COP24: What the outcomes were and whether they are sufficient

Last week, a much anticipated climate change conference concluded in Katowice, Poland. The conference is critical because 3 years after signing the Paris Agreement, there is finally a working program to operationalize the Agreement. Many people have been talking about the rigor (or the lack of it) of this rule-book, and what went down in […]

The US miraculously reduce carbon emissions

Drastically different from what pundits claimed when Trump left the Paris Climate Agreement, US has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions over the last one year. The Energy Information Administration’s report claims that increase in renewables, decrease in coal-based energy and an increase in natural gas usage for energy have combined to cause this drop to […]

2018 Environmental Performance Index: Where does India stand?

The 2018 Environmental Protection Index is one of the most recent, data-driven matrices to rank countries according to their environmental performance. This data-driven, empirical approach allows us to better understand the progress a country is making and the areas of the environment and health that the governments need to focus on in their respective countries. […]

AKVO: Plucking water out of thin air!

Water is a big crisis in today’s world. It doesn’t matter where you live or how lavishly you live; you are going to face the brunt of the water crisis now or at some point in the future. The problem remains acute in India and the crisis is only growing. Despite relying on a variety […]

Graded Response Action Plan: How Delhi plans to combat severe air pollution

For the last three years, the months of October and November see extensive coverage of how bad the air in Delhi is. Winters in the capital are a time of excruciating discomfort and irritation in various forms; delayed flights, extreme traffic, low visibility, inability to breathe and irritation in all kinds of body parts. I’ve […]

From Europe: Bee harming insecticide now banned!

In a widely popular decision among environmental groups and scientists, the EU voted last week to ban all outdoor use of one of the world’s most popular insecticide-“neonics” or neonicotinoids. These compounds have been suspected to have a very negative impact on the health of the honeybees and wild bees around the world, especially in […]

Politics threatening the Amazon rainforest of Brazil

The Amazon rainforest is one of the first major natural landmarks ever introduced to a child. The sheer vastness of it, the fact that it is considered the “lungs of the world” and produces close to 30% of the total oxygen production of the world is something no child forgets easily. The rainforest, though, is […]

Great Indian Bustard: The bird that “almost” became our national bird

When India was a newly formed country, just free from the clutches of the British Raj, decisions had to be made about what animals would be the symbol of our country. The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) was a strong contender for being claimed as the National Bird of India. But, considering a possible national embarrassment […]

Renewable tipping point: Revolutionizing the global energy market

In a world that has been highly reliant on coal and petroleum for centuries, is it difficult to imagine that soon, we shall reach a point where it is no longer economically advisable to do so? Well, believe it or not, that time is soon coming (or is already here). Scientists and industry experts all […]

Flex boards and the problem of “poison plastic”

You only need to step into any major market in the country to find yourself staring at huge, relentless suggestions and titles and images of all the shops vying for your attention. While the psychological impacts of banners and advertising are significant, that’s not what I’m covering today. It’s the very medium/material that is used […]