The Hindu Editorial Analysis - 13th March 2025 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

The dangerous illusion cast by development rankings

Why in News?

• The development models of wealthy nations, despite their high rankings on the Human Development Index (HDI), are proving to be environmentally unsustainable.
• This situation prompts a reevaluation of what progress means, emphasizing the need to balance human well-being with the planet's ecological limits.

The Cost of Development and Environmental Degradation

• Recent catastrophic wildfires in California, resulting in estimated economic losses of around $250 billion, highlight the hidden costs associated with the development models of the world's richest nations.
• These losses are comparable to the entire GDP of Greece in 2023, underscoring the severe impact of such disasters.

Unsustainable Resource Consumption

• If every country consumed resources at the same rate as the United States or the European Union, it would require multiple Earths to sustain such lifestyles.
• Despite this unsustainable reality, global benchmarks like the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI) continue to portray these nations as ideal models of development.
• This contradiction between celebrated development metrics and ecological realities is both misleading and perilous for the planet's future.

Flaws in the HDI Model

• The HDI ranks countries based on life expectancy, education, and income but fails to consider environmental impact.
• Many nations with high HDI rankings are also among the largest consumers of resources and emitters of carbon gases.
• If the entire world were to follow their development model, it would lead to severe ecological collapse.
• Wealthy nations have already surpassed multiple planetary boundaries, including excessive greenhouse gas emissions and ecological destruction.
• By ignoring these critical factors, the HDI promotes an unsustainable model of progress that benefits a select few while harming the planet.

Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI (PHDI) and Its Limitations

• In response to criticisms of the HDI, the UN introduced the Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI (PHDI) in 2020.
• The PHDI lowers HDI scores for countries with high environmental impacts, aiming to reflect ecological realities more accurately.
• However, the PHDI still ranks countries relative to each other rather than against absolute ecological limits.
• As a result, high-income nations continue to score well, not because they are sustainable, but because other nations have even worse environmental records.
• This relative ranking creates an illusion of progress while perpetuating environmental degradation.

The Need to Focus on Middle-Income Countries

• Some middle-income countries have demonstrated that it is possible to achieve decent living standards while maintaining a lower ecological footprint.
• For instance, Costa Rica has achieved high life expectancy, universal health care, and widespread literacy through investments in renewable energy and forest conservation.
• Similarly, Sri Lanka has attained an HDI of 0.78, with strong literacy and life expectancy rates due to early investments in health care and education.
• However, Sri Lanka has also faced significant challenges, including an economic crisis in 2022, inflation, political instability, and ethnic tensions.
• These examples illustrate that sustainability requires a delicate balance between economic development, environmental responsibility, and social justice.

India’s Path Forward

• The development models of affluent nations are not suitable for a country like India, with its 1.4 billion people, without causing severe ecological harm.
• Instead, India should explore alternative development models that prioritize both human well-being and environmental sustainability.
• While no country has a perfect solution, some middle-income nations offer valuable lessons in aligning development with ecological limits.
• Progress should be defined not just by GDP growth or HDI rankings but by ensuring that all citizens can live with dignity within the planet's ecological boundaries.
• This approach is not only a moral obligation but also a necessary strategy for long-term survival in the 21st century.

Resolving the vexatious fishing dispute

Why in News?

A prominent figure in the Sri Lankan government has recently called upon India and Tamil Nadu to take strong measures against illegal fishing activities occurring in Sri Lankan waters.

Long-standing Fisheries Dispute in Palk Bay

The fisheries dispute in Palk Bay has persisted for many years, despite firm declarations from leaders in Sri Lanka. Back in 2015, a former Sri Lankan leader defended the actions of the Sri Lankan Navy in dealing with Indian fishermen who were encroaching into their waters.

Concerns Over Bottom Trawling

• Numerous Indian fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry venture across the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in pursuit of more lucrative fishing areas.
• Sri Lankan fishermen are particularly worried about bottom trawling, a practice that wreaks havoc on marine ecosystems and disrupts fish breeding cycles. This method is responsible for approximately half of all discarded fish and marine life worldwide.
• The economic disparity between Indian fishermen, who possess greater resources, and Sri Lankan fishermen, who are still recuperating from the impacts of the civil war, exacerbates the existing tension.

Challenges Faced by Indian Fishermen

• Indian fishermen encounter restricted fishing areas due to the presence of rocky seabeds and coral reefs in their territorial waters.
• The Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act of 1983 further limits their fishing activities.
• While deep-sea fishing could serve as an alternative to fishing in Palk Bay, it entails longer voyages of approximately three weeks and incurs high operational costs.
• The joint initiative launched in 2017 by the Indian and Tamil Nadu governments to promote deep-sea fishing has not yielded positive results due to the challenges associated with shifting from traditional fishing practices.

Suggested Solutions

• Governments should encourage alternative livelihoods such as seaweed cultivation, open sea cage farming, and sea/ocean ranching.
• The Indian government could combine the ₹1,600-crore Palk Bay deep-sea fishing scheme with the ₹20,050-crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana to offer greater financial support for deep-sea fishing vessels.

Need for Talks Between Fishermen

• A sudden shift away from bottom trawling is challenging due to the complexities involved.
• The Sri Lankan government has yet to address the necessity for discussions between fishermen from both nations.
• India and Tamil Nadu have expressed support for the revival of these talks, with the most recent meeting taking place in 2016.
• During a meeting in Colombo last year, India urged for the resumption of talks, but no progress has been made.
• Sri Lankan fishermen from the Northern Province have also shown a willingness to engage in dialogue.

Conclusion

• The upcoming annual two-month fishing ban in eastern India, commencing in mid-April, presents an opportune time for facilitating discussions.
• A high-level visit from India in April offers a chance for Sri Lanka to advocate for a resolution to the dispute through direct negotiations.