Environmental Movements in India and Sustainable Development

People have always protected nature, but the modern environmental movements began when communities saw their forests, rivers and lands being destroyed by development. In India, ordinary villagers, women and tribal groups led some of the most famous environmental movements. At the global level, the idea of sustainable development brought the world together and led to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2015. For the UPSC, the Prelims asks about the leaders, places and years of the movements and the global conferences, and the Mains asks about sustainable development and India's progress on the SDGs. This note explains these topics in simple language, with tables and a Mains structure.

Important Environmental Movements of India

These movements share some features: they are mostly led by local people who depend on natural resources, they use non-violent methods, and they stress the link between ecology and livelihood. They are sometimes called the "environmentalism of the poor". They led to new laws, such as the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (passed after the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984).

The Global Journey Towards Sustainable Development

What Is Sustainable Development?

The Brundtland report defined it as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". It has three pillars: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. Related ideas are the carrying capacity (the maximum load that an ecosystem can bear), the ecological footprint (the area needed to support a person's lifestyle), intergenerational equity (fairness to the future generations), the precautionary principle (take care when there is a risk, even without full proof) and the polluter pays principle. In India, the courts have developed these principles: the Supreme Court has held that the right to a clean environment is a part of the right to life under Article 21, and it applied the public trust doctrine in the case of M. C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath (1997), which says that the state holds the natural resources in trust for the public. The Constitution has Article 48A (the state shall protect and improve the environment) and Article 51A(g) (the duty of every citizen to protect the environment).

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

The SDGs, adopted by all 193 member states of the UN in 2015, are to be achieved by 2030. They have 169 targets and are built on five themes, called the five Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership.

• Goal 1: No poverty. Goal 2: Zero hunger. Goal 3: Good health and well-being. Goal 4: Quality education. Goal 5: Gender equality.
• Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation. Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy. Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth. Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure. Goal 10: Reduced inequalities.
• Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities. Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production. Goal 13: Climate action. Goal 14: Life below water. Goal 15: Life on land.
• Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions. Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals.

India and the SDGs

NITI Aayog is the nodal body for the SDGs in India, and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) developed the national indicator framework. NITI Aayog publishes the SDG India Index, which ranks the States and Union Territories on their progress, and encourages competition. India has presented Voluntary National Reviews at the UN. Many national schemes support the SDGs: Swachh Bharat (Goal 6), Jal Jeevan Mission (Goal 6), Ujjwala and the solar mission (Goal 7), Ayushman Bharat (Goal 3), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Goal 5), Skill India (Goal 8) and Mission LiFE (Goal 12). The challenges are the funding gap, the lack of reliable data at the district level, regional differences and the need to coordinate the Centre, the States and local bodies.

Role of Women and Tribal Communities

Women have been at the centre of many environmental movements, since they collect firewood, water and fodder and are the first to suffer when the forests and rivers are destroyed. The women of Chipko and the Bishnoi tradition show that they can lead the protection of nature. Tribal communities also depend on the forests, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognised their individual and community rights over forest land and minor forest produce, correcting a historical injustice. The practice of sacred groves, found in many parts of India, is a traditional method of conservation based on religious belief. Modern policies now try to combine such community knowledge with science, for example through joint forest management and the Biodiversity Management Committees at the village level under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Mains Angle: Can Development and Environment Go Together?

You can answer that the earlier view saw a conflict between the two, but today's view is that they can support each other. Poverty itself causes environmental damage when the poor depend on forests and soil, and so poverty reduction helps to protect nature. Clean technologies, like solar power and electric vehicles, create jobs. The environmental movements of India show that the participation of the local people makes the projects more fair and lasting. But there are also trade-offs, for example the need for energy and the cost of the transition, so there should be proper impact assessment, compensation and the sharing of benefits with the affected people. Conclude with the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" at the global level and community-based management at the local level.

Memory Tip

Learn the movements with a simple map: the Himalaya (Chipko, Tehri), the Western Ghats (Appiko, Silent Valley), the Thar (Bishnoi), central India (Narmada, Jungle Bachao) and the east coast (Chilika). Then attach one leader to each, and the sequence of the global conferences with the decade: 1970s Stockholm, 1980s Brundtland, 1990s Rio, 2010s the SDGs.

Practice Questions

• Q1. Who is associated with the Chipko movement? Answer: Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Gaura Devi.
• Q2. Where did the Bishnoi movement take place? Answer: Khejarli, Rajasthan, in 1730.
• Q3. How many SDGs are there? Answer: 17 goals and 169 targets.
• Q4. Which conference created UNEP? Answer: The Stockholm Conference of 1972.

Read it along with our notes on climate change and the Paris Agreement and environmental laws and EIA.

Quick Revision

• Bishnoi (1730), Chipko (1973), Appiko (1983), Silent Valley, Narmada Bachao (1985).
• Stockholm 1972; Brundtland report 1987; Rio 1992; Rio+20 in 2012; SDGs 2015.
• 17 SDGs, 169 targets, deadline 2030; NITI Aayog is the nodal body in India.
• Article 48A, Article 51A(g), the public trust doctrine.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who started the Chipko movement?

The Chipko movement started in 1973 in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, with Gaura Devi, Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunderlal Bahuguna as the best-known leaders.

What was the Bishnoi movement?

In 1730, Amrita Devi and the Bishnoi community of Khejarli in Rajasthan gave their lives to protect khejri trees from being cut.

What is the Appiko movement?

It is the 1983 movement in the Western Ghats of Karnataka led by Pandurang Hegde, modelled on Chipko.

Why is the Silent Valley movement important?

It stopped a hydroelectric project in a rainforest of Kerala, and the area became a national park in 1984.

Who led the Narmada Bachao Andolan?

Medha Patkar and Baba Amte were the main leaders of the Narmada Bachao Andolan.

What was the importance of the Stockholm Conference of 1972?

It was the first UN conference on the human environment and led to the creation of UNEP.

How did the Brundtland Commission define sustainable development?

It defined it as development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

How many Sustainable Development Goals are there?

There are 17 goals with 169 targets, to be achieved by 2030.

Which body is the nodal agency for the SDGs in India?

NITI Aayog is the nodal body for the SDGs in India.

What is the SDG India Index?

It is the NITI Aayog ranking that measures the progress of States and Union Territories on the SDGs.

What is the public trust doctrine?

It says that the state holds natural resources like rivers and forests in trust for the public and cannot give them to private owners for private gain.

Which Articles of the Constitution deal with the environment?

Article 48A, a directive principle, and Article 51A(g), a fundamental duty, deal with the protection of the environment.