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 […]

India’s Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981

In light of recent alarming trends in air quality of India, I felt that it is a good idea to revisit one of the most important environmental legislation to have come into effect in India, and to see what the government had in mind when it came out with this Act. The Air (Prevention and […]

India’s Environment Protection Act, 1986- An overview

In India, environmental protection was not much of an issue till the mid-1980’s. That is, environmental protection as a whole was never seriously considered. The government did enact various legislation pertaining to the environment in the 1970’s and 80’s; most notably the Water Act, 1974, Air Act, 1981, Indian Forest Policy, 1988. But it took […]

Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000

Noise pollution is a major issue in today’s urban areas. From factories to vehicles, from machinery to daily equipment, everything produces a noise that is having a significant impact on the ambient environment as well as the health and well being of humans. In India, an added problem is that Indians are naturally a very […]

India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972- An overview

Soon after the Stockholm convention on Environment, the Indian government responded positively by passing an act for the protection of India’s wildlife (both terrestrial and aquatic) and their habitats. Ever visited a Wildlife Sanctuary or a National Park? Taken a safari to enjoy the animals in the wild? Well, all that was possible only after […]

Biological Diversity Act, 2002

India’s humongous and lavish spread of ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, coastal and marine has been a subject of global admiration. India boasts of being one of the seventeen (17) most-biodiversity rich countries (technically known as the “mega diverse countries) in the world. So, how does this make India better than other countries? […] […]

How are Environmental Impact Assessments regulated? A look at the legislation in India

The process of EIA, though globally accepted and followed, still have many differences specific to the conditions in each country. In India, EIA has been a mandatory process since the EIA notification became part of India’s legislation in 1994. Since then, many amendments and modifications have been made by the government to improve (or dilute) […]