Development and Environmental Degradation: With Special Reference to India’s North East

Environment plays a crucial lead role in maintaining the livelihood of all living beings including humankind, the dominant survivor of the ecosystem. However, mankind, whether compromising with future generations or not, has been degrading the ecosystem in order to meet their various needs for so many years. This act thus has resulted in ecological imbalance and ultimately put a question mark on the sustenance of human beings in the coming years. The fast growing demographic changes, migration, poverty, industrialization, urbanization and also the global needs/demands across all the countries of the world have threatened the very base of ecology. Mankind has always been relying on the ecosystem and since their origin has exploited the nature for their development and sustenance. But nobody is conscious and curious about the sustainability of the ecological system on which their future depends. The forces behind environmental change include not only the natural processes, but also the cultural, political and economic processes, which play their respective roles in shaping the environmental changes[i]. At this juncture it is pertinent to add the historical efforts of the UN and its Brundtland Commission of 1983 which talked and vociferously argued for sustainable development and it says:
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.
It also added that- Sustainable development ties together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social challenges facing humanity.
Although the fears about sustainable growth and development started in 1970s, yet a clear discussion on sustainable development emerged on an international level in 1992, in the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), popularly known as ‘The Earth Summit, held at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Out of its five significant agreements Agenda 21 proposes a global programme of action on sustainable development in social, economic and political context for the 21st century. The key aspects identified for sustainable development are:
a) Inter-generational equity-this emphasizes that we should minimize any adverse impacts on resources and environment for future generations.
b) Intra-generational equity-this emphasizes that the development processes should seek to minimize he wealth gaps within and between nations (Kaushik and Kaushik 2008).
The significant World Summit on Sustainable Development, held at Johannesburg in 2002 should be added to this discussion since that summit also highlighted the issues of global environmental concern.
India has also witnessed the threats of environmental degradation with growing trends of modernization and urbanization in the late twentieth century. The concern for environment is seen explicit in the minds of Indian stakeholders too.
India’s North East or popularly known as the ‘Seven Sisters’ is considered as one of the richest regions of the country as far as natural and biological resources are concerned. But the rapid growth of population, extension of infrastructure and economic modernization has together put immense pressure on not only the ecosystems of river valleys, but also the hills and mountains as well causing great loss to the exceptionally rich regional diversity in particular and the environmental in general[ii] .

References

[i] N.E. Longston quoted in Abani Kumar Bhagawati 2009 ‘Ecological Security’ in Akhil Ranjan Dutta (Edited)2009 ‘Human Security in North East India’ Anwesha, Guwahati
[ii] Abani Kumar Bhagawati, ‘Ecological Security’ in Akhil Ranjan Dutta (Edited)2009 ‘Human Security in North East India’ Anwesha, Guwahati
[iii] 

              By Sasanka Dhaval Saikia

              J.D.S.G. College , Bokakhat, Assam