India's Hydrocarbon Outlook – 2022-2023

168 DGH: 3 DECADES OF UNLOCKING INDIA'S HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL Background “Sustainability refers to the ability of a society, ecosystem, or any such ongoing system to continue functioning into the indefinite future without being forced into decline through exhaustion of key resources.” Sustainable development broadly refers to a mode of human development in which resource use aims to meet human needs while ensuring the sustainability of natural systems and the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come. The term “sustainable development” was used by the Brundtland Commission, which coined what has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development: “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The protection and preservation of the environment is integral to the culture and religion of most human communities. Misuse of our natural resources, a key environmental issue, has direct impact on fundamental human rights such as the right to food, right to water, right to air, and right to life itself. It is important to draw linkages between environment and human rights to further build bridges between legislations relating to the two. The relationship we share with our environment is undergoing profound changes in the wake of modern scientific and technological developments. With the above backdrop in place, the oil and gas industry has been playing a vital role in the Ease of Doing Business -Expediting Clearances for E&P Operations 8