14
Dec 2024
2:00 PM to 2:45 PM
Cities in Balance: Conservation and Sustainable Urban Development
Plant 13, Godrej Enterprises Group, Pirojshanagar, Vikhroli, Mumbai
Did you know that India's environmental consciousness predates the
global movement? Long before Silent Spring or climate change debates, a
handful of Indian thinkers championed the need for ecological balance and
social justice. Discover their legacy at the Mumbai launch of this deeply
researched book.
Explore India’s deep-rooted
environmental consciousness as the author sheds light on the pioneering voices
that redefined sustainability in a riveting intellectual exchange. As the
nation faces pressing challenges—rising pollution, vanishing green spaces, and
the growing need for sustainable urban planning—understanding our environmental
roots has never been more vital. From Tagore to Kumarappa, these early thinkers
continue to shape our ecological conscience and guide our path forward.
Join us and unearth the wisdom of the past to guide us toward a sustainable future.
Ramachandra Guha was born and raised in the Himalayan foothills. He studied in Delhi and Kolkata, and has lived for many years in Bengaluru. His books include a pioneering environmental history, The Unquiet Woods, a landmark history of the Republic, India after Gandhi, and an authoritative two-volume biography of Mahatma Gandhi, each of which was chosen by the New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. His books and essays have been translated into more than twenty languages. Ramachandra Guha has taught at Stanford and Oslo, held the Phillippe Roman Chair at the London School of Economics, and served as the Satish Dhawan Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Science. He is currently Distinguished University Professor at Krea University. Guha’s awards include the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society of Environmental History, the Howard Milton Prize of the British Society for Sports History, the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography, the Sahitya Akademi Award, and the Fukuoka Prize for contributions to Asian studies. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in the humanities from Yale University
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Supriya Nair is head of research and media at the Godrej DEI Lab. She is a journalist and editor who co-founded the publication Fifty Two, and a former books columnist for Mumbai Mirror. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy and Vogue.
Read moreIndia’s Position on the Global Environmental Stage
The global climate crisis has ignited an urgent race to protect people, biodiversity, and the future of our planet. The 2015 Paris Agreement marked a historic commitment, with 196 countries pledging to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C. India stands at a pivotal point in this fight, as over 80% of its population faces high vulnerability to hydrometeorological disasters, including floods, droughts, cyclones, and heatwaves. Beyond the severe humanitarian impact, the economic consequences are profound: extreme heat and humidity could risk up to 4.5% of India’s GDP by 2030 due to reduced labor hours, according to the Reserve Bank of India’s Report on Currency and Finance 2022-2023. While India currently contributes 6.67% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, underlining its commitment to climate action.
Indian Indigenous Communities and Environmental Stewardship
Representing approximately 8.6% of India’s population, indigenous communities across India have developed a rich, symbiotic relationship with their natural environments, much like indigenous communities worldwide. The Karbi of Assam, Apatani of Arunachal Pradesh, and Khasi of Meghalaya are among the many who actively engage in environmental conservation. Their traditional knowledge systems provide valuable insights; for instance, Chakma communities in Mizoram use natural dyes and materials in their weaving practices, promoting sustainable resource use. Indigenous-led solutions have even gained international recognition, such as those of communities in Rajasthan presented at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum 2024 for Sustainable Development in New York. These solutions include the use of native seed varieties for self-sufficiency and crop diversity to enhance climate resilience.
Environmental Movements in India
India has witnessed a range of impactful environmental movements throughout its history. The Chipko Movement of the 1970s, led by rural women from Uttarakhand, became an enduring symbol of resistance against environmental degradation. This grassroots movement, in which participants physically hugged trees to prevent logging in the Himalayan region, significantly influenced government policies. Around the same time, the Silent Valley Movement in Kerala harnessed the power of words, slogans, seminars, and legal appeals to protect the tropical forest in Palakkad district from a proposed hydroelectric project that threatened to submerge the ecosystem. More recently, the movement to preserve the Aarey forests in Mumbai in 2019 demonstrated the profound impact that young people can have in the fight against climate change.
Urban Environmental Challenges
Cities in India and worldwide face significant challenges related to waste disposal, and air and water pollution. In the European Union, air pollution is estimated to cause around 1,200 deaths annually among young people under 18. Delhi and Lahore consistently rank among the world’s most polluted cities, while Mumbai generates approximately 6,300 metric tonnes of waste daily, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Environmental Status Report (ESR) 2022-2023.
