They may top the list of the world’s emerging economic powerhouses, but now China, India and Russia find themselves heading a rather less prestigious list: they are home to some of the most polluted sites on Earth.
On 12 September, the , a New York-based environment watchdog, released its annual list of the world’s most toxic places. Its purpose is to focus attention on pollution in the developing world, something “widely unrepresented, not only in the press but also in the development community”, says the institute’s Meredith Block.
The institute created a database of 400 polluted sites, many nominated…
