Data drive: The pandemic generation

Although the western world is bearing the brunt of Covid-19 with cases rising and deaths piling up, the after effects of the pandemic will be borne by low- and low-middle income countries. The Centre for Science and Environment’s State of the Environment 2021 report shows that children under the age of five in low-income countries are going to be five times more affected than children in higher income countries. In the higher income countries, the largest impact will be on school-going children.

While income decline in low-income countries (LICs) is less than the higher income ones—these instituted harsher lockdowns—poverty is also expected to increase which would ultimately impact LICs. The report states that the world will not meet SDG by 2030 and even in the best case scenario—which envisages a 9.9% per capita growth and 50% reduction in income inequality—nearly 3% of the population shall remain extremely poor.

Amidst this, India’s environmental indicators are also a cause of concern with severe environmental degradation occurring in 35 of the 88 large industrial clusters and government figures on forest cover not matching ground reality. India has multiple changes waiting this decade as it tries to become a $5-trillion economy.