The contestation around use of natural resources is long-standing in human history; access to land, forests, water and minerals have led to rise and fall of civilisations. As large societies like India and China began rapid economic growth in recent decades, such contestations have intensified. Local inhabitants, especially tribals and indigenous communities, access these resources for socio-economic and spiritual sustenance. When commercial and industrial demands begin to restrict or deny such access for them, their resistance is to be expected.

During the past decade, the most fascinating phenomenon of human demography has been massive migration of populations from rural to urban areas. This migration has been most prominent in the Asia-Pacific region where more than half a billion people have entered cities. More than half of the world population now lives in cities.

Here is another set of random reflections for your perusal: