural exploitation for economic growth are the major
contributors to climate change and its effects.
 This is due to the underlying thought that development policies promote economic well
being, while environmental policies have been seen to be restricting it.
 Thus, for sake of sustainable development, there is a need to balance economic
development with environmental protection.
 Environmental degradation

 Environmental degradation is a process through which the natural

environment is compromised in some way, reducing biological diversity
and the general health of the environment.
 This process can be entirely natural in origin, or it can be accelerated or
caused by human activities.
 Environmental degradation is the disintegration of the earth or
deterioration of the environment through the consumption of assets, for
example, air, water and soil; the destruction of environments and the
eradication of wildlife.
 Impact of Human Activity on Environment

 According to an UN-backed report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services:
 1 million animal and plant species are currently threatened with extinction from human
activity.
 Urban areas have more than doubled since 1992 at the expense of forests and wetlands.
 Fertilizer has produced more than 400 dead zones in the oceans, equalling an area greater
than the size of the United Kingdom.
 Also, the global population is projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. In this pretext,
intensive agriculture, overfishing, energy production and the extraction of raw materials
will significantly alter three-quarters of Earth’s land and over half of the oceans.
 No Cost to Environmental Resources: Access to natural resources is entirely open and no
individual user bears the full cost of environmental degradation and resources are
consequently overused.
The Conditions of the environment assert effect on human livelihood and the existence of
ecosystem. These issues have clearly political in nature in present times, due to following reasons:

 1.    Today's environmental problems are global in their cumulative

consequences, as evident from the phenomenon of El-Nino and
simultaneous droughts in various parts of the world.
 2.    The problems of contemporary times relate more to represent bio
degenerative products of humanity, i.e. air, water and soil pollution,
deforestation, ocean exploitation, desertification etc. However, in the past
the problems were related to their accessibility rather than their exploitation.
For example our ancestors had problems related to the biophysical
parameters of nature, i.e. access to water, soil fertility, and temperature.
Conti…
 3.    Contemporary problems of environment have been caused due to
anthropogenic resources – industrial revolution, unmindful use of non-
renewable sources of energy, exploitation of nature due to
overpopulation and so on. Whereas, it was natural forces which created
environmental problems for our ancestors.
 4.    We have little time addressing the problems like environment in
individual capacity today. Hence, the international politics have been
drawn by default to set the things right. Our ancestors in the past had
more time, resources and space to deal with environmental threats than
we do today.
 Environmental Conventions
 1. Ramsar Convention- It is called the Convention on Wetlands. It was adopted in
the city of Iran, Ramsar in 1971. It came into force in 1975.
 2. Stockholm Convention- It is a convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
(POPs). It was adopted in 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland. It came into force in 2004.
 3. CITES- It is a convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora. It was adopted in 1963. It came into force in 1975.
 4. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)-It is a convention for the
conservation of biological diversity. It was adopted in 1992. It came into force in
1993.
 5. Bonn Convention- It is a convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species
of Wild Animals. It was adopted in 1979. It came into force in 1983.
 Conti…
 6. Vienna Convention- It is a convention for the Protection of Ozone Layer. It
was adopted in 1985. It came into force in 1988.
 7. Montreal Protocol- It is an international environment protocol on substances
that deplete the Ozone Layer. It was adopted in 1987. It came into force in 1989.
 8. Kyoto Protocol- It is an international protocol to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. It was adopted in 1997. It came into force in 2005.
 9. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change- It is an
international environmental treaty governing actions to combat climate change
through adaptation and mitigation efforts directed at control of emission of
GreenHouse Gases (GHGs) that cause global warming. It was adopted in 1992. It
came into force in 1994.
 Conti…
 11. UN-REDD- It is a United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation. It was created in 2008.
 12. Nagoya Protocol- It is an international environment protocol on Access to
Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their
Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It was adopted
in 2010. It came into force in 2014.
 13. COP24-It is the 24th meeting of the conference of parties (COP) to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It took place in 2018.
 14. COP21- It is the 21st meeting of the conference of parties (COP) to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It took place in 2018.
 10. Cartagena Protocol- It is an international environmental protocol on Biosafety
to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It was adopted in 2000. It came into force
in 2003
 Conti…
 15. Kigali Agreement- It is an amendment to the Montreal Protocol. It was
adopted in 2016. It came into force in 2019.
 16. Minamata Convention- It is an international environmental treaty intended
to protect health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. It was
adopted in 2013. It came into force in 2017.
 17. Rotterdam Convention- It is an international environmental convention on
Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and
Pesticides in International Trade. It was adopted in 1998. It came into force in
2004.
 18. COP25- It is the 25th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It took
place in 2019.
 India’s changing approach to global forums
 India had been persistently and rightly so accusing the west of spreading the
contemporary menace of global warming and environmental pollution since the
industrial revolution days.
 Therefore, It has hard been fighting against any curb to prohibit its developmental
opportunities in the garb of greenhouse gas emission.
 India has long maintained that its per capita greenhouse gas emission is
significantly lower than that of the other countries of the world.
 India, along with other developing and emerging countries of the world have
favoured the reining in of greenhouse gas emission of the developed world and 
leaving the former to voluntarily control its emissions.
 India's Foreign Policy

 However, off lately, being a responsible soft power and aspiring to be a

super power of the future, India has very well realized its
responsibilities, as evident from its recent Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDC), containing
 •    Reduction in the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 percent
by 2030 from 2005 level
 •    To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2
equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
 •    To achieve about 40 percent cumulative electric power installed
capacity from non-fossil fuel based energy resources by 2030.
Conti…
 In addition to this, India has also decided to anchor a global solar
alliance, INSPA (International Agency for Solar Policy & Application),
of all countries located in between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of
Capricorn.
 The move envisions to capture maximum solar energy and use it to
replace the fossil-fuel based energy.
 India has also called for REDD+, in the response to REDD, for the
conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of
forest carbon stocks.
 Government Schemes

 India has fast engaging itself to multilateral and multiform platform concerning
environment. It had hosted the convention on Biodiversity in 2012 and is
optimistic to actively engage with global forums like conventions on climate
change, sustainable development, desertification, biodiversity and so on.
 Reorientation of Global powers towards environment

The blame game and fixing the onus of responsibility of damaging the
environment started with the very famous Kyoto protocol in 1997, which
became effective in 2005. It couldn’t meet with substantial success, however it
was a realistic initiation in curbing the menace and proportionately assigning
the responsibility.
Conti…

 Doha agreement of 2012 discussed the second commitment to be

followed till 2012.
 Kyoto Protocol had a relatively fair assignment of responsibility and
duty vis-a-vis developed and developing countries. However, due to
major players like US, it was rendered toothless. Moreover huge emitter
like China was not much accounted for.
 Further negotiations were held in the framework of the UNFCCC
Climate Change Conferences on measures needs to be taken after the
Doha commitment period ends in 2020.
 Conti...
 This resulted in the 2015 adoption of the Paris Agreement, which is a separate
instrument under the UNFCCC rather than an amendment of the Kyoto protocol,
containing following provisions:
 •    Limit global average temperature rise 'well below' 2 oc compared to pre-industrial
times, d further try to strive for 1.5 degrees.
 •    It has been the first universal climate agreement, in which all the countries are
comprehensively pitching in.
 •    Helping poorer nations by calling on developed nations to shed  $100 billion annually
to developing countries by 2020.
 •    All the countries are voluntarily required to publish their own greenhouse gas
reduction targets in the form of respective INDC
 Conti...
 The agreement also envisages to make the world Carbon neutral by 2050

Apart from the concern of global warming, Global powers are also making endeavours for
bettering the earth's ecosystem  by:
 •    Preserving the biodiversity
 •    Containing atmospheric pollution
 •    Taking measures for mitigating Ozone hole depletion
 •    Curbing Ocean Pollution
 •    Prohibiting the contamination of fresh water
 •    Encouraging the afforestation and curbing desertification
 •    Cooperating to limit the use of harmful and non-biodegradable chemicals.
Thank You