This Earth Day, a reminder: There is no Planet B

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Context

Earth Day 2025, celebrated on April 22, underscores the global environmental crisis — including pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. It serves as a reminder to shift from resource exploitation to sustainable stewardship, with India emerging as a key actor through major climate commitments and domestic green initiatives.

Environmental Crisis and Planetary Overdraw

Nature as a One-Way Bank: Human society continues to extract clean air, water, and food from Earth without restoring resources, creating an ecological “overdraft” system.
Depleting Ecosystems: India and the world face shrinking forests, polluted oceans, erratic weather, and declining soil fertility due to unsustainable consumption and pollution.
Climate Instability Intensifies: Frequent wildfires, floods, and heatwaves signal that the planet is reeling under pressure, with no buffer left for unchecked exploitation.

India’s Sustainable Policy Shifts

COP26 and Panchamrit Goals: India announced a five-point climate agenda at COP26, including net-zero emissions by 2070 and 50% renewable energy by 2030.
Solar and Electric Push: With the International Solar Alliance and missions like PM-KUSUM, India is leading solar growth. FAME and Indian Railways’ net-zero target by 2030 support clean mobility.
Conservation and Legal Progress: Wildlife conservation efforts like Project Tiger, NCAP for air quality, and legal frameworks for e-waste and plastic management have strengthened ecological governance.

Gaps and Future Priorities

Implementation Disparities: State-wise inconsistency, lack of coordination, and insufficient climate finance hinder uniform policy outcomes.
Public Engagement Needed: Campaigns like LIFE urge citizens to reduce consumption, segregate waste, and adopt green habits for systemic impact.
Balancing Development and Ecology: Urban planning and infrastructure projects still often treat conservation as a secondary concern, demanding deeper integration into policymaking.

Practice Question

Q. “India’s environmental journey reflects a shift from symbolic gestures to systemic reform, but critical gaps remain.” Discuss in light of Earth Day 2025, with reference to policy, implementation, and citizen engagement.

A move that endangers the Right to Vote

Polity & Governance Governance

Exploring India’s potential in the Arctic region

Ecology and Environment Environment Conservation

India's Resilience Amid Global Economic Uncertainty

Economy Money and Banking

Pahalgam Terror Attack

Security Miscellaneous

Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR)

Economy Money and Banking

MP to develop buffer zones around Tiger Reserves

Ecology and Environment Environment Conservation