Environmental Degradation - Meaning, Types, Causes, Effects, Possible Solutions & UPSC Notes

Environmental degradation means the damage we cause to the environment. Humans deplete resources and pollute the Earth. This harms plants, animals and entire ecosystems. It also encompasses the decline of the environment, involving the depletion of resources like air, water, and soil, along with the destruction of ecosystems, habitat loss, wildlife extinction, and pollution. 

The essence of this deterioration is that there is a change or disturbance in the environment that is perceived in a manner that is undesirable or harmful. On the other hand, environmental concerns are referred to as the unfavourable effects of human actions on the environment, including biological and physical characteristics. Some of the significant environmental issues of great concern are air pollution, water pollution, pollution of the natural environment, waste pollution, and many more.

Environmental degradation is relevant to UPSC because it encompasses burning, pollution, deforestation, and climate change. It forms a significant part only in GS paper III of Environment and Ecology, yet is equally applicable to GS paper I (Geography), GS paper II (Governance), GS paper IV (Ethics), and in the Essay paper. Among them are sustainable development, environmental policies, climate agreements, and ecological ethics. Knowledge of this enables the aspirants to answer questions about current affairs, the impact of policies, and global environmental issues. It can also assist in writing analytical and values-based answers; hence, the most crucial section in scoring high in various sections must be attempted in the UPSC. This article is essential for the UPSC IAS exam. Take your exam preparation to the next level by signing up for UPSC coaching.

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What is Environmental Degradation?

Environmental degradation can be defined as the deterioration of the environment through loss of natural resources such as air, water and soil, destruction of whole ecosystems and extinction of wildlife. It has been defined as any change or disturbance to the environment deemed harmful or undesirable.

The degradation of the environment is among the 10 threats warned explicitly by the High-level Panel on threats, challenges and change of the United Nations. According to the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, environmental degradation can be defined as the impairment of the ability of the environment to provide social and ecological goals and requirements.

Land Degradation in India (2015‑19)

India reports approximately 91 million hectares (≈29 % of geographical area) under terrestrial land degradation—classified via ISRO/UNCCD as water erosion (≈80 %), wind erosion, salinification, waterlogging and acidification. 

India lost 30.5 million ha of previously healthy land between 2015–19 (4.4 → 9.45 % of TGA)—a rapid and alarming increase. These figures equate to a landmass nearly the size of 43 million football fields.

Different Types of Environmental Degradation

• Land and soil degradation results from inadequate farming practices, excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, and leakage from landfills.
• Water degradation occurs due to water pollution from improper disposal of trash in oceans, illegal dumping, and the release of significant industrial waste into nearby rivers or lakes.
• Atmospheric degradation encompasses air pollution, particle pollution, and the depletion of the ozone layer.
• Various other forms of pollution, including noise and light, contribute to environmental degradation, extending beyond land, water, and the atmosphere.
• Loss of Biodiversity / Ecosystem Collapse: deforestation, extinction of keystone species, coral reef degradation
• Coastal & Marine Degradation: beach erosion, sea-level rise, mangrove loss, marine litter
• Waste (E-Waste / Plastic / Industrial Sludge): improper disposal, leachate pollution
• Noise, Light & Thermal Pollution: urban ecosystems disrupted, behavioural ecology impacted
• Climate‑linked Degradation: permafrost melt, glacier retreat, ecosystem shift due to shifting climate zones

Causes Of Environmental Degradation

Environmental degradation causes a lot of problems for nature and people. Ecological degradation means human activities are harming the Earth's environment. Plants, animals and ecosystems are being hurt. Many things cause environmental degradation. Here are the main reasons why it happens:

• The most significant cause of environmental degradation is too many people. When more people need food, water, energy, and buildings, it puts more stress on nature. More people mean more pollution, resource use, and trash. The human population has doubled in the last 50 years. Overpopulation leads to habitat loss, pollution, and resource depletion.
• Pollution from cars, factories, and farms harms the air, water, and soil. Air pollution causes global warming and acid rain. 
  • Water pollution makes lakes and oceans dirty. 
  • Soil pollution hurts plant growth. Pollution comes from too many people using too much stuff that becomes waste. 
• Resource Use s takes a lot of natural resources to survive. We use trees for lumber, soil to grow crops, water for drinking, and fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas for energy. Humans now use half of all accessible fresh water. 
• Cutting down trees causes environmental problems. Forests provide people with wood and make space for farming. 
• The way we farm and raise animals for food harms the environment. Farming uses lots of water, land and chemicals like pesticides and fertilisers. Runoff from farms pollutes waterways. Intensive farming depletes soil nutrients and degrades land over time. Raising animals also uses a lot of land, water, and crops, which affects ecosystems. More sustainable methods of farming could reduce impacts.
• These are the main reasons why environmental degradation occurs. Overpopulation, pollution, overconsumption of resources, deforestation, and unsustainable agriculture negatively impact nature.

Effects Of Environmental Degradation

When the environment becomes polluted, it can cause many health issues for humans. Air pollution caused by excess carbon emissions, factory smoke, and vehicle fumes can cause breathing issues like asthma, lung cancer, and other respiratory diseases.

• Polluted water sources carry harmful bacteria and viruses that cause diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. 
• Changes in the Earth's climate are one of the significant impacts of environmental degradation. The burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. The gases lock in heat and warm the Earth's surface, leading to global warming.
• Global warming leads to unusual changes in the weather conditions. It causes increased sea levels, heavy rain, severe heat waves, intense storms and glacier melting. 
• When human activities destroy natural habitats like forests, grasslands and wetlands, many species of plants and animals become extinct. 
• Air, water, and soil pollution kill many species directly. Many other species' habitats and food sources are disrupted. When one species disappears, Loss of biodiversity can even make ecosystems collapse.
• Depleted Natural Resources activities like overfishing, overhunting, excessive mining, and deforestation, consume natural resources at rates faster than they can replenish. 
• Scarce natural resources also lead to conflicts over their ownership and use. The depletion of resources that provide us with food and material needs will majorly impact human lives in the future.
• Environmental degradation has economic costs in many forms. Pollution from factories and vehicles damages buildings, crops, and property. 
• Extreme weather events caused by climate change destroy infrastructure and disrupt economic activities. Costs are incurred to conduct research and create new technologies to adapt to resource scarcity and environmental changes.
• In order to preserve our environment and human health, we will have to alter our way of life and use nature's resources. 
• In the broader sense, companies and governments should make greener decisions, invest in renewable energy, introduce incentives to encourage environmentally friendly behaviour, and develop environmental laws against pollution.
• Routine household tasks—like drawing water, biomass collection—increasingly burden rural women and girls, resulting in higher exposure to gender-based violence, health risks, and time poverty. 
• Judged to contribute greater health burdens in minors and low-income populations: air and water pollution account for over 22 % of deaths in children under age five. 
• Loss of ecosystem services (like flood buffering or pollination) leads to economic losses: e.g. India spends ~₹68,500 crore (≈1% of GDP) annually to restore land degradation.

Effects of environmental degradation on the livelihoods of women

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations also discovers how biodiversity extinction and ecosystem destruction affect livelihoods in low settings of degraded lands and ecosystems in rural geographies, where girls and women are burdened with the heaviest work burdens.

• Environmental degradation also unequally impacts women's daily livelihood, health, food and nutrition security, access to water and energy, and ability to cope with changing ecological scenarios. 
• Women have to cope with this, which further adds to their unpaid care work, especially in the rural context, where environmental pressures and shocks compel them to bear the consequences. 
• It also means that since natural resources that are available to women and girls are becoming scarce with the effects of climate change, women and girls will have to walk even longer distances to harvest food and water or to fetch firewood and the probability of them facing gender-based violence increases respectively.
• Routine household tasks—like drawing water, biomass collection—increasingly burden rural women and girls, resulting in higher exposure to gender-based violence, health risks, and time poverty.
• Judged to contribute greater health burdens in minors and low-income populations: air and water pollution account for over 22 % of deaths in children under age five. (WHO 2023 data)
• Loss of ecosystem services (like flood buffering or pollination) leads to economic losses: e.g. India spends ~₹68,500 crore (≈1% of GDP) annually to restore land degradation. 

Potential Remedies to the Environmental Deterioration

Solutions to Environmental Degradation are as follows.

Sustainable Practices:

• Use of sustainable farming practices in the reduction of soil degradation.
• Promote organic farming so that the use of chemicals is limited.

Waste Management:

• Encourage proper waste aftercare and recycling initiatives.
• Deter illegal dumping and ensure safe disposal of industrial waste.

Conservation Efforts:

• Set stringent laws and enforce them to preserve the ecosystems and avoid the destruction of habitats.
• Design conservation projects for the endangered wildlife and their habitats.

Reducing Pollution:

• Undertake to ensure air pollution is regulated through industrial activities and vehicles.
• Put tighter laws on water contamination in place, which deem it necessary to preserve water bodies.

• Renewable Energy:

• Promote the use of renewable energy sources to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
• Invest in research and development of clean energy technologies.

Environmental Education:

• Raise awareness using information programs on the consequences of environmental degradation.
• Promote responsible conduct among people, societies, and sectors.

International Collaboration:

• Enhance international collaboration regarding the worldwide environment.
• Work jointly on research, transfer of technology and best practices on sustainable development.

Policy Reforms:

• Promote and enact policies that are conservation-friendly in nature.
• Incorporate environmental issues in the city planning and infrastructure.

Policy & Legal Responses: EP Act, NGT, Environmental Justice

• Section 3 of Environmental Protection Act, 1986 authorizes the central government to lay down quality standards, restrict pollutant loads, and coordinate control measures among states. (Section 3, EPA 1986)
   
• The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, enforces corrective actions, including the imposition of environmental compensation as a punitive and restorative tool—e.g. ₹69 lakh fine for Mokhali’s unauthorized tree felling; NGT stays on discharge of untreated sewage in Noida; compensation orders in Howrah. 
• Judicial precedents such as MC Mehta v. Union of India and T.N. Godavarnam established environmental protection as part of Article 21 and public trust doctrine.

Market-based Instruments & Ecosystem Financing

• Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes—e.g. in Himalayan watersheds, green buffers that prevent soil erosion are incentivized by downstream beneficiaries; such community-based PES is gaining momentum in India.
• Other instruments include biodiversity offset banking for infrastructure projects, wetland credit, and plastic/environmental impact bonds, aligning with global TEEB assessments and India’s green finance agenda.

Institutional Architecture & Governance for Sustainability

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) oversees national policy, EIA clearances, species protection, and climate commitments.
• CPCB and SPCBs monitor ambient pollution levels and issue Consent-to-Operate (CTO) under relevant environmental laws.
• Multi-sectoral partnerships include National Biodiversity Authority, Ganga Monitoring Unit, the National Mission on Sustainable Himalayas, and administrative tools like the Bhuvan-SHC platform for geospatial land-use monitoring. 
• India’s Sustainable Landscape Restoration Missions are funded in line with NDC targets and international Aichi Biodiversity Goals—covering approximately 50 m ha of degraded land under programmes like Green India, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) etc.

Significance & Global Linkages

• Environmental degradation is recognized by the UN High‑Level Panel on Threats, Challenges & Change as one of the ten existential threats globally. 
• It undermines Sustainable Development Goals—especially SDG 15 (Life on Land), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 6 (Clean Water), while exacerbating SDG inequality gaps. (SDG Resource Centre).
• Under the UNCCD’s LD Store, India’s land degradation neutrality commitments feature in NDC and NITI SDG Index benchmarks. 

Vision 2030: Regenerative & Circular Economy Strategies

• The National Resource Efficiency Policy (2023) positions India’s circular economy goals across plastics, electronics, and renewable siting.
• Nature-Based Solutions such as agroforestry, blue carbon projects (coastal mangroves) and urban green networks are increasingly integrated into city planning (e.g. Bengaluru’s “Green Fund”), aligning with ecosystem resilience frameworks.
• Regenerative agriculture, composting mandates (e.g. Maharashtra’s zero-waste mandate), wetland flagship projects (e.g., India’s Ramsar site management) are clear futures generating not just mitigation but reversal of degradation.

Conclusion

The environment sustains all life on Earth. If we do not make the needed changes now, future generations will face significant problems caused by our actions today. Let us work together to protect our world and ensure a sustainable future.

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