ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS

1. OBJECTIVE
The economic development we have achieved so far has come at a hefty price- at the cost of
environmental quality. In the name of developing the environment, we’re causing unnecessary
harm.
It is crucial to bear in mind the adverse consequences of the past development path on our
environment and consciously choose a path of sustainable development.
2. INTRODUCTION
According to Environment Protection Act 1886- “Environment includes water, air and land and
the relationship which exists among and between water, air, land and human-being and other
creatures, plants, micro-organisms and property.”
Now, an interruption in this flow of life is known as an environmental crisis.
In other words, an environmental crisis can be described as a dramatic, unexpected, and
irreversible worsening of the environment leading to significant welfare losses. For a change to
be termed as an environmental crisis, it should be unexpected (low probability event) and has to
be dramatic and rapid in its pace.
3. HISTORY
CASE STUDY 1: BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY
On December 3, 1984, about 45 tons of the dangerous gas methyl isocyanate escaped from
an insecticide plant that was owned by the Indian subsidiary of the American firm Union Carbide
Corporation. The gas drifted over the densely populated neighbourhoods around the plant, killing
thousands of people immediately and creating a panic as tens of thousands of others attempted to
flee Bhopal. The final death toll was estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,000. Some half a
million survivors suffered respiratory problems, eye irritation or blindness, and other maladies
resulting from exposure to the toxic gas; many were awarded compensation of a few hundred
dollars. Investigations later established that substandard operating and safety procedures at the
understaffed plant had led to the catastrophe.
CASE STUDY 2: PERU’S AMAZON DEGRADATION (1971-1996)
An estimated nine billion barrels of oil wastewater is released into Amazonian watersheds, which
members of Peru’s indigenous Achuar community say has caused unexplained diseases, tumors,
skin ailments, and miscarriages from oil exposure. In 2007, the Achuar community sues U.S.-
based Occidental Petroleum in U.S. courts for environmental and health damages caused by the
pollution. Plaintiffs allege that the company ignored industry standards and violated U.S.,
Peruvian, and international law. Occidental says there is no evidence of detrimental health
effects. In 2015, the two sides reach a settlement outside of court, the size of which has not been
made public.
4. MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
a. CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change refers to long-term fluctuations in temperature and weather patterns. Variations
in the solar cycle are generally responsible for such fluctuations. But, since the 1800s human
activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and coal have been the drivers for such changes.
Sea levels are rising and oceans are becoming warmer. Longer, more
intense droughts threaten crops, wildlife and freshwater supplies. From
polar bears in the Arctic to marine turtles off the coast of Africa, our
planet’s diversity of life is at risk from the changing climate.

Humans and wild animals face new challenges for survival because of climate change. More
frequent and intense droughts, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, melting glaciers and
warming oceans can directly harm animals, destroy the places they live, and wreak havoc on
people’s livelihoods and communities.
Climate change in India is having profound effects on India, which is ranked fourth among the
list of countries most affected by climate change in 2015.
IMPACT ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
1. TEMPERATURE AND WEATHER
Temperatures in India have risen by 0.7 °C (1.3 °F) between 1901 and 2018, thereby changing
the climate in India.
In May 2022 severe heatwave was recorded in Pakistan and India. The temperature reached 51
°C. Climate change makes such heatwaves 100 times more likely.
Severe landslides and floods are projected to become increasingly common in such states as
Assam
2. SEA LEVEL RISE
Meghalaya and other northeastern states are concerned that rising sea levels will submerge much
of Bangladesh and spawn a refugee crisis.
3. WATER RESOURCES:
Temperature rises on the Tibetan Plateau are causing Himalayan glaciers to retreat, threatening
the flow rate of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yamuna, and other major rivers.
A 2007 Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) report states that the Indus River may run dry for
the same reason
The climate change performance index of India ranks eighth among 63 countries which account
for 92% of all GHG emissions in the year 2021.
4. ECOSYSTEMS
Ecological disasters, such as a 1998 coral bleaching event that killed off more than 70% of corals
in the reef ecosystems off Lakshadweep and the Andamans and was brought on by elevated
ocean temperatures tied to global warming, are also projected to become increasingly common.
IMPACT ON PEOPLE
1. ECONOMIC IMPACT
India has the world's highest social cost of carbon. A report by the London-based global think
tank Overseas Development Institute found that India may lose anywhere around 3–10% of its
GDP annually by 2100 and its poverty rate may rise by 3.5% in 2040 due to climate change.
2. AGRICULTURE.
Climate Change in India will have a disproportionate impact on the more than 400 million that
make up India's poor community. This is because so many depend on natural resources for their
food, shelter and income.
3. HEALTH IMPACTS
Air pollution, which reflects sunlight, and irrigation, which cools the air by evaporation, have
counteracted climate change since 1970. These two factors do however increase the impact of
heat waves, as both lead to increased mortality
4. HEAT WAVES
In 2019, the temperature reached 50.6 degrees Celsius, 36 people were killed. The high
temperatures are expected to impact 23 states in 2019, up from nine in 2015 and 19 in 2018. In
India, exposure to heat waves is said to increase by 8 times between 2021 and 2050, and by
300% by the end of this century. The number of Indians exposed to heat waves increased by
200% from 2010 to 2016.
b. GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants collect in the
atmosphere and absorb sunlight and solar radiation that have bounced off the earth’s surface.
Normally this radiation would escape into space, but these pollutants, which can last for years to
centuries in the atmosphere, trap the heat and cause the planet to get hotter. These heat-trapping
pollutants—specifically carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor, and synthetic
fluorinated gases—are known as greenhouse gases, and their impact is called the greenhouse
effect.
Scientists agree that the earth’s rising temperatures are fueling longer and hotter heat waves,
more frequent droughts, heavier rainfall, and more powerful hurricanes. Thus, climate change
and global warming are interconnected.
In 2015, for example, scientists concluded that a lengthy drought in California—the state’s worst
water shortage in 1,200 years—had been intensified by 15 to 20 percent by global warming.
IMPACT OF GLOBAL WARMING
 Disappearing glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic
water shortages and continue to increase the risk of wildfires in the American West.
 Rising sea levels will lead to even more coastal flooding on the Eastern Seaboard,
especially in Florida, and in other areas such as the Gulf of Mexico.
 Forests, farms, and cities will face troublesome new pests, heat waves, heavy downpours,
and increased flooding. All of these can damage or destroy agriculture and fisheries.
 Disruption of habitats such as coral reefs and alpine meadows could drive many plant and
animal species to extinction.
  Allergies, asthma, and infectious disease outbreaks will become more common due to the
increased growth of pollen-producing ragweed, higher levels of air pollution, and the
spread of conditions favourable to pathogens and mosquitoes.

c. OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

“Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earth’s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere
caused due to the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous bromine or chlorine from
industries or other human activities.”
Montreal Protocol was proposed in 1987 to stop the use, production and import of ozone-
depleting substances and minimize their concentration in the atmosphere to protect the ozone
layer of the earth.
IMPACT
 Since the ozone layer absorbs UVB ultraviolet light from the sun, ozone layer depletion
increases surface UVB levels (all else equal), which could lead to damage, including an
increase in skin cancer.
 An increase of UV radiation would be expected to affect crops. A number of
economically important species of plants, such as rice, depend on cyanobacteria residing
on their roots for the retention of nitrogen. Cyanobacteria are sensitive to UV radiation
and would be affected by its increase.

d. POLLUTION
WATER POLLUTION
Water pollution occurs when harmful substances—often chemicals or microorganisms—
contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water
quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment.
CAUSES

1. Not only is the agricultural sector the biggest consumer of global freshwater resources,
with farming and livestock production using about 70 per cent of the earth’s surface
water supplies, but it’s also a serious water polluter.
2. More than 80 per cent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without
being treated or reused, according to the United Nations; in some least-developed
countries, the figure tops 95 per cent.
3. Big spills may dominate headlines, but consumers account for the vast majority of oil
pollution in our seas.
4. Accidentally released or improperly disposed of contaminants of radioactive substances
threaten groundwater, surface water, and marine resources.
AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution can be defined as an alteration of air quality that can be characterized by
measurements of chemical, biological or physical pollutants in the air. Therefore, air pollution
means the undesirable presence of impurities or the abnormal rise in the proportion of some
constituents of the atmosphere.
CAUSES
1. Combustion of fossil fuels, like coal and oil for electricity and road transport, producing air
pollutants like nitrogen and sulfur dioxide
2. Emissions from industries and factories, release large amounts of carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbon, chemicals and organic compounds into the air
3. Agricultural activities, due to the use of pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers that emit
harmful chemicals
4. Waste production, mostly because of methane generation in landfills
e. DEFORESTATION
Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses
such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the annual rate of deforestation to be
around 1.3 million km2 per decade.
CAUSES
1. agriculture causes around 80% of deforestation. Commercial or industrial agriculture (field
crops and livestock) cause around 40% of forest loss – in the search for space to grow food,
fibers, or biofuel. It is also particularly interesting to note livestock is believed to be responsible
for about 14% of global deforestation.
2. The construction of human infrastructures has also been driving deforestation. More
specifically, 10% of deforestation can be attributed to new infrastructures that serve the current
human lifestyle in four main ways: transportation, transformation, and energy generation.
The populational shift that is leading people to move from rural areas to urban areas is also
contributing to deforestation (5%, according to FAO). This urban growth – in which 68% of the
world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050 – is leading to an exponential growth of
housing and consumption sites.
EFFECTS:
1. The most known consequence of deforestation is its threat to biodiversity. In fact, forests
represent some of the most veritable hubs of biodiversity.
2. Healthy forests support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people globally, one billion of whom are
among the world’s poorest.
3. Today, 52% of all the land used for food production is moderately or severely impacted by
soil erosion.
4. Deforestation weakens and degrades the soil. Deforestation will probably mean the soil will
become increasingly fragile, leaving the area more vulnerable to natural disasters such as
landslides and floods.
5. Contributes to climate change- Firstly, taking down trees means they’ll release back into the
atmosphere the CO2 they were keeping. Secondly, fewer trees available means reducing the
planet’s overall ability to capture and store CO2. Both these effects negatively contribute to the
greenhouse effect and to climate change.
5. IMPACT ON OUR LIFE
6. INDIAN SCENARIO
7. ROLE OF INDIVIDUALS
8. ROLE OF GOVERNMENT
1. A step change is needed in efforts to tackle the climate crisis
Plastic flowing into the oceans is expected to nearly triple in volume in the next 20 years,
adversely affecting our ecosystems, health and economies. agricultural production will need to
increase by about 50% by 2050 to keep pace with rising demand for food.5 But food systems
cause as much as a third of greenhouse gas emissions, up to 80% of biodiversity loss and use
around 70% of freshwater reserves.
Market forces alone won’t solve the problem, and the onus is on governments to take a lead.
2. Governments must step up to meet the sustainability challenge
Governments can choose from a wide range of policy interventions and financing measures to
support the transformation of energy and industrial systems, improve energy efficiency, tackle
environmental pollution, and protect and replenish natural capital.
Many are adopting a stick-and-carrot approach, including green taxes on harmful environmental
activities, tighter regulations, and new environmental standards and certification for energy
performance, emissions and pollutants – including tax rebates for meeting these standards.
Subsidies and tax rebates are additional tools to boost demand for green products and services
like EV, solar panels or renewable energy.
3. A multi-sector effort to close the climate funding gap
Tackling the sustainability challenge requires significant investment going far beyond current
levels. According to Citi, the gap between actual and necessary climate crisis spending is US$3-
US$5+ trillion per year.19
4. Six government priorities for accelerating the green transition
The actions governments take now could set the world on a path to a more sustainable future that
balances environmental, economic and social outcomes. But the clock is ticking, and rapid
progress demands priorities:
 Provide detailed action plans with clear accountability
 Be bolder in incentivizing the market and mandating change
 Boost innovation through increased funding
 Improve the design and delivery of green initiatives
 Act as a role model for other parts of the economy
 Promote a whole-of-society, people-centered approach
9. FUTURE, IF NOT RECTIFIED
10. CONCLUSION