TOPIC: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation
5) India’s efforts at addressing climate change and the wider issues of environmental governance has been far from convincing. Critically examine.(250 words)
Why this question
As the impact of climate change becomes more apparent, and the Paris deal fails to make the dent that was expected of it, how we are dealing with questions related to sustainability and climate change becomes very important. Hence this question.
Key demand of the question
The question expects us to list out the various ways in which we have tried to address climate change and improve our environmental management practices. Thereafter, we are required to bring out the pros and cons of the way in which we deal with environmental governance. Post the critical analysis, we need to present our own view on the assertion made in the question and suggest alternatives.
Directive word
Critically examine – When you are asked to examine, you have to probe deeper into the topic, get into details, and find out the causes or implications if any . When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, all you need to do is look at the good and bad of something and give a fair judgement.
Structure of the answer
Introduction – The opening to your answer must paint a brief picture of the challenges related to climate change and sustainability that should give sleepless nights to our policy makers but is not.
Body
- List the various steps taken for environmental governance – increase in coal cess, shift to renewables, BSV standards etc
- Analyze the pros and cons of the above steps taken and examine whether they have really helped make the impact they were designed for
- Highlight some of the critical steps that have not been taken and is urgently required such as the move to dilute forest right etc
- Provide your view on how the performance of the government has been based on the arguments made above
- List some of the alternatives which can help improve environmental governance
Conclusion – Stress on the immense burden on our environment and the need to gear ourselves for the upcoming challenges.
