‘Climate change is key concern’
The importance of sustainable development and climate change have been put into sharp focus in the latest Economic Survey 2011-12.
The Economic Survey lays special emphasis on the development of a green economy. An important step in this direction is being taken by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation which is to put a green national accounting system which will list environmental costs of development and reflect the depletion of natural resources in generating national income.
Within the next five years, the depleting stocks of natural resources will be worked into the standard national accounts to estimate a green GDP at both the state and national levels.
Pilot projects to this effect have already been initiated at the state-level and a high-level advisory group has been formed to help integrate sustainable development into the overall development process.
The report emphasises the need to ensure that traditional methods of growth become more inclusive so that the focus can be given on ensuring energy needs of poorer households. At present, 45 per cent of the rural households depend on inferior fuels like kerosene or candlelight and 84 per cent rely on biomass comprising fuel wood, according to the NSSO survey of 2004-05.
An alternative to be explored for such households is converting abundant “dirty” coal into clean electricity.
A greater focus on environment does not necessarily mean good news on the environment front since the Survey quotes from the findings of an environmental survey which highlights that India possesses the poorest air quality in the world and has been given the last ranking (132 out of 132 countries) with regard to its effect on human health.
Agriculture and water resources have been given ratings of 126 and 122 respectively.
The ES believes wrong evaluation of banned pesticides is responsible for the poor ranking in agriculture. India’s dwindling water resources remains a major source of concern.
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