Blogs

This blog post originally appeared on Insights.

We cannot curb the effects of climate change without building, managing and living in our cities differently. And finally, the world is starting to realize this.

Historically, discussions on climate policy have largely portrayed cities as the source of problems, painting them as major polluters and areas of intensive resource consumption. The conventional wisdom was—and partially still is—that national governments were...

This blog post originally appeared on Insights.

Today, as negotiators haggle over the details of a climate agreement in Paris, my home town is literally underwater. Chennai has seen 17 days straight of rain, precisely the kind of extreme weather event that experts say will only become more common in a warming world.

As Indian Adaptation Strategy Head for WRI’s Climate Resilience Practice, I’m in Paris this week for events surrounding negotiations...

The great twin challenges of the 21st century — development and climate change — are nowhere sharper than in India, and within India they are perhaps nowhere more vivid than Mumbai. India’s largest and richest city, greater Mumbai is home to more than 22 million people, including 30 of the...

This blog post originally appeared on TheCityFix

Over the last century, India’s landscape has urbanized considerably: the urban population has grown 14 times since 1901, and by 2050 up to 54 percent of India’s population will be urban (ACCCRN). Much of this urban growth is occurring in large villages or small to medium sized cities (IIHS 2011), resulting in...

This blog post originally appeared on Insights.

Yesterday, India announced its new climate plan, also known as its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, or INDC. As the world’s third-largest emitter and a country that’s highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, it is encouraging to witness India invest in actions to tackle climate change while addressing poverty, food security and access to healthcare and...

A version of this blog originally appeared on Climate Home.

Ever since the historic first journey from erstwhile Bombay to Thane in 1853, Indian Railways have experienced an eventful trajectory. Currently the world’s seventh largest commercial employer, with over 1.3 million employees; Indian Railways has now evolved into the...

This post originally appeared on Climate Home

India’s anticipated commitment to climate action will be nothing short of transformational given challenges on the ground. With the world’s third highest carbon emissions [fourth if the EU is counted as one block] to its name, a strong commitment could make a noticeable difference to prevent the rise of global sea levels, extreme weather events, heat waves and other climate impacts.

However, this global...

This blog originally appeared on Insights

India is one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for renewable energy. The government has set ambitious renewable energy targets for this year of 175 gigawatts by 2022, an increase of 400 percent over 2014, with 100 GW from solar photovoltaics and another 60 GW from wind. But even as India looks to add these new wind and solar plants, it is working to absorb the renewable power it already generates.

India’s...

India is undergoing rapid urbanisation. About 600 million Indians will live in urban areas within fifteen years. Given that cities practically run on water, India must find a way to route clean, reliable water supplies to its citizens, helping meet their needs for drinking, hygiene and sanitation. The 2015 World Economic Forum identified “water supply crises” as one of the top five global risks, and as many as...

This post originally appeared on Insights

Climate change threatens virtually every community on Earth. Increasingly frequent and severe droughts, floods and heat waves will impact agriculture, food security, infrastructure, GDP, and lives and livelihoods. The World Bank estimates that the world should be prepared to spend $70 billion to $100 billion a year between 2010 and 2050 to...