Environment Quiz: Environmental Legislations |17 Apr, 2021

The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 authorizes the central government to protect and improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and prohibit or restrict the setting and /or operation of any industrial facility on environmental grounds.

• The Environment (Protection) Act was enacted in 1986 with the objective of providing for the protection and improvement of the environment.
• It empowers the Central Government to establish authorities charged with the mandate of preventing environmental pollution in all its forms and to tackle specific environmental problems that are peculiar to different parts of the country. The Act was last amended in 1991.
• The Environment (Protection) Rules lay down procedures for setting standards of emission or discharge of environmental pollutants.
• The objective of Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1989 is to control the generation, collection, treatment, import, storage, and handling of hazardous waste.

• The Manufacture, Storage, and Import of Hazardous Rules define the terms used in this context, and sets up an authority to inspect, once a year, the industrial activity connected with hazardous chemicals and isolated storage facilities.

Source: https://vikaspedia.in/energy/policy-support/environment-1/forests/general-environmental-acts

The Biological Diversity Act 2002 and Biological Diversity Rules provide for the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the use of biological resources and knowledge associated with it.

Source: https://vikaspedia.in/energy/policy-support/environment-1/forests/general-environmental-acts

Under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

• It is a specialized body equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multidisciplinary issues.
• The Tribunal shall not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.

Source: https://vikaspedia.in/energy/policy-support/environment-1/forests/general-environmental-acts

When the Constitution of India was adopted in 1950, the framers were not aware that in future the issues related to forest conservation may arise.

• This was realized later as the Constitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act, 1976 was made and Article 48A was added to the part of Directive Principles of State Policy and Article 51A as a fundamental duty of every citizen of India.

• As per Article 48A, the state shall make laws to protect and improve the environment to safeguard the forests of our country.
• According to Article 51A (g), it is the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including the forests of our country.

Source: https://blog.ipleaders.in/need-know-forest-conservation-act-1980/

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), statutory organization, was constituted in September, 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Further, CPCB was entrusted with the powers and functions under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.

Source: https://cpcb.nic.in/Introduction/

The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.

The forest management policies, including the Acts, Rules and Forest Policies of Participatory Forest Management policies in both colonial and post-colonial India, did not, till the enactment of this Act, recognize the symbiotic relationship of the STs with the forests, reflected in their dependence on the forest as well as in their traditional wisdom regarding conservation of the forests.

The act identifies four types of rights:

• Title rights
• Use rights
• Relief and development rights
• Forest management rights

Source: https://tribal.nic.in/fra.aspx.

India has been implementing various laws to save the wildlife and the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 is one of them. THE OBJECTIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Prohibition of hunting
• Protection and management of wildlife habitats
• Establishment of protected areas

• Regulation and control of trade in parts and products derived from wildlife
• Management of zoos
• WLPA is also against taxidermy, which is the preservation of a dead wild animal as a trophy, or in the form of rugs, preserved skins, antlers, horns, eggs, teeth, and nails.

Source: Indian Express

The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments and managed by the World Bank.

It promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector, from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+), and from sustainable agriculture, as well as smarter land-use planning, policies and practices.

Source: UNCCD

The Marine Protected Area Network is a tool for managing natural marine resources for biodiversity conservation and for the well-being of people dependent on the resources.

The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991, National Biodiversity Act, 2002 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 have been enacted by India for conservation of the coastal and marine environment along with the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which also provides for establishment of wildlife protected areas (PAs) by state governments.

Source: Indian Express

UN Environment (UNEP) launched Clean Seas (#CleanSeas on social media) in February 2017, with the aim of engaging governments, the general public and the private sector in the fight against marine plastic pollution.

• Over the next five years, we will address the root-cause of marine litter by targeting the production and consumption of non-recoverable and single-use plastic.
• To do this effectively, we need citizens to be aware, engaged and active in addressing the problem in their daily lives and beyond.

Source: UNEP