With development, It's not 'Green or Red'

The Supreme Court‘s green bench has cleared 118 cases, some going back 10 years. Better late than never? Perhaps. But the bench stressed on the tussle between environmental considerations and development needs, putting their thumb on the scale in favour of one or the other. India must set aside this kind of binary formation, as it has already exacted a high price over time.

The world is faced with the triple environmental crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. A low-middle income country, India must address developmental deficits affecting large parts of its population. For this, it must grow its economy. But unlike other large economies, its growth must factor in environmental impacts, be it poor air and water quality, degrading land productivity or rising sea levels. Its developmental plans must grow the economy without exacerbating the adverse environmental impacts already being felt. Policy, regulatory frameworks, fiscal incentives and disincentives, and market signals must prioritise sustainable growth. The recent past is replete with examples of untrammelled, mindless development resulting in environmental losses and damages that, ironically, are economically damaging in the long run.

This difficult situation is replete with opportunities. India must leverage its growing demand to innovate and develop solutions that can grow the economy without endangering the planet. The scale and diversity of need and conditions must throw up multiple solutions while driving down costs of technologies and solutions that can be fit for purpose for other parts of the world. This requires an all-of-government and all-of-economy plan. And where ‘environment vs development’ is permanently turned into environment and development.