The pandemic and Indian environmentalism

The "Pandemic Pause": A Natural Experiment

The unprecedented nationwide lockdown offered a temporary but dramatic glimpse into the effects of reduced human activity on the environment.

Positive Impacts (The "Himalayan Effect")

The most visible effect was a drastic improvement in air quality.

• The Phenomenon: For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Himalayan mountain ranges became visible from cities hundreds of kilometers away, like Jalandhar and Siliguri, in May 2020 and 2021.
• Key Air Pollution Data (Talukdar et al., 2024):
  • Excess risk from particulate matter was reduced by an average of 52%, potentially saving 0.65 million lives annually.
  • Drastic reduction in key pollutants:
    • Carbon Monoxide (CO): -84%
    • Nitrous Oxide ($NO_x$): -69%
    • Ozone ($O_3$): -32%
    • Particulate Matter 10 (PM10): -18%
• Water Quality: Reduced industrial effluent and human activity led to cleaner water bodies and coastal areas.

The Eco-Awakening

The pause also triggered a noticeable shift in public consciousness.

• Public Concern: Online searches for "sustainable goods" surged by 71%.
• Digital Conversation: Twitter mentions of "nature" and "biodiversity" increased from 30 million to 50 million.

Negative Impacts пластик

The lockdown was not without its environmental downsides.

• Plastic Waste Surge: A massive increase in single-use plastics (e.g., PPE kits, masks) and a rollback of plastic bans.
• Waste Management Crisis: Disruption of recycling chains and a surge in domestic waste due to a boom in e-commerce and online consumption.

The Philosophical Roots of Indian Environmentalism 🇮🇳

The lecture uses the pandemic as a backdrop to introduce the idea that Indian environmental thought has a distinct trajectory, different from that of the West.

• Contemporary Voices:

  • Amitav Ghosh: In The Great Derangement, he questions our collective cultural and political inability to confront the climate crisis.
  • Arati Kumar-Rao: Through Marginlands and "slow journalism," she highlights the "violence of climate change" on marginalized communities.

• The Foundational Critique of Mahatma Gandhi: Gandhi is presented as a key inspirational figure, not because he used modern terms like "sustainability," but because of his fundamental critique of the Western development model.

  • Key Quote (Harijan, 1928): "God forbid that India should ever take to industrialism after that manner of the west... If an entire nation of 300 million took to similar economic exploitation, it would strip the world bare like locusts."
  • Significance: This quote demonstrates an early and profound skepticism of resource-intensive, export-oriented industrialization. It forms the basis of an environmental ethic that prioritizes sufficiency and ecological limits over perpetual growth, a core theme to be explored through the work of historian Ramachandra Guha.

Exam Tip: The quantitative data on air pollution reduction during the lockdown (e.g., 84% CO reduction, 0.65 million lives saved) is highly testable. The most important conceptual takeaway is Gandhi's 1928 quote. Be prepared to explain how it represents a foundational critique of the Western industrial model and sets the stage for a distinct Indian environmental philosophy.