Explore Our Affordable Courses

Click Here

NCERT NOTES

Elevate your UPSC preparation with NCERT Notes – because every word matters on your journey to success.

Ecology and Society’s Interplay: Process, Management & Movement

December 14, 2023 1002 0

Ecology and Society Impact: Ecology’s Evolution Through Time

Ecology and society form the interconnected web of physical and biological systems. It is significantly influenced by human activities over time. Human interventions have transformed ecological facets from altering natural phenomena like aridity or flood-proneness through deforestation to global warming due to climate change. 

This transformation extends to creating human-made environments like agricultural farms and urban landscapes.

Ecological Impact of Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution in Britain had global ecological impacts, as it led to the expansion of cotton plantations in southern North America and the Caribbean, resulting in forced West African slave labor and depopulation. In Britain, coal-burning mills polluted the air, while rural-to-urban migration caused overcrowded, unsanitary living conditions. The ecological footprint of the cotton industry was evident in both urban and rural areas.

Exploring Relationship Between ecology and society: Society, Resources, and Ideologies

  • Nature’s Influence and Global Societal Footprint: Ecological factors like fertile soils enable certain ecology and society-related activities like intensive agriculture.
    • While societal frameworks like capitalism shape ecology and society globally, as exemplified by the widespread environmental effects of automobiles. 
  • The Impact of Property Relations: Property relations play a pivotal role in determining the utilisation and control of ecology and society’s natural resources.
    • It often leads to different social groups experiencing varied levels of ecology and society-related resource access and scarcity.
  • Perspectives on Environment-Society Relationships: Societal values, norms, and knowledge systems reflect the diverse perspectives on ecology and society-related relationships. 
    • Ideological Threads: The commodification of ecology and society under capitalism, land redistributions under socialist values, or religiously driven ecology and society-related conservation efforts depict how different ideologies impact environmental interactions. 
    • Colonial Footprint: Colonialism, too, contributed to ecology and society-related environmental knowledge and management for resource exploitation, birthing disciplines like geology and forestry.

Environmental Management as a challenge: Industrial Challenges

  • Navigating Complexity: The challenge of environmental management lies in the limited understanding of biophysical processes and the complexity introduced by industrialization. 
  • Industrialization’s Risks: Industrial environments, with their accelerated resource extraction and fragile management systems, bring about a spectrum of risks, as seen in disasters like Chernobyl and Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
    • It showcases the intricate and often perilous nexus between human societies and their ecological bases.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

  • On December 3, 1984, Bhopal suffered a grave industrial disaster due to an accidental Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) release from a Union Carbide pesticide factory, causing around 4,000 deaths and 200,000 permanent disabilities.
  • Initially welcomed in 1977 for economic benefits, the plant soon displayed safety issues, with several leakages reported before the tragic event.
  • Despite numerous warnings, including one from the Bhopal Municipal Corporation and a 1982 safety survey by Union Carbide USA highlighting safety lapses, both state and central governments ignored the concerns due to a nexus between the company and political circles. 
  • The plant’s substandard design lacked critical safety features, and reduced operational standards further exacerbated the risks.
  • The tragedy underscores the severe consequences of neglecting safety guidelines, political-corporate apathy, and the failure to implement adequate preventive measures against industrial hazards.

Major Environmental Problems and Risks: Depletion, Pollution, Warming

  • Resource Depletion: Non-renewable natural resources are being depleted rapidly, with serious concerns surrounding water, land, and fossil fuel depletion. 
    • Example: Groundwater levels are falling drastically in India due to intensive agriculture, industrial usage, and urban demands. 
      • Biodiversity habitats like forests and wetlands are under threat due to agricultural expansion and deforestation, endangering various species.
  • Pollution: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution, stemming from industrial emissions, vehicular exhaust, and indoor pollution from cooking fires, causes significant health issues, claiming around 7 million lives globally in 2012. 
  • Water Pollution: Primarily from domestic sewage, industrial effluents, and agricultural runoff, is another critical concern. 
  • Noise Pollution: Urban areas also grapple with noise pollution from various sources, including traffic and public events.
    • Global Warming: The release of particular gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and others) creates a ‘greenhouse’ effect by trapping the sun’s heat and not allowing it to dissipate. 
      • Greenhouse gas emissions are leading to a rise in global temperatures, potentially melting polar ice fields, raising sea levels, and causing ecological imbalances
      • Emerging Giants: Notably, India and China are becoming significant contributors to global emissions.
  • Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Gene-splicing techniques introduce genes from one species to another, like making cotton resistant to bollworms. 
    • However, the long-term effects on humans and ecosystems are uncertain. 
    • Genetic modifications can also lead to sterile seeds, making farmers dependent on agricultural companies for seeds.
  • Natural and Man-made Environmental Disasters: Instances like the Bhopal gas leak in 1984 and the 2004 Tsunami are examples of devastating man-made and natural environmental disasters.
    • It causes massive loss of lives and illustrates the potential dangers inherent in industrial activities and natural phenomena.

Industrial Pollution

Ecological Movements: Unintended Consequences

  • Development Dilemmas: The modern era has been heavily focused on development.
    • This has raised concerns due to unchecked natural resource utilisation and a development model that creates perpetual needs, leading to further exploitation of already depleted resources.
  • Unintended Consequences: This model has faced criticism for its assumption that all societal segments would benefit from development.
    •  In reality, initiatives like big dams and industries have displaced people from their homes and livelihoods, with industrial pollution exacerbating the situation.

Social Movements in the Information Age

In the modern information age, global social movements unite through vast networks, involving NGOs, religious groups, human rights advocates, and more. Examples like the Seattle protests against the World Trade Organisation illustrate the role of internet-based platforms in organizing such movements.

The Intersection of Social Inequality and Ecological Sustainability: Bridging Social and Green Divides

  • Chipko Movement: The Chipko Movement highlighted social inequality, juxtaposing villagers’ needs against commercial, capitalist interests represented by the government. 
  • Ecological Wake-Up Call: It raised ecological sustainability concerns, as deforestation led to environmental destruction, manifesting in floods and landslides. 
  • Red and Green Interdependence: For villagers, the intertwined ‘red’ (social) and ‘green’ (environmental) issues were crucial, as their survival and the forest’s ecological wealth were mutually dependent. 
    • Additionally, the movement voiced hill villagers’ resentment towards an indifferent government located distantly in the plains.

Ecological Movements: A Glimpse through Chipko Movement

Initiatives Towards Ecological Balance: Government Initiatives

  • Government Initiatives for Ecological Harmony: Recognising the importance of ecological balance, the Government of India initiated systematic efforts like the ‘Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission’ (Namami Gange) and ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’.
    • These schemes  aim to foster ecological balance, structure, and quality within India’s environment. 
    • These initiatives underline the necessity of a harmonized approach towards development, ecology, and social equity.
    • Example: Chipko Movement’s endeavour to protect both livelihoods and natural resources.

Relationship between Environmental Problems and Social Problems: Social Injustice in Environmental Struggles

  • Environmental Injustice: The impact of environmental problems is intertwined with ecology and society, where social status and power dictate how individuals or groups can shield themselves from or address environmental crises. 
    • Example: In water-scarce regions like Kutch and Gujarat, wealthier farmers can afford deep-bore tubewells to irrigate their fields, leaving the poorer villagers without water during droughts.
  • Universal Challenges: Certain environmental issues, like air pollution and biodiversity conservation, are often seen as universal concerns. 
    • However, sociological analysis emphasises that the pursuit of these concerns may not always benefit everyone equally. 
    • The prioritisation and approach to addressing these issues may serve the interests of politically and economically powerful groups, potentially worsening the plight of the poorer and politically weaker sections.
  • Social Ecology: The school of social ecology emphasises that social relations, particularly regarding property and production organisation, influence environmental perceptions and practises. 
    • Different social groups have diverse relationships with the environment, leading to varied interests and ideologies, which in turn fuel environmental conflicts. 
      • Example: A Forest Department aiming to maximise revenue from bamboo sales to a paper industry has a contrasting view and utilisation of a forest compared to an artisan harvesting bamboo for basket-making.
  • Environmental Solutions: Addressing environmental problems necessitates altering the ecology and society relations.
    • It requires changing the relations between different social groups such as men and women, urban and rural populations, landlords, and labourers. 
    • These changed social relations will foster different knowledge systems and environmental management approaches, aiming for a more equitable resolution to environmental crises.

Gandhi on Industrialism

‘God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism in the manner of the West. The economic imperialism of a single tiny island kingdom (England) is today keeping the world in chains. If an entire nation of 300 million took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like locusts.’

Balancing Ecology and Economy: Towards Sustainable Development: Toward Sustainable Future

  • Balancing Acts: The complex interaction between ecology and economy highlights the need for a balanced approach to ensure a promising future for humanity. 
  • A Legacy of Exploitation: Ecological Disarray and Inequality
    • Over the last 300 years, the economic development trajectory, characterised by controlling and ruthlessly exploiting ecology and society for the benefit of a section of the population, has resulted in the extinction of numerous species. 
    • Disrupted Equilibrium: The reliance on non-renewable energy and the introduction of new species to cater to the industrial world have significantly disrupted ecology and society.
  • Consumption and Inequality: The existing capitalist development model thrives on consumption, necessitating the replacement of old things with new ones to sustain consumerism, further exacerbating global inequality. 
    • This inequality, coupled with the prevalent system of social stratification, allows certain sections to control the majority of resources and opportunities, leaving the marginalised further deprived. 
  • Towards Sustainability: To ensure a sustainable world for both present and future generations, there’s a call for building a society that promotes equitable resource distribution and inclusive development. 
    • Global Aspirations: The member states of the United Nations, alongside global civil society, have recognised this need, formulating the 17 “Global Goals” of sustainable development with 169 targets. 
  • No Planet B: These goals resonate with the sentiment expressed by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon: “There can be no Plan B because there is no Planet B,” underscoring the urgency of adopting sustainable development practises to safeguard our planet for future generations.

Sustainable Development

  • The concept of “Sustainable Development,” as outlined in the Brundtland Report (October 1987), emphasises meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 
  • This concept prioritises addressing the essential needs of the world’s poor and acknowledges the limitations imposed by current technology and social organisation on the environment’s capacity to fulfil present and future needs.

Conclusion

  • The article connected the interplay between India’s environmental challenges and social dynamics, starting with tribal autonomy, caste and women-based movements, post-independence in Assam, transitioning to environmental crises, exploring key global and local environmental issues, and culminating with the Bhopal Gas Tragedy case. 
  • It underscored the necessity for sustainable practises, robust governance, and societal equity to mitigate environmental risks and advocate for a balanced coexistence with ecology and society.

Glossary

  • Hydrology: The science of water and its flows; or the broad structure of water resources in a country or region.
  • Deforestation: The loss of forest area due to cutting down trees and/or taking over the land for other purposes, usually cultivation.
  • Green House: A covered structure for protecting plants from extremes of climate, usually from excessive cold; a greenhouse (also called a hothouse) maintains a warmer temperature inside compared to the outside temperature.
  • Emissions: Waste gases given off by a human-initiated process, usually in the context of industries or vehicles.
  • Effluents: Waste materials in fluid form produced from industrial processes.
  • Aquifers: Natural underground formations in the geology of a region where water gets stored.
  • Monoculture: When the plant life in a locality or region is reduced to a single variety.
  • Sanskritisation:  It is a sociological term that refers to the process of lower castes or tribes adopting the cultural practices of higher castes to gain social mobility.
  • Untouchability: It is a social practice that discriminates against people based on their caste and occupation.
  • Neo-Buddhism: It is a religious and socio-political movement in India. It was started by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar in 1956.
  • Dikus: It means “outsiders“. It was used by the Munda tribal groups in the Chota Nagpur region of Jharkhand.
  • Ecology: It is the study of how living things interact with their environment.
  • The greenhouse effect: It is the natural warming of the Earth that occurs when gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun.

 

Need help preparing for UPSC or State PSCs?

Connect with our experts to get free counselling & start preparing

Download October 2024 Current Affairs.   Srijan 2025 Program (Prelims+Mains) !     Current Affairs Plus By Sumit Sir   UPSC Prelims2025 Test Series.    IDMP – Self Study Program 2025.

 

THE MOST
LEARNING PLATFORM

Learn From India's Best Faculty

      

Download October 2024 Current Affairs.   Srijan 2025 Program (Prelims+Mains) !     Current Affairs Plus By Sumit Sir   UPSC Prelims2025 Test Series.    IDMP – Self Study Program 2025.

 

Quick Revise Now !
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

<div class="new-fform">







    </div>

    Subscribe our Newsletter
    Sign up now for our exclusive newsletter and be the first to know about our latest Initiatives, Quality Content, and much more.
    *Promise! We won't spam you.
    Yes! I want to Subscribe.