Question

Explain any four steps taken by the Government of India to save the environment from degradation.

Hint:

To maximize your score on India's environmental steps, include specific policy names: 1. NAPCC (2008) with its 8 missions; 2. Renewable Energy Targets ($500$ GW by 2030) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA); 3. Legal actions (NGT, BS-VI fuel, plastic ban); and 4. Global commitments (Panchamrit targets and Net Zero by 2070).

Answer 1

Step 1: Introduction to India's Environmental Commitments:
As a developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion, India faces the dual challenge of rapid economic growth and ecological preservation. Guided by its constitutional mandate (Article 48A of the Directive Principles of State Policy, which directs the state to protect and improve the environment), India has transition from a participant in global climate summits to an active leader in domestic and global environmental action, implementing robust policy, legal, and institutional measures to combat ecological degradation.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation of Four Key Steps Taken by India:
The Government of India has taken several major steps to protect the environment: [label=\arabic*.]
• Formulation of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC, 2008): Launched in June 2008, the NAPCC is India's core policy framework for climate mitigation and adaptation. It consists of Eight National Missions that target key areas of ecological conservation:
• National Solar Mission: Promoting solar energy generation.
• National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Reducing energy intensity in industrial sectors.
• National Mission on Sustainable Habitat: Building energy-efficient urban infrastructure.
• National Water Mission: Improving water-use efficiency by $20\%$.
• National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem: Protecting critical mountain biodiversity.
• National Mission for a Green India: Targeting afforestation to increase forest cover to $33\%$.
• National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: Promoting climate-resilient farming techniques.
• National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change: Researching climate models.
• Massive Renewable Energy Transition and the ISA: India has launched one of the world's most ambitious renewable energy expansion programs. It committed to achieving $500$ GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030.
• Solar Expansion: Through schemes like PM-KUSUM (solar pumps for farmers) and the creation of ultra-mega solar parks, India's solar capacity has grown exponentially.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA): Launched jointly by India and France at the COP21 Paris Summit, the ISA is a treaty-based international body headquartered in India (Gurugram). It aims to mobilize over $1$ trillion USD of investments in solar energy across solar-rich developing countries.
• Legal and Regulatory Interventions: India has implemented strict legislative and executive regulations to control air, water, and soil pollution:
• National Green Tribunal (NGT, 2010): Established a specialized judicial body to ensure fast-track disposal of environmental disputes, reducing the burden on conventional civil courts.
• Transition to BS-VI Emission Norms (2020): In a bold move to curb vehicular air pollution, India skipped the BS-V stage entirely, transitioning directly from Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) to BS-VI fuel standards nationwide.
• Ban on Single-Use Plastics (2022): A nationwide ban on the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of identified low-utility, high-littering single-use plastic items.
• Global Commitments and the “Panchamrit” Strategy: At the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, India announced the Panchamrit (Five Nectar Elements) strategy, setting concrete targets for its climate actions:
• Reach $500$ GW of non-fossil energy capacity by 2030.
• Meet $50\%$ of India's energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030.
• Reduce total projected carbon emissions by $1$ billion tonnes between now and 2030.
• Reduce the carbon intensity of the economy by less than $45\%$ by 2030.
• Achieve the target of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2070.