These measures are not extreme. The traffic planters leave the vast majority of roads unaffected. Yet these gentle restrictions have led to mass meetings full of rage and harrumphing. The rate of vandalism of bollards and planter barriers is so high that cameras will have to be installed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Delhi, where I spend half my year, an entirely different type of catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes. Forty years ago, the population was 6 million . Now, beneath the influx of refugees fleeing internal conflict, deforestation and the slow death of centuries of village life in rural India, it is growing so fast that by 2030 it is forecast to be the world’s most populous city , with almost 40 million residents.
As a child, I remember being able to look down the street on which we lived. Now, owing to vehicle emissions, brushfire burning and construction dust, visibility is 100 metres on a good day.
This story is from the November 19, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 19, 2022 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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