You are the head of a policy think-tank. There is a proposal to cut down more than 10,000 trees to build a residential colony in the capital of the country. The city has one of the highest homeless population in the country and the settlement will be used for them. This news has generated a lot of public debate. While on the one hand is the need to expand urban infrastructure in order to meet the demands of the growing population, on the other, is the environmental concern. In last ten years, the city has lost more than half of its green cover and has seen increased frequency of extreme climatic events. You are asked to deliver a lecture for the policymakers and concerned citizens, in which you have to specifically deal with the following questions: 20 (a) Why do you think such situations arise in the first place where developmental activities and environmental concerns often come out as antithetical to each other? (b) What should be the short-term and long-term solutions for tackling such situations? (c) What are the potential benefits of inculcating environmental concerns in the policy making and planning process?

(a) When the amount of resources are limited & fruits of development are unequally shared, development & environment come at

the logger heads.

The innate behavior of human beings is to survive at any cost & as this cost increases, it is the environment which has to pay for it.

Lack of planning & inclusive development are the major reasons. They get further accentuated by increasing poverty & public desire to be a part of the development process.

(b) A well articulated strategy needs to be adopted where neither development nor environment gets compromised.

SHORT-TERM :

• Since the city has seen lot of tree felling in 10 years, it will be unwise to cut 10,000 trees in one go. Some solution in the form of

relocating the colony can be looked for.

• Environmentally sustainable development in form of vertical trees (on pillars), terrace gardens should be promoted in the city.

• Relocating the trees to other areas can also be done under Compulsory Afforestation. However it shouldn't be just on paper.

LONG TERM

• Plantation drives in the city to recover its lost urban green cover

• Better resource management in terms of suburb development, rural development to manage & increase urban migration

• Empowering the citizens through education

so that they can look for other options outside other than flocking to the capital in herds.

(c) Earth is constant, civilisations & ages come & go. If proper care is not taken humanbeings will also meet the fate of dinosaurs & become extinct. Hence it is paramount to include environmental concerns in policy making.