Environment ministry urges companies to join hands with the government for the cause.
In the backdrop of the growing debate over growth and environment, India is hosting the Annual World Environment Day, 2011 — themed ‘Forest and Nature’ — here tomorrow. It is going to be a packed day for Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.
The minister will start the day by flagging off the Green Marathon at 6 am from India Gate and move on to the other dos. During the day, he is expected to release the United Nations Environment Programme’s ‘Green Economy and Forest’ report and chair a civil society seminar on ‘Nature and Livelihoods: Women’s Perspective’. The day is expected to mark a beginning for low-carbon economic growth.
The celebrations of the World Environment Day in the country assumes significance as the year so far has seen many debates and friction among different government departments, companies and the Environment Ministry over how far ecology can be tampered with to achieve the desired level of growth. Ramesh confessed earlier that it was a big challenge for India.
“We have to strike a balance. We need the economic growth to generate the jobs for 8-10 million people who join the labour force every year. It is a stupendous challenge faced by no other country. Yet, we know there is an imperative to sustainable development. We have to protect our forests, rivers, mountains and livelihoods,” the minister said. “These are the challenges that we face and how do we protect the environment in a framework of rapidly changing economy,” he added.
Protecting the environment also makes economic sense for the country.
According to the World Bank data, India’s gross national savings as a per cent of the gross domestic product was 34.3 per cent in 2008, but its adjusted net saving in the same year was 24.2 per cent, the difference arising due to a depletion of natural resources and pollution-related damages, in addition to conventionally measured depreciation of the nation’s capital assets.
Environmentalists argue that in the face of such rising and credible evidence, we cannot ignore the ecological cost of the growth process.
The Planning Commission has now accepted that the 12th Plan, starting next year, will be focused on high, inclusive, and low-carbon growth.
This is a major step to incorporate ecological considerations into the core of the growth process. But experts have pointed out that the huge challenge of green and clean economic growth could not be achieved by government initiatives alone. Realising the criticality of participation of corporate India, the Environment Ministry has urged them to join hands with the government for the cause.
