Click to play videoThe Congress party has emerged winner in the Goa Assembly Elections, despite facing flak for it’s anti-environment and controversial Regional Plan 2011 (later denotified following months of rallies and protests by civic groups, professionals and artists). And BJP's election line 'save Goa for future' failed to win political support from the masses.
The mandate clearly show that the Goa voters forgot about the environment agenda while casting their vote, and looked at issues that they felt were more ‘central’ and had a direct impact on them.
But what it does point to is the fact that environment issues can no longer be ignored, and have become central to Indian politics. Be it setting up of a chemical hub in West Bengal, or crop failure in Vidarbha, depleting water levels in Punjab or rising pollution in India's metros, they directly impact the Indian electorate, yet there is not even a single political party that has environment in its core agenda.
Today, NGOs as well as people’s movements like the Narmada Bachao Andolan are spreading environmental awareness. But apart from the Tribal Bill passed by the Parliament, there are few instances of the environment becoming the dominant concern of mainstream political parties. In fact environmental issues are rarely raised in the Lok Sabha.
So will a party with environmental issues on its core agenda succeed in a country like ours?
Face the Nation asked the panel of experts comprising President of Liberty Institute, Barun Mitra, Sociologist Amita Baviskar and Convenor of the famous Goa Bachao Abhiyan, Oscar Rebello.
World Environment Day: Can a Green party have a future in India?
There are all kinds of political agendas that are blown out of proportion during elections. But very few politicians have the ‘green agenda’ or the environment on its electoral campaign.
“Environmental issues are always seen as secondary and external to the real politics. There have been attempts to start a Green Party but it didn’t yield results because politics is all about money and worshipping growth,” said sociologist Amita Baviskar.
Environmental issues are complex and their effects are felt over a long period of time. They primarily affect very poor people, whose voices remain unheard in Parliament, observed Baviskar.
Environmentalists say another reason why the Green Movement has not picked up in India is because of the lack of collective action. Richer citizens don't bother about green cover, simply because they can afford luxury of air-conditioned cars and well-maintained personal lawns.
“I think environmental quality just like any other quality is a value-added product which by definition means that if you are wealthy you will be able to afford better qualities. It is absurd to think people can afford the best qualities of life when they can’t,” said Barun Mitra.
Environment campaigns anti-development?
The reason why green issues are politically irrelevant is because environmental movements are pitted against development. No one wants to vote for the green agenda because it is seen as anti growth and anti-industry.
“The Green parties all over the world are in a dilemma. If they are successful in putting their agenda in the mainstream platform, they become irrelevant because they are in a sense pitting development against environment,” said Mitra.
Dr Oscar Rebello who started the Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) against the environmental degradation, and campaigned against Congress party’s Regional Plan of 2011 which visualised the development of commercials buildings and hotels in the state's forested areas, said the trick is to bring environment to the discussion table, into the political agenda of parties.
“Electoral politics is not just about environment. Its about caste, religion, development in local areas—there are so many issues that a voter takes into consideration apart from environment. The trick is to bring environment to the discussion table, to bring it into the political agenda of parties and try and work from there,” Robello noted.
GBA got a huge response from the villages and poor segments. Village people affected by mining and other environmental disasters came up to Rebello pleading him to take up the cause issues with the politicians.
“Environmental degradation first and foremost affects the poor, the rich can afford to get away from it,” he said.
The GBA was brought on centre-stage of electoral politics. Every single party promised that they would look after Goa’s environment, will bring in a policy for land use and look at the development needs of poor. “But we had to keep lobbying with the government in power to push it forward. We will continue doing so,” Rebello added.
But despite these movements, Green politics is widely perceived as having failed to deliver.
Mostly rich countries have the luxury to stay green whereas a poor state needs development and industry, even when it comes at the cost of environmental degradation.
“I think in the long run we need a Green Party that addresses the concern. Environment is not a luxury. It is basic to people who live in cities as well as those in the rural areas,” said Baviskar.
But can a Narmada Bachao Andolan, or Goa Bachao Abhiyan even enter into the mainstream politics? Do people even care about such movements? “Although these movements claim to speak on behalf of the poorest, when it comes to casting a vote, environment is viewed as a luxury that the poor can hardly afford. They look at other basic issues such as employment and caste while environment is the last thing on their mind,” said Mitra.
However, whether we address them or not, environmental issues are making their impact felt on the rich and poor alike. “There is an agrarian crisis is the economy. Water has disappeared and lands don’t produce anything anymore. The Environmental crisis is not some sort of quality issue but it’s a central thing that’s killing people all over the world,” said Baviskar.
“Environmental issues are central to people’s livelihood,” she added.
Whether we accept it or turn a blind eye, killing nature’s green cover, global warming and climatic change are precursors to a larger threat.
Final Results of the question of the day:
Can a Green party have a future in India?
Yes: 60 per cent
No: 40 per cent
GREEN PARTY CULTURE | |
 | A Green Party is a formally organised political party based on the principles of Green politics. |
| In Finland, in 1995, the Finish Green Party was the first European Green party to be part of a national Cabinet. |
| "Greens" believe that these issues are inherently related to ecological, social, and human bodily health. |
| The first Green Party to achieve national prominence was the German Green Party in 1980, famous for their opposition to nuclear power, as an expression of anti-centralist and pacifist values traditional to greens. |
| Most of the Green Parties are formed to win elections, and so organise themselves by the presented electoral or political districts. |
| But that does not apply universally: The Green Party of Alaska is organised along bioregional lines to practice bioregional democracy. |
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