What?s on his mind?

Sir ? It is difficult to miss the not-quite-clued-in expression on Amitabh Bachchan?s face as he hugs Anupam Kher (page 8, Feb 3). Almost as difficult as it is to miss the number of stones on his fingers. Maybe he is getting old. Maybe there are more engagements on his plate than he can handle. Or maybe he is simply worried about the state of the universe, or the Iraq war, or the tsunami victims. Or maybe, just maybe, he?s had enough for one lifetime and would like to retire to the seaside. But why is there an identical expression on his twenty-something son?s face?

Yours faithfully,
Gautam Ghose, Calcutta

Vile air

Sir ? The fact that India ranks 101 in a list of 146 countries, as one of the world?s worst polluters, ought to be a matter of grave concern (?Hotter globe, heat on polluter India,? Jan 28). Our rapidly expanding economy is one of the main reasons for this. India is already in the danger zone. The globe is getting warmer because of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, produced from the burning of fossil fuels. It will eventually cause glaciers to melt and sea-levels to rise. Hence coastal India is actually at the risk of getting submerged under the sea. Cracks are also developing in the ozone layer ? which protects us from the ultra-violet rays of the sun ? causing serious ailments like skin cancer.

Our selfish consumerism and short-sighted planning are putting our planet at risk. If the powerful countries act responsibly to keep the environment pollution-free and help preserve ecological balance, the earth may just be saved from extinction.

Yours faithfully,
Anjan Chatterjee, Calcutta

Sir ? There is no denying that our globe is getting warmer. But this is happening because it is passing through the de-glaciation phase of the glaciation-de-glaciation cycle, and the present glacial rebound started 18,000 years ago. Scientists say this condition will continue to accelerate causing much discomfort to human beings for at least another 50,000 years. But there is no immediate threat of temperatures skyrocketing, as a section of scientists claims, supported by the governments of some developed countries. They are spreading a new kind of terrorism. It may be mentioned here that despite so much hue and cry about global warming in the last three decades, temperatures actually rose about 0.6-0.7 degree celsius in the past 100 years. Neither is it new that the concentration of carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere with the increase of temperature. So the greenhouse effect is not as alarming as Nasa and other organization might want us to believe. Data released by the University of California says that burning of fossil fuels added carbon dioxide to the atmosphere at the rate of 4.5 per cent per year during 1950-74, 2.5 per cent per year during 1974-85 and 1-3 per cent per year from 1986 till now. Does this really seem to pose a threat? True, there is no data on the correlation between human interference and pollution. But it has been established that because of the higher concentration of carbon dioxide, the growth of crops like rice, wheat and other fruit-bearing plants has risen manifold in the last 5,000 years.

But the story of global warming, greenhouse effect and rising sea level is now so deeply rooted in people?s minds that they stop questioning it or investigating the very shaky ground under it. And this is what helps developing countries reap greater dividends.

Yours faithfully,
Amitava Banerjee, Chennai

Sir ? Do we really care whether India is the third most polluting country in the world, or the 33rd? If we did, would we Calcuttans have so many problems running our cars on CNG?

Yours faithfully,
Wrik Dutta, Calcutta