Navigating India’s Environmental Governance – Institutional Hurdles, Dynamics and Strategies for Sustainable Progress.

Abstract

Political ecology and environmental policy include the concept of “environmental governance,” which promotes sustainability (sustainable development) as the most important element in controlling all human activities, including political, social, and economic activities. Environmental governance is a large and dynamic field that is expanding and rapidly evolving. In India, development is currently having an increasing impact on the environment. Particularly because of the need to maintain high economic growth, the challenge of halting the rate of environmental degradation is serious, and recognizing that the global environment is indivisible, environmental management has become more important. However, the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Environment marked a turning point in the evolution of humanity’s relationship with the Earth and in global concern for the environment. In India, the constitution and government structure provide for the possibility of a multi-tiered environmental governance system, but this possibility has not been fully explored. Countries around the world have recognized the importance of enacting laws and policies to protect the environment. By this background an attempt is made to investigate the challenges and prospects of environmental governance in India and to highlight its importance. Further this study discusses the initiatives under the council’s categories of global treaty commitments, transparency and accountability of sensitive ecosystems, conservation projects, water management, research, education and capacity building. However, environmental issues are increasingly appearing on the agenda of government, cooperation, non-governmental organizations and citizens. Hence this study makes an attempt to find out and analyses the functions of the major actors which have significantly contributed in shaping the environmental governance framework in India.