Blogs
The blogs are part of WRI India’s mission to provide unbiased, expert analysis on the most important environmental issues facing the world today.
In today’s rapid-fire, fragmented information culture, we hope these insights will provide a measure of clarity to decision-makers worldwide.
Commentaries
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Building a Resilient Kochi - A holistic approach to provide Safe Public Transport and Public Spaces in times of a pandemic and beyond
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COVID-19 Safety Measures for Public Bus Operations in India
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COVID-19 Public Safety Measures for Metro Systems in India
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by - Rethinking public engagement for safer streets
Cities are transforming in many ways as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A great number of people changed their lifestyles during the pandemic and turned to walking and cycling, and the government changed how transport can be accessed. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) initiated different challenges like Streets for People Challenge, Cycles4Change Challenge in response to COVID-19 to promote walking and cycling and to reimagine streets as public spaces through the lens of economic regeneration,...
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by and - Total cost of ownership of electric vehicles: Implications for policy and purchase decisions
Globally, and in India, the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily interrupted the strong growth of the electric vehicles market. In the coming days, it will be important to regain this momentum in order to advance the decarbonization of transport.
The transport sector is responsible for 24% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, of which almost three-fourths is due to road transportation. At the local level, tailpipe emissions are significant sources of air pollution killing an estimated seven million...
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by and - Nature-based Solutions for reimagining the pathway to a sustainable future
Among various response approaches to build back better following the COVID-19 pandemic, one approach that has gained global attention from the perspective of green, sustainable and resilient growth is ‘Nature-based Solutions (NbS)’
NbS are actions that help address societal challenges and foster development by working with nature and anchoring solutions with local communities. They help identify how healthy natural ecosystems can be protected, developed and utilized for services that benefit humans and...
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by , and - Rural Women Must Be at the Heart of COVID-19 Response and Recovery
This blog was originally published on WRI.
COVID-19 continues to sweep across the world, and has now spread from the developed world to the global South. With rural populations making up three-quarters of the world’s poor, the impact of the pandemic will inevitably be most devastating in developing...
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by , and - Physical Distancing on Mumbai’s Trains Is Nearly Impossible, and Station Design Is a Big Reason Why
This blog was originally published on TheCityFix.
Mumbai’s suburban rail system is the world’s busiest, serving 7.5 million riders a day. This photo story is an attempt at documenting moments of precarious travel in Mumbai city, as part of a...
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by , , and - What Makes a Child-Friendly City? Redesigning Safer and Healthier Urban Spaces for Young People
This blog was originally published on TheCityFix.
Children are often under-prioritized or even disregarded in urban planning and design. It’s estimated that up to...
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by - Buried waters: Clean Energy Solutions for Water Access in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
Every drop of water is precious in western Rajasthan. This sun-baked swathe of arid land is dotted with ‘dhanis’, or small settlements comprising of 50-100 people and a few thousand of their domesticated animals. Remote villages such as Kisangarh and Girduwala, located close to the India-Pakistan border are a part of the Thar desert ecosystem, characterized by sandy plain and dune landscape interspersed with grasses and hardy bushes such as ‘aakdo’ and ‘thor’. This region receives less than 100-200 mm rainfall in a good year and depends solely on groundwater for sustenance.
Until...
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by and - Moving from compulsion to choice: Ways to retain Cycling as the forever normal
The impossible has already happened and slowly, it is becoming the new normal. With cases of COVID-19 reaching 4 million mark in India, cities continue averting public transport and big investment project like metros and monorails. Also, public spaces are closed to citizens and recreational activities are becoming prey to social distancing norms, affecting a common urban commuter. Amid this all, there is one ray of hope. The pandemic has resurrected cycling. With social distancing becoming the new norm, cycling seems to be the one stop mobility solution for all commute troubles. Though...
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by and - Living with water: integrating blue, green and grey infrastructure to manage urban floods
This is second in the ongoing series of blogs on Urban India Going Underwater. Read the first blog here.
Rampant urbanization and climate change are twin triggers causing severe and frequent urban flooding across India. Traditional grey stormwater infrastructure such as gutters, storm drains, collection systems and pumps, are designed to quickly move urban stormwater away from the built environment. But every year we see recurring cases of...
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by - Can school children return to safer streets after the pandemic?
Article 21-A of the Constitution of India guarantees the right to elementary education for all children. But accessing this basic right comes at a cost for many children, who risk their lives daily as they travel to school. Road traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among children up to the age of 18 in India. A 2019...
