Meaning of green politics
The Green represents any movement or initiative in support of the conservation and protection of natural environment. People who initiates such movements of support may be nick named as the Greens. The space of Green politics as diverse as the diversity of environment. There are movements, Non Profit organisations, Parties which are exclusively highlighting the cause of environment, legislations by governments in support of conservation, preservation and prevention of activities that are likely to do harm for the environment, international summits like Copenhagen or COP 21, Protocols (exclusive measures to reduce waste and prevention of the use of disposables and to encourage use of reusable alternatives), Declarations like Agenda 21, policies and supporting programmes like measures initiated for reducing Green House Gas emission etc. are included in the wide scenario of Green Politics. Green politics has a close bearing with the third generation human rights.
As far as the legal framework is concerned, green politics is a policy or a political stand to support natural environment. It is an attitude and holistic approach towards how to use the earth for the sustainable development.
Green Movements
Features of Green movements
The green movement is a diverse movement and the agenda set by each movement may differ from another. Some movements may be attached to social issue related to water pollution or water scarcity (Plachimada struggle in Palakkad) protection of wild life or ecology (Silent Valley movement in Kerala), development induced displacement (POSCO agitation), construction of dam and related displacement (Narmada Bachavo Andolen), against felling of trees (Appiko or Chipko movements), Opposition to nuclear plants (Koodankulam agitation)
Green movements are triggered by informed environmentalists and people. They may not attached to power politics or parliamentary democracy.
For example; Anadish Pal (famous for saving the trees in Delhi) Sunita Narian (winner of World Water Prize), Vandana Shiva (Navdanya project), Chandi Prasad Bhatt (founder of Dasholi Gram Swaraj Sangh), Rajendra Sigh (Waterman of India), Sunderlal Bahuguna (Chipko Movement), Jadav Payneg (Forest men of India), Medha Patkar (Narmada Bachavo Andolan and founder of National Alliance of People’s Movements)
The integrity of the non-human world – Green movement by and large, propagate integration of human and non-human world. They are supporting environmental ethics. For example the concept of ‘land ethics’ propagated by Aldo Leopold Cutting across the social or political divisions the space of green movements represent Diverse forum of scientists, political activists, rich and poor persons in all countries, and people with many different religious philosophies.
It was since the 1980s, global climate change has been one of the green movement’s main concerns. World Climatic Conference took place at Geneva in February 12 to 19 in 1979. Henceforth, a number of global summits were convened. For Example in November 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) was established. The Earth Summit 1992, UNFCCC came in force on 21 May 1994, first COP1(The COP [Conference of Parties]is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention) summit in Germany in April 1995 which laydown ground work for Kyoto Protocol, adoption of Kyoto Protocol on 11 December 1997, Bali Roadmap in 2007 for Bali Action Plan for five main categories, such as shared vision, mitigation, adaptation, technology and financing. Copenhagen Accord in 2009 that developed countries started financing mitigation plans. The period between 2013 to 2016 saw a number of initiatives to prevent climatic change that resulted in the signing of Paris Accord i.e. COP 21 that 192 countries signed the Paris Agreement for the first time all nations put their heads together and declared that they were willing to take responsibilities to check climatic change. The common cause based on their ‘historic, current and future responsibilities’.
Other areas of interest of Green Politics include organic agriculture, pollution, preservation of both multi-use undeveloped landscapes and wild places, protection of endangered species, resistance to genetic modification of crops and livestock, and opposition to nuclear power. As a movement it comprises of political parties, advocacy organizations, and individual activists operating on international, national, and local levels.
The green movement have succeeded in heightening public awareness of environmental issues, have won some significant legal victories, and have influenced government policies, especially in Europe. For example Sierra Club v. Morton 1972 (Sierra Club failed but it lead to the passing National Environmental Policy Act in the USA that insisted environmental impact statement from the projects mandatory. Oleum Leakage Case (court applied Absolute liability principle and deep pocket principle)
Climate Emergency Declarations
More than 1,200 governments, including 26 national governments, declared climate emergencies in 2019. These declarations are largely symbolic, but they build momentum for tangible legislation and pointedly define climate change as an existential threat.
Protection of the Ocean
The ocean is bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, absorbing an atomic bomb worth of heat every second and so much carbon that’s it’s pH level is changing. The ocean is also being filled with plastic and industrial pollution, bombarded with extreme noise pollution, and plundered by massive fishing vessels of marine species Acidification of ocean.
Prevent plastic from contaminating the ocean and the earth
The European Union voted to phase out most single-use plastics in March 2019 and countries such as India, Germany Australia and Canada announced bans on single plastic bags. Big companies also extended support to phase out single use plastic. Companies like McDonald decided to move on all-in on plastic alternatives and companies like Uniliever further moves to invest in ‘milkman’ model of consumption in which containes are collected, refulled and redistributed.
Green movements
Bishnoi Movement (1700)
Bishnoi is a religious sect founded by Guru Maharaj Jambaji in 1485. The movement was located at the Western Thar Desert of present day Rajastan. It is non-violent community of nature worshippers. It was a movement against deforestation started around 1700 AD 363 people of the sect were killed. But the incident was quite unknown to the king. When the king of this region came to know about the protest and killing , he rushed to the region and apologized and later declared the region as Protected Area. Amrita Devi accelerated the movement on behalf of the cult.
Chipko Movement (1973)
Launched from Gopeshwar in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand in 1973, the movement was to prevent illegal felling of trees in the Himalayan region (Uttarakhand). Sunderlal Bahuguna and Chandi Prasad Bhatt were the leaders of this movement. They hugged the trees to save. The most notable characteristics of this movement were the involvement of women.
Appiko Movement (1983)
In 1983, on the lines of Chipko Movement, Pandurang Hegde launched a movement which is come to known as Appiko Movement in Karnataka. Its main objectives were afforestation as well as development, conservation and proper utilization of forests in the best manner. The meaning of “appiko” is to express one's affection for a tree by embracing it.
Silent Valley Movement (1973)
It was a protest against construction of Hydro Electric Project across Kunthipuzha, Palakad and the proposed dam was in a tropical evergreen forest. Under pressure, the government had to declare it the national reserve forests in 1985. Kerala Satra Sahithya Prashad (KSSP) played crucial role in the Silent Valley Movement.
Jungle Bachao Andolan (1982)
The tribal community of Singhbhum district of Jharkhand agitated against planting of high priced teak uprooting natural forests in 1982. Many environmentalists refer to this movement as “Greed Game Political Populism”
Narmada Bachao Movement
The environmentalists and the local people started protest against the building of Dams on the Narmada for the production of hydro-electricity since 1985 which was popularly known as Narmada Bachao Aandolan. There are 30 big dams in the River Narmada. Medha Patkar has been the leader of this aandolan who got support from the Arundhati Roy, Baba Amte and Aamir Khan.
Chaliar agitation in Kerala
K. A Rahman was the leader who led the protest under the banner of Chaliyar Kakka Malsya Thozhilali Union.
(John C Jacob (teacher in Devagiri College) started first environmental club in south India for students. Formed SEEK (Society for environmental education in Kerala) developed into a centre of environmental activism with unique educational programmes. Published magazines The first one, Soochimughi, was started in 1981 and the second, Ankh, in 1986)
Anti Endosulfan Movement
The movement against Endosulfan in Kerala seems to be a relevant topic in this study for the reason that the trade unions in Hindustan Pesticides limited (HPL), one of the factories producing this most dangerous pesticide, have come forward to resist the movement. Leelakumari, an agricultural assistant, firstly started the struggle against Endosulfan. Initially supported by SEEK and Thanal.Sree Padhre (the rain man in south canara) noted journalist was also associated with the movement. He published a number of articles Industrial Pollution in Eloor-Edayar region
River Pollution in Kathikudam
Industrial Pollution in Eloor-Edayar region
“The river systems are in real danger of being irrecoverably polluted due to heavy discharge of industrial effluents and other factors” The major industries in Eloor –Edayar region ( Ernakulum District)are –Travancore Cochin Chemicals Ltd (TCC), Fertilizer and Chemicals Travancore Ltd(FACT), Indian Rare Earth Ltd, Hindustan Insecticides Ltd, Binani Zinc Ltd, Merchem Ltd and Indian aluminium Company Ltd.
Green Parties
The Greens, also called Green Party, any of various environmentalist or ecological-oriented political parties that formed beginning in the 1970s. An umbrella organization known as the European Greens was founded in Brussels, Belg., in January 1984 to coordinate the activities of the various European parties. Green representatives sit in the European Parliament as part of the Greens/European Free Alliance. The first and most successful national party known as the Greens (die Grünen) was founded in West Germany by Herbert Gruhl, Petra Kelly, and others in 1979 and arose out of the merger of about 250 ecological and environmentalist groups. The greens become a national party in Germany by 1980
Indian Constitution and the Green Space
The Constitution under Part IV (Article 48 A- Directive Principles of State Policies) stipulates that the State shall try to improve and protect the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife of the country.
Article 51-A (g), says that “It shall be duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have compassion for living creatures.” According to procedure established by law”. Article 21 has received liberal interpretation from time to time after the decision of the Supreme Court in Maneka Gandhi vs. Union of India, (AIR 1978 SC 597). Article 21 guarantees fundamental right to life. Right to environment, free of danger of disease and infection is inherent in it. Right to healthy environment is important attribute of right to live with human dignity. The right to live in a healthy environment as part of Article 21 of the Constitution was first recognized in the case of Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra vs. State, AIR 1988 SC 2187 (Popularly known as Dehradun Quarrying Case). Public Interest Litigation under Article 32 and 226 of the constitution of India resulted in a wave of environmental litigation. The leading environmental cases decided by the Supreme Court includes case of closure of limestone quarries in the Dehradun region (Dehradun Quarrying case, AIR 1985 SC 652), the installation of safeguard at a chlorine plant in Delhi (M.C. Mehta V. Union of India, AIR 1988 SC 1037) etc. In Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum vs. Union of India (1996) 5 SCC 647, the Court observed that “the Precautionary Principle” and “the Polluter Pays Principle” are essential features of “Sustainable Development.”
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