As the whole world remains concerned about environmental problems, there is an argument that all development measures need to be environment-friendly whereas there are some who argue that no development initiative is possible without causing some harm to the environment.

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How do you view these two arguments?

It is a fact that there are differing views on whether it is possible to make all development initiatives environment-friendly or it is difficult to have developments without doing some harm to the environment. I feel that the former argument is an impossibility whereas the latter a possibility.

In order to prove the point, let me take an example. It is accepted world over that power security is a must to have developments. But is it possible to have power security without establishing power plants? No many would refute the fact that it is impossible to make all modern power projects environment-friendly. Or, if at all we go for some environment-friendly energy sources, we cannot meet the mounting demands for power. Therefore, it is right to argue that development without power is impossible.

On the other hand, there are certain areas where we can have a balanced approach. For example, we can have many tourism development initiatives causing minimal harm or no harm to the environment. It is known that tourism developments need infrastructure and the same would cause some effect on the surroundings. But, there are ways to ensure that such measures do not do much harm to the environment. Furthermore, there are certain tourism genres, which are absolutely environment-friendly: eco tourism, dark tourism, heritage tourism etc.

Winding it up, it is right to say that development incurs environmental concerns, either big or small. But, there are some areas where we are able to sustain the environment and enjoy developments. It is all in our attitude towards developments.