One of the most important and difficult environmental issues is how to deal with the ever growing populations of developing nations. As nations like India and China continue to grow both in technology and population they are putting an enormous strain on the environment. It is difficult for western nations, who have long enjoyed the spoils of technology, to try and tell developing nations that they should not be allowed to have the things that westerners have enjoyed for decades. One of the biggest problems revolves around India, whose population is growing at a rate of fourteen million new people each year, and will soon be the first and only country to top two billion in population. As the number of people continues to grow many are concerned about the environmental impact it will have on both India and the world.
Mumbai is one city which acts as a perfect example for the problems that are plaguing India. As the economy continue to grow at a pace of eight to nine percent per year so does the traffic, as Mumbai adds around ten percent more cars to its roads every year. Since most people can still not afford to buy cars this has led to overcrowding of trains and buses, which are often so full that people sit on rooftops and hang off of the sides in an effort to get where they are going.
Many think India is a key issue in the environment as it is already the world’s fourth largest polluter, and there are no signs that this is going to change.
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