Is it really fair to expect developing countries like China and India to take action against environmental problems?
Countries like India, China and other developing nations, want to share in the affluence experienced by wealthier countries. People in developing countries are equally as entitled to live safe, comfortable and healthy lives as people in richer parts of the world. Many developing countries are experiencing rapid industrial growth, which is leading to rising prosperity and better living conditions. At the same time, this growth has serious consequences for the environment. It will be people living in the poorest countries who suffer the most from these environmental problems, even though over time they have done the least to cause them. As climate change is a global problem, the response to it must also be global. We shouldn’t bar less developed countries from their own processes of growth, but rapid industrial growth following the model used by countries such as Britain and the USA is not compatible with tackling climate change. Instead, we must work together to find sustainable forms o
