UNIT-3 SOCIAL ISSUES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS: ISSUES AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

Environmental ethics deals with issues related to the rights of individuals that are
fundamental to life and well being. This concerns not only the needs of each
person today, but also those who will come after us. It also deals with the rights of
other living creatures that inhabit our earth.

Resource consumption patterns and the need for equitable utilization:

- It deals with how we utilize and distribute resources. The disparity between
haves and have-nots is widening. There is a disparity between the
individuals, communities and countries in usage of resources. The well-to-
do, educated urban dweller consumes much larger quantities of resources
and energy than the traditional rural individual. This unequal distribution of
wealth and access to land and its resources is a serious environmental
concern.
- An equitable sharing of resources forms the basis of sustainable
development for urban, rural and wilderness-dwelling communities.
Equity-disparity in the northern and southern countries:
- It is concerned with who owns resources and how they are distributed.
People living in the economically-advanced nations use greater amounts of
resources and energy per individual and also waste more resources. This is
at the cost poor people who are resource-dependent and live in developing
nations.
(this is in terms of developing and developed countries)
Urban-rural equity issues:
- The common property of rural communities has increasingly been used to
supply the needs of the urban sector. Land itself that was once held as a
common property resource of villages is being taken over by the urban and
industrial sectors as it expands. The rural sector not only supplies food, but
also a part of the energy needs (mainly fuelwood) to most towns and cities
in India, at a pittance. As a result, the commons of the rural sector are being
depleted of their resources. Thus while the cities get richer, the rural sector,
especially the landless, get poorer. The urban rich must appreciate where
their resources are derived from and be willing to pay a fair price for using
them.
The need for gender equity:
- All over India, especially in the rural sector, women work longer hours than
men. They are involved in collection and sale of fuel wood, collection of
fodder, fruits, medicinal products, trekking several kilometres to fetch
 potable water, cooking meals in smoky unhealthy atmosphere etc. On an
average they spend 10-12 hrs a day of very hard work, every day of the
year.
- Unfortunately, it is the men who play a decisive role in managing the village
common and their resources while women have not been given an equal
opportunity to develop and improve their status which is due to a lower
access to education and health care than that of men. This has deep
implications for the rate of utilization of natural resources and their
conservation.
Preserving resources for future generations:
- This ethical issue must be considered when we use resources unsustainably.
If we overuse and misuse resources and energy from fossil fuels, our future
generations will find survival very difficult.
The rights of animals:
- The plants and animals that share the Earth with us too have a right to live
and share the Earth’s resources and living space. We have no right to push a
species that has taken millions of years to evolve towards extinction. Cruelty
to animals is a crime that must be regarded seriously and action must be
taken against offenders.
The ethical basis of environment education and awareness:
- The most important concern is related to creating an ethos that will support
a sustainable lifestyle in society. The Supreme Court of our country has
ordered that every young individual at school and college level be exposed
to a course on environment.
- There are two aspects that are closely connected with ethical issues that are
related to our environment. These are based on valuing nature as a resource
and appreciating the beauty of nature and treasuring the magnificence of
the wilderness.
The conservation ethic and traditional value systems of India:
- During olden days, people have always valued mountains, rivers, forests,
trees and several animals. Thus, much of nature was venerated and
protected. Certain species of trees have been protected as they are valued
for their fruit or flowers. Traditions held the animals/species as an important
aspect of nature were the basis of local life-support systems and were
integral to bring about a harmonious life.
- This also involves the conservation of water (e.g by rainwater harvesting),
electricity (e.g. by using solar energy), etc..

CLIMATE CHANGE:
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.
Main reasons for climate change:
1. Geographical change
2. Manmade changes
- Emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere
- Deforestation for human settlements
- Overutilization and exploitation of natural resources
- Pollution caused by human activities

GEOGRAPHICAL CHANGES:
There have been perceptible changes in the climate all over the world,
particularly in the last two decades or so. The global average surface temperature
has increased by 0.6° + 0.2° C over the last century.
The climate change and its adverse impacts on the environment, human health
and the economy have recently risen to the top of economic and political agenda
in various national and international forums and meetings on environment.

The most important climatic changes that have come to the fore recently and that
are harmful include acid rain, global warming, and depletion of stratospheric
ozone shield or layer. Besides, such climatic aberrations as floods, droughts,
cyclones, and tsunamis also cause serious damage to humans and have adverse
effects on local, regional and global climate.
The Earth’s atmosphere keeps the planet warm. Without the warming cover of
natural greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour, life
could not exist on Earth. Through the release of greenhouse gases such as CO2,
methane, CFCs and N2O caused by human activities, our climate will change.

Consequences:
1. the expected rise in sea levels may threaten islands and nations with low coast
lines;
2. changes in rainfall levels and patterns may affect natural vegetation,
agriculture and forestry;
3. the loss of biodiversity may be accelerated if climate zones move so fast that
species (e.g. in rain forests) cannot follow them;
4. weather anomalies such as hurricanes may occur more frequently, causing
immense damage to humans and their property, and to nature.
CASE STUDY:
Damage to coral reefs, Pacific The severity of periodic warming due to El Nino in
1997 in the Pacific led to the most serious death in coral ever known. It is
estimated that about 10% of the Earth’s coral reefs were dead, another 30 %
were seriously affected and another 30% were degraded. The Global Coral Reef
Monitoring Network Townsville, Australia, has predicted that all the reefs could be
dead by 2050
GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature generally due to
the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and
other pollutants.

Causes of Global Warming

A. Man-made Causes of Global Warming

Deforestation
- Plants are the main source of oxygen. They take in carbon dioxide and
release oxygen thereby maintaining environmental balance. Forests are
being depleted for many domestic and commercial purposes. This has led to
an environmental imbalance, thereby giving rise to global warming.
Use of Vehicles
- The use of vehicles, even for a very short distance results in various gaseous
emissions. Vehicles burn fossil fuels which emit a large amount of carbon
dioxide and other toxins into the atmosphere resulting in a temperature
increase.
Chlorofluorocarbon
- With the excessive use of air conditioners and refrigerators, humans have
been adding CFCs into the environment which affects the atmospheric ozone
layer. The ozone layer protects the earth surface from the harmful
ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. The CFCs have led to ozone layer
depletion making way for the ultraviolet rays, thereby increasing the
temperature of the earth.
Industrial Development
- With the advent of industrialization, the temperature of the earth has been
increasing rapidly. The harmful emissions from the factories add to the
increasing temperature of the earth.
Agriculture
- Various farming activities produce carbon dioxide and methane gas. These
add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and increase the
temperature of the earth.
Overpopulation
- An increase in population means more people breathing. This leads to an
increase in the level of carbon dioxide, the primary gas causing global
warming, in the atmosphere.

B.Natural Causes of Global Warming

Volcanoes
- Volcanoes are one of the largest natural contributors to global warming. The
ash and smoke emitted during volcanic eruptions goes out into the
atmosphere and affects the climate.
Water Vapour
- Water vapour is a kind of greenhouse gas. Due to the increase in the earth’s
temperature, more water gets evaporated from the water bodies and stays
in the atmosphere adding to global warming.
Melting Permafrost
- Permafrost is frozen soil that has environmental gases trapped in it for
several years and is present below Earth’s surface. It is present in glaciers.
As the permafrost melts, it releases the gases back into the atmosphere,
increasing Earth’s temperature.
Forest Blazes
- Forest blazes or forest fires emit a large amount of carbon-containing
smoke. These gases are released into the atmosphere and increase the
earth’s temperature resulting in global warming.

Effects of global warming:

Rise in Temperature
- Global warming has led to an incredible increase in earth’s temperature.
Since 1880, the earth’s temperature has increased by ~1 degrees. This has
resulted in an increase in the melting of glaciers, which have led to an
increase in the sea level. This could have devastating effects on coastal
regions.
- Rise in sea level may have negative impact in human settlement, tourism,
fisheries, agriculture, water supplies, and coastal ecosystem
- This will also change the amount and pattern of precipitation, and a
probable expansion of subtropical deserts.
Threats to the Ecosystem
- Global warming has affected the coral reefs that can lead to the loss of plant
and animal lives. Increase in global temperatures has made the fragility of
coral reefs even worse.
Climate Change
- Global warming has led to a change in climatic conditions. There are
droughts at some places and floods at some. This climatic imbalance is the
result of global warming.
Spread of Diseases
- Global warming leads to a change in the patterns of heat and humidity. This
has led to the movement of mosquitoes that carry and spread diseases.
High Mortality Rates
- Due to an increase in floods, tsunamis and other natural calamities, the
average death toll usually increases. Also, such events can bring about the
spread of diseases that can hamper human life.
Loss of Natural Habitat
 - A global shift in the climate leads to the loss of habitats of several plants
and animals. In this case, the animals need to migrate from their natural
habitat and many of them even become extinct. This is yet another major
impact of global warming on biodiversity.
Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent occurrence of extreme
weather events including heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall events, species
extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes, and changes in agricultural
yields.

APPROACHES TO DEAL WITH GLOBAL WARMING:

1. Reduction of greenhouse gas emission by reducing the use of fossil fuels
and by developing alternative renewable sources of energy like solar
energy, wind energy
2. Increase of vegetation cover, particularly forest for photosynthetic utilization
of CO2
3. Reduction in N2O emission by minimizing the use of N in agriculture.
4. Development of substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons.
5. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC):
- Have made protocol to reduce the emission of four greenhouse gases CO 2,
CH4, NO2, and CFC.
- Every country has to reduce pollution byinstallation of effluent treatment
plant and control emission of CO2 and SO2

ACID RAIN
- Term was first used by Robert Angus.
- The pH of normal rain water at temp of 25.C is 5.84, if natural rain has pH less
than that then it is called acid rain.
- Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic,
meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH).
- Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
Oxides and other chemicals which react with the water molecules in the
atmosphere to produce acids. These acid pollutants spread upwards into the
atmosphere, and are carried by air currents,to finally return to the ground in
the form of acid rain, fog or snow.
- H2SO4 and HNO3 are majorly found acids in acid rain.

Effects of acid rain:

1. Acid rain dissolves and washes away nutrients in the soil which are needed by
plants. It can also dissolve naturally occurring toxic substances like aluminium
and mercury, freeing them to pollute water or poison plants.
2. Acid rain indirectly affects plants by removing nutrients from the soil in which
they grow. It affects trees more directly by creating holes in the waxy coating of
leaves, causing brown dead spots which affect the plant’s photosynthesis. Such
trees are also more vulnerable to insect infestations, drought and cold. Farm
crops are less affected by acid rain than forests.
3. Acid rain that falls or flows as ground water to reach rivers, lakes and wetlands,
causes the water in them to become acidic. This affects plant and animal life in
aquatic ecosystems.
4. Acid rain also has far reaching effects on wildlife. By adversely affecting one
species, the entire food chain is disrupted, ultimately endangering the entire
ecosystem.
Different aquatic species can tolerate different levels of acidity. For instance
clams and mayflies have a high mortality when water has a pH of 6.0, while frogs
can tolerate more acidic water, although with the decline in supply of mayflies,
frog populations may also decline.
Land animals that are de pendent on aquatic organisms are also affected.
5. Acid rain and dry acid deposition damages buildings, automobiles, and other
structures made of stone or metal. The acid corrodes the materials causing
extensive damage and ruins historic buildings. For instance the Parthenon in
Greece and the Taj Mahal in India have been affected by acid rain.
6. Although surface water polluted by acid rain does not directly harm people, the
toxic substances leached from soil can pollute water supply. Fish caught in these
waters may be harmful for human consumption. Acid, along with other chemicals
in the air, produces urban smog, which causes respiratory problems.

Solutions:
- The best way to stop the formation of acid rain is to reduce the emissions of
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. This can be
achieved by using less energy from fossil fuels in power plants, vehicles and
industry. Switching to cleaner burning fuels is also a way out. For instance
using natural gas which is cleaner than coal, using coal with lower sulfur
content, and developing more efficient vehicles.
- If the pollutants have already been formed by burning fossil fuels, they can
be prevented from entering the atmosphere by using scrubbers in
smokestacks in industry.
These spray a mixture of water and limestone into the polluting gases,
recapturing the sulfur. In catalytic converters, the gases are passed over
metal coated beads that convert harmful chemicals into less harmful ones.
These are used in cars to reduce the effects of exhaust fumes on the
atmosphere.
Once acid rain has affected soil, powdered limestone can be added to the
soil by a process known as liming to neutralize the acidity of the soil.
 OZONE LAYER DEPLETION
the ozone layer is a region in the earth’s stratosphere that contains high
concentrations of ozone and protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet
radiations of the sun.
The ozone layer is mainly found in the lower portion of the earth’s
atmosphere. It has the potential to absorb around 97-99% of the harmful
ultraviolet radiations coming from the sun that can damage life on earth.

Ozone layer depletion is the gradual thinning of the earth’s ozone layer in the upper
atmosphere caused due to the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous
bromine or chlorine from industries or other human activities.

Some compounds release chlorine and bromine on exposure to high ultraviolet

light, which then contributes to ozone layer depletion. Such compounds are
known as Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
The ozone-depleting substances that contain chlorine include
chlorofluorocarbon, carbon tetrachloride, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and
methyl chloroform.
Whereas, the ozone-depleting substances that contain bromine are halons,
methyl bromide, and hydro bromofluorocarbons.
Chlorofluorocarbons are the most abundant ozone-depleting substance. It is only
when the chlorine atom reacts with some other molecule, it does not react with
ozone.
There are reports of large ozone holes opening over Antarctica, allowing
dangerous UV rays through to Earth's surface. Indeed, the 2005 ozone hole was
one of the biggest ever, spanning 25 million sq km in area, nearly the size of
North America. While the ozone hole over Antarctica continues to open wide, the
ozone layer around the rest of the planet seems to be on the mend

Causes of Ozone Layer Depletion

Chlorofluorocarbons
- Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are the main cause of ozone layer depletion.
These are released by solvents, spray aerosols, refrigerators, air-
conditioners, etc.
- The molecules of chlorofluorocarbons in the stratosphere are broken down
by ultraviolet radiations and release chlorine atoms. These atoms react with
ozone and destroy it.
Unregulated Rocket Launches
- Researches say that the unregulated launching of rockets results in much
more depletion of the ozone layer than the CFCs do. If not controlled, this
might result in a huge loss of the ozone layer by the year 2050.
Nitrogenous Compounds
- The nitrogenous compounds such as NO2, NO, N2O are highly responsible for
the depletion of the ozone layer.
Natural Causes
- The ozone layer has been found to be depleted by certain natural processes
such as Sun-spots and stratospheric winds. But it does not cause more than
1-2% of the ozone layer depletion.
- The volcanic eruptions are also responsible for the depletion of the ozone
layer.

Effects Of Ozone Layer Depletion

Effects on Human Health
- Humans will be directly exposed to the harmful ultraviolet radiation of the
sun due to the depletion of the ozone layer. This might result in serious
health issues among humans, such as skin diseases, cancer, sunburns,
cataract, quick ageing and weak immune system.
- mutations
Effects on Animals
- Direct exposure to ultraviolet radiations leads to skin and eye cancer in
animals.
Effects on the Environment
- Strong ultraviolet rays may lead to minimal growth, flowering and
photosynthesis in plants. The forests also have to bear the harmful effects of
the ultraviolet rays.
- Ice melting and expansion of sea water volume.
Effects on Marine Life
- Planktons are greatly affected by the exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays.
These are higher in the aquatic food chain. If the planktons are destroyed,
the organisms present in the food chain are also affected.

Solutions to Ozone Layer Depletion

Avoid Using ODS
- Reduce the use of ozone depleting substances. E.g. avoid the use of CFCs in
refrigerators and air conditioners, replacing the halon based fire
extinguishers, etc.
Minimise the Use of Vehicles
- The vehicles emit a large amount of greenhouse gases that lead to global
warming as well as ozone depletion. Therefore, the use of vehicles should be
minimised as much as possible.
Use Eco-friendly Cleaning Products
- Most of the cleaning products have chlorine and bromine releasing
chemicals that find a way into the atmosphere and affect the ozone layer.
These should be substituted with natural products to protect the
environment.
Use of Nitrous Oxide should be Prohibited
- The government should take actions and prohibit the use of harmful nitrous
oxide that is adversely affecting the ozone layer. People should be made
aware of the harmful effects of nitrous oxide and the products emitting the
gas so that its use is minimised at the individual level as well.

CONTROL MEASURES:
1. Montreal protocol:
- To limit the production and use of ozone depleting substances
- Phasing out of ODS
- Helping the developing countries to implement use of alternatives to CFCs
2. Earth Summit:
Established principles for reducing greenhouse gas emission
3. Kyoto protocol:
Reduce overall % of greenhouse gas emission in different countries
 NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AND HOLOCAUSTS
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy
Agency as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the
environment or the facility. Examples include lethal effects to individuals, large
radioactivity release to the environment, or reactor core melt.”
In the short history of nuclear energy there have been accidents that have
surpassed any natural calamity or other energy source extraction in their impacts.
A single nuclear accident can cause loss of life, long-term illness and destruction
of property on a large scale for a long period of time. Radioactivity and
radioactive fallout leads to cancer, genetic disorders and death in the affected
area for decades after, thus affecting all forms of life for generations to come.
The most common nuclear accident includes leakage of radioactive substances
from nuclear plants. They have disastrous impact. Such accidents release large
amount of radio-isotopes. Example of such nuclear accident includes: Three mile
island nuclear power plant in USA and Chernobyl nuclear power plant in USSR.

Nuclear holocaust:
The use of nuclear energy in war has had devastating effects on man and earth.
The Hiroshima and Nagasaki incident during World War II, the only use of nuclear
power in war in history, is one of the worst disasters in history.
In 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs in Japan over the towns of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two atomic bombs killed thousands of people, left
many thousands injured and devastated everything for mile around.
The effects of the radiation from these nuclear bombs can still be seen today in
the form of cancer and genetic mutations in the affected children and survivors of
the incident.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
The Environment (Protection) Act was enacted in the year 1986. It was enacted
with the main objective to provide the protection and improvement of the
environment and for matters connected therewith.

Aims and Objectives of the EPA

The chief aims and objectives of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 are listed
below.

1. Implementing the decisions made at the United Nations Conference on

Human Environment held in Stockholm.
2. Creation of a government authority to regulate industry that can issue direct
orders including closure orders.
3. Coordinating activities of different agencies that are operating under the
existing laws.
4. Enacting regular laws for the protection of the environment.
5. Imposing punishments and penalties on those who endanger the
environment, safety and health. For each failure or contravention, the
punishment includes a prison term of up to five years or a fine of up to Rs. 1
lakh, or both. This can also be extended for up to seven years in cases.
6. Engaging in the sustainable development of the environment.
7. Attaining protection of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution.

Main Provisions of Environment Protection Act

The EPA empowers the Centre to “take all such measures as it deems necessary”
in the domain of environmental protection.

 Under the law, it can coordinate and execute nationwide programmes and
plans to further environmental protection.
 It can mandate environmental quality standards, particularly those
concerning the emission or discharge of environmental pollutants.
 This law can impose restrictions on the location of industries.
 The law gives the government the power of entry for examination, testing of
equipment and other purposes and power to analyse the sample of air,
water, soil or any other substance from any place.
 The EPA explicitly bars the discharge of environmental pollutants in excess
of prescribed regulatory standards.
 There is also in place a specific provision for handling hazardous substances,
which is prohibited unless in compliance with regulatory requirements.
 The Act empowers any person, apart from authorised government officers,
to file a complaint in a court regarding any contravention of the provisions of
the Act.
Issues involved in enforcement of
Environmental legislation. Public awareness.
The precautionary principle:
- This principle has evolved to deal with risks and uncertainties faced
by environmental management. The principle implies that an ounce
of prevention is worth a pound of cure it does not prevent problems
but may reduce their occurrence and helps ensure contingency
plans are made.
- The application of this principle requires either cautious progress
until a development can be judged ‘innocent’, or avoiding
development until research indicates exactly what the risks are, and
then proceeding to minimize them.
- Once a threat is identified, action should be taken to prevent or
control damage even if there is uncertainly, about whether the
threat is real. Some environmental problems become impossible or
costly to solve if there is delay, therefore waiting for research and
legal proof is not costless.
2. The polluter-pays principle:-
- In addition to, the obvious the polluter pays for the damaged caused by a
development this principle also implies that a polluter pays for monitoring
and policing.
- A problem with this approach is that fines may bankrupt small businesses,
yet be low enough for a large company to write them off as an occasional
overhead, which does little for pollution control.
- There is, thus, debate as to whether the principle should be retrospective.
Developing nations are seeking to have developed countries pay more for
carbon dioxide and other emissions controls, arguing that they polluted the
global environment during the Industrial Revolution, yet enjoy the fruits of
invention from the era.
- This principle, in fact, is more a way of allocating costs to the polluter than a
legal principle. This principle was adopted by OECD member countries in
1972, at least in theory.
3. Freedom of information:
- Environmental planning and management is hindered if the public,
NGOs or even official bodies are unable to get information.
- Many countries have now begun to release more information, the USA has a
Freedom of Information Act, and the European Union is moving
in this direction.
- But still many governors and multinational corporations fear that
industrial secrets will leak to competitors if there is too much
disclosure, and there are situations where authorities declare
 strategic needs and suspend disclosure.

AIR (Prevention and Control of Pollution) act

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981, or the Air Act, in short,
was a law passed by the Parliament of India to prevent and control the harmful
effects of air pollution in India. This act is seen as the first concrete step taken by
the government of India to combat air pollution.

Why was the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 passed?
The effects of climate change caused by all forms of pollution became all too
apparent in the early 1970s. To mitigate their harmful effects it was believed that
nations would need to pass their own laws. Thus during the United Nations
General Assembly on Human Environment held in Stockholm in June 1972, a
resolution was passed which implored the nations of the world to preserve natural
resources such as air.
India itself had issues regarding air pollution due to a wide variety of factors such
as stubble burning, improper industrial practices, environmental factors etc. To
combat these factors a special law was enacted under the Constitution of India,
which was the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981.

What are the definitions under the Air Act?

The following are the definitions under the Air (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act.

 Section 2(a) defines an ‘air pollutants’ as any solid liquid or gaseous

substance which may cause harm or damage the environment, humans,
plants, animals or even damage property. A 1987 amendment to the act
also added ‘noise’ in the list of harmful substances.
 The air act defines ‘air pollution’ as the presence of any dangerous pollutant
that makes the air unbreathable
Section 2 (g) of the Act also set up the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) whose powers extended to the whole of India. To carry out the directives
of the CPCB the act also called for the setting up of the State Pollution Control
Board (SPCB) for the individual states of India

Penalties and Procedure under the Air Act

The failure to comply with the Central Pollution Control Board directives would
result in imprisonment of 1 year. It can be extended to 6 years with a fine with the
additional fine of 5000Rs per day added provided the directives are still not met.
Any environmental complaint will only be taken into consideration by a court if it
is made by the following:

 An officer authorised by the CPCB

 A person who has made a complaint to the board or an officer authorised by
it. The complaint must be made within sixty days of the offence committed

The key features of the Act include:

 Advising Central Government of Air and Air Pollution related issues

 Research about the causes and impact of Air Pollution
 Spread awareness to stop air pollution
 To establish central and State Boards and empower them to monitor air
quality and control pollution

Forest Conservation Act 1980
The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 (FCA, 1980) is an act by the Parliament of
India which ensures conservation of forest and its resources.
It was enacted by the Parliament of India in order to control the ongoing
deforestation of the forests of India. It came into force on October 25, 1980
containing five sections.
The purpose of this Act is to foster recognition of the forest as a common heritage
and promote sustainable forest development in order to meet the economic,
environmental and social needs of present and future generations while giving
proper consideration to other potential uses of the territory.

Objectives of the Forest Conservation Act 1980

The aim of the Forest is to preserve the forest ecosystem of India by fulfilling the
following objectives:

1. Protect the forest along with its flora, fauna and other diverse ecological
components while preserving the integrity and territory of the forests.
2. Arrest the loss of forest biodiversity
3. Prevent forest lands being converted into agricultural, grazing or for any
other commercial purposes and intentions.

Features of the Forest Conservation Act 1980

The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 come with the following features:

1. The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take
decisions first without permission from the central government.
2. The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central
government to carry out the objectives of the act.
 3. The Act levies penalties in case of violations of the provisions of FCA.
4. The Forest Conservation Act will have an advisory committee which will help
the Central government with regard to forest conservation.

i mportant Sections of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980

Section 1: Title and scope
The law applies to the whole of India except for Jammu and Kashmir. However,
when Article 370 was removed, it meant all laws at the central level became
applicable. But only 37 laws apply to Jammu and Kashmir at the moment and the
Forest Conservation Act of 1980 is not one of them
Section 2: Restriction of forests being used for non-forest purposes.
The section lists restrictions where state authorities cannot make laws regarding
forest without the permissions of the Central Government. The emphasis is on
‘non forest purposes’ which means that clearing forest land for the planting of:

1. Tea
2. Coffee
3. Spices
4. Rubber
5. Palms
6. Oil-bearing
7. Medicinal plants

Section 3: Advisory committee

As per Section 3 of this Act, the Central government has the power to constitute
an advisory committee to advice on matters related to advising the central
government on the preservation of forests

Need for Forest Conservation Act, 1980

Forests are an important resource that nature can bestow upon mankind.
Therefore, it is the duty of every citizen to preserve the ecosystems of forests. But
due to rapid deforestation, the cycle of nature is itself being disrupted. Therefore,
the need to bring about a law to ensure the preservation of forest was needed.
One of the first legal drafts to protect forest tracts was the Indian Forest Act, 1865
replaced by a 1927 version of the same act. However, it was more geared
towards protecting the commercial interests of the British Empire in India.
The act gave authority to the British to restrict tribal activities by levying taxes on
timber and forest services. In other words, it mainly regulated the cutting of
timber and flow of raw materials rather than protecting forests.
Upon independence, the President of India enforced the Forest (Conservation)
Ordinance in 1980 which was later repealed by virtue of Section 5 of the Forest
(Conservation) Act, 1980. Under the 1980 Act, the restriction was made on the
use of the forests for non-forest purposes.
 Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
 Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 is a comprehensive legislation
that regulates agencies responsible for checking on water pollution and the ambit
of pollution control boards both at the centre and states.
 The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 was adopted by the Indian
parliament with the aim of prevention and control of Water Pollution in India.

The salient features of Water (Prevention And Control Of Pollution) Act,

1974
 Water Act 1974 aims to prevent and control water pollution.
 The Act provides for maintenance and restoration of quality of all types of surface
and groundwater.
 It provides for the establishment of Central and State Boards for pollution control.
The Act assigns powers and functions to these Boards to control pollution.
 The Central and State Pollution Control Boards are given comprehensive powers
to advise, coordinate, and provide technical assistance for the prevention and
control of water pollution.
 The Act has provisions for funds, budgets, accounts, and audit of the Central and
State Pollution Control Boards.
 Under Water Act 1974, Sewage or pollutants cannot be discharged into water
bodies including lakes and it is the duty of the state pollution control board to
intervene and stop such activity.
 The Act prohibits disposal of any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter to the
flow of water in a stream. However, dumping of any material into a stream for the
purpose of reclamation of land is not considered an offense.
 The Act provides for severe and deterrent punishments for violation of the Act
which includes fine and imprisonment. Anyone failing to abide by the laws of
under is liable for imprisonment under Section 24 & Section 43 ranging from not
less than one year and six months to six years along with monetary fines.
 One of the important provisions of the Water Act, 1974 is to maintain and restore
the ‘wholesomeness’ of our aquatic resources.