The past couple of months have been a bag of mixed emotions. The devastating Wayanad disaster, which claimed over 250 lives, cast a shadow over this time-span, contrasting sharply with the anticipation surrounding the Union Budget. In this month’s edition, we break down the budget’s climate and land-related announcements, explore India’s stance in the global plastic pollution treaty negotiations, and weigh in on the conversation surrounding Ecologically Sensitive Zones and Areas. Let’s dive in!
As the fourth session of negotiations for a legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution recently concluded in Ottawa, countries like Peru and Rwanda proposed significant cuts in plastic production, while India and other petrochemical-producing nations put up a fight, emphasising the economic importance of the plastics industry. Experts believe that India’s stance does not bode well for a global treaty with any meaningful implications. India’s demands on several counts, even if met halfway, would eventually create such an open-ended and diluted mechanism that it would have a negligible impact on the entire lifecycle of plastics. Read the full story here, as Sukriti Vats breaks down India’s objections.
Sourabh Rai, Anmol Gupta
The Wayanad landslide, which tragically claimed over 250 lives, has highlighted the severe consequences of climate change and irresponsible development. This disaster has ignited a blame game between the central and state governments, each pointing fingers as the situation worsens. In this politically charged atmosphere, on 31 July, the Union Government
issued the sixth iteration of a draft notification to declare the Western Ghats as an Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA).
The proposed ESA covers areas in Gujarat, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.
Prior to the landslide, on 29 July, the Western Zone bench of the National Green Tribunal had directed the Union Government to fix a timeline for the finalisation of the notification. Notifications for declaring ESAs are made under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Provisions under this also allow objections in writing to be filed with the union government. The general public can file objections to the notification within 60 days.
The government previously tried to issue the draft notification in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018. The first attempt was made after a report by a High-Level Working Group (HLWG) in 2013. Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa opposed the HLWG report, stating that the livelihood of people in the region would be hit—the notification completely prohibits mining activities and establishment of thermal power plants, and even buildings and construction projects of a certain size are regulated.
State governments have previously demanded that rubber and tea plantations be excluded from the list of regulated activities, along with allowing basic developmental activities such as hospitals and electric pole installation. In Karnataka, the ESA notification will also put traditional forest-dwellers at risk of eviction from over 20,000 sq. km that would fall under the ESA.
Environmentalists have contested this opposition by the state governments, stating that the ESA is necessary for preserving the biodiversity of a region already ravaged by unregulated development and anthropogenic pressure.
Mrinali K
On 23 July, the newly formed NDA government released the first budget of its third consecutive term. While the announcements triggered a whole lot of hand-wringing by the middle class, which was expecting key sops, the budget and the accompanying Economic Survey did have plenty to say on climate change and India’s plans to deal with its effects.
Environmentalists say that the most significant announcement this year is the government’s big push for renewables. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy received more than a 50 per cent increase in its budgetary allocation, with solar power accounting for a large share. With a focus on rooftop solar systems, the government set aside Rs 62.5 billion to achieve a target of 10 million rooftop solar installations by 2026-27. Experts have welcomed this as they see it as a better alternative to larger renewable energy projects, which require vast tracts of land and other scarce resources. Apart from this, the government has promised to introduce a policy on pumped storage projects to help deal with the intermittent nature of renewable energy by promoting electricity storage. There are also plans to collaborate with the private sector to set up small nuclear reactors to expand nuclear energy generation.
The budget also has some messaging relevant to the upcoming carbon-market mechanism. In a first, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman signalled that polluting industries (including small and micro enterprises) such as iron, steel, and aluminium will have to conform to emission targets, and a plan would be put in place for them to transition into the carbon market. The carbon-market mechanism was introduced to align with the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) tax. Notably, the Economic Survey released a day prior to the budget called the CBAM tax “protectionist.” In view of the upcoming COP29 in Azerbaijan at the end of the year, the government has also announced a taxonomy for climate finance that is expected to help with the issue of greenwashing and channel funds towards more sustainable ventures.
The government also announced its support for organic farming, as a boost to adapting to climate change. But experts have questioned the low allocation of finance towards this, with policies like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the crop insurance scheme not seeing any increase in allocation—schemes like these are the ones that demonstrably help communities become more climate resilient and manage natural resources better. The budget also had an outlay of funds for the management of floods and reconstruction after flood damages. The timing was fortuitous, as the Wayand floods and landslides occurred barely a week after.
While initial responses to climate related announcements in the budget have been positive, some have questioned the lack of clear timelines for these measures as well as the lack of clarity on policies on carbon markets, nuclear energy, etc.
Nayla Khwaja
The Union Budget 2024 announced the comprehensive digitization of land records across both rural and urban areas, with the government claiming that over 94% of records are already digitised. This initiative is framed as a push to modernise land management within the next three years. Key components of this effort will include data entry, GIS mapping, and online accessibility of land records.
One of the major features heralded by the government is the introduction of Bhu-Aadhaar, a Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN), which assigns a 14-digit ID to each land parcel based on its geographic coordinates. The government promises this will provide each parcel with a permanent digital identity, reduce ambiguities, and enhance transparency.
Researchers and critics argue that the initiative, while aimed at improving the transparency, fails to address the outdated Registration Act of 1908, which still governs document registration. The process remains difficult, requiring physical presence at registration offices, which is inefficient in today’s digital age. Despite the push for digitising through projects like Bhu-Aadhaar, the lack of updating document registration processes may perpetuate the existing inequalities and slow the overall effectiveness of Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme(DILRMP) under which ULPIN/Bhu-Aadhaar is being implemented.
We currently track 792 ongoing conflicts in the LCW database, affecting around 9.4 million people. Last month, our researchers Aishwarya Mohanty, Sarup Sinha, Suchak Patel, Emilo Yanthan, Chicu Lokgariwar, and East Street Journal Asia added 13 new conflicts with researchers Rahul Kumar Gaurav, Shubham Kothari, and Raju KK, providing eight critical updates. Let’s take a closer look:
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Editor,
Nayla Khwaja
Communication Officer
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