We went out on the streets of Delhi to find out what people actually know about the environmental issues affecting India and the world today. We asked different people three questions, all in relation to the myth: "The poor is the biggest polluter".
Q1. Indira Gandhi said: “poverty is the biggest polluter”, have you heard this quote?
Q2. Do you agree with the statement?
Q3. Who are in your opinion the biggest polluters?
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Photo: Kristin Fjæstad |
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Photo: Kristin Fjæstad |
| Sameer Sharma (24) & Megha Kapoor (22) |
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Government scientist, male (54) |
A1. Not heard the Indira Gandhi statement
A2. We don’t agree, we also feel a little offended by the statement.
A3. The common man is the biggest polluter. You can’t blame a particular economic class. Everybody contributes in their own way. Some people bath and wash things in our rivers, other drive cars and pollute in that way. It does not matter if you are poor or rich, you still pollute.
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A1.Can’t remember it
A2. I don’t think so, but not sure.
A3. Industry is the biggest polluter. Political leaders as well, because they don’t include scientists enough in the debate, look for example at the climate change debate now. I miss the facts, and the government to listen to them.
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Photo: Kristin Fjæstad
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Photo: Kristin Fjæstad |
| Buvana Jambunathan (25) & Rema Bhattacharya (28) |
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Anorag Tiwari (24) |
A1. No, don’t know
A2. Kind of agree. The poor is only concerned with covering the basic requirements for life, and therefore don't care about the environment and their use of resources.
A3. Everybody pollute in their own sense. The West has the main responsibility for the climate change issue, but the developing countries have their own problems. The West could do more with all the money and the technology, in the South people are concerned with getting the basic needs covered. The Government should also do more, especially with the vehicle pollution and law enforcement. |
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A1. Never heard
A2. I agree, because Indira Gandhi was a great lady, and if she said it, it must be some truth in it. I feel very inpired by her in my everyday life.
A3. The Western world is the main contributor, but still everybody wants to adopt the western lifestyle. People are wearing western clothes, drive big cars and so on, that is a source to pollution that the poor countries are not contributing to in the same way. |
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