Facing 'The Event': Amitav Ghosh's Stark Warning to Silicon Valley's Elite

Celebrated author Amitav Ghosh warns that Silicon Valley elites are preparing for 'The Event', a potential global crisis caused by interconnected threats like climate change, biodiversity loss, and emerging pathogens. Ghosh criticizes the dystopian mindset of survival strategies and reflects on Western historical attitudes towards crisis management.

Esteemed author Amitav Ghosh issued a grave warning that leaders in Silicon Valley are bracing for an impending global breakdown known as 'The Event'. This scenario stems from numerous intertwined threats, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and the emergence of new pathogens, which collectively threaten the global system.

Speaking at the prestigious Dr CD Deshmukh Memorial Lecture at the India International Centre, Ghosh painted a vivid picture of the weaving disasters facing our planet. He emphasized the dangers of perceiving these threats as singular issues, urging recognition of a planetary crisis characterized by interconnected axes of disaster.

Highlighting elite preparations, Ghosh revealed the disturbing belief that the global South—comprising mainly poor, black, and brown populations—would bear the heaviest burden. He criticized this perspective as both naive and dangerous, rooted in historical Western extermination thinking aimed at catastrophically culling half the world's population.

(With inputs from agencies.)