The Hindu Editorial Analysis- 12th July 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

Green washing

Why in News?

The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, that is being deliberated upon by a Joint Committee of Parliament, is a contentious piece of legislation that signals the complex challenges involved in balancing industrial development and the conservation of forests. While industrialisation inevitably means usurping greater tracts of forest land and ecosystems, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 has been the mantelpiece legislation that has empowered the state to regulate this and impose costs on such industrial exploitation

What is the Background and Proposed Changes in FC Act, 1980?

• Background:
  • After Independence, vast areas of forest land were designated as reserved and protected forests.
  • However, many forested areas were left out, and areas without any standing forests were included in 'forest' lands.
  • In 1996, the Supreme Court suspended the felling of trees across the country, and ruled that the FC Act would apply to all land parcels that were either recorded as 'forest' or resembled the dictionary meaning of forest.
  • In June 2022, the government amended the Forest Conservation Rules to propose a mechanism to allow developers to raise plantations "over land on which the (FC) Act is not applicable" and to swap such plots against subsequent requirements of compensatory afforestation.
• Proposed Changes:
  • Preamble to the Act:
    • It proposes to insert a preamble to the Act to encompass the country's rich tradition of preserving forests, their bio-diversity and tackling climate change challenges within its ambit.
  • Restrictions on Activities in Forest:
    • The Act restricts the de-reservation of forest or use of forest land for non-forest purposes. Such restrictions may be lifted with the prior approval of the central government. Non-forest purposes include use of land for cultivating horticultural crops or for any purpose other than reafforestation.
    • The Bill adds more activities to this list such as: (i) zoos and safaris under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 owned by the government or any authority, in forest areas other than protected areas, (ii) eco-tourism facilities, (iii) silvicultural operations (enhancing forest growth), and (iv) any other purpose specified by the central government.
  • Land under the Purview of the Act:
    • The Bill provides that two types of land will be under the purview of the Act: (i) land declared/notified as a forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or under any other law, or (ii) land not covered in the first category but notified as a forest on or after October 25, 1980 in a government record.
    • Further, the Act will not apply to land changed from forest use to non-forest use on or before December 12, 1996 by any authority authorized by a state/UT.
  • Power to Issue Directions:
    • The Bill adds that the central government may issue directions for the implementation of the Act to any other authority/ organisation under or recognised by the centre, state, or union territory.
  • Exemptions:
    • It seeks to exempt all strategic linear projects of "national importance and concerning national security" within 100 km of international borders, the LAC, and the LoC.
    • The proposed amendment also includes exemptions for "security-related infrastructure" up to 10 hectares, and additional activities such as silvicultural operations, construction of zoos and wildlife safaris, eco-tourism facilities, and any other activities specified by the Central Government.
  • Issues:
    • With the amendments, all those forest lands which do not fall in the reserved area but are available in government records before 1980 will not come under the purview of the Act.
    • This diverts away from the Supreme Court’s 1996 verdict which had ensured every forest mentioned in government records gets legal protection against deforestation.
    • Critics argue that the terms like ‘proposed’, ‘ecotourism facilities’, and ‘any other purposes’ can be exploited or misused for activities damaging forests and ecosystems in forest lands.
    • They also argue that plantations are a significant threat to Indian forests as they replace the natural ecosystems, affect soil quality, and particularly threaten the native biodiversity.

What is Greenwashing?

• About:
  • The term greenwashing was first used in 1986 by Jay Westerveld, an American environmentalist and researcher.
  • Greenwashing is the practice in which firms and governments mark all kinds of activities as climate-friendly, as something that would lead to emissions reduction, or avoidance of emissions.
  • Many of these claims are unverifiable, misleading, or dubious.
  • While it helps in boosting the image of the entity, they do nothing in the fight against climate change.
  • Several multinational corporations, including oil giants like Shell and BP, and Coca Cola have faced accusations of greenwashing.
  • Greenwashing is prevalent across a whole range of environmental activities.
  • Developed countries are often accused of greenwashing their normal business investments in developing countries by highlighting climate co-benefits of the financial flows, sometimes with very little justification.
• Impact of Greenwashing:
  • Greenwashing presents a false picture of the progress being made on the climate change front, pushing the world towards disaster, while at the same time, rewarding entities for irresponsible behaviour.
• Challenges in Regulating:
  • The processes and products that can potentially cut emissions are so many that it is practically impossible to monitor and verify all.
  • The processes, methodologies and institutions to measure, report, create standards, verify claims and grant certifications are still being set up.
  • Large number of organisations have sprung up claiming expertise in these areas and offering their services for a fee. Many of these organisations lack integrity and robustness, but their services are still availed by corporations because it makes them look good.

How does Greenwashing Affect Carbon Credits?

• About Carbon Credit:
  • A carbon credit (also known as carbon offset) is a credit for greenhouse emissions reduced or removed from the atmosphere by an emission reduction project, which can be used by governments, industry, or private individuals to compensate for the emissions they generate elsewhere.
  • Those that cannot easily reduce emissions can still operate, at a higher financial cost.
  • Carbon credits are based on the "cap-and-trade" model that was used to reduce sulfur pollution in the 1990s.
  • One carbon credit is equal to one metric ton of carbon dioxide, or in some markets, carbon dioxide equivalent gases (CO₂-eq).
• Effect of Greenwashing on Carbon Credit:
  • Informal Markets:
    • There are now credits available for all kinds of activities such as for growing trees, for planting a certain kind of crop, for installing energy-efficient equipment in office buildings.
    • The credits for such activities are often certified by unofficial third-party companies and sold to others.
    • Such transactions have been flagged for lack of integrity and double counting.
  • Credibility:
    • Countries like India or Brazil had accumulated huge carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol and wanted these to be transitioned to the new market being set up under the Paris Agreement.
    • But many developed countries resisted this, questioning the integrity of the credits and claiming they did not accurately represent reductions in emissions.
    • Carbon offsets from forests are one of the most controversial.

Way Forward

• Corporations pursuing net zero targets must not be allowed to make fresh investments in fossil fuels.
• They must also be asked to present short-term emission reduction goals on the path to achieving net zero.
• Corporations should also use offset mechanisms at the start of their journey to net-zero status.
• Priority should be focused towards the creation of regulatory structures and standards to monitor greenwashing.