Environment, Natural Resources & the Indian Economy

Environmental pollution is one of the major problems faced by the world community, especially in the cities of the developing countries which have experienced unbridled growth of population, urbanisation and industrialisation. Soil, forests, mines, water, air and other natural resources are productive assets of an economy. These natural and environmental resources are the basis of all economic activities. Economic activities, in turn, affect the quantity and quality of natural and environmental resources. Mining, lumbering, manufacturing, fishing and a host of other economic activities change the stock of natural resources which calls for appropriate trade-off between the needs of the present and future generations. India is the second most populous and seventh largest country in the world. Geographically, it accounts for a meagre 2.4 percent of the world's total surface area but supports and sustains a whopping 16.7 percent of the world population. Environmental problems in India can be classified into two broad categories: (a) those arising from conditions of poverty and under-development, and (b) those arising as negative effects of the very process of development. The present volume contains 12 research papers -- authored by experts in the field of environmental economics -- which provide deep insights into the linkages between development and environment and suggest remedial measures for environmentally sustainable economic policies.