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As someone who has lived most of his life in Mumbai, India, you could say I am intimately concerned about global warming and climate change. My 13 million neighbors should be too, but most of them appear to operate under the axiom that ignorance is bliss. For the benefit of those not familiar with my city, I should explain that Mumbai is essentially an island that has been artificially converted into a peninsula by connecting the Northern tip to the mainland. Nonetheless, the ocean is a constant factor in our lives; it surrounds us on three sides and no spot in the city is more than a few miles distant from the sea.

So why am I worried? Well, for one thing, I recently read a report by Greenpeace that predicts that the entire metropolis will be inundated by rising ocean levels by 2100. OK, so I won't be around then, but I still hate the thought of India's financial capitol; and the former jewel in the crown of the Raj, disappear below the briny depths, like Atlantis. The Greenpeace-commissioned report has been prepared by Professor Sudhir Chella Rajan, an Indian climate expert. According to him, the prevailing trends indicate that temperatures may rise by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius by 2100, if greenhouse emissions stick to their current rate. This, in turn, could lead to a corresponding rise in sea-level of up to five meters (approx 16 feet). It is not just Mumbai, of course, that faces this danger. Most of India's largest cities developed as ports and hence, are touching the ocean.

Thankfully, an increasing number of Mumbai's citizens are starting to get the message; and are doing their bit. Some have switched over from incandescent bulbs to environment-friendly Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs). Others are using energy saving devices; and not leaving electrical appliances on stand-by. These are very small steps, of course, and will have only a minor impact. The major source of pollution remains carbon monoxide emissions from car and bus exhausts; although, providentially, almost two-thirds of Mumbai's employed commute by local trains, which run on electricity. Obvious solutions like switching to hybrid cars are not really practical until mass production makes the prices comparable to petrol vehicles.

Very recently, Carl Pope, the executive director of Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental organization in the United States, gave a talk in Mumbai that I was privileged to attend. Pope told his audience: "India has two choices: opting for a carbon-based industrial

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