Truth Alone Triumphs
-India Motto
So, as our trip approaches, I've understandably become much more interested in the other side of the planet (which happens to be where India is).
The first thing I did was to ask for a world map for xmas (which I got for Hannukah, thanks Dad). With the map pinned to my office wall (right over top my US map), I can now see India in the context of both its immediate surroundings and the rest of the world.
Who does India share its borders with, you ask? Well, here they are:
To me, the most interesting border country is Bangladesh. The reason? Simple, most predictions about melting ice caps and rising sea levels also predict that those changes will wipe Bangladesh off the map... Not fair for a country who has little, if nothing, to do with global warming...
Like the rest of the planet, India also has several Environmental Issues:- deforestation
- soil erosion
- overgrazing
- desertification
- air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions
- water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides
- tap water is not potable throughout the country
- huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources
What's interesting is that the same concerns that we have in North America about climate change, are also concerns around the world. In today's Gulf Times, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calls for industrialized nations to develop alternative energy sources to save the environment. If only our leadership in the US and Canada was as forward thinking as others around the world.
The article goes on to point out that according to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, the top five sources of greenhouse gases are the United States, China, Russia, India and Japan. No big surprises here, except that Canada should also be on the list with the highest CO2 emissions per capita, per the David Suzuki Foundation.
So, what does this all mean? Well, I hope it means that in the process of learning more about India, I'll also learn more about how people around the globe are trying to reduce our impact on the environment. As I'm sure I will find, more and more people have growing concerns about the environment.
I guess the key though, is who among us is willing to actually do something about it...?
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