Governance

Havoc in the hills

Environmentalist Robert Swan, the first person to walk the North and South Pole, was in Delhi last year. He launched phase IV of Project Search, which aimed to promote environmental awareness and sustainable lifestyles among students. Swan noted that not many Delhiites scored high on topics of environmental awareness.  He thought that to make Delhiites take to the environment in a big way, one had to make caring for it very upmarket. He said, “They will step out of their huge cars and donate to save tigers, animals, etc., because that sounds uber-sophisticated” (1).

We await a future that could be hotter and drier because of climate change. This is increasingly recognized as a global concern and available data suggests that it is increasing the frequency and severity of weather-related hazards in South Asia. As per a World Bank report “Glacier melting in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding and will affect water resources within the next two to three decades.” (1)