Today, solar energy is one of the most expensive ways to generate power. That

India

Bad politics could make the world

The signs were discernible two years ago. "It is desirable to watch for incipient pressures building (from)

Sometimes, difficult though it is to believe, disasters herald miracles. Three years ago, a bad distribution and service network had led Fiat's brand charisma to take a bruising fall from grace. Production of its automobiles, the Uno, Siena, Palio and Adventure, had dwindled from 32,000 cars in 2002 to a dismal 1,732 in 2005. Even the Gods, it appeared, had conspired against the company, as the catastrophic Mumbai flood of July 2005 brought Fiat's Kurla plant to a total standstill, nearly drowning one of India's most enduring brands in its fury.

Alarm bells are ringing in Delhi: there is a rumour that the European Union proposes to levy a carbon tax on imports from India. The excuse would be that the EU, together with other signatories to the Kyoto treaty, has done much to cut carbon emissions, even at the expense of its industries. India, however, did not sign the Kyoto treaty, and has gone about merrily increasing its carbon emissions. It saved money by not spending on carbon-saving technologies. Its industries have therefore gained an unfair advantage, and only deserve to be punished.

Large parts of the world have not enjoyed the remarkable global progress in health conditions that have taken place over the past century. Indeed, millions of deaths in impoverished nations are avoidable with prevention and treatment options that the rich world already uses. This year, 10 million children will die in low- and middle-income countries. If child death rates were the same as those in developed countries, this figure would be lower than one million. Conversely, if child death rates were those of rich countries just 100 years ago, the figure would be 30 million.

The primary contributors to the sharp rise in global temperatures are humans in a sea-ice region of the Arctic Ocean, scientists have observed polar bears stalking, killing and eating other polar bears. Many species of plants across the middle and higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere are now flowering earlier than a few years ago. Migratory birds in Europe, Asia and Australia are arriving early. And the population of Emperor Penguins in parts of Antarctica has dropped by half over the past 50 years.

Lennart Bage, President, IFAD

Not so long ago, China was known as the