Questions for the @narendramodi @PrakashJavdekar @Jairam_Ramesh @moefcc on India's commitment to the environment and the purpose and validity of the #EIA2020
India emits about 4.85 GT of Carbon every year. It absorbs less than 0.28 GT of carbon through its existing forest and tree cover. How can the Ministry claim it is assessing environmental impact if there is no public record of carbon emissions projects cleared by the ministry?
In the 2016 India committed itself to increasing its carbon sink by 2.5 to 3 GT of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. The Government, however, has not even notified this commitment for every ministry to align to this goal.
Can a government that fails to even mandate its own environmental commitment across its ministries care about the impact other private projects have on the environment?
The EIA does not create a record of the industry-wise, district-wise or state-wise carbon emissions or sequestration. Nor does it create any similar industry-wise, district-wise or state-wise record of the forests, waterbodies, mountains and other environmental assets.
How can the Government identify the industries, districts or states that are causing ecocide, or are the worst environmental offenders or assert it protects the environment? What is it protecting?
The #EIA2020 is being enacted under section 23 of the EPA. This only provides for making rules to delegate powers. The EIA 2020 changes the scope and procedure of what is protected. Isn’t this legislative overreach?
How can the EIA 2020 be anything but pretend law, and ab initio invalid, when enacted under section 23 of the EPA? What is the standing committee on subordinate legislation doing about this pretend law?
The World Commission on Environment and Development highlighted in 1987 that the environment was our home and development was that what we do to make our home comfortable. How can development that destroys our home be meaningful and serve to protect our common future?
Gro Harlem Brundtland, Chairperson of the WCED pointed out that most of our environmental challenges arise as our institutions tend to be independent, fragmented, working to relatively narrow mandates with closed decision processes.
What steps, in your view, @PrakashJavdekar, @moefcc, @Jairam_Ramesh, @narendramodi are necessary to address this issue in India?
In 1987 WCED had called for “a new era of development, one that must be based on policies that sustain and expand the environmental resource base”. This is even more relevant today. Where are we on this and what steps do you envisage to make this happen? @narendramodi
What public database of the mountains, the forests, rivers, the lakes, the ponds, the groundwater, biodiversity, and climate of India exists so that an EIA can objectively ensure that the environmental assets of India are not being plundered and destroyed?
