Looking Back to Change Track

In 1997, when India celebrated 50 years of its Independence, TERI s study Growth with Resource Enhancement of Environment and Nature (GREEN) India 2047 assessed whether the country was moving on an environmentally sustainable path. The sequel to the study, Directions Innovations and Strategies for Harnessing Action (DISHA) for sustainable development, released in 2001, projected environmental and resource implications for the country by 2047 under two scenarios, that is, continuing in a business-as-usual mode and adopting a more sustainable development trajectory. The present study picks up the thread from 1997, examining environmental trends in the last decade, isolating underlying priority issues and identifying strategies that are needed to prevent or ameliorate environmental damage. The mandate of the present study, thus, is to go beyond reporting the state of India s environment. Through an evaluation of the major factors that are responsible for the present state and the characteristics of resulting impacts, the study provides an agenda for action.

Key Features:

• India-specific data on various facets of the environment
• Overview of the state of the India s environment
• Recommendations for managing India s environment in a sustainable way
• Contribution of various states and cities towards sustainable development
• Study supported by self-explanatory tables and figures
• Acronyms and abbreviations explained
• Chapters written in reader-friendly and lucid language.

Contents:

• Environment, development, and quality of life
• Environmental governance in India: a critique
• Water resources: efficiency and equitable access
• Forest resources: degradation, livelihoods, and climate change
• Biological diversity: conservation and benefit-sharing
• Land resources: food and livelihood security
• Outdoor and indoor air pollution
• Municipal solid waste
• Moving ahead: key messages from the study