Has India’s environmental crisis worsened?

Key Environmental Crises:

• Carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and pollution are the three main planetary crises.

• Between 2015 and 2024, global CO₂ emissions rose from 34.1 billion metric tonnes to 37.4 billion metric tonnes, a nearly 10% increase.

• India’s emissions surged from 2.33 billion to 3.12 billion metric tonnes due to persistent dependence on coal and oil.

• Biodiversity loss is becoming the norm, with mass extinctions and ecological disruptions becoming the norm.

• Pollution, particularly air pollution, remains high, with India consistently ranking among the world’s most polluted countries.

Root Causes:

• Fossil fuel dependency: Most global carbon emissions are driven by coal, oil, and gas consumption in power generation, transportation, and heavy industry.

• Deforestation and land-use change: Forest clearances for roads, mining, and dams have increased, especially in biodiversity-rich regions.

• Agricultural intensification: High-input monocultures destroy habitats and pollute water bodies with nitrates, pesticides, and plastics.

• Waste mismanagement and unchecked urbanisation: Unregulated landfills, untreated sewage, and industrial effluents pollute rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna.

• Overconsumption and industrialisation: The Global North’s high consumption and global supply chains externalise pollution and ecological damage to the Global South.

India’s Position:

• As a developing economy, India has a smaller per capita carbon footprint but its aggregate emissions are rising due to rapid industrialisation and urbanisation.

• The poor bear the brunt of pollution and climate shocks.

• The future of development should be based on ecological concerns, with a shift toward low-carbon livelihoods, ecological agriculture, and community-led conservation.