Environmental and Sustainable Development Policies to Address the Pollution Catastrophe in India
What is it about?
We are living in a world of catastrophes, disasters, and calamities. The catastrophes are mainly two types, natural and manmade. Natural Catastrophes are earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, landslides, thunder, and storming, and emergency diseases like the COVID-19 pandemic, etc. Manmade catastrophes are nuclear power plants and nuclear blasts, radiological emergencies, chemical threats, biological weapons, cyber-attacks, explosions, civil unrest, and hazardous materials. One of the crucial catastrophes that the present generation is suffering for the next 40 years is the pollution catastrophe due to environmental challenges. What are the important environmental challenges that the present generation is experiencing? There are mainly seven environmental challenges that we suffer from.? They are water pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, soil pollution light pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and waste generation and its management. What are the reasons for these environmental challenges? Industrial emissions, vehicular emissions, burning of garbage and other biomass, road dust emissions, construction and demolition activities, emissions from diesel generator sets, factories and industries, mining activities, agricultural activities, and domestic sources. Legal and environmental offenses, the management of unscientific treatment procedures, the lack of fundamental education about existing court orders, and fatality-induced health problems also increase the catastrophe severely. What are the effects of these environmental challenges? Severe respiratory and heart diseases like cancer, asthma, pneumonia, acid rain, ozone layer depletion, smog, global warming, and effects on animals. This research paper presentation throws more light on the gravity of environmental challenges that we experience today and the sustainable solutions to the pollution catastrophe in this era of sustainable development.
Why is it important?
The environmental crisis caused by pollution in India significantly impacts the Earth's ecosystem. Authorities must prioritise environmental conservation. Alternatively, the country would have to experience another catastrophic event, such as a tsunami. Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, extensive research was conducted on environmental concerns and pollution. There was a lack of research conducted during or after the COVID-19 pandemic about environmental and sustainable pollution regulations. This article seeks to identify legal, environmental, and sustainable development strategies to mitigate India's pollution problem and address the numerous challenges associated with pollution and sustainable development. The main issues include improper treatment practices, health concerns resulting in fatalities, legal and environmental violations, and a lack of awareness of current court rulings. The research findings indicate that the categories of "Unscientific Treatment Procedures" and "Fatality-induced Health Problems" obtained the highest marks. This discovery implies that the articles were mostly focused on the pollution disaster and that our nation needs policies that prioritise environmental conservation and sustainable development. Moreover, the majority of publications presented factual information and statistical data evaluating the impact of the pollution disaster. During our investigation of environmental statutes, policies, and programmes, we encounter several acts, policies, regulations, and programmes at both national and international levels. The environment is crucial for the existence of human beings. Due to the widespread implementation of comprehensive environmental legislation and programmes, we are giving more importance to environmental conservation. Nevertheless, human activities disturb the tranquillity of the surrounding ecosystem. This paradox undermines the advancement of sustainable development for both the nation and the environment. The delivery of essential education on sustainable development in our country is ineffective. As a result of this issue, our country frequently experiences numerous pollution disasters. Thus, education for sustainable development is an essential component in attaining success in a lifestyle centred around sustainable development within this particular context.