Seminar on ‘Achieving Sustainable Development’

Acharya Nagarjuna University Professor B. Sambasiva Rao speaking at a seminar organised by PSGR Krishnammal College for Women in Coimbatore recently. Poverty and environment are inter-related, B.Sambasiva Rao, Professor, Department of Economics, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh, said here on Wednesday. Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Strategies for Achieving Sustainable Development’ organised by the Department of Economics and Centre for Women’s Studies of PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, he said impoverished countries were the ones that were suffering from serious environmental issues.

When poverty was the central most concern in life, environmental conservation took a back seat. Those who were impoverished did not understand or value the importance of natural resources. For the successful implementation of environmental policies in developing countries, issues of landlessness, poverty and lack of access to institutional resources had to be addressed, Mr.Rao observed. Though the middle-class was mildly concerned about environmental conservation, those on the extremities - the poorest and the richest - were not concerned about healthy environmental practices. Rising incomes forced people to adopt anti-environmental lifestyles.

The use of plastics had gone up and the trend of building huge houses was catching on. “We often fail to understand that the growth and overall quality of life depends on the quality of the environment,” Mr.Rao said. As population was increasing steadily, water and other natural resources were depleting. Sanitation and availability of drinking water were the greatest problems faced by urban areas today owing to population pressure.

Most cities did not have the infrastructural back-up to accommodate the ever-increasing population. Migration of people from the rural areas contributed to this. The population explosion had led to food shortage too. Urban development was closely related to environmental issues. The collapse of urban infrastructure coupled with industrial and vehicular emissions resulted in air and water pollution. This in turn paved the way for epidemics culminating in a national health crisis, Mr.Rao observed.

Sustainable development meant meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising on the needs of future generations. The relationship between economy and environment depended upon the level of economic development, level of environmental degradation, extent of poverty, extent of income inequalities, and population pressure. Women, especially in the rural areas, played an important role in environmental conservation. By educating them on the need to use forest wealth wisely, environmental conservation would be possible.

Students and the youth needed to be made aware of the relationship between environment and economics. The Andhra Pradesh Government had instructed all colleges and universities to start environmental economics as a compulsory paper at the undergraduate and post graduate levels, he said. N.Yasodha Devi, Principal of the college, attended the seminar.

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