Variable rainfall due to climate change, and increasing population pressures has made urban water management a hot topic in national and international policy discussions. In cities, increasing impervious surface reduces infiltration of water and increases surface runoff. This one physical change creates so many multifaceted problems that greatly […]
In a world facing extreme environmental degradation, environmentally efficient actions are necessary to improve our use of natural resources. We focus a lot on identifying the correct steps and implementing them, but do we invest as much thought in making sure we have followed through? Being accountable to […]
After every Conference of Parties (COP), the negotiations and deliberations on the affairs of the Convention (be it the UNFCCC, UNCCD or UNCBD), a “declaration” is released that outlines the decisions taken by the “parties” (the countries) that are signatory to the Convention and have participated in the […]
When developing green spaces, the most important considerations usually revolve around convenience (which species requires the least maintenance?) and aesthetics (which would look the most beautiful?) and quantity (What is the area of green space per capita in a city?). In this post, I argue that much more […]
Skip to video Rising sea levels is probably the most well-spoken effect of climate change. It has been a cause of worry to scientists around the world. Today, the general public are also sensitized towards this problem; glacial calving in Greenland was widely reported by big media agencies […]
The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 the first of a series of legislation passed by the Government of India pertaining to regulation of environmental aspects in the country. Rising water pollution due to industrial and domestic activities became a cause of concern, leading to the […]
Unlike urban farming or agro-forestry, urban forestry provides products and services that are largely intangible. How can you charge someone for breathing fresh air? Therefore, a viable revenue model cannot be developed easily. Authorities usually rely on grants from government, bilateral/multilateral organisation, foundations to meet operational costs. Many […]
30,000 years ago, it is estimated that the Earth hosted 200 genera of large terrestrial mammals that weighed over 50 kilograms (kg). Australia had large marsupials such as kangaroos over 2 meters long, koala bears that you wouldn’t want to cuddle, the marsupial lion and the giant diprotodon. […]
“At first, all the weather reports showed signs of water scarcity. So, when the rains came toward the end of June and were consistent, we were pleasantly surprised. Panic only set in when the water level in the Krishna River exceeded 47 feet”, says Rajeshwari, a resident of […]
The r/K selection theory of life-history patterns has been in use for a long time, and serves as a useful tool to introduce the concept of survivorship curves (I recommend that you see this post if you need a refresher on the theory). However, there have been several […]
