India, Aug. 2 -- Whether one is reading in the print media or listening to a news broadcast, the most confirmed optimist may slip into dismay. After centuries of going against our natural habitat, Mother Nature is hitting back through weather changes that convert temperate zones into cauldrons of heat and regions of moderate to no rainfall into areas where the rain comes mercilessly and sweeps away homes and destroys livelihoods.

Almost every world leader appears to be chasing the Nobel Peace Prize, despite several of its recipients having been culpable in decisions that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Overall figures of economic growth mask growing gaps between the rich and the poor. Those in the middle class are more likely to dri...