“AN ENVIRONMENT, DEMOCRACY AND CLIMATE JUSTICE”

ARTICLE 3

 “AN ENVIRONMENT, DEMOCRACY AND CLIMATE JUSTICE”

 (BY Madhav Gadgil),

A. CENTRAL THESIS: DEVELOPMENT, ECOLOGY, AND DEMOCRACY ARE INSEPARABLE

1) Core argument: “Development” cannot be separated from ecology and democracy

• Two competing ideas of progress:
• • Infrastructure/extraction-driven growth that sidelines ecology and dissent.
  • Rights-based, ecology-respecting development that protects ecosystems and distributes benefits fairly.
• Real development must ensure:
• • Ecological sustainability (forests, rivers, coasts, commons).
  • Democratic accountability (public participation, dissent, gram sabhas).
  • Equity (benefits for those dependent on natural resources).
• Ignoring ecological limits and people’s rights makes development self-defeating:
• • Conflict intensifies.
  • Inequality widens.
  • Climate vulnerability increases.

B. “DEVELOPMENT MANTRA” AS A POLITICAL TOOL

2) “We want development” as a justification slogan

• “Development” becomes a blanket excuse to: