On the road to Liberty

The international gathering of tiger conservationists in Kathmandu this week will be in a sombre mood. The number of wild tigers is at an all time low. The decibel of the debate over the relationship between economic development and environmental quality is at an all-time high. Are conservation and commerce compatible? Can we harness the consumer demand for tiger parts help stave off the possible extinction of tigers in the wild? Can villagers living near forest benefit from the wildlife in their vicinity? I try to answer some of these question in this article, " Conservation for commerce " , published in the Hindustan Times, on 18 April 2007. The international gathering of tiger conservationists in Kathmandu this week will be in a sombre mood. The number of wild tigers is at an all time low — between 2,000 and 3,000 — probably half of what was believed a few years ago. The decibel of the debate over the relationship between economic development and environmental quality is...

There is a fine difference between a resource and waste. A waste becomes a resource when someone is willing to pay the owner to acquire it; it remains a waste if the owner has to pay someone to dispose of it. I look at the debate over ship-breaking in this article, " Breaking the set notion ", published in the Hindustan Times, on 13 January 2006. More than 150 years ago, the French economist and legislator Frederic Bastiat had written “There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: the bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen.” The present debate over the decommissioned French aircraft carrier, Clemenceau, being sent to Alang in Gujarat for dismantling and recycling highlights the relevance of Bastiat’s idea of “what is seen and what is not seen”. Clemenceau is a 265-m long ship, weighing about 26,000 tons. Recycling it could open ...

Following the tragic death of a dozen tigers in the Nandankanan Zoo in Orissa, I contributed this article to the Spotlight programme on the Conditions of Zoos in India, broadcast by the All India Radio on 11 July 2000. The death of a dozen tigers at the Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar, has shocked the world. There are estimated to be only 7-7,500 of them left in the wild. Another few thousands may be in captivity in Zoos and circuses around the world. Sadly, even Zoos, the last refuge for some of the wild and endangered species is no longer safe for the animals. Unless serious lessons are drawn and drastic reforms in organisation of zoos, as well as changes in the Wildlife Protection Act, are initiated, the days of the tigers and many other wild animals in India will be truly numbered. However, the response to this tragedy of the tigers so far has been extremely pedantic. A committee has been formed to investigate the deaths. And according to one newspaper report, the committee reach...

The market is the natural ally of the environment. Environmental resources, like other economic resources can be most efficiently allocated if these are brought under the discipline of the marketplace. It is ironic, therefore, that at a time when the economy is being liberalised, rather than creating a market for environmental resources, new restrictions are being imposed on the economy in the name of protecting the environment. Environmental quality is like a value-added product that becomes economically affordable and technologically viable with economic growth. It is no paradox therefore that the environment is much cleaner and safer in industrially developed countries that adopted a more market-friendly approach, than in centrally planned economies. Clearly, it is policy that is responsible for continued environmental resource depletion or pollution. Let us take a closer look at some of the policies that have had an impact on our environment. According to the WHO, much more serious...

My article titled "Market is environment friendly" was published in the newsletter of the Liberty Institute in May 1999. The market is not necessarily the enemy of the environment, as is generally made out to be. A competitive market is actually the best friend of the environment. That was the conclusion of the study the Liberty Institute carried out to find out about the lack of enthusiasm for a government scheme introduced in 1991to promote environment friendly products. The Ecomark scheme was initiated in 14 product categories. Standards were set for these products in terms of efficiency, biodegradability, recycle levels, etc. The idea was that if the products met these standards, then they could receive the Ecomark label, and thus, helping consumers to make better decisions. The underlying assumption for such a scheme was that though the consumer wanted products that had less impact on the environment, there was no mechanism to communicate that information to him, which...