Unit 5

Global Environmental Issues

and Policies
Syllabus
• Causes of Climate change, Global warming, Ozone layer depletion, and Acid rain; Impacts on human communities,
biodiversity, global economy, and agriculture
• International agreements and programmes: Earth Summit, UNFCCC, Montreal and Kyoto protocols, Convention on
Biological Diversity(CBD), Ramsar convention, The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), UNEP, CITES, etc
• Sustainable Development Goals: India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change and its major missions
• Environment legislation in India: Wildlife Protection Act, 1972; Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,
1974; Forest (Conservation) Act 1980; Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; Environment Protection
Act, 1986; Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
Suggested Readings
1. Divan, S. and Rosencranz, A. (2002). Environmental Law and Policy in India: Cases, Material & Statutes, 2nd
Edition. Oxford University Press, India. Chapter 2 (Pages: 23-39); Chapter 3 (Pages: 41-86).
2. Raven, P.H, Hassenzahl, D.M., Hager, M.C, Gift, N.Y. and Berg, L.R. (2015). Environment, 9th Edition. Wiley
Publishing, USA. Chapter 19 (Pages: 370-376); Chapter 20 (Pages: 385-399).
3. Singh, J.S., Singh, S.P. and Gupta, S.R. (2017). Ecology, Environmental Science and Conservation. S. Chand
Publishing, New Delhi. Chapter 23 (Pages: 555-598); Chapter 30 (Pages: 801-807).
 Green house effect

Green house effect

➢The greenhouse effect is the way in which heat is trapped close to Earth's surface by “greenhouse gases.”
➢Identified by scientists as far back as 1896, the greenhouse effect is the natural warming of the earth that results
when gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun that would otherwise escape into space.
Greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapor (H2O) (which all occur naturally), and
fluorinated gases (which are synthetic, (hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride
(SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3))
• The Global Warming Potential (GWP) was developed to allow comparisons of the global warming impacts of
different gases.
• The global warming potential (GWP) is the most commonly used metric for quantifying their role in regulating
climate change and is defined as “the time-integrated radiative forcing due to a pulse emission of a given
component, relative to a pulse emission of an equal mass of CO2” (Myhre et al., 2013).
 Global warming
• The greenhouse effect is a good thing. It warms the planet to its comfortable average of 59°F (15 °C) and keeps life
on earth, well, livable.
• Without it the world would be a frozen, uninhabitable place, more like Mars.
• Global warming is the long-term heating of Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period due to
human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth's
atmosphere.

Susan Lazaruk, Publishing date: Feb 26, 2022; The 434 in Metro Vancouver who died in heat dome mostly elderly, poor, isolated, female
 Climate change
• Weather is basically the way the atmosphere is behaving, mainly with respect to its effects upon life and human
activities.
• Weather can change from minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day, and season-to-season.
• The difference between weather and climate is that weather consists of the short-term (minutes to months) changes
in the atmosphere.
• Generally the weather is defined in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility,
wind, and atmospheric pressure, as in high and low pressure.
• Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.
• Climate is the average weather for a particular region and time period, usually taken > 30-years.
• Generally the climate is defined in terms of averages of precipitation, temperature, humidity, sunshine, wind velocity,
phenomena such as fog, frost, and hail storms, and other measures of the weather that occur over a long period in a
particular place.
• Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere
"behaves" over relatively long periods of time.
 Climate change
• There are shorter term climate variability represented by periodic or intermittent changes related to El Niño, La Niña,
volcanic eruptions, or other changes in the Earth system.
• A prominent aspect of climate variability ranges over many time and space scales and includes phenomena such as El
Niño/La Niña, droughts, multi-year, multi-decade, and even multi-century changes in temperature and precipitation
patterns.
• Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.
• Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions.
• But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil
fuels like coal, oil and gas.
• The current warming is happening at a rate not seen in the past 10,000 years.
• At present, the climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, mainly caused by human
activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.
• The average temperature of the Earth’s surface is now about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s (before the
industrial revolution) and warmer than at any time in the last 100,000 years.
• The last decade (2011-2020) was the warmest on record, and each of the last four decades has been warmer than any
previous decade since 1850.
• Earth is a system, where everything is connected, changes in one area can influence changes in all others.
• The consequences of climate change now include –
➢ intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms and
declining biodiversity.
 UN Conferences on Climate Change
United Nations Climate Change Conferences are global forums for multilateral discussion of climate change matters. They serve
as the formal meetings of
• the Conference of the Parties (COP),
• the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) and
• the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA).
They also include sessions of
• the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and
• the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI).
The Conference of the Parties (COP, CMP and CMA) serves two main purposes:
• Review the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the
Paris Agreement
• Adopt decisions to further develop and implement these three instruments (can also include the establishment of
another subsidiary body or the adoption of new legal instruments)
The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. It meets every year. The CMP and the CMA meet annually
during the same period as the COP.
 UN System Bodies Working on Climate Change
• IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading
international body for the assessment of climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the
current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts.
• UNFCCC Secretariat (UN Climate Change) - The UNFCCC Secretariat provides organizational support and technical expertise to
the UNFCCC negotiations and institutions and facilitates the flow of authoritative information on the implementation of the
Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
• Green Climate Fund - The Green Climate Fund is an entity within the financial mechanism of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change. Its purpose is to catalyse and channel financial resources to developing countries to enable the
implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.
• UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme - Climate Change - UNEP, established in 1972, is the voice for the
environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the
wise use and sustainable development of the global environment.
• UNDRR - UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction coordinates and supports efforts
within the UN system in the area of disaster preparedness and mitigation and advocates for appropriate measures to adapt to
anticipated risks due to climate change.
• WMO - World Meteorological Organization - Specialized agency within the UN system that coordinates the international
monitoring of meteorological patterns, including those indicative of climate change.
 Climate change
• Goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
• It is intrinsically linked to all 16 of the other Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
• To address climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise to well below 2
degrees Celsius.
The Paris Agreement on climate change
• The historic Paris Agreement provides an opportunity for countries to strengthen the global response to the
threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to
pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• It entered into force on 4 November 2016.
 Causes of Climate change
• Anthropogenic activities causing imbalance in the concentration of green house gasses.
• Generating power, Manufacturing goods, Deforestation, Transportation, Producing food, Powering buildings,
 Ozone layer depletion
• Ozone layer depletion is the thinning of the ozone layer present in the upper atmosphere.
• The ozone layer lies approximately 15–40 km above the earth's surface, in the stratosphere.
• The ozone layer is between 2 and 5 mm thick in the stratosphere under the normal temperature and pressure
conditions and its concentration varies depending on the season, the hour of the day, and the location
 Acid rain
• Acid rain, or acid deposition, is a broad term that includes any form of precipitation with acidic components, such as
sulfuric or nitric acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms.
• This can include rain, snow, fog, hail or even dust that is acidic.

• Plants, soil, trees, buildings and even statues can be transformed by the precipitation.
 Impacts on human communities
• Climate disasters 'caused
more internal displacement
than war' in 2020. Intense
storms and flooding
triggered three times more
displacements than violent
conflicts did last year, as the
number of people internally
displaced worldwide hit the
highest level on record.
• Abnormally heavy rainfall,
prolonged droughts,
desertification,
environmental degradation,
or sea-level rise and
cyclones are already
causing an average of more
than 20 million people to
leave their homes and
move to other areas in their
countries each year.
 Impacts on biodiversity
• Many species are uniquely adapted to very specific climatic conditions whereby small changes can mean that we
lose these species forever.
• In the Arctic, shorter periods of sea ice coverage endanger the polar bear’s habitat and existence by giving them
less time to hunt.
• Climate fluctuations in North America reduce plankton populations, the main source of food of the North Atlantic right
whale. Only about 300 individuals remain at present and the reduced availability of food due to climate change is
becoming an increasing cause of mortality.
• Warmer temperatures in the Pacific regions could reduce the number of male sea turtle offspring and threaten turtle
populations. The sex of sea turtle hatchlings is dependent on temperature, with warmer temperatures increasing the
number of female sea turtles

• Some of the largest remaining areas where tigers occur are the mangrove forests of Asia. The projected rise in sea
levels could cause the disappearance of the tigers’ habitat, threatening the survival of the specie.
• In Africa, pressures from longer dry periods and shrinking living spaces are making elephants highly vulnerable to
climate change.
• Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could lose up to 95% of its living coral by 2050 due to changes in ocean temperature
and chemistry.
Impacts on global economy
 Impacts on agriculture
Climate change may affect plant growth and production by promoting the spread of pests and diseases. Other
expected impacts include:
• increased exposure to heat stress,
• changes in rainfall patterns,
• greater leaching of nutrients from the soil during intense rains,
• greater erosion due to stronger winds, and
• more wildfires in drier regions.
 International agreements and programmes

• Earth Summit, • Ramsar convention,

• UNFCCC, • The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC),

• Montreal protocols • UNEP,

• Kyoto protocols, • CITES, etc

• Convention on Biological Diversity(CBD),

 Earth Summit
• The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), or Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit or Rio
Summit or Rio Conference or Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92).
• Held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) from 3 to 14 June 1992; 172 governments participated, with 116 sending their heads
of state or government.
• A significant accomplishment of the summit was an agreement on the Climate Change Convention which in turn led
to the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement
• Another agreement was “not to carry out any activities on the lands of indigenous peoples that would cause
environmental degradation or that would be culturally inappropriate”.
• This summit led to the development of the following documents:
• 1st document is Rio Declaration, in short, contained 27 principles that were supposed to guide countries in future
sustainable development.
• 2nd is Agenda 21 is an action plan concerning sustainable development, but it is non-binding.
• 3rd is Forest Principles which makes many recommendations for conservation and sustainable development forestry
and is non-binding.
 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• UNFCCC is the primary multilateral treaty governing actions to combat climate change through adaptation and
mitigation efforts directed at control of emission of Green House Gases (GHGs) that cause global warming.
• Even though climate change is a global concern some of the countries are majorly responsible for greenhouse gas
emissions into the atmosphere.
• Many island nations are facing the major brunt of this Climate Change in the form of sea-level rise, cyclones, erratic
weather conditions, etc.
• UNFCCC is a major step in the direction to control the downward spiral of climate change.
• It is also called as Rio Convention.
• Adopted in 1992 and came in force in 1994.
• As of 2020, the UNFCCC has 197 signatory parties.
• The Kyoto Protocol was adopted at the third session of the UNFCCC.
• Another important agreement within the UNFCCC is the Paris Agreement (COP 21) which aims to reduce and
mitigate GHG emissions.
• India ratified the UNFCCC in 1993.
• The nodal agency for the UNFCCC in India is the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Since India is a developing country, it is not required to adhere to GHG mitigation commitments because of its
relatively smaller emissions and also because of lesser technical and financial capacities.

• This is primarily based on the belief that developed countries have largely been responsible for the huge emission
levels, owing to their being industrialized decades before the other countries.

• A scientific study carried on greenhouse gas emissions from the time period 1850 to 2012 estimated that the US,
China and the European Union would contribute to 50 per cent of temperature increase by 2100.

• The total emissions’ share in the given time period of the US, European Union, and China is 20%, 17%, 12%
respectively. On the other hand, India is responsible for only 5%.

• At COP 21 (Paris Agreement), India had made various commitments to be achieved by 2030.

• One commitment was to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through
additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
 Montreal protocols
• The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is an important Multilateral Agreement
regulating the production, consumption, and emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODSs).
• Signed in 1987, Came into force in 1989.
• By the late 1970s, scientists were able to prove that chemical substances that were used in air conditioners,
refrigerators, and aerosol cans were causing damage to the ozone layer.
• In 1985, a huge hole was discovered in the ozone layer over Antarctica. This hole allowed hazardous levels of
ultraviolet (UV) radiation to reach the earth’s surface.
• The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer was signed in 1985 under which UN member
countries recognized the importance of curbing damage to the ozone layer.
• It gives different timetables for developing and developed countries.
• All member parties have specific responsibilities related to the phasing out of various groups of ozone-depleting
substances, controlling ODS trade, reporting of data annually, controlling export and import of ODs, etc.
• It has been ratified by 197 Parties (196 member states of the UN plus the EU) making it the first United Nations
treaty to be ratified by every country in the world.
• With universal ratification and a time-bound binding framework, the Montreal Protocol has been largely successful in
setting out to achieving its mission of reversing the damage done to the ozone layer.
• Parties to the Protocol have been able to phase out 98% of ODSs compared to levels in 1990.
 Montreal protocols
• India became a signatory to the Montreal Protocol in 1992.
• India is an Article 5 country and is entitled to assistance from the Multilateral Fund in its efforts to phase out ODSs
and switch over to non-ODS technologies.
• India mainly manufactured and utilized 7 of the 20 substances controlled under the Protocol. These are CFC-11,
CFC113, CFC-12, Halon-1301, Halon-1211, Carbon tetrachloride, Methyl Bromide and Methyl Chloroform.
• the implementation of the Montreal Protocol comes within the ambit of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and
Climate Change.
• The Ministry has established an Ozone Cell to implement the Protocol.
• As per the National Strategy for ODS Phaseout, the Ministry has notified the Ozone Depleting Substances
(Regulation and Control) Rules 2000.
• Rules prohibit the use of CFCs in manufacturing various products.
• They provide for the mandatory registration of ODS producers, sellers, importers, and stockists.
 Kyoto protocols
• It is an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Kyoto Protocol applies to 6 greenhouse gases
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride.
• It is an extension to the 1992 UNFCCC.
• Kyoto Protocol is based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, keeping in mind the socio-
economic development of the concerned countries and the polluter pays principle.
• It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan on 11 December 1997; came into force on 16 February 2005.
• 84 countries are signatories of the Kyoto Protocol; 192 countries are parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
• The countries that are not parties to the Kyoto Protocol are: Canada, Andorra, The United States of America, South
Sudan.
• The protocol’s first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012.
• 36 countries had participated in the first commitment period.
• 9 countries opted for flexibility mechanisms since their national emissions were greater than their targets.
• Hence these countries funded emissions reductions in other countries.
• India was exempted from legally binding commitments on greenhouse gas emissions.
• India emphasized on the differentiation between developed and developing nations concerning the burden of
responsibility for climate action.
 Kyoto protocols
• India successfully defended its obligation on socio-economic development while concurrently forcing developed
countries of the Annex I category to take more responsibilities on curtailing greenhouse gas emissions.
• India has ratified the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol i.e. meet the emission targets for the time
period 2012-2020 which was decided in Doha Agreements (2012).
• India was the 80th country to accept the amendment.
 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) is a United Nations treaty that is responsible for the
conservation of Biological Diversity around the world.
• The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, informally known as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral
treaty opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro in 1992.
• It is a key document regarding sustainable development.
• It comes under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• 196 countries are a party to the CBD.
• The convention is legally binding on its signatories.
• Only two member states of the United Nations are not Parties to the CBD, namely: the USA and the Vatican.
• More than 150 countries signed the document at the Summit, and since then, over 175 nations have ratified the
agreement.
• India is also a party to the Convention. India ratified it in 1994.
• The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 was enacted for giving effect to the provisions of the Convention.
• To implement the provisions of the Act, the government established the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) in 2003. The
NBA is a statutory body.
• The goals of the Convention are listed below:
• Conservation of Biological Diversity
• Sustainable use of the components of the Biodiversity
• Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the genetic resources
 Ramsar convention
• Ramsar Convention is a convention on wetlands that was signed in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It came into
force in 1975.
• There are 49 Ramsar Sites in India listed under Ramsar Convention. Sultanpur National Park and Bhindawas
Wildlife Sanctuary in Haryana.
• The convention works on three pillars
• Wise Use – To work towards the wise use of all wetlands
• List of Wetlands of International Importance – Designate suitable wetlands under the Ramsar List to effectively
manage those
• International Cooperation – To bring cooperation internationally over the transboundary wetlands, shared
wetland systems and shared species
• As of October 2020, there are 171 contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention.
• Ramsar Convention entered into force in India on 1st February 1981.
 Ramsar convention
• India’s initiatives to conserve the national wetlands (4.63% of the total geographical area) are:
• Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change released a set of guidelines in January 2020 for
implementation of the Wetland Rules 2017.
• India regulated the Wetlands designated under the Ramsar List and Those wetlands notified under central,
state, and UT rules.
• India does not regulate the following wetlands under Wetlands Rules –
River channels, Paddy fields, Human-made water bodies, Wetlands falling within areas covered under the
Indian Forest Act, 1927; Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; and State Forest Acts. Wetlands falling within areas
covered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.Wetlands falling within areas covered under the Coastal
Regulation Zone Notification, 2011.
 The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
• The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and
on Their Destruction, more commonly known as the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)
• It is a multilateral treaty that bans chemical weapons and requires their destruction within a specified period of time.
• Convention Entry Into Force 29 April 1997,
• 193 States committed to the Chemical Weapons Convention
• 98% of the global population live under the protection of the Convention
• 99% of the chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor States have been verifiably destroyed
 The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that
sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of
sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global
environment.
• UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring,
informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future
generations.
• UNEP works closely with its 193 Member States and representatives from civil society, businesses, and other major
groups and stakeholders to address environmental challenges through the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s
highest-level decision-making body on the environment.
• The UNEP has a few focus areas, in which they prioritize work. They are:
• Climate change, Ecosystem management, Disasters and conflicts, Environmental governance, Resource efficiency,
Chemicals and waste, Environment under review
• The UNEP engages in developing global conventions on the environment and related issues.
• Major Programmes of the UNEP
• Earth Hour (Saturday, 26 March), Clean up the World, Billion Tree Campaign, Seal the Deal, Pain for the Planet,
Awareness and Preparedness for Emergencies at Local Level (APELL), TUNZA, Faith for Earth
 The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

• The UNEP’s governing body is called the United Nations Environment Assembly, which is said to be the world’s
highest decision making body on the environment.
• Formed in 2012 and held meetings in every 2yrs
• India has had a close relationship with the UNEP since the programme’s inception. There are many projects
completed, as well as ongoing projects, of the UNEP in India.
• The UNEP’s presence in India started in 2016 with an office at New Delhi.
• The nodal agency for India’s interactions with the UNEP is the GOI’s Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate
Change.
• The Permanent Representative of India to UNEP is India’s High Commissioner for Kenya.
• India’s annual financial contribution to the UNEP is to the tune of USD 100,000
• The UNEP has recognized India’s initiatives in the environment sector.
• The UNEP awarded PM Narendra Modi with the ‘Champions of the Earth’ award along with French President
Emmanuel Macron in the category ‘policy leadership’.
• This was in recognition of the, among others, the International Solar Alliance, initiated by India.
 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
• It is a convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

• CITES was conceptualized in 1963 at a meeting of the (IUCN) International Union For Conservation Of
Nature.

• It came into force in 1975 and consists of 183 member-countries till date that abide by CITES regulations
by implementing legislation within their own borders to enforce those regulations.

• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not take the place of national laws.

• Rather, it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic
legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.

• The Conference of the Parties (COP) meet every two to three years. The latest COP was CITES COP18
that took place in August 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. CITES COP3 took place in India in 1981 in New
Delhi.
 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
• India is a CITES Party since 1976.

• Due to its extreme diversity, India is recognized all over the world for harbouring up to 7-8% of all the
species recorded by CITES.

• Out of 34 global biodiversity hotspots in the world, India has 4 of them: Western Ghats, Sundaland,
Himalayas and Indo-Burma region.

• As an active CITES Party, India prohibits the international trade of endangered wild species.

• India has placed several measures to control the threats from invasive alien species.

• This is done by regulating the trade by export certificates and import permits.

• India at COP18/2019 proposed to boost the protection of the following animal species: Smooth-coated
otter & small-clawed otter, Indian star tortoise, Tokay gecko, Wedgefish, Indian rosewood.
 Sustainable Development Goals
• Conceptualized in 2012, UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro

• Objective is to achieve a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political, and
economic challenges facing the world, between 2025-30.

• Index is based on certain indicators (more than 100 indicators have been used corently)

• Calculations of the indicators was conducted by collaborating with UN agencies, MoSPI, state gov. and
other ministries

• The index give score from 0 – 100

• India is indexing science 2018 and the data is Released by Niti Aayog yearly basis

• 2020-21 Kerala at the top and Bihar at the bottom

• Over India – in 2019-21 – rank improved from 60 to 66

 India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change
• To reduce the carbon emission
INAPCC major missions
Environment legislation in India
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972;

• Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974;

• Forest (Conservation) Act 1980;

• Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981;

• Environment Protection Act, 1986;

• Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers

(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
Forest (Conservation) Act 1980
Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
 Environment Protection Act, 1986
• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 authorizes the central government to protect and
improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and prohibit or
restrict the setting and /or operation of any industrial facility on environmental grounds.

• The Environment (Protection) Act was enacted in 1986 with the objective of providing for the
protection and improvement of the environment.

• It empowers the Central Government to establish authorities charged with the mandate of
preventing environmental pollution in all its forms and to tackle specific environmental
problems that are peculiar to different parts of the country.

• The Act was last amended in 1991.

 Environment Protection Act, 1986
• The Environment (Protection) Rules lay down procedures for setting standards of emission or discharge
of environmental pollutants.

• The objective of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 is to control the generation,
collection, treatment, import, storage, and handling of hazardous waste.

• The Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Rules define the terms used in this context, and
sets up an authority to inspect, once a year, the industrial activity connected with hazardous chemicals
and isolated storage facilities.

• The Manufacture, Use, Import, Export, and Storage of hazardous Micro-organisms/ Genetically
Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules,1989 were introduced with a view to protect the environment,
nature, and health, in connection with the application of gene technology and micro-organisms.
Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers
(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006