Environment and Natural Resources
Enviromental Problem : It is mainly related to the impacts of human activities on the environmental resources. It is in the form of pollution, degradation of water , soil as well as air. The major Problem are as soil erosion, Salinity of water , desertification , depletion of forest , Ozone layer depletion and Coastal pollution.
Environmental Concerns in Global Politics: It is the matter of great regret that Cultivable land is expanding in very less quantity on the other hand most of the agriculture land is losing it’s fertility . On the other hand overharvesting of fisheries and overgrazing of grass land i, Water bodies have been polluted in such a extent that food production has greatly effected.
By United Nation Development Programme gave it’s report about Human Development of 2016 that 663 million people of the poor countries lack of access of safe drinking water and about 2.4 billion do not proper sanitation
Natural Forest are being cut and people are displaced due to increase in population and industries. Ozone Depletion is creating serious threat to ecosystem and Human Health and Coastal Pollution is another concern problem.
Global Commons : The resources which are not owned by anyone but shared by the community are called Commons example Parks, rivers etc
There are some aeras which are located outside the the sovereign jurisdiction of any state , it require the common governance by international Community ie Earth Atmosphere, Antarctica ,Ocean Floor, outer space.
Differentiated Responsibilities: There are different opinion between the developed and developing countries over the issue of environment conservation . Developing Countries are facing much ecological degradation in the world due to industrial Development made by developed Countries,
In the Rio Summit 1992 , It was accepted that special needs of the developing countries must be taken into account in the development and interpretation of rules of international environmental law which was known as Common but differentiated responsibilities
In 1992 United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) also provide that the parties should act on the basis of equity . KYOTO PROTOCOL is the international agreement which set targets for industrialized states to cut their greenhouse emissions.
India Stand on Environmental Issue : India has signed and ratified Kyoto Protocol 1997,in August 2002 . India and China were exempted from the requirement of the Kyoto Protocol because they have made significant contribution in green House gases after having Industrilisation,At G-8 (2005)India pointed out that per capita emission rates by developed countries are more than the developing countries. India viewed that major responsibility of curbing the emission is of developed Countries which they have been accumulating since long. India showed a great concern in this respect by adopting various programmes such as Auto Fuel Policy/ clean fuel for Vehicles. The Energy Conservation Act 2011 was the initiative to improve Energy Efficiency. Electricity Act 2003 which encourages the more use of renewable energy such as wind or solar energy. The government of India is interested in launching National Mission on Biodiesel by using 11 million hectare of land to produce Bio Disel by 2011-12. India ratified the Paris Climate Agreement on 2nd October 2016 which is the largest energy programme in the world. India took the review of the agreement at the Earth summit in Rio.
Environmental Movements : Some Important movements were started by some environmentally conscious Volunteers they are
a)Forest Movement : The cutting of forest is taking place with great pace in the third world despite of environmental activism. The Forest Movement in the 3rd world such as Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Malaysia, Indonesia, Continental of Africa and India are facing the enormous pressure.
b)Movement Against Mineral and Mining : Mineral industry is one of the major Industry . Due to Liberalization of the global economy the doors have been re-opened for MNC’s in most of the third world Countries , they use chemicals which are the main cause of pollution of water , Soil, Vegetation.
c)Anti Dams Movement : This movement is pro river movements for sustainable and equitable management of River and valleys. Lots of Dams have been built from Turkey to Thailand and South Africa and From Indonesia to China . Narmada Bacho Andolan is the best example of non violence Movement
Global Warming and Climate Change :
It is long term heating of Earth’s Climate System which is observed by the harmful activities of human being such as burning of primary Fuels, opening of industries etc which increases heat trapping green House gases in the Earth atmosphere.
i)Causes of Global warming and Climate Change : Increase use of fossil Fuel such as Coal, oil and Gas to generate electricity, run cars ,and other forms transport and power manufacturing and Industry., deforestation and increasing intensive agriculture which emits the green house gases such as Methane and Nitrous Oxide.
ii) Global Initiatives On Climates Change such as a) Montreal Protocol 1987 : It was the Historical Agreement which became the ground of future diplomacy on climate issue. Every country in the world had to accept the treaty they are required to stop producing those substances that damage the Ozone layer such as CFC. The protocol has succeeded in their task in large extent.
b) United Nation Convention on Climate Change (UNCCC) 1992 : In this 197 countries participated including US which is considered the landmark agreement among the countries about the Climate Change, It establish the annual forum Conference of Parties (COP) for international discussion to stabilizing the green houses gases in the atmosphere. This meeting produced the KYOTO PROTOCOL and PARIS AGREEMENT
c)KYOTO PROTOCOL 2005 was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 2005 which was first legally binding Climate Treaty in which industrialised countries were bound to cut down the emission of their green house gases . China and India were exempted from this arena from the requirement of KYOTO PROTOCOL.
d)PARIS AGREEMENT 2015 : It requires that all the countries of the world pledge for emission reduction. Governments must set the targets known as Nationally Determine Contribution so the Global Temperature increase may be prevented from rising 2°c to 1.5°c with the aim of Zero emission where the amount of green house gases emitted equals the amount removed from atmosphere and every five years Countries are supposed to assesstheir progress towards the implementation of the agreement through the process called GLOBAL STOCKTAKE the first at 2023.
Conservation Of Natural Resources :
The sustainable management of environment is very important for Political, Economic and Human Welfare growth, There are few methods in this regards a) Make the people aware about the preservation and Conservation of of Natural resources as well as the harmful effects due to destruction of natural resources b) Afforestation, prevent the cutting of trees and creating the awareness among the local people about planting , nurturing and conserving the plants and Forest c)Terrace Farming in hilly regions, Contour farming should be encouraged and control the shifting farming, overgrazing and plugging gullies d) Construction of Dams for impound the rain water,use of sprinklers, drip or trickle irrigation , recycling of water for industrial and domestic use must be encouraged e)minerals are the non renewable resources so they must be conserved by optimization of use , new technology must be developed for extraction and purification.
Resources Geopolitics :
It is all about who gets what, when , where and How . It was the main reason and motives of Global European Powers Expansion. Western Geopolitics think resources can be dominated by trade ,war and power at the core of which overseas resources. The critical importance of strategic resources such as oil well established during First and Second World War.
During the period of Cold war the Industrialised Countries of North adopted the number of methods to ensure the flow of resources but after the end of cold war and disintegration of Soviet Union it became the matter of worry for the governments for regular supply of minerals and radioactive materials.
The Global Economy much rely on Oil which is portable and indispensable fuel with immense wealth which generated the Political struggle’ . Saudi Arabia and Iraq are the two largest producers of Oil.
Water is another crucial resources to global states with the objection to pollution, excessive irrigation, constructions of dams by upstream countries which might decrease or degrade the quality of water
The Indigenous People and their Rights :
The UN has define the Indigenous People are the descendants of peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country at the time when the persons of different culture or ethnic origin arrived from different pars of the world. They talk about their struggles and rights. They mostly found in the aera as Africa, India< South East Asia and Some part of Central and South America. Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian are mostly found in Australia and New Zealand
Indian Indigenous People:
It is applicable to ST who are about 80% of the total population of the Country. In the olden or ancient times they were free to cultivate the land as much as they could but as the Britisher came the restricted them and subjected to outside forces as they have complete constitutional protection in political representation. the world Council Of indigenous Peoples were formed in 1975 and it became first out of 11 NGO’s to get Consultative Status in UN.