Indian Environmental movement are diverse and complex. RC Guha had argued that they are empty stomach movements and only post 1990s the era of professionalism was started in this sphere. It has been impacted by various factors like nature of political economy of India post 1991 LPG Reforms, changing nature of consumer demands towards more materialistic needs, etc.
Post 1990s changes
• Adoption of a liberal economy where the government role declined and market forces captured the Indian economy boosting high scale capitalistic production interventions linking to increased nature of economic activities concentrated in urban areas based on deforested lands like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Bangaluru, etc.
• Liberalization led market forces -Economic liberalizationbased on free market liberal era spurred economic growth, brought competition, increased production thereby increasing economic activities. But at the same time, it induced negative externalities due to high economic concentration, leading to pollution, destruction of forests through deforestation, etc.
• The high economically concentrated activities made the political economy more capitalistic and less valued based on environmental conservation.
• Rising consumption demand and emergence of era of consumerism – As argued by the Marxists, economic liberalization brought the era of consumerism, forcing the people to consume more environment non-friendly products causing environmental pollution and degradation thereby disrupting the environmental movement.
Failure of environmental movement in India
• Decline of green politics – due to the shift of political economy towards more market based liberal economic changes and less on environmental dialogues.
• Liberalization declined the regulatory mechanisms thereby giving companies a free hand to pollute excessively under loose norms thereby making environment prone to industrial errors and pollution. Eg. the recent LG polymer gas leak in Vizag.
• According to Vandana Shiva, India’s developmental path has been a resource intensive one and has seriously disrupted the ecological stability and life support systems existing for centuries.
• Political economy compromised ecological movements - The economic decisions of the state has seriously disrupted ecological stability of life support systems which has been maintained through centuries. Vast scale developmental efforts like construction of damns and other infra projects have forced the state to support these endeavours to bring economic progress.
But at the same time, they limited Indian environmentalism towards empty stomach only and didn’t let it progress to professional western movements which have clear agenda, efforts and support at all levels.
Resource demands of the process have undermined the productive potential of natural resources and have created severe ecological instability. It is in this context that ecology movements have emerged and are throwing up indicators to assess the impact of development process on natural resources, their uses and how the cost and benefits they carry are distributed among different societal groups.
Thus there is a need towards environmental justice. The recent climate talks on the COP 26 and India’s Panchamitra pledge shows that we are heading towards an Environmental State showing positive signs of the new trend in environemtal movement in India as seen from other egs like Aarey Forest Protest, Narmada BachaoAndolan, etc.