THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former World Bank chief advisor Henry Aspeqvist’s journey to continents worldwide gave him a first-hand exposure to the dangers of climate change.
In America, where he spent many years as a Harvard Business school student, and, later, in his job at the World Bank, he was perturbed by the lifestyle of Americans who were overusing resources without any concern for the environment.
In Asia, in which he has extensively travelled, as part of humanitarian works, he felt that the population explosion happening in countries like China and India would create an environmental catastrophe.
“Every country is responsible for global warming and climate change in its own way. Timely intervention is a pre-requisite to keep a check on human activities. For example, the exploitation of fossil fuels, among others. The 2015 Paris Agreement is a positive step in this direction, but it still has a long way to go,” says Henry, who came to give a talk on climate change at Bharath Matha College of Commerce and Arts, Aluva.
‘The unthinkable is going to happen’
The Swedish native is all praise for Amitav Ghosh’s book ‘The Great Derangement- Climate Change and the Unthinkable’, which he recommends as a ‘must read’.
“The book has dwelled into the catastrophe of global warming and climate change and has questioned why nobody really cares. Anyone who reads the book will learn to care about the environment around them,” says Henry, who cites the melting of glaciers in countries like China as contributing to the change.
Population explosion is another factor. “In the 1940’s, when I was born, the world population was 2.3 billion. In 2050, it is expected to rise to 9 billion, which is scary,” he shares.
Henry is positive that change can be effectively brought in through regulations.
“Politicians should have the will power to introduce regulations on the use of our natural resources. For example, a permit will be given to a building in Africa only if they have a solar panel. Such regulations have been implemented in various sectors and can also be introduced to keep a check on our environment,” he adds.
Henry, who has worked extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia, is on a five-week stay in Kerala and has spoken to over 2000 students so far. He hopes to cover many more schools in the coming days.