|
|
|
|
INDIA: Country Environment Analysis 2007
|
|
|
|
 |  | |
Facts:
- India has one of the highest densities of economic activity in the world.
- Pressure on water, air, soil, and forests will become the greatest in the world by 2020.
- India suffers both “poverty-related” pollution and “growth-related” pollution.
- 4.5 million SMEs contribute 40% of industrial production but create 70% of industrial pollution.
- Coal will remain the dominant fuel: demand for coal will increase three times or more in the next 20 years. |
|
| | With its high population density, vulnerable ecology, extreme climate, and a significant number of people heavily dependent on natural resources, India’s environmental challenges are diverse and wide-ranging. Yet, while the country’s environmental regulations are rigorous, its environmental institutions and regulatory regime need to be significantly upgraded in order to sustain rapid economic growth and meet the surging public demand for a cleaner environment. Regulations have to be backed up by stricter compliance and greater cooperation between government authorities, civil society groups and industry. A mix of incentives, devolving more powers to local governments, and rewarding “good behavior” will also be required. | | |
Download Executive Summary » | Download Full Report » |
|
|
Chapter 1: Meeting the Environmental Challenges of Rapid Growth
|
| | While sustained growth rates of 8% and more will make a serious dent on poverty, the environmental implications of this growth can be incalculable. As manufacturing rises and power generation and road construction increases, the pressure on the environment will be enormous -- from greater carbon emissions by coal-based power plants to the polluting processes of the electronics, IT, textiles, chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries. | | |
Download Chapter » |
|
|
Chapter 2: Building National Consensus through Effective Dialogue and Public Participation
|
| | The debate over the economy and the environment suffers from adversarial perceptions and stereotypes. Environmental management needs to be a collective, participatory and non-confrontational enterprise, incorporating environmental and economic policy-makers and regulators, as well as civil society groups and the business community. | | | Download Chapter » |
|
|
Chapter 3: Enabling Compliance in a Regulatory Environment
|
| | India’s vast matrix of environmental laws and regulations has not been able to arrest environmental degradation. While “big” projects attract attention, smaller but more lethal sources of pollution are inadequately tackled. Obsolete technologies make small and medium enterprises (SMEs) bigger polluters per unit of production than mega-sized units. Municipal and domestic sources of pollution do silent damage. | | |
Download Chapter » |
|
|
Chapter 4: Aligning Sectoral Policies and Incentives
|
| | To be effective, government policies could create incentives for eco-friendliness. Greater communication and knowledge sharing between environmental regulators, industrial promotion agencies and business associations could link industrial development to environmental performance. Companies can be urged to work towards “greening supply chains”. The impact of fossil fuels can be minimized by increasing hydropower generation and promoting energy efficiency and conservation. | | | Download Chapter » |
|
|
Chapter 5: Towards a Sustainable Growth Framework Incentives
|
| | Stakeholders need an enlightened urgency to work together. The ‘Vicious Circle of Confrontation’ has to yield place to the ‘Virtuous Circle of Sustainability’. This calls for a variety of measures – shared ownership of and responsibility for environmental action, incentive mechanisms that allow regulatory agencies to reward good behavior by industry, voluntary initiatives by business, a better audit of the vast diversity of polluting sources, capacity upgrades in regulatory agencies that may be overwhelmed by the expansion of the economy, devolving more powers to local governments, which have a direct stake in cleaning up the local environment. | | |
Download Chapter » |
|
| | World Bank Program
Website maintained by the World Bank Office in New Delhi, a launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in the country (strategy, projects, publications, etc.) | | | Visit Page » |
| | India
Forest Reforms: Unlocking Opportunities for Forest-Dependent People in India | | | Visit Page » |
| | Development Data
A wide range of social and economic measures on India, including links to the World Bank's most important online development databases. | | | Visit Page » |
| | Analysis and Research
Compilation of all the World Bank's publications on India, with 'search' options and links to analysis and research on other South Asian countries. | | | Visit Page » |
| | World Bank Program in South Asia
Launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. | | | Visit Page » |
| | Request an interview
To interview the report's author e-mail South Asia media contact. | | | Visit Page » |
|
|
|
|
|
|
RSS