GREEN WARS

What is more important, building a modern airport in rural Uttar Pradesh or conserving the shrinking habitat of the sarus cranes? Producing more palm oil or protecting the orang-utan? Do we allow the destruction of pristine forests with their rich flora and fauna so we can generate much-needed hydel power? A modernizing economy brings in its wake ecological challenges and misplaced priorities. Development, environment, conservation, global warming - what do they mean in real terms, on the ground, to the people there? Must development always be in conflict with environment? Combining rigorous research with the experienced traveller's eye for piquant stories, conservationist and environment journalist Bahar Dutt chases some of the biggest stories of our times. From Arunachal Pradesh to the Arctic, from Goa to Gangotri, from illegal mining to climate change, Green Wars journeys to some of the richest wilderness areas, and explores the tension between a developing economy and saving the planet. Lucid, heart-warming and intensely personal, this is a book for green warriors, yes, but equally for those of us who crave blue skies and fresh air.