As the world observed the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, TSI’s Anu Gulmohar took stock of the steps taken by the Indian government, companies and citizens towards preservation of Gaia
Like the blue-skinned Na’vis in the Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar”, India has its own tribe of nature loving people, the Dongria Kondh, whose plight too is akin to the Na’vis. Where the Na’vis world was threatened by the desire of humans to mine unobtanium, the Dongria Kondh tribal community has to fight off the company planning on mining for bauxite on their sacred mountain. Mining on the Niyamgiri mountain in Orissa is expected to cause 36 streams and two rivers to dry up, and the dust and pollution from the mining will destroy people’s key food source – mango, pineapple, orange and other fruit plantations. This reclusive and traditional tribe, with a population of nearly 8000, is hoping that if the fictional story of the Na’vis could move so many people around the world, their very real impending tragedy would stir enough people to avert the devastation of their environment. As India joined with the world in celebrating the 40th Earth Day, one wonders if our nation is indeed working towards becoming greener and more ecologically conscious, or if this was just another day with little meaning and infinite brouhaha.
“There are two Indias – one India is the tribals (sic), the peasants, who are way ahead of western conservation. And then you have the rich India, which is only wanting to predate, which has given up the sensibility of the Indian ecological culture and has not adopted the sensibility of the global environmental consciousness either. So, they want to be global in money grab but not global in environmental responsibility. The problem for India’s environment today is the corporations and the rich. And they have a negative consciousness; not just a zero, but a negative consciousness,” says Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist and author. “Environmental clearances are given, with a bribe. For example, why should Vedanta have gotten environmental clearance either for mining bauxite in Niyamgiri or for creating what they call a Vedanta University in the prime agricultural land between Puri and Konark in Orissa? Both clearances are totally fraudulent!” exclaims Shiva.
The picture today isn’t all that bleak though, where several praiseworthy steps are being taken by the Indian government and the corporate houses. For instance, India’s first eco-friendly sports complex, Thyagaraj Stadium, was inaugurated on April 2 in New Delhi. Built with the latest in green building technology and eco-friendly material, it also makes use of solar energy for lighting purposes and will conserve water through water recycling and a rainwater harvesting system in a bid to minimise carbon footprint. Then on April 14, a bio-diesel train was launched in Bilimora, Gujarat, which will use a blend of 10 per cent bio-diesel, and cause a reduction in the emission of carbon-dioxide to a large extent. “I really applaud Jairam Ramesh on the moratorium on the Bt Brinjal plant, which is very significant for bio-diversity and public health,” adds Vandana Shiva. Another initiative is the Green India Mission, which is a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. On April 13, Environment & Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh announced that the Mission would aim for the afforestation of six million hectares and expand forest cover from 23 per cent to 33 per cent of India’s territory. But the formulation of the Mission is awaited, as the Minister aims to make the process participative through public consultation. Environmentalists are not overly impressed by the Green India Mission though. Vinuta Gopal of Greenpeace India says, “This has been a plan that India has articulated many times over. It is not new. The Green Mission is merely a new avatar.”
Like the blue-skinned Na’vis in the Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar”, India has its own tribe of nature loving people, the Dongria Kondh, whose plight too is akin to the Na’vis. Where the Na’vis world was threatened by the desire of humans to mine unobtanium, the Dongria Kondh tribal community has to fight off the company planning on mining for bauxite on their sacred mountain. Mining on the Niyamgiri mountain in Orissa is expected to cause 36 streams and two rivers to dry up, and the dust and pollution from the mining will destroy people’s key food source – mango, pineapple, orange and other fruit plantations. This reclusive and traditional tribe, with a population of nearly 8000, is hoping that if the fictional story of the Na’vis could move so many people around the world, their very real impending tragedy would stir enough people to avert the devastation of their environment. As India joined with the world in celebrating the 40th Earth Day, one wonders if our nation is indeed working towards becoming greener and more ecologically conscious, or if this was just another day with little meaning and infinite brouhaha.
“There are two Indias – one India is the tribals (sic), the peasants, who are way ahead of western conservation. And then you have the rich India, which is only wanting to predate, which has given up the sensibility of the Indian ecological culture and has not adopted the sensibility of the global environmental consciousness either. So, they want to be global in money grab but not global in environmental responsibility. The problem for India’s environment today is the corporations and the rich. And they have a negative consciousness; not just a zero, but a negative consciousness,” says Vandana Shiva, an environmental activist and author. “Environmental clearances are given, with a bribe. For example, why should Vedanta have gotten environmental clearance either for mining bauxite in Niyamgiri or for creating what they call a Vedanta University in the prime agricultural land between Puri and Konark in Orissa? Both clearances are totally fraudulent!” exclaims Shiva.
The picture today isn’t all that bleak though, where several praiseworthy steps are being taken by the Indian government and the corporate houses. For instance, India’s first eco-friendly sports complex, Thyagaraj Stadium, was inaugurated on April 2 in New Delhi. Built with the latest in green building technology and eco-friendly material, it also makes use of solar energy for lighting purposes and will conserve water through water recycling and a rainwater harvesting system in a bid to minimise carbon footprint. Then on April 14, a bio-diesel train was launched in Bilimora, Gujarat, which will use a blend of 10 per cent bio-diesel, and cause a reduction in the emission of carbon-dioxide to a large extent. “I really applaud Jairam Ramesh on the moratorium on the Bt Brinjal plant, which is very significant for bio-diversity and public health,” adds Vandana Shiva. Another initiative is the Green India Mission, which is a part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. On April 13, Environment & Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh announced that the Mission would aim for the afforestation of six million hectares and expand forest cover from 23 per cent to 33 per cent of India’s territory. But the formulation of the Mission is awaited, as the Minister aims to make the process participative through public consultation. Environmentalists are not overly impressed by the Green India Mission though. Vinuta Gopal of Greenpeace India says, “This has been a plan that India has articulated many times over. It is not new. The Green Mission is merely a new avatar.”
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