Development-Environmental Policy Discourse in India

The pressing issue of environmental degradation is deeply intertwined with how societies choose to develop. India, like many developing nations, has achieved significant technological advancements in recent decades. This progress, however, has come at a cost. Our ever-growing resource demands have pushed the Earth’s capacity to the limit. Industrial processes and consumer habits generate pollutants at an alarming rate, exceeding the environment’s ability to absorb them. The consequences of this imbalance are evident on a global scale. The presence of industrial byproducts in remote locations like the Arctic (Berry, The dream of the Earth. Sierra Club, San Francisco, 1988) serves as a stark reminder of humanity’s profound impact on the planet’s chemical composition. This chapter delves into the complex relationship between development and environmental policy in India. It begins by exploring India’s post-independence development trajectory and its impact on the environment. Then it examines the policy framework that the Indian government has established to address these environmental challenges.