India’s New Green Deal

Context: India, with major manufacturing hub and being a large consumer state, can build a sustainable future economy from opportunities posed by the pandemic.

Key challenges to Sustainable Economy:

• Conflicting goals of private sector: of maximizing profits versus green initiatives.
• Lack of awareness: The price sensitivity of Indian consumers, a lack of awareness of ecological hazards and an inability to identify non-sustainable products are challenges.
• Plastic pollution: About eight million tons of plastic enter our oceans each year.
  • This affects our health (over 80% of the world’s drinking water contains plastic fibre).
• Vehicular emissions: Vehicular emissions create over 30% of the air pollution in Indian cities.
• Unsustainable agricultural practices: Key challenges include stubble burning, groundwater pollution, overuse of harmful chemicals and inefficient water usage.

Key Opportunities for Creating Sustainable Indian Economy:

• Remote working model: Institutionalising work from anywhere or work from home’ through digital connectivity, smartphones, and low-cost data bandwidth can offer the following benefits:
  • Reduce transport emissions, consumption of petrol and natural resources, noise pollution.
  • Ensure energy conservation and valuable time saved.
  • Decongested cities and employment opportunities in second and third-tier towns.
• Private sector-led green initiatives: Many private sector companies in India adopt measures to reduce environmental damage and even reverse it. Certain interventions include -
  • Smart buildings, rainwater harvesting, smart cooling and lighting and green walls.
  • Installing solar power systems, treating industrial waste discharges and biodiversity preservation are growing. (IT companies have mandated tree covers around their offices).
  • Like carbon credit accounting and trading, innovative ideas can put a monetary value to responsible behaviour, aiding its implementation.
• Changing consumer behaviour: through Public interest advertisements, specific data printed on product packages and awareness programmes.
• Green packaging: Pandemic accelerated online shopping has created packaging-led waste at an exponential speed; hence it requires innovative solutions like -
  • Using biodegradable packaging and reusable materials.
  • Strong consumer and corporate ethics and government focus.
  • Recycling depots for disposing of packaging and shipping boxes.
• Electric Vehicles (EVs): over 90% of individuals willing to move to EVs to reduce vehicular emissions;
  • Efficient batteries, accessible charging stations, software systems, affordable cars and drones can reduce vehicular emission.
• Smart Agriculture: New advances in digital technology can improve productivity and preserve habitats of even small and marginal farmers.
  • E.g. A Silicon Valley-based companies water usage technology has resulted in a drop in water usage by 40% while water use efficiency has risen by 30%.