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India’s journey towards a sustainable energy transition is gaining momentum; however, it is crucial to ensure that vulnerable states and regions are not left behind. Frequented by floods, earthquakes and landslides, the state of Assam is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. According to a 2021 report, 24 of its 27 districts were classified as vulnerable to climate change. As of July 8 this year, 72 people have...

Air pollution is a major environmental and health concern globally. In India, 1.67 million deaths were attributed to air pollution in 2019. Various sources such as vehicular and industrial emissions, dust from construction and roads, and open waste burning contribute to air quality deterioration.

Municipal solid waste burning contributes significantly to air pollution, releasing harmful particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM 10), carbon monoxide and other non-methane,...

Industries around the world are increasingly undertaking climate change mitigation by reducing the carbon footprint of their operations and supply chains. However, many climate change impacts are inevitable and add to the vulnerability of industries, especially Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). MSMEs contribute 29% to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employ over 110 million workers and play a crucial role in shaping the country’s social and economic landscape. Their vulnerability to...

India is the world’s fifth largest and fastest growing economy. Its energy demand is likely to account for a quarter of the global energy demand over the next 20 years. The state of Jharkhand, the powerhouse of the country for the last few decades, faces significant reliance on coal-related incomes. As it faces the intertwined challenges of climate change and...

In December 2023, the floods in Chennai and neighboring districts of Tamil Nadu wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people. However, Tamil Nadu is not the only state to be impacted by the rising hazards of climate change. Cities across India continue to grapple with the crisis. By 2030, 40.76% of India’s population is expected to reside in urban areas. To meet this pace of urbanization, a lot more public infrastructure will have to be added to our cities. As...

Socio-economic development and human well-being are intrinsically linked to shifts in energy access. Of the 169 targets set under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, 125 are linked to energy access. Global electricity access improved from 84% in 2010 to 91% in 2021. Since 2017 near-universal access to electricity has been provided to 2.63 crore households across India. In Nagaland, 1,32,507 of 5,23,870 households have...

Last year’s Conference of Parties (COP28) at Dubai failed to deliver on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which governs carbon markets. Article 6 allows countries to meet their climate targets by trading carbon credits earned from the reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Even after two weeks of negotiations, the 197 participating nations in Dubai were unable to reach consensus on the rules governing carbon markets.

Almost...

India’s vibrant streets, a reflection of its dynamic culture, are unfortunately also the setting of a grim reality. Every year, approximately 1.5 lakh people die on Indian roads, which translates to an average of 47 accidents and 18 deaths every hour. In 2022 alone, a staggering 4.6 lakh road crashes were reported, underlining the urgency to look at our roads and streets from a different lens. We must move on from traditional reactive approaches to consider embracing the...

This article was originally published in the Hindu on 26 October 2023.

Tamil Nadu is gearing up to be a global vehicle (EV) manufacturing hub, with the government seeking to attract ₹50,000 crore in investments and envisioning 1.5 lakh new jobs in the EV sector in the next five years. Investments worth almost ₹40,000 crore are already underway, and as per recent data, Tamil Nadu...