Articles by Ashish Kothari

More than a year and a half after the adoption of the new economic policies and the structural adjustment programme, there has been almost no serious analysis of their implications on the living environment of our citizens. While it is no doubt difficult to predict their impact with accuracy because of the complex interplay of various economic, social, political and ecological factors, it is possible to make some assessment based on past developmental trends in India and the experiences of other third world countries under similar programmes.

Politics of Biodiversity Convention Ashish Kothari The proposed Convention on Biological Diversity has the potential of becoming a genuine instrument for the conservation of the earth's biological wealth and the equitable distribution of its benefits between and within nations. But only strong, radical public opinion can ensure this, and halt its conversion into another weapon in the hands of the rich and the elite of the world.


Delhi's Chemical Monster Ashish Kothari A MASSIVE gas leak took place in Den!' on the morning of December 4,1985. Several hundred, perhaps several thousand of people were injured by the leak, three of whom have by now succumbed to their injuries. Coming as it did on the morning after the first 'anniversary' of the Bhopal disaster, the leak was yet another grim reminder of the dangers posed by chemical industries all over India. And though vastly different in magnitude, the Delhi leak told the same sordid story that was narrated in the case of Bhopal: the total absence of social responsibility on part of an industrial company, the indifference of the authorities to public safety, the lack of any system of emergency health and safety measures, the attempts at covering up the people and agencies exposed by the leak. And once again, it was a tragedy which was entirely avoidable, which in fact could have been avoided if the warnings of some individuals and organisations had been heeded.