Development is basically making roads or any infrastructure for the welfare of the general public, but what people often don’t notice is that millions and millions of trees are being cut; ecosystems are being destroyed while developing something. A perfect example of this is the state of Delhi, it is one of the most developed cities in India but is also one of the most polluted cities in the world.
The Bahamas are every bit as much at risk as Kiribati. In a century’s time, the majority of the Bahamas could be underwater. Their beaches are dried up and this is all because of their President who emphasized that development is more important than climate change. While developing we use our earth’s resources, these resources take millions of years to develop and we deplete them at a much faster pace than required. According to a survey by AARP 70% of the people want to live in a less developed area. Though we have increased our life expectancy on paper, nowadays cancer is as common as a heart attack. We all are aware of the famous Greta Thunberg who is protesting against climate change. Recently, there was a fire in the Amazon, a forest that is responsible for around 6% of our oxygen, this fire was not natural but was man-made, and this was started by the industrialists; there has been an 83% increase in fires in Brazil as compared to 2018 and this is all because of the rapid development in Brazil. The statue of unity which was built by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only incurred huge costs but also resulted in huge displacement of the localities. Animals like whales, giraffes, many small insects are being threatened by climate change.
So the question arises, what do we put first, impetus towards mitigating climate change or development? Or do they both go hand in hand?
