Applying Critical Theoretical Frameworks to Understand Biodiversity Loss in India

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, State of India’s Environment, 2021, indicated that India faced severe losses in its biodiversity hotspots, especially in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, where vegetation loss was an overwhelming 95%. The inordinate loss of biodiversity in India was further reaffirmed in the findings of the subsequent State of India’s Environment reports. In view of such severe biodiversity loss, caused largely by anthropogenic activities, this essay seeks to apply perspectives and theories such as the value–belief–norm model and the theory of moral development to understand why and how attitudes, belief systems, and values influence environmentally significant individual, institutional, or group behaviour. The paper also advocates for a robust criminal liability regime that can create sufficient deterrence against government agencies, private corporations, and individual actors causing environmental harm and substantive biodiversity loss.