General Studies Mains-2014 Paper-4 (Ethics and Integrity) Answer : Q-9

Now-a-days, there is an increasing thrust on economic development all around the globe. At the same time, there is also an increasing concern about environmental degradation caused by development. Many a time, we face a direct conflict between development activity and environmental quality. It is neither feasible to stop or curtail the developmental process, nor it is advisable to keep degrading the environment, as it threatens our very survival. Discuss some feasible strategies which could be adopted to eliminate this conflict and which could lead to sustainable development. (250 Words)

Environment v. Development is a decades-long debate which has thrown up no clear answer. Mankind is destined to do a balancing act between the two. While development is important for economic well-being of humans, environment is crucial to ensure the quality of life in the present and for survival of mankind in the future. The only solution is sustainable development that straddles a middle path that emphasises on development while protecting the environment. Some strategies to ensure this are:-

• Usage of clean and renewable technologies instead of fossil fuels which pollute the environment
• Every person must strive to reduce his/her carbon footprint
• Make compensatory afforestation widely prevalent
• Invest in research & development so that new technologies that are clean and less destructive to the environment are developed
• Make impact on environment an important policy consideration while evaluating all major policy decisions
• Increase the forest cover in India
• Allocate more resources for the preservation and protection of the environment
• Implement a self-regulatory mechanism that imposes curbs on carbon emissions