The ‘new’ fight for the environment

Protest creates profits! Strange, isn’t it? But it is not.

The $1 billion infrastructure fund for renewable energy announced in the Delhi G20 Summit is only the latest in a series of successes for the growing renewables. It is worth reflecting on how the environment, once only the subject of intense and acrimonious debate, is now host to a set of growing businesses. Imagine diamonds from carbon capture!  

Social & Environmental activism

The rise and strengthening of social and environmental activism across the globe is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable phenomena of modern times, with ordinary citizens accumulating power through increasing numbers over the last two decades, although the protests began much earlier. Initially considered a nuisance to be tolerated but at some stage, the market sensed the opening and, as expected, embraced the new opportunities. ESG became a catchphrase among leading institutional investors of all hues.  

Those who led and those who participated in these protests wouldn’t have done it for the sake of facilitating new businesses but their persistence demonstrated to the corporate sector that there were viable alternatives. Not some visionary businessmen or companies. The global business in environment needs to be eternally grateful to these protesters. Take a bow, protest.  

Symbiotic relationship

“Symbiosis is defined as a close, prolonged association between two or more different biological species. This relationship can be symbiotic (mutualistic), where both parties involved benefit from the interaction, or it can be parasitic, where one party benefits while the other is harmed. There are many examples of symbiotic relationships in nature, including mutualistic relationships between plants and animals”. (https://www.pbs.org/articles/what-is-symbiosis/). Borrowing from this definition, we can see that there are both mutualistic and parasitic relationships between the growing army of protesters and global corporate sector and governments. There are times when governments slide towards the protesters and towards business, as political compulsions keep informing economic decisions. Just check the acrimonious debate over coal in Australia and elsewhere too. Now with space travel a reality and business, global warming will get nothing more than a lip service from certain quarters. You don’t need me to cite examples of parasitic relationships here!

The emerging hierarchy in the battle for the environment

Only the naïve will believe that the battle is over. It is obvious that it continues. What is not, is that there is a strengthening hierarchy in the battle, because nothing ever escapes hierarchy. The tilt is in favour of environmental issues with a definite business potential, pushing others behind, which may be tolerated, funded even to an extent or be a pawn in corporate manoeuvres, which has already happened on more than one occasion.

Issues such as depleting ground water, waterbodies, dust pollution, soil erosion, landslides owing to rampant residential, industrial and commercial construction, pushing untreated effluents into the seas, destruction of biodiversity, of mangroves, the indiscriminate use and disposal of plastics and so on will not receive the attention they deserve. Any issue that cannot be translated into a viable business will clearly not receive any support. Please look at the controversies over Bilateral Investment Agreements between State governments and global companies as they impinge on the livelihood of tribals, as defined and protected under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.       

The subaltern within the environment

This growing divide is already shaping the future of the battle for the environment, silencing, displacing or marginalising some voices. In India, it is time to stress local issues and not just keep going on with climate change and global warming. While they should not be abandoned, there are other pressing issues relevant to India which need sustained support. For example, common effluent treatment plants. There was such a lot of noise in the mid to late 1990s only to lapse into silence, whereas the subject has not lost its relevance. Not even a bit.

Is there hope? There is a growing army of young students educated in various subjects such as Environment Economics, Global environment regulation, Water resources management, Pollution prevention and management and so on. But my prize is for a Masters in Mathematics of Ecology!

Will this new generation of students be the new voice of the Environment? A voice not contaminated by scope for business? As of now, we cannot be sure, because the divorce between education and values has been reinforced many times over. Thinking of the environment as containing the subaltern, I asked myself: Can the subaltern speak? In one coherent voice?

(Subaltern has more than one meaning. One that is relevant here: voices that are excluded, displaced or marginalised due to socio-economic factors – https://u.osu.edu/introhumanitiesonline/2020/01/29/what-does-subaltern-mean-anyway/)

Takeaways

Years of protests for the environment has become a force

New businesses revolving around the environment owes it to them

Symbiotic relationship continues within the environment

Strengthening hierarchy in the battle

A new generation of students schooled in the environment to be the new voice?