The proportion of readers from India is increasing. new scientist Audience – Not that surprising given the public’s interest in and affinity for science and technology. The same is true more broadly, with growth and development rapidly making India a major player in the world.
At the beginning of this century, India ranked 13th in the world in terms of GDP, less than 60 percent of its citizens had electricity, and it had several satellites in orbit. This month, the country will go to the polls as the world's fifth-largest economy. It provides electricity to nearly the entire population and has sent unmanned missions to the moon and Mars. In the next few years, India is expected to become the third-largest country in terms of GDP after the United States and China, and to launch its first manned spacecraft.
Much of this increase is purely demographic. Last year, India overtook China to become the world's most populous country. But it is clear that the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is widely expected to win a third term, will play a role in India's destiny. Our special reports explore climate change (see “India seeks to become a climate leader, but is it up to the task?”), health (“Despite Modi's improvements, India It examines Prime Minister Modi's record on key issues such as “The country's health system is inadequate.'' ) and other areas of science and technology policy.
India's approach to climate change is far from perfect, but it is at least a relief that basic science and the need for mitigation are not a subject of political debate. The same cannot be said for elections held in other regions. If elected president in November, Donald Trump plans to remove environmental regulations in the United States, which would increase emissions by an additional 4 gigatons by 2030, according to policy website Carbon Brief. It turns out. Meanwhile, Britain's ruling Conservative Party, which is expected to lose in the next general election, continues to oppose environmental policies.
All of this means that whoever wins India's elections should have the chance to play a key role in global climate negotiations. The growing power of nations means that soon we will all have to sit up and take notice.
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Source: www.newscientist.com
