A ZERO-SUM GAME? LOOKING AT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF PUNE CITY

The conflict between economic development and environment sustainability appears to be never ending. While the world as we know it is melting in the onslaught of climate change manifested in untimely rains, loss of agriculture, and threat to the cities from rising sea levels, a ‘global-to-local’ vision is imperative for understanding the issues in proper perspective. This paper is an attempt to trace the economic development of Pune city which has emerged as a major urban centre in the last few decades with all its economic glory, in the form of educational centres par excellence, magnificent IT and auto clusters, and a bustling young population. A noticeable change in the social culture has added colours to this development. All these factors converge into an undeniable fact that Pune has arrived on the global map. While this journey is fascinating enough, the questions that need to be asked are about the loss of irreplaceable environmental assets of trees, river bodies, pleasant climate and quality of life that comes from these environmental treasures.