Sustainable Development and Environmental Governance
Exam focus
The Brundtland concept, SDGs, environmental principles, Indian legislation, the EIA process and institutional roles.
Core rules
- Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Report, 1987). It has environmental, social and economic pillars.
- Principles: precautionary (act before full proof), polluter pays, public trust, intergenerational equity and decentralised governance.
- Indian framework: Water Act 1974; Air Act 1981; Environment (Protection) Act 1986 as the umbrella law; Forest Conservation Act 1980; EIA Notification 2006 as amended; National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
- CPCB works at national level and SPCB at state level to set and monitor standards.
- EIA stages: screening, scoping, baseline study, impact prediction, mitigation, public hearing, appraisal, clearance and post-clearance monitoring.
Worked example
A proposed 50 MW thermal plant near a wetland is Category A under the EIA Notification and requires central appraisal. Baseline data on air, water, noise and ecology are collected for the specified season, a public hearing is held, and an Environment Management Plan is prepared. The category depends on project type and capacity, not on the site alone.
Traps
- Treating sustainable development as only environmental protection; it integrates social and economic dimensions.
- Saying EIA grants permission; it informs clearance, which is granted by the regulatory authority.
- Confusing CPCB and SPCB roles.
- Forgetting that the EPA 1986 is an enabling umbrella Act.