Time to make climate change part of environmental impact reports

If one thing is apparent from the changing weather over the last few years, it is the repeated extremes that we have encountered. Extreme heat and humidity, storms that cause severe and ruinous flooding and wreak havoc across wide areas in urban settlements, and very cold winters. It is clear that climate change is touching human lives and our health in myriad ways. As the World Health Organisation (WHO) says, “Climate change threatens the essential ingredients of good health — clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply, and safe shelter — and has the potential to undermine decades of progress in global health.”

Further, the WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 2,50,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress alone. The direct costs to health are estimated to be between $2 and 4 billion per year by 2030. Regions with weak health infrastructure — mostly in developing countries — will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.

The World Bank records that as the global climate crisis escalates, the devastating impact it will have on human health and well-being will also accelerate. No one anywhere around the globe is beyond its reach, though millions of people — notably women, children, the elderly, ethnic minorities, people with pre-existing health conditions, and those living in poverty — are among the most vulnerable. A recent study done in India by the faculty of Public Health at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (SRIHER) in Chennai showed that working in extreme heat can double the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage for pregnant women, shocking researchers as they had previously underestimated the impact.

Climate footprint

It is in this context that we record a significant public interest litigation that was filed in the Madras High Court last week. The plea was filed by G. Sundarrajan of the environmental NGO Poovulagin Nanbargal. The point he makes is simple and crucial. There is no climate change component in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) — a clearance that is mandatory for large-scale construction or development projects.

Quoting previous judgements on the issue, the petitioner laid out reasons why climate change should be a crucial part of any EIA before consent is given for a large project to begin. The requirement is very simple. For instance, says Sundarrajan, if there is a plan to set up a chemical factory near a settlement, an environmental impact assessment would measure the impact of its functioning on the surrounding environment in terms of pollution of water, earth, and sound.

When one does an assessment of the impact of climate change, it is necessary to scope out the consequences of its presence, starting from day one, when construction begins, until the end of that factory’s life. This will also include the carbon footprint, emissions of greenhouse gases, and impact on the health of nearby communities. It would also be necessary to prepare an Environmental Management Plan to mitigate the impact. This should be submitted as a document to the government for evaluation before a decision is taken to grant clearance. 

The First Division Bench of the Madras High Court said the plea appeared to be just and called on the Centre to reply in two weeks. In its progress through the courts, this is likely to become an index case, as it stands on the cusp of the global realisation that climate change is no longer something that can be ignored or swept under the rug. Several nations have already enacted legislation to prepare for and prevent, to the extent possible, the ills of climate change. These include the Bahamas, France, Chile, the United States, China, and Australia. As a nation that will be deeply impacted by climate change, it would be appropriate for India to enact laws that will attempt to conserve gains and prevent further environmental degradation due to human activity. 

(ramya.kannan@thehindu.co.in)