MODULE 4

SOCIAL ISSUES AND ENVIRONMENT

“Environment is the sum total of all conditions and influences that affect the development
and life of organisms."

The needs of life depend upon the interaction between organism and the environmental
complex. At present, man has emerged as the most dominant and successful animal of the
biosphere. His mental capabilities are very high. These have enabled him to understand and
interpret the natural phenomenon in the world around him. He consumes the largest amount
of energy and material from the environment and manipulates the same as per his needs. Thus
the interference of man in shaping the environment has reached a critical stage. In the light of
these facts, the social issues related to the environment are discussed here.

Sustainable Development

The word sustainability denotes the characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained
indefinitely. In the context of development sustainability can be treated as a dynamic concept.
Thus sustainable developments are those developments which fulfil the present needs of
mankind without railing the needs of future generations.

The concept of sustainable development was conceived in early 1970s when the necessity
was felt to preserve the fast depleting natural resources. Before this period, the developments
were almost unsustainable and the natural resources were fast depleting and ecological
balance was in danger.

G.H. Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and the Director of WHO, defined
sustainable development as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Thus sustainability of a system
depends on the carrying capacity of the system. In case the carrying capacity is crossed (i.e.,
by over exploitation of resources), environmental degradation commences and continues till
it reaches the point of no return.

Objectives of Sustainable Developments

The following are the objectives of sustainable developments.

(i) To avail basic needs of life to all human beings.

(ii) To bring utility based consumption of natural resources.
(iii) To make economic growth within the safeguarded limits.
(iv) To minimise or remove the regional imbalance in conservation of nature.
(v) To run simultaneous development and maintenance of environment.
(vi) To unite international fraternity for fighting the menace of pollution.
(vii) To adopt a long-term view or better relation between the human and species generations.
(viii)To continue unabated ecological processes.
Urban Problems Related to Energy

Energy plays a unique role to the socio-economic development of a society. It is the key input
in the economic growth. Thus there is a close link between the availability of energy and the
future growth of a nation.

Presently, no one can think of a comfortable life without energy. However, the demand for
energy has undergone a sharp increase with rapid growth in industrialisation, urbanisation
and population explosion. It may be the electrical energy or be the thermal energy obtained
from fossil and nuclear fuels. A large increase in their consumption has created some
problems in urban areas as compared to rural areas. But a greater concern of the problem is
imbalance between the demand and supply. On one side there is a large increase in demand
of energy and on the other side, the conventional sources of energy are fast exhausting. Such
a situation has created a wide gap between demand and supply. Thus the feelings at energy
scenario, especially in urban areas show a scene of disappointment.

The following are the formidable issues of energy problem in urban areas.

(i) Mode of utilising the energy from non-renewable sources at their maximum
efficiency.
(ii) Mode of making use of renewable or alternative sources of energy
The following policies (paths) can be chalked out and implemented to solve the problems of
energy.
(i) Hard path. Hard path provides stress the continued utilisation of fossil fuels, enhancing
its exploration, and a greater use in power plants.

(ii) Soft path. Soft path provides stress on the use of environment friendly energy sources
like solar, wind, biomass and so on.

(iii) Mixed path. Mixed path advocates for an integrated path by co-ordinating all the
sources of energy (such as fossil, nuclear, water, wind, solar, etc.) into one.

In the light of the above choices of path, the determination of final choice depends on the
prevailing situations.

Water Conservation

Water is the free gift of nature and is an essential natural resource for sustaining life and
environment. Owing to enhanced demands, the available water resources are under
tremendous pressure. Thus the time is not far when water will become a scarce commodity.
Its conservation is, therefore, essential for all needs.

The careful use and protection of water resources (both the quantity and quality of water
used) is known as water conservation. The following are the main strategies which can be
adopted to conserve the water.
1. Measures to conserve water in day-to-day life.
2. Sustainable water utilisation
3. Rainwater harvesting.

1. Measures to conserve water in day-to-day life

The following are the main areas of activities which need water conservation in day-to-day
life.

(i) Domestic Conservation. By implementing the following measures, nearly half of the
water used for domestic purposes can be saved without major changes in the life style.

a) Not allowing water leakage.

b) Turn-off water when not absolutely required.
c) Washing grassy lawns, house floors etc. when really required.
d) Avoiding irrigation of land at noon.
e) Using drip irrigation or direct sprinkling of water on garden plants.

(ii) Agricultural Conservation. Agriculture is the largest water user. But a large quantity of
the agricultural water used is lost due to leakage in irrigation canals, run off and evaporation
etc. However, through the following agricultural conservation measures, tremendous saving
of water may be achieved.

a) Adopting better farm techniques such as inter cropping, minimum tillage etc.
b) Encouraging the development of crops which require less water and drought resistant.
c) Using mulch (artificial protective covering around the plants) to help in retaining
water around the plants.
d) Irrigating fields in the early morning or at night when evaporation is minimum.
e) Lining on canal sides and bottom to minimise the seepage.

(iii) Industrial Conservation. Industries and manufacturing units can take up the following
water conservation measures.

(a) Repeated recycling the water in thermal power plants

(b) Utilising dry cooling systems or cooling towers which use less water
(c) Reusing the cooling water for irrigation or other needs.

2. Sustainable Water Utilisation

Sustainable water utilisation requires a mode of consumption that fulfils the minimum
essential requirements and its considerable preservation for future generation. The following
measures are suggested to be adopted in this regard.

(a) Restricting domestic water consumption to a minimum

(b) Designing and constructing the irrigational canals in a way that there is
minimum seepage through their sides and bottom and also evaporation is
minimum from the top.
 (c) Recycling the outgoing / waste water to use it repeatedly in industrial
applications.
(d) Utilising natural means of regeneration (in lieu of supplementing it by
artificial means) in production of vegetation.
(e) Maintaining the quality of water within desirable limits through various ways
of pollution checks.

3. Rainwater Harvesting

A technique of collecting rainwater on the roofs of building and storing it underground for
later use is called “rainwater harvesting. Rainwater harvesting increases the water availability
and checks the declining water table.

Objectives of Rainwater Harvesting

The various reasons for rainwater harvesting are as follows.

i) Checking the run off water and avoiding floods,

ii) Helping to meet the increasing demand of water.
iii) Helping to raise the water table by recharging ground water.
iv) Supplementing groundwater supplies during lean season
v) Reducing ground water contamination.
vi) Availing of water at free of cost.

Methods of Rainwater Harvesting

The following are the various methods of rainwater harvesting

i) Roof top rainwater harvesting. Under this method, the 2220 rainwater that falls on the
roofs of buildings or in courtyards is collected and stored in underground tanks or diverted to
some 26lanas abandoned well. The collected water may be drawn from the tank or well by
using hand pump or motor pump for future use.

ii Artificial recharging. It is an indigenous method of harvesting rainwater by collecting the

rainwater in bandhs and ponds to enhance water levels in wells and tubewells. It helps in
protecting water resources and assumes a constant supply of clean water. mod habe za antire
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iii Micro-catchment water harvesting. This is a technique of collecting surface run off from
a small catchment area and storing it in the root zone of an adjacent infiltration basin. The
basin is usually planted with trees bushes or with annual crops.

ivMacro-catchment water harvesting. In this technique runoff from hill slope catchments is
conveyed to the cropping area located at hill foot on flat at terrain. This technique is also
known as harvesting from external catchments.
Amongst the above methods, the roof top rainwater harvesting is the most popular system at
present.

WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

Watershed is the land area from which water drains under gravity to a common drainage
channel. Hence, watershed is a delineated area with a well defined topographic boundary and
one water outlet. The Himalayas are one of the most critical watersheds in the world.

Watershed management is defined as "the rational utilisation of land and water resources for
optimum production that causes minimum damage to the natural resources."

Watersheds supply water for irrigation, hydro-power generation, transportation, domestic use
and reduce the chances of floods and droughts. These are often degraded due to unscientific
land use, overgrazing, deforestation etc. Thus treating watershed management as a basic
functional unit is extremely necessary for the perennial supply of water and economy of the
nation.

Methods of Watershed Management

The following are the important measures to be taken up for the watershed management.

i) Water harvesting. Rainwater is stored in water harvesting structures for the use in dry
seasons.
ii) Crop plantation. Plantation of trees prevents run off loss and soil erosion. It also
enhances soil moisture.
iii) Mechanical measures-Various measures such as terracing, bunding, contour cropping
etc., are promoted in the sloppy areas of watersheds.
iv) Scientific mining and quarrying. Mining and quarrying the hills in scientific and
planned ways can minimise the destructive effects in watershed areas.
v) People's participation. Participation of local people comprising farmers and tribals
should be promoted in the soil and water conservation programmes.

RESETTLEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF PEOPLE

Usually the industrial and developmental projects provide manifold benefits to the society
and raise the quality and standard of life of the people. But very often the people of these
sites are displaced from their homeland. The main causes of such displacements are the
establishment of various developmental projects like power plants, oil refineries, fertilizer
and chemical industries, river valley projects, dams, reservoirs, expressway and mining.
Problems of displacement

The following are the main problems of displacement.

(i) Displaced people lose their land, homes, jobs and property. This often leads to social
isolation and increased morbidity and mortality.
(ii) As the people are settled at various places, the joint families and tribal communities often
face disintegration
(iii) The social and cultural activities and kinship systems of tribal people vanish with their
displacement.
(iv) The inherited knowledge and experiences of the local people about the plants and
animals of that area and their uses get lost with the displacement.
(v) The displaced people lose their identity and intimate link with the environment.
(yi) The education of children is interrupted.

Rehabilitation Policy
There is a need for a comprehensive National Rehabilitation Policy. Thus the following
objectives are to be kept in mind for the rehabilitation programme.

i) To provide an appropriate share to the displaced people.

ii) To rehabilitate the displaced people within their own environment.
iii) To provide some land to all for the removal of poverty.
iv) To provide an assurance of employment to even the landless outstees.
v) To preserve the culture, tradition and rights of the tribals while dealing with them.
vi) To set up training facilities to upgrade the skills of affected people.
vii) To provide reservation in jobs for willing adults among the evacuees.
viii) provide special attention to the rehabilitation of artisans and village craft‫ا‬
ix) To take villagers into confidence at every stage of implementation. monlarnino
x) To take the aid of voluntary agencies in the planning and implementation of the
rehabilitation programme.

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

The term ethics deals with the studies of moral values. Moral value is the ability of man to
distinguish between right or wrong actions. Thus environmental ethics relate to the right or
wrong actions of man in respect of his surrounding. It also teaches how to treat nature (i.e.,
air, water, land other species).

'Environmental ethics' or 'earth ethics' is defined as "the issues, principles and guidelines
relating to human interactions with their environment.” Thus the following are the basic
principles underlying environmental ethics or Dharma of ecology.

a) Protecting renewable natural resources.

b) Conserving non-renewable resources.
c) Adopting sustainablility as a mode of living.
d) Avoiding consumerism.
 e) Participating with environment to eradicate poverty.
f) Link environment with peace and security.
g) Optimum use of resources by nation.

The world started realising the dangers of human actions on environment in early 1970. As a
result of it, the environmental ethics came into being. The main causes of such concerns were
various issues, whose effects have changed the world environment. The following are such
issues.

 Increased deforestation resulted in reduced purification of atmosphere.

 Burning of fossil fuels resulted in concentration of carbondioxide and other harmful
gases and presence of harmful elements in atmosphere.
 Consumption of natural resources at a faster rate resulted in fast depletion of such
resources.
 Industrialisation and other technological developments resulted in quality
deterioration on environmental ingredients.

The impact of these issues initiated many serious problems. The following are the most
critical among them.

1. Climate change 2. Green house effect and global warming 3. Acid rain 4. Ozone layer
depletion.

1. Climate Change. The representative atmospheric conditions at a place or places on earth

is termed as climate. Weather is distinct from climate. While weather refers to dayto-day state
of the atmosphere, climate refers to long periods, such as seasons, years or decades.

The variability of nature is an intrinsic part of all environmental systems. For instance, the
mean annual lemperature of the earth has swung up and down by several degree Celsius
through geological time. Similarly, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases has
fluctuated through geological time.

At present, there is a growing concern that human activities may affect the energy-exchange
balance between the earth, the atmosphere and space resulting in changes in global climate.
In recent years, wide spread attention has been gained on climate change through the man-
made emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other green house gases.

The extremes of climate such as floods and drought will have serious impact on the human
society. A changing climate would bring about alterations in the intensity and/or frequency of
such extremes. This is also a primary concern for human health. The health of human beings
to a large extent, depends on safe drinking water, nutritious food and good social conditions
which are affected by climate change.

Water can be contaminated and sewage systems may be damaged during drought as well as
floods. The food production will be greatly reduced in vulnerable regions directly and also
indirectly through an increase in pests or animal diseases. Thus water and food shortages may
lead to conflicts in vulnerable regions.
Changes in climate may also have impacts on the distribution of vector species (eg.
mosquitoes). This in turn, will enhance the spread of diseases like malaria and filariasis to
new areas.

2. Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming.

'Greenhouse' is a glass house used for raising delicate plants. The inside of a greenhouse
contains higher temperature than that of its outside although the interior receives less
radiation. This effect is known as greenhouse effect. The factors which contribute to this
effect are : (a) glass walls (b) high carbondioxide content and (c) high water vapour content
of the air in the greenhouse. They let the shortwave radiations pass through them but prevent
the passage of long wave radiations emitted by the earth's surface. This makes the inside of
the greenhouse warmer than that of the outside.

Greenhouse gases are the atmospheric gases which are permeable to short wave solar
radiations, but are strong absorber of long wave radiations emitted from the surface of the
earth. These gases consist of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH), nitrous oxide (N2O)
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), ozone (0,) and water vapour (H,O).

The greenhouse effect at its natural level is highly inevitable for life to exist on this earth. But
its enhanced effect (as is actually taking place) is feared to cause global climatic changes.
Such changes are highly destructive and irreversible.

Effect of Global Warming

The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leads to global warming.
The impacts of global warming are detrimental to environment and living species. The
following are some of these effects.

(i) The average temperature of earth will go on increasing above the normal temperature.
This causes drastic changes in_climate, forestation, natural resources and so on.
(ii) The moisture carrying capacity of the atmosphere is also expected to rise due to warming
of the atmosphere.
(iii) There will be an imbalance in the existing ecosystem.
(iv) The excess of carbondioxide will result in suffocation and respiratory disorders.
(v) It contributes to rise in sea level due to thermal expansion of ocean and melting of
glaciers and Greenland ice sheets.
(vi) It will shift the temperature ranges, which would affect altitudinal and latitudinal
distribution pattern of organisms.
(vii) It will reduce crop production due to enhanced incidence of plant diseases and pests.
(viii) There may be more storms of severe intensity
(ix) Some biological species may either be dislocated or extinct

Control Measures of Global Warming

The following are some of the strategies which could reduce global warming.
(i) Reducing greenhouse gas emission through the reduction of the use of fossil fuels and
through the development of alternative renewable sources of energy like solar energy, wind
energy etc.
(ii) Enhancing the vegetation cover, particularly forest for photosynthetic utilisation of CO2
(iii) Reducing N2O emission through the minimisation of the use of nitrogen fertilizers in
agriculture.
(iv) Developing substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons.
(v) Refrigerators and air-conditioners should be used for limited duration.

3. Acid Rain. Acid rain is caused when sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO2) etc.,
present in atmosphere, dissolve in natural rain water. Thus acid rain is rainfall with a pH of
less than 5.6. pH scale measures the acidity and alkalinity of a solution. The pH value of
natural rain water is 5.6. The degree of acidity depends on the intensity of dissolved acidic
ingredients. The corrosive nature of acid rain causes many forms of environmental damage.

Mechanism of formation of Acid Rain

Usually the emissions of various industries, power plants, aircraft etc. contain acidic oxides
such as NOx, SO, etc. These chemicals react with water in the air to form sulphuric acid and
nitric acid. These acid pollutants spread upwards into the atmosphere, and are carried by air
currents to finally return to the ground in the form of acid rain, fog or snow.

The mechanism of formation of acid rain undergoes the following chemical reaction.

N2O + 02 + H2O → 2HNO2 (i.e., nitrous acid)

4NO2 + 02 + 2H2O → HNO3 (i.e., nitric acid)

SO2 + H2O → H2SO3 (i.e., Sulphurous acid)

2S02 +02+2H20→2H,SO, (i.e., sulphuric acid)

Causes of Acid Rain

The following are the main causes of acid rain.

 Emission of pollutants from industries and thermal power plants.

 Emission of pollutants from ships, aircrafts and automobiles.
 Emission of pollutants from acid manufacturing and explosive industries.

The dry-acid depositions (such as SO2(g), HNO3(g), H,SO, etc.) and organic acid in
dissolved form are also responsible for acidity. Effects of Acid Rain

The following are the harmful effects of acid rain.

i) It dissolves and washes away nutrients in the soil.

ii) It spoils fresh water. Thus fish population in ponds, lakes and rivers is reduced.
iii) It damages tree leaves and plantations.
 iv) It alters the rate of metabolism of organisms.
v) It damages buildings, automobiles and other structures made of stone and metal.
vi) It corrodes the materials causing extensive damage and ruin to historic buildings.
vii) It along with other chemicals in the air produces urban smog which causes respiratory
problems.
viii) It causes leaching out of potassium from the soil. This affects the fertility of
the soil.
ix) It kills the earthworms. This results in loss of soil fertility
x) It causes irritation to mucus membrane and eyes.
xi) It causes breathing problems, bronchitis, poor visibility etc.

Measures to Control Acid Rain

The problem of acid rains can be controlled through the

(i) Neutralisation of acid by using lime on land and in water-bodies.

(ii) Reduction of the emission of NO, NO, SO2, SO, etc. from anthropogenic
sources.
(iii) Adoption of effective measures to control air pollution.

4. Ozone Layer Depletion. Ozone plays a unique role by protecting the living organisms
from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiations. It is formed when the oxygen gas absorbs
the ultraviolet (UV) light. Thus ozone (O3) is an allotropic form of oxygen (0,). It exists in
upper layer (stratosphere) of atmosphere at varying heights. The air in this layer is thick and
concentrated and quite rich in ozone.

Ozone is very essential for the existence of life on earth. It absorbs the harmful ultraviolet
(UV) radiations coming from the sun. Thus it helps in saving many organic materials which
are necessary for life.

Ozone layer is very pertinent for the existence of life on earth as it absorbs most of the
harmful UV radiations coming from the sun. If this layer is depleted, the harmful radiations
will reach the earth causing damage to all living beings.

Qzone Hole

Ozone hole refers to the thinning of stratospheric ozone layer during the spring season. A
drop in concentration of ozone layer over Antarctica has created an ozone hole. The
formation of such a hole is of great concern.

Causes of depletion of ozone layer

The reasons for depletion ozone layer are given below in sequential steps.

[i]The chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs i.e., Freons) released from various sources accumulate at
higher altitudes in atmosphere. These sources are as follows.

...•
  supersonic aircrafts  air-conditioners
 Refrigerators  cleaning foams
 aerosoles  sterilisation

(ii) The CFCs then decompose under the influence of UV radiations, causing formation of
chlorine (C)

(iii) Each atom of chlorine so released, reacts with more than 105 molecules of oxygen. This
helps in converting the ozone into oxygen and thereby causes the gradual depletion of ozone
layer.

(iv) The effective capacity of ozone layer to find the entry of UV radiations into earth's
atmosphere gradually decreases.

Effects of Ozone Layer Depletion

The depletion of ozone layer allows more UV radiation to reach the earth surface. This
induces the following harmful impacts.

(i) It enhances the incidence of cataract, skin cancer and decline in the functioning of
the immune system in human beings.
(ii) It damages nucleic acids in the living organisms.
(iii) It inhibits photosynthesis in plants and phytoplankton which in turn affects the
whole food chain.
Measures to control Ozone layer Depletion
The use of freons and halons should be minimised as the discharge of these elements are
mainly responsible for ozone layer depletion. Thus a regulatory/limiting ban may be imposed
on the use of air conditioners, refrigerators and so on.

WASTE LAND RECLAMATION

Waste land is the land which is not in use. In other words waste land is economically
unproductive land suffering from environmental deterioration. It is formed by natural
processes and anthropogenic activities. The major anthropogenic activities leading to
wasteland formation are deforestation, overgrazing, mining and wrong agricultural practices.
About one half of land area of India is considered wasteland.

A waste land is defined as such a land which is either not capable for agricultural purposes or
is not useful to its optimum potential on account of various reasons, Thus wasteland is unused
and non-productive land. The main examples of wastelands are : water-logged land, marshy
land, mine spoiled land, barren rock land, eroded valley land, saline land, strip land, steep
slope land etc.

Classification of Wastelands

The wastelands can be broadly classified into two types. They are (i) culturable wastelands
and (ii) unculturable wastelands.
i Culturable wastelands. Lands which can be developed for agricultural or forestation
purposes after some treatment are called culturable wastelands. These lands include water
logged and marshy lands, saline lands, lands with lateritic soils, shifting cultivation areas,
degraded forest lands, mine spoils and industrial wastelands.

(ii) Unculturable wastelands. Lands which cannot be developed for agricultural, forestation
or any other productive purposes by any means are called unculturable wastelands. These
lands consist of barren rocky areas, steep slopes, snow capped hills and glaciers.

Reclamation of Wasteland

The following are some important reclamation measures of wastelands.

(i) Afforestation. Plantation of trees on degraded forest lands, river and canal sides, road and
railway track sides helps in reclamation of wastelands.

(ii) Reforestation. Plantation of trees again over the lands where they were existing earlier
and had destroyed due to fire, overgrazing excessive cutting, or shifting cultivation is termed
as reforestation.

(iii) Leaching.- Reclamation of salt affected soil can be achieved by leaching. Saline lands
where water table is low can also be recovered by this method.

iv) Drainage. Water logged soils are reclaimed by removing excess of water by artificial
drainage.

(y) Proper irrigation practice. Frequent irrigation with good quality of water on levelled lands
prevents water logging and salinity..

(vi) Sowing of tolerant crops. Salt tolerant crops such as barley, sugar beet, date palm etc.,
can be grown on saline soils.

(vii) Addition of gypsum. Addition of gypsum can remove the sodicity of soil (Excess of
sodium). Gypsum contains calcium which replaces sodium from the soil.

(viii) Changing the ground topography and downhills. Water running down the hill erodes
soil and carries along with itself. This can be controlled under the following ways.

 Terracing. Under this method, the earth is shaped in the form of levelled terraces to
hold solid and water. The terrace edges are planted with such plant species which
anchor the soil.
 Tied ridges. This method is preferred in the regions of very heavy rainfall.
 Contour ploughing. Under this method, the ploughing of land is done across the hill
(and not in up and down style).
 Strip farming. Under this method, various types of crops are planted in alternate strips
along the contour.
(ix) Controlling the formation of gullies. The gullies get widened due to excess run off water.
This can be checked through the construction of dams, bunds etc.

(x) Ecological succession. Under this natural process, the slow growing native grasses help in
reclaiming the minerally deficient soils in industrial and mining wastelands.

CONSUMERISM AND WASTE PRODUCTS

Modern technology is a key factor in the development of society. It enables the man to
produce huge amounts of consumer items. This in turn, enhances the consumption of such
items considerably. Thus there is a big heap of post-consumed waste products everywhere.
Modern age is the age of consumerism. But consumerism and waste generation vary from
country to country. The more the consumption of resources, the more is the waste generation.
This results in the greater degradation of the environment.

The production and use of electronic items, synthetic materials and biologically non-
degradable materials have enhanced generation of wastes beyond manageable limit.
Moreover the problem of disposal of several products such as used batteries, plastics,
polythene etc., has become a headache even for the industrially developed countries.

Strategies to Protect Environment from Waste Products

The disposal of waste products such as plastics, polythene etc., has created adverse effects on
world environment. Thus the producers, the consumers and the government have joint
responsibility to protect the environment. The following strategies can be adopted for
accomplishing this objective.

(i)-Observing the industrial ecology. The waste industrial products are not only uneconomical
to the industries but also the source of pollution later. These should therefore be transformed
into by-products of having some market value. Such products may not be any more a source
of pollution.

(ii) Imposing pigouvian taxes. The imposing of pigouvian taxes upon the manufacturers of
industrial products will ensure protection to environment. Usually such taxes are included in
the retail price of the product. As the manufacturers are aware of this fact, they will be
prompted to use cheaper and recyclable eco-friendly materials.

iii) Green-marketing. The term 'green' indicates eco-friendly. Thus green product deals with
eco-friendly product. Greenmarketing, thereby means marketing of eco-friendly products.

The philosophy of using green facilitates in providing ecofriendly products at cheaper price.
This also facilitates in maintaining goodwill in the market.

iv) Eco-labelling. Eco-labelling is a special type of marking (indication) to identify that the
‘marked product' is eco-friendly. It is widely used in India and other countries.

The following are the main objectives of eco-labelling of products.

 a. Encouraging the producers to use eco-friendly materials in their products.
b. Making the consumers aware in favour of creating a green world.
c. Assisting the users to identify the eco-friendly products.

Ecomark

Government of India launched 'Ecomark' (i.e., eco-labelling scheme) to enhance consumer

awareness in 1991. Ecomark’ is represented by an 'Earthen Pot'. It is a labelling for
environment-friendly household and other consumer products which satisfy the requirements
of Indian (Environmental) standards for that product. This scheme is implemented by the
Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS)/Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI).

The following are the specific objectives of ecomark scheme.

a. Providing an incentive for producers and importers to decrease the adverse

environmental effect of products.
b. Rewarding genuine initiates by companies to decrease the environmental
effect.
c. Helping consumers to become environmentally responsible in their daily lives.
d. Encouraging citizens to buy products which have less adverse environmental
effects.
e. Improving the quality of environment and encouraging the sustainable
management of resources.