Palakkad: In a collective statement ahead of the Lok Sabha elections — the first phase of which kicks off on April 19 across several states — environmental, social and youth groups across the country have urged citizens to keep in mind the lapses that have occurred with regards to environmental and forest protection during the recent years and vote wisely for nature, democracy and the future of India’s youth.
The statement refers to several aspects of environmental protection that have taken a beating over the last few years, specifically over the past decade during which the Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power at the Centre. Among the issues highlighted in the statement is India being at the bottom of the 2022 Environmental Performance Index (among 180 countries) and the dilution of several laws that protect forests and the environment in recent years.
More than 70 organisations including the National Alliance of People’s Movements, Fridays for Future and the Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan are signatories to the appeal. The statement has also made several demands of political parties including that they reverse the dilutions in environmental legislations made since 2014, and impose a moratorium on river interlinking across India and construction of dams across rivers in ecosensitive regions such as the Himalayas and Western Ghats.
Dipping ranks, diluted laws
In June 2022, India ranked lowest – 180 – in the Environment Performance Index (EPI), which lists countries based on several performance indicators, such as environmental health.
The collective statement touched on this: “Based on the latest scientific insights and environmental data, India ranks at the bottom of 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of 2022 with extremely low scores across a range of critical issues,” it noted.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Incidentally, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change rejected the EPI ranking, alleging that the Index is based on “surmises and unscientific methods” and that it does not take into account India’s historically low emissions. However, the lead scientist of the EPI told The Wire that the Index has always ranked countries on the current state of environmental conditions and not on historical emissions or policy intent, and that they would be happy to collaborate with the Ministry as the EPI improves its analyses over the years to come.
Another aspect that the joint statement released on April 17 mentions is the dilution in laws governing environmental and forest protection.
“Many crucial laws protecting India’s environment and natural ecosystems have been weakened in the last few years such as the Forest Conservation Act, Environment Impact Assessment and others despite widespread public opposition,” it read.
For instance, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 — a crucial legislation that ensures, among other things, that forests of all kinds (including patches that fit the dictionary meaning of a forest but are not recognised legally as such, as per an order by the Supreme Court in 1996) are protected in the country — is now the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023. Though citizens, activists, ecologists, conservationists, retired civil servants and others had raised several concerns including the wording in the proposed Bill that dilutes the definition of a forest and opens up large tracts to developmental activities, the Union government still passed the Bill as an Act last year. However, following several petitions regarding the issue, the Supreme Court passed an interim order in February this year that not only upholds the definition of a forest as specified in its 1996 judgment until more records of forest cover are submitted by states and union territories, but also clarified that forest land cannot be diverted for safaris or zoos without the prior approval of the court.
Demands of political parties
Other aspects the joint statement of April 17 says that citizens should be mindful of while casting their votes include the water crisis that several metropolitan cities such as Bengaluru are currently facing at the moment; India’s bad air quality, especially in cities; and urbanisation that is decreasing green cover.
The joint statement also makes several demands of political parties contesting in the elections.
One is that all dilutions in environment and forest Acts brought in since 2014 be reversed.
Another is that parties impose a moratorium on all projects pertaining to river interlinking as well as the construction of dams and projects that involve blasting, tunnelling and cutting through mountains in the Himalayas, Aravallis and Western Ghats. The statement notes that cumulative impact assessment studies and public referendums be conducted if such projects have to be implemented.
The statement also demands that all mining activities — near forests and living areas — be stopped so that “our wildlife and rural communities are able to live peacefully without the adverse health and safety impacts of blasting and mining and our natural ecosystems are kept safe for our future generations”.
All wetlands must be notified under the Wetland Rules 2010, and rivers, ponds and other water bodies that have dried up across India must be revived, per the statement. The list also mentions that “water recharge using traditional knowledge must be taken up at war footing to protect our nation’s water security”.
Other demands of political parties that the joint statement makes include that terrain-specific disaster and climate risk studies be made mandatory for land use changes and infrastructure projects across India, that solid waste management (including segregation, recycling, reuse and reduce) rules be strictly implemented and implement a policy that mandates sustainable and alternative building materials in construction activities so that mining in hills comes to a stop.
‘Vote wisely’
The environment, rights, climate action, youth, forest and natural ecosystem groups that are signatories to the joint statement asked all citizens to “evaluate” India’s performance in “environment and ecology in the last few years along with other important factors such as increase or decrease in quality of life, freedom of speech, democratic fabric of the nation, job creation and citizens’ rights” before voting.
“We urge all Indians to keep in mind that real good governance enables public participation in policymaking, reduces corruption and skirting of regulations, supports public debate reinforced by a free press and encourages citizens to push their lawmakers for greater environmental protections,” the statement read.
“Let us ensure that our vote results in safeguarding nature, upholding constitutional and democratic rights for all citizens and a secure future for the youth of India.”
Read their full letter here.
