In one district, poor rural families cut nearby forests for fuelwood, while fumes from a fast-growing industrial town foul the air. Which feature of the threat to India’s environment do these two cases show together?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A dichotomy of poverty-induced degradation and pollution from affluence and industry
The two cases show the two sides of the threat to India’s environment. Poor families cutting forests for fuelwood is poverty-induced degradation. Fumes from a fast-growing industrial town are pollution from affluence and industry.
Option (1) A reversal of the supply-demand relationship for environmental quality — Incorrect. This is the change from supply above demand in early days to demand above supply today; it does not describe a rich-poor split.
Option (2) A failure of the aesthetic function of the environment — Incorrect. The aesthetic function is about scenery; the cases are about degradation and pollution.
Option (3) A dichotomy of poverty-induced degradation and pollution from affluence and industry — Correct. Both sides appear in the one district.
Option (4) A rise in the opportunity cost of using non-conventional energy — Incorrect. No non-conventional energy is used in either case.
NCERT (2026-27): “7.3 State of India’s Environment … However, the developmental activities in India have resulted in pressure on its finite natural resources, besides creating impacts on human health and well-being. The threat to India’s environment poses a dichotomy —threat of poverty-induced environmental degradation and, at the same time, threat of pollution from affluence and a rapidly growing industrial sector. …” “Some of the factors responsible for land degradation are (i) loss of vegetation occuring due to deforestation (ii) unsustainable fuel wood and fodder extraction …” |