cause of environmental degradation:

Population
Population is an import tent source of development, yet it is a major source of environmental degradation when it exceeds the threshold limits of the support systems. Unless the relationship between the multiplying population and the life support system can be stabilized, development programmers, howsoever, innovative are not likely to yield desired results. Population impacts on the environment primarily through the use of natural resources and production of wastes and is associated with environmental stresses like loss of biodiversity, air and water pollution and increased pressure on arable land. In view of the linkages
between population and environment, a vigorous drive for population control need hardly be over emphasized.

Poverty
Poverty is said to be both cause and effect of environmental degradation. The circular link between poverty and environment is an extremely complex phenomenon. Inequality may foster unsustainability because the poor, who rely on natural resources more than the rich, deplete natural resources faster as they
have no real prospects of gaining access to other types of resources. Moreover, degraded environment can accelerate the process of impoverishment, again because the poor depend directly on natural assets. An acceleration in poverty
alleviation is imperative to break this link between poverty and the environment.

Urbanization
Lack of opportunities for gainful employment in villages and the ecological
stresses is leading to an ever increasing movement of poor families to towns. Mega cities are emerging and urban slums are expanding. There has been an eightfold increase in urban population over 1901-1991. During the past two decades of 1971-91, India’s urban population has doubled from 109 million to 218 million and
is estimated to reach 300 million by 2000 AD. Such rapid and unplanned expansion of cities has resulted in degradation of urban environment. It has widened the gap between demand and supply of infrastructural services such as energy, housing, transport, communication, education, water supply and sewerage and recreational amenities, thus depleting the precious environmental resource
base of the cities. The result is the growing trend in deterioration of air and water quality, generation of wastes, the proliferation of slum


Economic Factors
To a large extent, environmental degradation is the result of market failure, that
is, the nonexistent or poorly functioning markets for environmental goods and services. In this
context, environmental degradation is a particular case of consumption or production externalities reflected by divergence between private and social costs (or benefits). Lack of
well defined property rights may be one of the reasons for such market failure. On the other
hand, Market distortions created by price controls and subsidies may aggravate the achievement of environmental objectives. The level and pattern of economic development also affect the nature of environmental problems. India’s development objectives have consistently emphasized the promotion of policies and programmers for economic growth and social welfare.