CB BureauA strange food for thought has
been presented by Mark Lindley, a member of Humanist Association of Boston, USA, as he sees the growing
Indian middle class as an environmental threat. If his remarks are to be
analyzed logically, then poverty alleviation efforts of governments as well as
corporate groups under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes will
mean an indirect threat to the environment.
Lindley, while speaking at a
seminar on socio-economic research and national integration in Aurangabad, said
that more and more people were becoming rich. They are buying automobiles, air
conditioners… and are consuming power like never before. This is posing a big
threat to the ecological balance and must be addressed, even as India tries to
eliminate poverty through socially inclusive policies such as Food Security Act.
Comparing India’s present
situation to that of Americas about 20″25 years ago, Lindley said that the
Americans had exploited natural resources throughout the 20th century. ‘However,
they have now started realizing that over-exploitation of resources would be
detrimental to the existence of humankind. Hence, a growing number of Americans
are now consuming energy more cautiously,’ he said.
Expressing concern over
deteriorating environmental conditions and global warming, Lindley said that
while corporate groups and other social and developmental agencies were
focusing on alleviation of poverty in India, they must also create enough
environmental awareness among the masses.
Citing examples of the Uttarakhand floods and
the cyclones on the shores of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, Lindley said that the impact of global warming had started mushrooming up. ‘We and our children
will face more dangerous natural calamities in future,’ he warned.