GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Source: REUTERS
Direction: Also read related Links Niti Aayog proposes decarbonizing industrial emissions
Context: Sectors such as mining, agriculture, oil, and fashion are under scrutiny at the COP15 talks, due to their heavy impact on nature with activities that can contaminate soil, foul waterways, or pollute the air.
Status of biodiversity loss (see Infographic)
How key sectors could be affected by the COP15 talks:
Fashion:
- Fashion and retail are facing pressure from consumers and governments to reduce waste and emissions throughout their operations.
- More than 330 companies came out in support of a COP15 deal that includes mandatory disclosure of companies’ environmental impacts by 2030.
- Smaller companies with limited resources for monitoring and accounting could find a disclosure requirement more challenging.
Mining:
- For companies mining metals and coal, an environmental disclosure requirement could force companies to reveal the impacts not just from the blasting and drilling they do on-site, but also from the logging and deforestation carried out in creating access roads.
- Mining companies are also concerned about the central goal of the COP15 talks – to set aside 30% of Earth’s land and ocean areas for conservation by 2030
Agriculture:
- With new disclosure rules, the farming sector would face an increased burden of reporting on activities like land clearing and pesticide use.
Oil Exploration:
- Oil companies are expected to ramp up their internal resources for reporting on and disclosing how oil drilling and exploration activities impact nature.
Insta Link:
Economic Growth and its Impact on the Environment
Mains Link:
Q. Coastal sand mining, whether legal or illegal, poses one of the biggest threats to our environment. Analyze the impact of sand mining along the Indian coasts, citing specific examples. (UPSC – 2019)
