Unit 6: Human communities and environment

1. Human Population Growth

The human population has experienced exponential growth, particularly since the Industrial Revolution. This rapid increase exerts immense pressure on planetary resources and systems.

A. Impacts on Environment

The concept of Carrying Capacity implies that the environment can only support a limited number of people without degradation. Overpopulation leads to:

• Resource Depletion: Over-extraction of non-renewable resources (fossil fuels, minerals) and over-exploitation of renewable resources (groundwater, forests).
• Pollution: Increased generation of waste (solid, liquid, and gaseous). High population density leads to excessive carbon emissions, contributing to climate change.
• Loss of Biodiversity: Urban expansion and agricultural land requirements lead to deforestation and habitat destruction, driving extinction rates.
• Desertification and Soil Erosion: Intensive farming to feed a growing population degrades soil quality.

B. Impacts on Human Health

Population density acts as a catalyst for health crises:

• Infectious Diseases: Overcrowding facilitates the rapid spread of communicable diseases (e.g., Tuberculosis, COVID-19, Influenza).
• Waterborne Diseases: Inadequate sanitation infrastructure in densely populated areas leads to cholera, typhoid, and dysentery.
• Pollution-Related Health Issues: Air pollution causes respiratory ailments (asthma, COPD), while chemical pollution leads to carcinogenic risks.
• Mental Health: High-density living, noise pollution, and lack of green spaces contribute to stress and psychological disorders.

C. Impacts on Human Welfare

• Food Security: The challenge of feeding billions leads to food inflation and malnutrition in developing nations.
• Economic Disparity: Rapid growth often outpaces economic development, leading to unemployment, the growth of slums, and poverty.
• Social Conflict: Scarcity of resources (water, land) can trigger civil unrest and migration crises.

2. Environmental Ethics

Environmental ethics is a branch of philosophy that considers the moral relations between human beings and their natural environment.

Core Concepts

1. Anthropocentrism: A human-centered view where nature is seen primarily as a resource for human use.
2. Biocentrism: The belief that all living things have intrinsic value, regardless of their usefulness to humans.
3. Ecocentrism: The view that whole ecosystems (living and non-living elements) have value and deserve moral consideration.

Key Ethical Issues

• Inter-generational Equity: Do we have the right to consume resources today at the expense of future generations?
• Rights of Nature: Should rivers, forests, and animals have legal rights?
• The North-South Divide: Developed nations (Global North) are historically responsible for most pollution, but developing nations (Global South) suffer the worst consequences. Who pays for the cleanup?

3. Public Awareness

Legislation and technology alone cannot solve environmental problems; mass behavioral change is required.

• Objectives: To sensitize individuals about the ecological impact of their daily choices (energy use, waste disposal, consumption).
• Methods of Spreading Awareness:
  • Formal Education: Integrating Environmental Studies (EVS) into school and college curricula (mandated by the Supreme Court of India).
  • Mass Media: Documentaries, social media campaigns, and news reports.
  • NGOs: Organizations like WWF, Greenpeace, and local bodies conduct workshops and drives.
  • Eco-labeling: Informing consumers about sustainable products (e.g., Ecomark).

4. Cultural Practices and Tribal Populations

A. Cultural Practices for Conservation

Indian culture traditionally promotes a symbiotic relationship with nature.

• Sacred Groves: Patches of forest dedicated to local deities (e.g., Devrai in Maharashtra, Kavu in Kerala). No axe or sickle is allowed here, preserving biodiversity and endemic species.
• Religious Totems: Specific animals and plants are associated with deities (e.g., Peepal tree, Tulsi, Tiger, Elephant), granting them religious protection.
• Traditional Agriculture: Practices like crop rotation and organic farming helped maintain soil health before the Green Revolution.

B. Tribal Populations and Conservation

Tribals (Adivasis) are the original custodians of the forest.

• Indigenous Knowledge: Tribes possess deep knowledge of medicinal plants, seasonal cycles, and animal behavior.
• Sustainable Lifestyle: Their "hunter-gatherer" or shifting cultivation lifestyles were historically low-impact and sustainable compared to modern industrial extraction.
• Conflict: Modern conservation laws (creating Tiger Reserves) often displace tribes, leading to a loss of traditional ecological knowledge and livelihood. The Forest Rights Act (2006) attempts to restore their rights to manage forest resources.

5. Environmental Laws in India

India has a robust constitutional and legal framework for environmental protection.

Constitutional Provisions

• Article 48A (Directive Principles): The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
• Article 51A(g) (Fundamental Duties): It is the duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.

Key Legislations

6. Environmental Movements in India

These movements represent the "Environmentalism of the Poor," where communities fight to protect the environment because their livelihood and survival depend on it.

1. Bishnois of Rajasthan (1730 AD)

• Context: The Bishnoi sect follows 29 principles, including a ban on cutting green trees and killing animals.
• Incident: The King of Jodhpur ordered trees to be cut in Khejarli village for his palace.
• Action: Led by Amrita Devi, 363 Bishnois hugged the Khejri trees to protect them and were killed by the soldiers.
• Significance: Considered the first recorded environmental movement; inspired the Chipko movement.

2. Chipko Movement (1973)

• Region: Garhwal Himalayas (Uttarakhand).
• Cause: Commercial logging (allocating forest plots to sports goods manufacturers) threatened local livelihoods and caused landslides.
• Leaders: Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Gaura Devi.
• Action: Local women hugged (chipko) trees to prevent loggers from cutting them.
• Outcome: A 15-year ban on felling green trees in the Himalayan forests was imposed in 1980.

3. Appiko Movement (1983)

• Region: Uttar Kannada, Karnataka.
• Cause: Deforestation in the Western Ghats causing soil erosion and drying up of rivers.
• Leader: Pandurang Hegde.
• Slogan: Ulisu (Save), Belesu (Grow), Balasu (Use rationally).
• Outcome: Forced the government to change forest policy in the region; promoted afforestation.

4. Jungle Bachao Andolan (1980s)

• Region: Singhbhum district (Bihar/Jharkhand).
• Cause: The government decided to replace natural Sal forests with commercial Teak plantations.
• Significance: It was a tribal uprising against the imposition of monoculture that destroyed local biodiversity and tribal livelihoods.

5. Silent Valley Movement (1970s-80s)

• Region: Palakkad district, Kerala.
• Cause: A proposed hydroelectric dam across the Kunthipuzha River threatened to submerge the Silent Valley, a pristine tropical evergreen forest.
• Key Issue: Threat to the endangered Lion-tailed Macaque.
• Action: Led by the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) through scientific campaigns and public protests.
• Outcome: The project was scrapped in 1983, and Silent Valley was declared a National Park in 1985.

6. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) (Started 1985)

• Region: Narmada River (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra).
• Cause: Construction of large dams, specifically the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
• Issues: Massive displacement of tribal people without proper rehabilitation and environmental damage.
• Leaders: Medha Patkar, Baba Amte, Arundhati Roy.
• Method: Hunger strikes, court cases, and massive marches (padayatras).
• Outcome: While the dam was built, the movement created global awareness about the social costs of "Mega Projects" and forced improvements in rehabilitation policies.

7. Tehri Dam Conflict (1990s)

• Region: Bhagirathi River, Uttarakhand.
• Cause: Construction of one of the highest dams in the world in a high-seismic (earthquake-prone) zone.
• Leader: Sunderlal Bahuguna.
• Issues: Risk of dam failure destroying downstream cities (Rishikesh, Haridwar) and submergence of the historic Tehri town.
• Outcome: The dam was completed despite protests, but it highlighted the geological risks of large dams in the Himalayas.