India has 1.4 billion people lifted from poverty, and we can't ask the next 500 million to wait for clean air while we chase green energy targets we can't afford. Manufacturing, coal, steel—these create jobs and tax revenue that actually fund schools and hospitals. We've already seen what happens when countries get rich first and clean up later. India needs to grow now, create middle-class stability, and then we'll have the resources and technology to handle environmental challenges.
We're already paying the price: Delhi's air kills hundreds of thousands yearly, our rivers are toxic, and our farmers depend on monsoons that climate change is destroying. We can't grow our way out of poisoned groundwater and failed crops. Countries like Costa Rica prove you can develop sustainably—and it's actually cheaper long-term than fixing ecological collapse. India's kids will inherit an unlivable country if we sacrifice the environment for short-term GDP. Real development means people can breathe and eat, not just earn more rupees.
