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The following essays are examples to model approach with explanations, which is different compared to model

essays. Here we analyze the topic and explain how the essay is to attempted, which is then followed by detailed

text encompassing all the dimensions. Thus, in explaining all the dimensions, the essays are not as per wordlimit, but you are expected to cover selective issues from our detailed text to complete the essay within word limit.

Similarly, the text also contains some quotes and data, which though student is not expected to reproduce in

examination conditions, but, has been provide here as resource, which can be used later in examination.

1. Leadership is not about the next election, it's about the nextgeneration

Key Terms: Leadership, People's Participation

Key Themes: Electoral Politics, Short-Term Populist Decisions, Long-Term Vision, Vote-BankSystem, Corruption, Lust for Power, Trade-Offs of Development, Resistance from Colleagues,

Sustainable Development, Policy Making, Getting above Petty Politics and Narrow Interests

Analysis

Term 1: Leader's Perspective, i.e., how he shall perform?

He shall get above short-term populist decisions and shall take tough decisions too for the benefitof next generation, for example, Uniform civil code, phasing out reservations, article 370 etc.

Generally these topics are considered taboo, as political leaders are afraid of losing their vote-bank

and thus, next election. Thus, real reforms and real issues are ignored. However, a true leader is

supposed to take such tough decision too and shall work with a long-term vision for country and

humanity.

Term 2: People's Participation, i.e., what is the responsibility of the people?

People shall vote with reasonability and support a leader and ensure he/she mustn't loose election

because of tough decisions and long-term vision. They must get above vote-en-bloc mentality andshould not vote their caste.

Introduction (100-150 words)

First task shall be to elaborate and establish/counter the statement, depending upon the approach

or view taken by a candidate. Since, in this case the statement is a truism, and there are no pros

or cons of the approach as such. Thus, we shall explain what we understand or interpret from it.

Body Text (600-700 words)

We must analyze the key terms one by one w.r.t. the themes written above and finally must be able

to explain the responsibility and expectations from the both from maximum dimensions.

www.iasscore.inEssay Test

Dimension Analysis Model

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Conclusion (200-300 words)

We shall conclude by balancing the both aspects that while it is expected from leader's to work with

long-term vision, same would not happen until people also vote with responsibility and getting

above vested interests. Also, use some examples of good leader's who lost elections/credibility/

popular support because of their long-term vision, for example, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, Atal

Bihari Vajpayee. Also, emphasize the importance of timing that a good leader must know the

statecraft well and shall be able to time his decision in such a way that his tough decisions are also

accepted by people.

Leadership is a comprehensive concept which applies to all human activities and institutions. There

could not be a single definition of leadership but leaders can be defined with the attributes they

represent. A common definition of a leader in any arena of life may be given thus: If your actions

inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader (John Quincy Adams).

A leader is one who translates a vision into reality. Political leadership, however, is a little different

due to compulsions of electoral politics in a democracy where the leaders have to create a winning

arithmetic so as to reach the seat of power in order to convert their visions into reality. The winning

arithmetic needs short term populist decisions, propaganda, allurement to interest groups by raising

identity issues, offering privileges and even doling out pecuniary or other gifts. However the process

of creating a winning arithmetic should not blur the long term vision of a leader because only that

will enable them to make rational and sustainable development policies. The urgency to create a

winning arithmetic in the electoral policy is indispensable; nevertheless, a leader should desist from

delusion, deceit, untruth, divisiveness and economic profligacy because the same would create

impediments to the realization of their long term vision of sustainable development with prosperity

and happiness. No doubt there is a trade- off between the compulsions of electoral politics and long

term goals that a leader has to pursue. It is a judicious blend of electoral engineering as well as a sound

vision for long term that makes a good leader.

Term 1

A leader needs to win elections to realise his vision and implement his plans and policies. He should

appeal to the psyche of people and commit himself to address their grievances. But in the process

he should not compromise on his grand vision and ethical and moral values. Just winning the election

by hook or crook would give birth to many new problems. For instance evoking religious sentiments

for electoral gains may pose threat to peace and unity in the country. If populist welfare programmes

are announced, that would lead to increase in burden on budget consequent upon increase in public

expenditure, especially subsidies without adding anything to public assets or productivity. In the long

run these populist measures would create impediments to development.

A leader has a big and futuristic vision which he realizes with the people and for the people. Removal

of poverty and inequality, good health, education and shelter to all and equal opportunity, freedom

and dignity to all may be some of such long term goals.

A leader can see the broader picture and not only the most immediate and proximate issues and

situations. If making smaller states or giving free electricity to farmers or providing reservation to a

particular community in jobs or evoking religious sentiments fetch votes and win elections, it may

jeopardize the future of a society by creating fractures and frictions leading to loss of faith and trust

in the impartiality of the system, the very basis of national dream and unity.

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A leader makes all efforts to fulfill people's aspirations by addressing their problems and plight in the

present and by carrying out reforms that not only improves their lives, but also of future generations.

An equal opportunity society is a better option than positive discrimination. Empowering people to

compete in the market place or removing their entitlement gaps for empowerment is a better method

than doles. A leader has not use narrow policies based on doles to take vote, it is a kind of cheating.

They should tell the truth to the people and prepare them for long term.

But change or reforms cannot be thrust on people by force. A leader has the capacity to influence

and persuade people to realize a certain mission or objective. Leaders have great ability to convince,

persuade and inspire.

Leaders influence people to accept good ideas and just and fair policies. There are many genuine

issues that need to be addressed, but leaders dither due to political consequences such as the issue

of non-merit subsidies in India, the Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, or the

issue of reservation(its modus operandi, extent and reservation in promotions etc.), and uniform

Civil Code etc. True these issues are like hornets' nest. But building consensus and public opinion

is also one of the important attributes of a leader. Martin Luther King, Jr. rightly remarks that a

genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.

While electioneering both the trends are observed- rubble rousing and finding faults on the one hand

and making excuses for failures. A leader in opposition should not only point out what was not

accomplished by the ruling party, but how to achieve those goals. A leader of ruling party should not

find excuses for failing to meet commitments, but should reassure that they would make double

efforts to plug the loopholes and achieve the targets. Thus, leaders shouldn't only find faults, but

remedies. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. A rubble rouser is

not a leader. A fault finder is not a leader. One who sees only problems and not the solutions is not

a leader. Leadership - leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses.

Term 2

Voting on the basis of educated and informed decisions, return good leaders to power. People have

a great responsibility to cast their votes on merit and not on whims and fancies, propaganda, narrow

categories such as caste or religion or region, emotive issues, revenge or retribution. Voting should be

done for vision, credibility, and capability of the leaders and above all their capacities to achieve

prosperity and happiness for all the fellow citizens. People have a responsibility to know about the

main issues facing the country and the leaders who have the ability to solve them. Only then they

can return right leaders to power. Besides, people also need to save themselves from lust and greed

and they should desist from receiving doles. People need to have education and a minimum level of

economic self reliance to be independent in decision making. There is also need for freedom to

discuss, differ and evolve consensus on variety of issues.

Task of a political leader is tough. The competitive interests in polity never allow politics to be free

from propaganda and populism. The political expediency, therefore, requires appeal to the day-to-day

needs and immediate interests and aspirations of the people. Only this can win elections. But a leader

should do this by setting certain standards.

A good leader can communicate with people in a manner to convince them about the larger cause

of maximum happiness for the maximum people, the great shared national vision and goals, prepare

them to swallow bitter pills of reforms today for a better future tomorrow. Winning or losing elections

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have significance to achieve power but seat of power never remains intact, leaders come and go, but

great visions of great leaders live all the times. Future generations benefit a lot from broad visions

of the past leaders.

For leaders in the true sense, sometimes it does not matter whether they have popular support in the

beginning or not. When India was struck with an unprecedented BOP crisis, Prime Minister Narasimha

Rao and Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh initiated the New Economic Policy amid vociferous

opposition and protests. Today we say they converted a crisis into opportunity. Former Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Bajpayee went for Pokhran II, despite threat from external powers, today we are one step

ahead as a nuclear power; he started innovative infrastructure programmes, educational programmes

etc. despite several odds (such as facing lack of funds and support from coalition partners on many

issues) and succeeded .And above all he defeated the ISI and Pakistan defence supported misadventure

of Kargil when they tried to misjudge his friendly gestures. Operation Vijay will be noted in the Indian

history for the valour and courage of leader and soldiers. Muhammed bin Tughlaq was a great

reformer who tried to implement reforms for the benefit of public at the ire of ruling elites so nicely

depicted in Girish Kanard's drama named Tughlaq. He lost in his battle for reforms to corrupt and

greedy Amirs, but he is still remembered for his passion for reforms.

Leaders do not play to the gallery but their wisdom and conscience. They go ahead if they are

convinced about their moves. Leaders are not, as we are often led to think, people who go along with

huge crowds following them. Leaders are people who go their own way without caring, or even

looking to see, whether anyone is following them. "Leadership qualities" are not the qualities that

enable people to attract followers, but those that enable them to do without them. They include, at

the very least, courage, endurance, patience, humor, flexibility, resourcefulness, stubbornness, a keen

sense of reality, and the ability to keep a cool and clear head, even when things are going badly. True

leaders, in short, do not make people into followers, but into other leaders." Leadership is about basic

goodness that transcends time and space.

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2. Without Agriculture it is not possible to have a City, StockMarket, Banks, University, Church or Army

Key Themes: Importance of Agriculture, Agriculture as Bedrock of Economy and Civilization,Lopsided Valuation and Priorities, unrealistic and artificial importance of services over agriculture

Analysis

Term 1: Agriculture and its Importance

Most important aspect of this statement is while, agriculture and farmers are no longer respectedin society; their income and output is only a small proportion of GDP; even if youth is not willingto become farmer anymore, the essential truth, without farmers everyone else would die as agricultureis the foundation of civilization.

Term 2: Agriculture may have been used in the topic, but the essence is primary sector, whichinclude livestock, fishing, mining, and forestry. Thus, while we must discuss agriculture with utmostimportance, we shall also touch upon these activities too.

Approach for the Essay

This, is a very straight forward topic and shall be elaborated as per the statement, only importantpoint that shall be remembered is, While we should establish beyond doubt that agriculture is thefoundation of civilization, right from the time when first humans settled down; we must not forgetthat the agriculture has also been supported by scientific research and industrial production and itis only because of their support production levels are where, what they are today. Thus, it wouldbe unwise to say that agriculture is most-important or for that matter any sector, just like each partof body is important and cardinal and whole is incomplete without any, the humanity would alsobe incomplete without any of its sectors.

Similarly the question shall be included and analyzed that, while agriculture is necessary, but is itsufficient.

Introduction

The discovery of agriculture was the first big step toward a civilized life. All great civilizationsflourished in the river valleys, for example Indus valley civilization, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Agriculturegave a settled life to Homo sapiens who were initially wanderers, hunters and gatherers. Settled lifegave birth to family and private property, religion and belief systems, trade and commerce. It also gaveopportunity for innovation and discovery leading to a variety of industrial activities. Thus agriculturefacilitated progress of civilization. Agriculture plays a very important role even today by providingfood and raw materials to ever rising population in the world. Agriculture constitutes substantial partof GDP, employment and exports of many developing countries. As the growth in agriculture sectorwas supported hugely by industrialization, research and development, transport and communicationetc., the role of other economic activities and services in human progress cannot be undermined. Oneof the important reasons of progress in agriculture has been provision of extension services to thesector. The French economic thinkers named as physiocrats considered agriculture as the onlyproductive activity while other activities as futile or at best derived activities. However, the derivedactivities due to agricultural activities such as industrialization, transport and communication andbanking etc. are no less important for progress.

It also needs to be appreciated that a one sided thrust on agriculture by ignoring other economicactivities has several disadvantages. For instance, over use of land for agriculture, and concomitant

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increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides leads to deterioration in the soil fertility,salinity and degradation and pollution of other resources like air (due to too much use of machinesand fuel) and water. It is also increasingly realized that agriculture alone cannot provide productiveemployment to ever increasing labour force. The income and wages in agriculture is low because oflow productivity and a traditionally low place of agricultural skills in the value system. Today nobodywants to be a farmer because of a low status attached to farming occupation. We need allied activitiesand non-farm activities to transfer labour to more productive activities from agriculture sector wheredisguised unemployment is rampant. Also agriculture has an adverse terms of trade with other sectorsbecause lack of differentiation and inelastic demand facing its products. Industrial products andservices are differentiated and they have better scope for packaging and marketing. It is therefore,other sectors enjoy better terms of trade. This is why primary product traders and exporters are ata disadvantage vis--vis industrial product or services traders/exporters.

Agriculture is the foundation of civilization and any stable economy. But civilization needs muchmore because over a period of time and with progress our needs have gone beyond food and fodderand raw materials for industries. Today's life has an overarching presence of variety of services thatmake live more convenient and livable. It is, therefore, important to fine tune and balance all thesectors for a balanced growth. Balancing act is also needed because all the sectors, primary, secondaryand tertiary crucially depend on each other for growth and development.

Term 1

The population of the world increased from about three billion at the beginning of twentieth centuryto about 7 billion now. The fear expressed by Malthus and neo-Malthusians that rate of populationgrowth would outstrip the rate of growth in food grains production was falsified as agricultureprogressed in leaps and bounds due to technological innovation and good farming practices. Thenatural disasters, which Malthus said, would balance the gap between population and food supply wasavoided to a great extent. India also achieved self sufficiency in food grains production by the endof sixth five year plan due to success of Green Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution in 18thcentury and even in post world war era, agriculture played an important role in the development oftextile industry, sugar industry, tea industry, paper industry and a big food processing industry, whichforms a major part of FMCG market. Even the meat and milk industry crucially depended onagriculture to feed the animals. Agriculture, although constitutes a a small proportion of GDP, it stillremains to be an important employment provider in the developing countries. Food security andbalanced nutrition has been possible due to agriculture that leads to growth of healthy humanresources. Healthy human resources is a pre-requisite for raising productivity and making a diseasefree society. In an era of free trade and globalization, agriculture also offers a big export market toearn foreign currency on the one hand and to raise farmers' income on the other.

Term 2

Agriculture should not be seen as a lone activity of crop production. In fact agriculture comprises abig sector, if it is seen along with the allied activities such as animal husbandry, fishing, poultry,forestry and horticulture etc. The allied activities also lead to value addition in our GDP and createhuge employment opportunities. If we see the trends in the Indian economy it amply becomes clearthat allied activities of agriculture also play a significant role in growth and development. India ranksfirst in milk production, accounting for 17 per cent of world production. During 2012-13, milkproduction peaked at 132.43 mt, thus becoming an important secondary source ofincome for 70million rural households engaged in dairying and for 70 per cent of the workforce that comprisedwomen. In India fisheries is an important source of livelihood and fish, are an important source ofprotein. There are 14.4 million fishermen in the country. India ranks second in world fish production,contributing about 5.4 per cent of global fish production. It is also a major producer of fish through

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aquaculture. Horticulture sector comprising a wide array of crops from fruits and vegetables to nuts,spices, medicinal plants, flowers, and plantation crops, provides many opportunities for incomegeneration. Globally India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables; the largest producerof mango, banana, coconut, cashew, papaya, and pomegranate; and the largest producer and exporterof spices. Horticulture production, estimated at 265 million tonnes, exceeded the production of foodgrains and oilseeds in 2012-13.

In modern times agriculture also plays a very important role in development of stock markets.Agricultural products are traded in derivative markets, which have several advantages. Opening up ofthe commodity futures market in India was an important initiative taken with the aim of improvingdomestic market efficiency. The commodity futures market facilitates the price discovery process andprovides a platform for price risk management in commodities. The Forward Markets Commission(FMC), the regulator for the commodity futures market, was brought under the administrative controlof the Ministry of Finance in September 2013. Currently, only 46 of the 113 commodities that arenotified for futures trading are actively traded in 6 National Exchanges and 11 Commodity SpecificExchanges. Futures trading in agricultural commodities constituted 15.8 per cent of the total turnoverin 2013-14, with food items (refined soya oil, soyabean, chana, rapeseed/ mustard seed, and coriander)contributing 55.56 per cent, and nonfood items (castor seed and cotton) 17.46 per cent.

Conclusion

Agriculture sector is thus extremely important for feeding the ever increasing population and providingraw materials. But the sector cannot grow in isolation. It needs support from industrial sector andservices sector. Farm mechanization can improve productivity and working conditions by removingthe onerous drudgery of farming activities and compensating for labour shortage. Industrial growthsleads to ever increasing demand for agricultural products and also increase in farm income leads togrowth in the demand for industrial products and services like transport and communication, healthand education etc. The complementarities among these sectors cannot be ignored.

The farming sector is today facing not only the problem of stagnating production or even decliningproductivity, but also the problems related to marketing and warehousing, indebtedness, poverty, lackof training, skill formation, conservation of natural resources on which agriculture depends crucially,dearth of consultancy and extension services and safety net etc. All these problems call for actionin other sectors, especially services sector and governance to address these problems.

Agriculture is today on the cross roads. The human civilization in the era of 3G and globalizationhas many other preoccupations and the agricultural issues have gone on the background. Howevereach time we eat anything anywhere, we must remind us that the nature mother has gifted us oneeconomic activity, which keeps us surviving and going and continues adding natural aesthetics to ourhabitats. Agriculture is the standing evidence of fertility and capacity to regenerate of mother earth.We, therefore, must conserve water and soil, flora and fauna and help those who do farming activities.Agriculture is a free gift of nature, but in recent technological era the value of free gifts of naturehas gone down in our psyche. The paramount doctrine of the economic and technological euphoriaof recent decades has been that everything depends on innovation. It was understood as desirable, andeven necessary, that we should go on and on from one technological innovation to the next, whichwould cause the economy to "grow" and make everything better and better. This of course impliedat every point a hatred of the past, of all things inherited and free. All things superseded in ourprogress of innovations, whatever their value might have been, were discounted as of no value at all.This is our attitude regarding agriculture as well and it is not good. Also to keep farmers on the farmwe must maintain a strong farm safety net, and also build a thriving companion economy in secondaryand tertiary sectors to compliment production in agriculture.

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3. We don't have to Sacrifice a Strong Economy for a HealthyEnvironment

Key Concept: Sustainable Development

Key Themes: Balance b/w Economy and Ecology, trade-off for Development, Clean Energy,Renewable Energy, Smart Cities (efficient), Public Transport, Kyoto Protocol, carbon credits,

investment efficiency (ICOR), Greenfield projects v/s Brownfield projects, recycling

Analysis

The essay is about sustainable development. Thus, the thrust should be on feasibility of the same(explained with illustrations) contrasted with the challenges (supported by Reports or Data).

Quote: You don't have to sacrifice environmental protection to get economic growth. The choicebetween jobs and environment is a false one: we can have both." Bill Clinton

Approach for the Essay

This, is a very straight forward topic and shall be elaborated as per the statement, however, thereis a challenge, sustainable development is easier said than done, thus, the essence would be on thepart, how you substantiate your argument with data and reports. Especially, when given the record

of past 20 years we can see not much has improved on sustainable development front and eachpassing day we are damaging our habitat.

Introduction

First task shall be to elaborate the statements, while clearly stating the challenges in the path of

sustainable growth. Also, explain the point, while we can preserve environment with a strong

economy, the investment efficiency and ICOR would fall and thus, aggressive economic growthwould not be possible.

Body Text

Elaborate how this can be achieved through increasing the reliance on Clean and Renewable Energy.Use the concept of smart cities that focus on energy efficiency through good public transport, focus

on green lifestyle and recycling through citizen involvement. Also, include the economic cost ofdeveloping such smart cities and jobs that the process would create and further boost growth.Include some examples of Greenfield projects v/s Brownfield projects and how excessive focus on

Greenfield projects affects the environment and reduce the forest and green cover.

Include the international agreements dimension with Kyoto Protocol and carbon credits concepts

Conclusion

Include the challenges in the process and above mentioned themes and conclude on an optimisticnote while charting out the limited progress in last 20 years.

Introduction

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. Since the Industrialrevolution of eighteenth century and more particularly after the Second World War economic growthbecame the first priority of all the welfare democratic states to enhance national wealth in order touplift the living standard of the people. Economic growth increased in leaps and bounds due totechnological and managerial innovations on the one hand and optimum use of resources on the

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other. In the post world war period, however, it was increasingly being realized that growth has its owncost and it puts pressure on the limited resources beyond their carrying capacity. Once growth takesplace beyond the carrying capacity the quality of natural resources such as soil, water and airdeteriorate. Such a development is not sustainable. The concern gave birth to discussions whetherthere is 'limits to growth'? Is there any trade off between growth and sustainable development? Onthe one side of the spectrum there are people who think that nature has immense power to rectifythe imbalances and resuscitate and regenerate itself and so the fear about a nightmare or a naturaldisaster is not warranted. On the other side of spectrum, there are experts who believe that unfetteredindustrialization and commercialization lead to many aberrations and imbalances due to excessive useof land and water, use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, emission of pollutants and carbon fromfossil fuels, excessive use of processing materials etc. eventually destroying the capacity of nature torectify, resuscitate and rejuvenate. But mid between the two spectrum, there is an optimist class thatbelieves that a balancing act between growth and conservation and protection of nature is possible.They believe that since the world population has increased, it is necessary to increase national wealthfor improving the standard of living of the people and remove poverty. Humanity needs to have wisepolicies to ensure growth and development that is sustainable. Ban Ki-moon rightly points out:Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economicgrowth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance. He further saysthat climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges andincreasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course.

Description

The Club of Rome, a global think tank raised considerable public attention in 1972 with its reportThe Limits to Growth. The Limits to Growth is a 1972 book about the computer simulation ofexponential economic and population growth with finite resource supplies. Five variables were examinedin the original model. These variables are: world population, industrialization, pollution, food production,and resource depletion. The authors intended to explore the possibility of a sustainable feedbackpattern that would be achieved by altering growth trends among the five variables under threescenarios. They noted that their projections for the values of the variables in each scenario werepredictions "only in the most limited sense of the word," and were only indications of the system'sbehavioral tendencies. Two of the scenarios saw "overshoot and collapse" of the global system by themid to latter part of the 21st century, while a third scenario resulted in a "stabilized world." tendenciesof the variables in the system (population or pollution, for example) to change as time progresses.A variable may increase, decrease, remain constant, oscillate, or combine several of these characteristicmodes. For example, a population growing in a limited environment can approach the ultimatecarrying capacity of that environment in several possible ways. It can adjust smoothly to equilibriumbelow the environmental limit by means of a gradual decrease in growth rate. It can overshoot thelimit and then die back again in either a smooth or an oscillatory way. Or it can overshoot the limitand in the process decrease the ultimate carrying capacity by consuming some necessary nonrenewableresource. This behavior has been noted in many natural systems. For instance, deer or goats, whennatural enemies are absent, often overgraze their range and cause erosion or destruction of thevegetation.

Although in the 400 years of development, market economies achieved higher and higher economicgrowth without jeopardizing much in terms of environment and ecosystem till the Second World War.But in the baby boom years America and Europe at the core and Asian and African nations at theperiphery emulated the same models of industrialization and commercialization- 'more' was betterthan 'less' in both production and consumption in this model of growth. Population also increasedbecause of improvement in clinical facilities and better nutrition. Meanwhile technological innovations,packaging and advertisement created demand for many products, which were not so vital as food,

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cloth and shelter. All this resulted in excessive pressure on the limited resource, over use of fossilfuels and unmanageable waste and byproducts as pollutants. Thus the question has risen whethergrowth and development are unmixed blessings?

Recent studies have shown that Global warming and climate change is taking place. Scientist haveobserved century-scale rise in the average temperature of the Earth's climate system and its related

effects. Multiple lines of scientific evidence show that the climate system is warming. More than 90%

of the additional energy stored in the climate system since 1970 has gone into ocean warming; the

remainder has melted ice, and warmed the continents and atmosphere. The observed increases in

global average surface temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide have been much faster in recent

decades than the natural changes of previous millennia, and levels are now higher than at any timefor hundreds of thousands of years prior.

Scientific understanding of the cause of global warming has been increasing. In its fourth assessment

(AR4 2007) the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported that scientists were

more than 90% certain that most of global warming was being caused by increasing concentrationsof greenhouse gases produced by human activities (anthropogenic). In 2010 that finding was recognized

by the national science academies of all major industrialized nations. Climate model projections were

summarized in the 2013 Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) by the IPCC. They indicated that during

the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 0.3 to 1.7 C (0.5 to 3.1 F)

for their lowest emissions scenario using stringent mitigation and 2.6 to 4.8 C (4.7 to 8.6 F) for their

highest

Future climate change and associated impacts will vary from region to region around the globe. The

effects of an increase in global temperature include a rise in sea levels and a change in the amount

and pattern of precipitation, as well as a probable expansion of subtropical deserts. Warming is

expected to be strongest in the Arctic, with the continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice.

Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent extreme weather events including heatwaves, droughts, heavy rainfall, and heavy snowfall; ocean acidification; and species extinctions due

to shifting temperature regimes. Effects significant to humans include the threat to food security from

decreasing crop yields and the loss of habitat from inundation.

Now it is felt everywhere that instead of growth and development, the economies should pursue the

goal of sustainable development. Sustainable development is a road-map, an action plan, for achieving

sustainability in any activity that uses resources and where immediate and intergenerational replication

is demanded. As such, sustainable development is the organizing principle for sustaining finite resources

necessary to provide for the needs of future generations of life on the planet. It is a process that

envisions a desirable future state for human societies in which living conditions and resource-use

continue to meet human needs without undermining the "integrity, stability and beauty" of naturalbiotic systems. As a working definition, sustainability can be defined as the practice of maintaining

processes of productivity indefinitely-natural or human made-by replacing resources used with resources

of equal or greater value without degrading or endangering natural biotic systems. According to M.

Hasna, sustainability is a function of social, economic, technological and ecological themes. Sustainable

development ties together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social,

political, and economic challenges faced by humanity.

Former US President Bill Clinton rightly points out, "You don't have to sacrifice environmental

protection to get economic growth. The choice between jobs and environment is a false one: we can

have both." The idea of the US President is today a norm rather than exception. Today the national

governments as well as multilateral forums are trying hard to find ways and means to achieve abalance between growth and environment, i.e to realize sustainable development. There are many

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measures which have either been initiated or in the offing to reduce the adverse effects of growth on

natural resources, environment and ecosystems. All the national governments have made laws for the

conservation of forest, flora and fauna. The industries are required to take clearance from greentribunals and departments. There are many countries which have started green accounting. Even in

the corporate sector practices like green audit and corporate responsibility are being adopted. Many

countries are promoting use of renewable energy and nuclear power which will help provide the

electricity that our growing economy needs without increasing emissions. This is truly an

environmentally responsible source of energy.

Countries across the globe are engaging in forestation, soil conservation and purification of their water

bodies and rivers by stopping effluents from draining into them and effluent treatment. Throughout

the globe, a grand endeavour is underway to develop green technology so as to control carbon and

other green house gases emissions.

By 1990s, it was realized that unfettered industrialization may cause permanent damage to the planet

earth, so a collective effort known as Kyoto Protocol was adopted. The Kyoto Protocol is an

international treaty, which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the

premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) man-made CO2 emissions have caused it. The Protocolis based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities: it puts the obligation to reduce

current emissions on developed countries on the basis that they are historically responsible for the

current levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Protocol's first commitment period started

in 2008 and ended in 2012. A second commitment period was proposed in 2012, known as the Doha

Amendment, in which 37 countries have binding targets. Also the world today has a system of carbon

trading. Carbon emissions trading is a form of emissions trading that specifically targets carbon

dioxide (calculated in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or tCO2e) and it currently constitutes the

bulk of emissions trading. Under Carbon trading, a country having more emissions of carbon is able

to purchase the right to emit more and the country having less emission trades the right to emit

carbon to other countries. More carbon emitting countries, by this way try to keep the limit of carbon

emission specified to them. This form of permit trading is a common method countries utilize in

order to meet their obligations specified by the Kyoto Protocol; namely the reduction of carbon

emissions in an attempt to reduce (mitigate) future climate change.

There are also proposals on using user charges for soil, water and other natural resources with an

element of progressive taxation- more you use more you pay. In the similar fashion, there are

proposals for environmental tax. Environmental taxes, which many people refer to as "green taxes,"

are taxes that focus on improving the environment. The objective it to use taxation as a way toencourage businesses to use resources more efficiently and prevent long-term damage to the

environment. According to the Internal Revenue Service, no business, government agency, Indian

tribal government or nonprofit educational organization is exempt from U.S. environmental tax laws.

US present a good model of environmental tax. Environmental taxes in the U.S. focus onenvironmentally harmful products. They include the oil spill liability tax that the IRS imposes on

refineries for crude oil and petroleum products. They also include taxes for companies that use ozone-

depleting chemicals and imported products that contain or use ODCs during manufacturing. Taxes

are often tied to a company's particular use of resources. For example, the IRS website notes that

there are taxes on crude oil when it is received at a U.S. refinery. In this case, the operator of the

refinery is liable for the tax. However, when crude oil is used to extract oil or natural gas on the sitewhere the crude was produced, the tax is imposed on the user or exporter. In addition, there is a "floor

stocks" environmental tax imposed on ODCs that resellers and manufacturers hold in inventory on

January 1 of each year, either for sale or as a raw material.

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Last but not the least there is immense possibility of global cooperation in mitigating the adverse

effects of economic growth on environment. The world community has built a Global Environmental

Facility. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) unites 183 countries in partnership with internationalinstitutions, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the private sector to address global environmental

issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. Today the GEF is the largest

public funder of projects to improve the global environment. An independently operating financial

organization, the GEF provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international

waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. Since 1991, the GEF has

achieved a strong track record with developing countries and countries with economies in transition,providing $12.5 billion in grants and leveraging $58 billion in co-financing for over 3,690 projects in

over 165 countries. Through its Small Grants Programme (SGP), the GEF has also made more than

20,000 small grants directly to civil society and community based organizations, totaling $653.2

million. The technologically advanced nations are also readying themselves for transfer of green

technology to the less advanced developing countries so as to pursue environment friendly growth and

development.

Conclusion

It can be safely concluded that the world is today more aware than ever that sustainable development

is the only way for the survival of mother earth. In fact plans to protect air and water, wilderness and

wildlife are in fact plans to protect man. (Stewart Udall). The global fraternity will have to conserve

the natural resources and sparingly use them to give sufficient time for regeneration. Aldo Leopold

is right when he says conservation is a state of harmony between men and land. It is very important

to educate people and make them aware about the trade-off between growth and environment. The

is an urgent need to communicate with the public and help to explain where there is consensus, and

where are there doubts about the issues of sustainable development. (Jeffrey Sachs). Talking will not

help much and something concrete need to be done as the world community has already started.

People have an inertia against change, but change we must for sustainable development. Jaime Lerner

says:

I always run into these Ph.D.s. They write and write and write about sustainable development. Then

these guys ask me, 'But, how do you do it?' They are scared to death to do anything."It is not that

growth needs to be halted, but a caution in needed in overuse of natural resources, greed and lust for

profit. It is said umpteen times that nature has given ample resources for need of all human beings,

but no amount is sufficient for greed. Sometimes it is in the long-run interest of the business sector

to restrict the freedom of individual firms so that they do not destroy the common pool of resources

that all of them need, such as natural resources or the labour force. We may finally conclude thatwhether humans are responsible for the bulk of climate change should be left to the scientists, but

it's all of our responsibility to leave this planet in better shape for the future generations than we

found it.

To quote Ban Ki-moon: "Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth...these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity,

energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem

must be solutions for all."