On BBC Radio World News, in a span of 6 minutes, I heard 3 items related to the changes taking place in the environment:
– Drought in southern Italy. Rainfall has dropped by 25% in the past decade.
– 13 million people face starvation in southern Africa, with half of Zimbabwe’s population at risk.
– Glaciers in Alaska have been melting faster than previously thought, which means there is greater water supply in the world’s oceans. This can lead to flooding of coastal areas.
Add to this the below-normal rainfall in India for this time of the year. The world’s climate is changing and the environment is hurting. We still seem to be doing precious little.
An interesting point made by a friend recently was that India and China should not be building a lot of highways. If they do so, this will lead to more cars and trucks – by the millions. Instead, the investment should go for improving the railway system. That is much more environment-friendly.
