Industrial growth, which plays a major role in boosting the GDP, can cause some environmental damage. Manufacturing sector can lead to environmental degradation during all stages of production cycle, namely, (i) procurement and use of natural resources, (ii) industrial processes and activities and (iii) product use and disposal. Another important sector of the economy—agriculture—also has certain practices which harm the environment.

For instance, activities like the use of chemical fertilisers result in both water pollution and soil deterioration. Unregulated withdrawal of ground water plays havoc with water balance in the ecosystem.

Pricing natural resources properly, making pollution more costly and removing fossil fuel subsidies should be good for preservation of environment, and for sustaining growth in the long run.

Better regulation can help protect human health and environment, support green technologies, and boost green private investment and jobs. This section first makes a business case for sustainable development, and then deals with financial and non-monetary incentives.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has defined eco-efficiency as follows:

‘Eco-efficiency is achieved by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life-cycle, to a level at least in line with the earth’s carrying capacity.’

Similar to the concept of eco-efficiency, but so far less explored in corporate sustainability is the concept of socio-efficiency, that is, the relation between a firm’s value added and its social impact.

The Brundtland Commission Report entitled Our Common Future (1987) defined sustainable development as “development, which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, put the concept of sustainable development on national and international policy agendas. Since Rio, there have been extensive efforts to operationalize sustainable development by governments, international organizations, local authorities, business, citizen groups and individuals.

Agenda 21 remains a powerful document that provides long-term vision for balancing economic and social needs with the capacity of the earth’s resources and ecosystems. Twenty years post Rio, the goals of Agenda 21 have not been fully realized and there is universal agreement that efforts must be redoubled to enhance sustainable development that is equitable as well as ecological.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 at Johannesburg resulted in Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). JPOI reiterated the importance of achieving internationally agreed development goals embedded in the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and international agreements since 1992, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biodiversity, Convention to Combat Desertification and non-binding targets of the Forestry Principles.

India has been actively involved in international fora relating to environmental protection, and has been part of 94 Multilaterals Environmental Agreements such as the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), among many others. India has also signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and has acceded to the Kyoto Protocol in 2002. Despite not having binding mitigation commitments as per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India has communicated its voluntary mitigation goal of reducing the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 20–25 per cent, over 2005 levels, by 2020. The Indian Government is committed to the UNFCCC principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR). The Government has also formulated the National Action Plan on Climate Change that provides for eight missions to help the country adapt to the effects of climate variability and change.

The Constitution of India and relevant amendments that have been incorporated over the years, reinforce the policy and legal basis of sustainable development in India.

• The Preamble promises to all Indian citizens justice encompassing the social, economic and political, equality of status and opportunity and the dignity of the individual.
• The pillars of sustainable development are embedded in the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, which lay down the framework for social justice in India.
• Article 21 conferring the Right to Life has been subject to the broadest interpretations by the judiciary to encompass right to clean environment, right to livelihood, right to live with dignity and a number of other associated rights.
• The Directive Principles of State Policy are intended to ensure ‘distributive justice’ and that political democracy in India is accompanied side by side with social and economic democracy. In addition to the state mandate to ensure social and economic justice, the Directive Principles also enjoins a duty upon the state to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife.
• The Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature have given expression to these normative ideals in innovative ways in response to demands from the people, and national and international exigencies.

The National Environmental Policy (NEP) of 2006 articulates the spirit of ‘sustainable development’; it states that only such development is sustainable, which respects ecological constraints and the imperatives of social justice. The NEP highlights the consensus around the sustainable development concept through three foundational aspirations:

• human beings should enjoy a decent quality of life;
• human beings should become capable of recognizing the finiteness of the biosphere;
• neither the aspiration of a good life, nor the recognition of the limits of the biophysical world should preclude the search for greater justice in the world.

The NEP 2006 also asserts that the most viable basis of environmental conservation is to ensure that people gain better livelihoods from the act of conservation of natural resources than from environmental degradation.

Policies and programmes for achieving sustainable development in India aim to fulfil its commitment towards social progress, accelerated economic growth and increased environmental conservation. Sustainable development has been embedded in the planning process of the country since the 1990s. The Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002) explicitly recognized the synergy between environment, health and development and identified as one of its core objectives the need for ensuring environmental sustainability of the development process through social mobilization and participation of people at all levels

After the WSSD in 2002, a process of preparing and implementing a national strategy for sustainable development was initiated, key elements of which are present in the subsequent five-year plans (FYPs). The government’s commitment to sustainable development was also reflected in specific and monitorable targets for a few key indicators of human development and conservation of natural resources that became part of the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–2007). Efforts have also been made to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially pertaining to poverty eradication that have been subsumed under the country’s monitorable development goals.

National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC)

The Eight National Missions Constituted are :

i)    National Solar Mission,

ii)   National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency,

iii)  National Mission for Sustainable Habitat,

iv) National Water Mission,

v)   National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-System,

vi) National Mission for the Green India

vii)       National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture

viii)      National Mission for Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change

Twelve Focus Areas for the Twelfth Plan

1.   Advanced Coal Technologies

2.   National Wind Energy Mission

3.   National Solar Mission

4.   Technology Improvement in Iron and Steel Industry

5.   Technology Improvement in Cement Industry

6.   Energy Efficiency Programmes in the Industry

7.   Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Programme

8.   Improving the Efficiency of Freight Transport

9.   Better Urban Public and Non-motorized Transport

10.       Lighting, Labelling and Super-efficient Equipment Programme

11.       Faster Adoption of Green Building Codes

12.       Improving the Stock of Forest and Tree Cover

Financial Incentives

Environmental Taxes

An ‘environment’ or ‘green’ tax is imposed on a product (or a complementary product) that damages the environment, in an attempt to reduce its production or consumption. prices should reflect environmental costs, in line with the ‘polluter pays principle’ Environmental taxes on water and fossil fuels need not be part of the general revenues of the Government; rather they should be directly ploughed back into environmentally sustainable action on these fronts. Coal Cess is a good example of environment tax imposed by Government of India in recent times, whose proceeds are channelled to the National Clean Energy Fund.

Certificates And Obligations

The Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) scheme is an example of a certificate based trading scheme promoting energy efficiency.

Similarly, Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism is a market-based instrument introduced to promote renewable energy, and facilitate renewable purchase obligations, which legally mandate a percentage of electricity to be procured by distribution companies from renewable energy sources. REC mechanism aims to address the mismatch between availability of renewable energy resources in a State and the requirement of the obligated entities to meet their renewable purchase obligations.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

It is estimated that India’s per capita emission in 2031 will still be lower than the global per capita emission in 2005 (in 2031, India’s per capita GHG emissions will be under 4 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide equivalent (CO2eq.) which is lower than the global per capita emission of 4.22 tonnes of CO2eq. in 2005). Even then India has taken upon itself the voluntary target of reducing the emission intensity of its GDP by 20–25 per cent, over the 2005 levels, by 2020.

Sustainable Agriculture Development

The major thrust of the agricultural development programmes is on improving the efficiency of use of scarce natural resources, namely, land, water and energy. This can be achieved through improved productivity, which in turn will improve the welfare of farmers and agricultural labour, and help eradicate rural poverty. Conservation of land resources can promote a sound land use, matching the land capabilities with development alternatives. Pricing water and electricity appropriately will help recharge the depleting aquifers. Shifting urea to a nutrientbased subsidy regime is also the need of the hour, which cannot be neglected any longer.

Industrial Development AndUrbanisation

It is also important to facilitate diffusion and transfer of environmentally sound technologies and management techniques, which are a key element of any sustainable development strategy.

A major environmental concern in urbanising India relates to high levels of water pollution due to poor waste disposal, inadequate sewerage and drainage, and improper disposal of industrial effluents. The dumping of solid waste in low-lying areas contributes to both land and groundwater pollution. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) needs a more focused approach

Eco-Industrial Hubs

An eco-industrial park (EIP) or estate is a community of manufacturing and service businesses located together on a common property. Member businesses seek enhanced environmental, economic and social performance through collaboration in managing environmental and resource issues. By working together, the community of businesses seeks a collective benefit that is greater than the sum of individual benefits each company would realise by  only optimizing its individual performance

Sustainable Management Of Himalayan System

Ecosystem and Western Ghats The Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) and the Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP) address these issues. These areas deserve high priority under the flagship programmes, particularly Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the National Health Mission (NHM). Local solutions and people’s participation in decision-making need to be encouraged.

Sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world.

The SDGs replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which started a global effort in 2000 to tackle the indignity of poverty. The MDGs established measurable, universally-agreed objectives for tackling extreme poverty and hunger, preventing deadly diseases, and expanding primary education to all children, among other development priorities.

For 15 years, the MDGs drove progress in several important areas: reducing income poverty, providing much needed access to water and sanitation, driving down child mortality and drastically improving maternal health. They also kick-started a global movement for free primary education, inspiring countries to invest in their future generations. Most significantly, the MDGs made huge strides in combatting HIV/AIDS and other treatable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

Key MDG achievements

• More than 1 billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty (since 1990)
• Child mortality dropped by more than half (since 1990)
• The number of out of school children has dropped by more than half (since 1990)
• HIV/AIDS infections fell by almost 40 percent (since 2000)

The legacy and achievements of the MDGs provide us with valuable lessons and experience to begin work on the new goals. But for millions of people around the world the job remains unfinished. We need to go the last mile on ending hunger, achieving full gender equality, improving health services and getting every child into school beyond primary. The SDGs are also an urgent call to shift the world onto a more sustainable path.

The SDGs are a bold commitment to finish what we started, and tackle some of the more pressing challenges facing the world today. All 17 Goals interconnect, meaning success in one affectssuccess for others. Dealing with the threat of climate change impacts how we manage our fragile natural resources, achieving gender equality or better health helps eradicate poverty, and fostering peace and inclusive societies will reduce inequalities and help economies prosper. In short, this is the greatest chance we have to improve life for future generations.

The SDGs coincided with another historic agreement reached in 2015 at the COP21 Paris Climate Conference. Together with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, signed in Japan in March 2015, these agreements provide a set of common standards and achievable targets to reduce carbon emissions, manage the risks of climate change and natural disasters, and to build back better after a crisis.

The SDGs are unique in that they cover issues that affect us all. They reaffirm our international commitment to end poverty, permanently, everywhere. They are ambitious in making sure no one is left behind. More importantly, they involve us all to build a more sustainable, safer, more prosperous planet for all humanity.