1% cess on household income can help tackle green challenges
The earth is in the grip of climate change, which, in turn, is the result of increasing level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) due to deforestation, urbanisation, industrialisation, pollution and increasing human population, melting of polar ice, ocean acidification, increasing global temperatures, flood, drought, increasing sea level and depleting biodiversity.
Anthropogenic activities are raising the level of carbon dioxide by about 2 parts per million a year, in the atmosphere.
India is not far from the impact of climate change. In India, hundreds of people die due to heatwave. Coastal cities like Mumbai are in danger because of rising seas due to global warming.
India’s ecological balance, which was maintained due to ponds, wetlands, lakes, trees and forest ecosystems, is getting destroyed due to increasing population pressure, agriculture pressure to feed large populations, urbanisation, unsustainable development and industrialisation.
This situation is leading India towards climate emergency.
In an important research paper, published in the journal ‘Population and Environment,’ (February 2014 edition), researchers Mason Bradbury, M Nils Peterson and Jianguo Liu identified that the total number of global households are growing much faster than the growth of the world population itself and the world is on the brink of ‘household explosion’.
Increasing number and decreasing size of households mean the same number of people live in twice or more as many homes and requiring twice or more as many resources to build and furnish them. This situation is worrisome because smaller households are, on an average, less efficient as they cause more pressure on forests and the environment. Such conditions will enhance global warming and climate change.
According to the 15th Indian Census provisional reports released on March 31, 2011, the Indian population increased to 1.21 billion with a decadal growth rate of 17.64%. India is projected to be the world’s most populous country by 2025, surpassing China.
The major concern is the increasing household numbers and decreasing household size. According to the 2011 census, India has about 247 million households.
There were 151 million households in the 1991 census and 192 million households in the 2001 census.
The household size in India has dropped in recent years. The average size of household in India as per 2011 census was 4.8 members per household.
In the 2001 census, the size of a household was 5.3 members.
But we can reduce the anthropogenic impact on the environment and protect the environment.
For this, every household should donate or be surcharged with at least 1% of income per month for environment protection apart from other measures like afforestation, grass root level awareness, banning clear cutting of forests, sustainable development, population control.
On a household basis, the average income in India was $6,671 per household in 2011 and these households produced a GDP of about $1.7 trillion.
It means that every household should donate or spend at least $ 66.71 for ‘Environment Protection’. This large amount of money will be helpful in green technologies, plantation, ecosystem protection, renewable energy, sustainable development, making ecofriendly products, energy conservation and causing awareness at the grass root level. Thus, this will bring ‘ecological revolution’ by supporting environmental protection by approximately $16,477.37 million annually, if every household supports the move through just 1% of its income.
The environment, oxygen and carbon dioxide can never be partitioned. The earth is under severe pressure. According to ‘Global Footprint Network, humans use as much ecological resources as if we lived on 1.75 Earths.
On July 29, 2019, humanity had used nature’s resource budget for the entire year. Humans have already used up this year’s supply of natural resources in seven months, due to the increasing demand of the world population on the planet.
We have only one earth, not 1.75. Climate change is going to be irreversible. Every nation will face it if immediate and effective action is not taken. One percent cess on household income is a better option to reduce environmental degradation and reduce anthropogenic impact on the environment.