INDIA’S ENVIRONMENT

IS THE ENVIRONMENT HURTING GDP?

Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Indian Express, September 24, 2010

A us-style EPA is what we need. Politicians and bureaucrats don’t make for either good or credible custodians of the environment

The current debate concerning development versus environment is premised on the fatal assumption that the two are in contradiction with each other. The background to the debate is the recent activism of the Union environment and forests ministry.

That we need economic development to meet our most pressing challenge of bringing 400-500 million citizens out of poverty and deprivation is unarguable. Economic growth is the only way to create jobs and help people achieve their aspirations. Take a poll anywhere in India today and if asked to choose, a vast majority of Indians would choose economic development over environmental protection. It’s not necessarily right, but it reflects the priorities as people see it. Wallets will win over the environment for a vast majority.

What the current debate is doing is spotlighting the nature and consequences of this economic growth. The general perception of the exploitative nature of a large number of investments has helped fuel the recent backlash against the anything-for-economic development model. However, neither is the extreme alternative practical. India is a large nation with serious challenges that have to be met through economic development. This is a given and some costs in terms of environment will have to be borne by the nation. The challenge is to quantify the environmental costs and to ensure that these are the minimum possible as we develop a more consistent approach to environmental regulation.

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