Almost 2 years after Bjorn Lomborg published his pathbreaking book “The Skeptical Environmentalist” the first reference to the book by an Indian was sighted yesterday.
As I had hoped, it is India’s best economist – Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar who has done it, in his irrepressible style. Sample:
“The world has many serious environmental problems. Polluted water is by far the biggest, causing millions of deaths and illnesses. Polluted air is the second biggest hazard.
Smoke from indoor cooking causes more havoc through respiratory diseases (not to mention burns and house fires) than factory smoke or auto smoke. Industrial pollution has wrecked rivers and canals, and toxified acres. Overfishing has wrecked fish stocks, overfelling and overgrazing have wrecked forests.
These problems cry out for priority, especially in developing countries. Yet, so firmly have green imperialists of the West hijacked the global agenda that the focus has shifted to global warming and genetically modified crops”.
Another one – on global warming!:
I explained that some weather experts had forecast that, 100 years from now, world temperatures might be higher by a few degrees.
Rustam’s face widened in amazement, and he said, “But Papa, they can’t even forecast tomorrow’s weather properly. How can they forecast 100 years ahead?”
(Incidentally, “the Skeptical Environmentalist” is said to debunk a whole lot of claims based on exaggerations, misplaced priorities and outright lies propogated by the environmentalists. I haven’t read the book yet – too expensive! – but the first chapter can be downloaded from Lomborg’s site. A good summary of his arguments is available
here )
(Incidentally #2: India’s largest selling newspaper the Times of India, hides its online content so well that one day after I read something on its paper edition, I have to google to find the stuff on their site. But of course, they run a portal that offers dating chat, email and a photogallery full of bikini models. They have their priorities just right. )