Opinion

Blog: Not Just A Hotter April - Why Heatwave 2022 Is Different

Human-made environmental disasters in India are making it difficult to keep the lights on.

Blog: Why This Is Already A Landmark Year In The Pollution Fight

The air pollution last month made it the worst November in seven years since records began. This is a setback to the central government's already modest target to cut air pollution by 20-30% by 2024.

From The 'World's Air Pollution Capital' To COP26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew out of Delhi for the climate talks just as the capital's skies darkened with pollutants in this peak air pollution season.

From The 'World's Air Pollution Capital' To COP26

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew out of Delhi for the climate talks just as the capital's skies darkened with pollutants in this peak air pollution season.

Blog: India 2nd Worst-Hit By Covid. Air Pollution Could Be Double Whammy

The number of cases in India has rapidly overtaken Brazil. The weekly average today is tens of thousands of cases more than it was on the first of August. Some expect it to cross 6 million cases by the end of this month. But that's not the only way it's going to get worse. Scientists fear a double whammy once air pollution starts spiraling.

10 Ways Jeff Bezos Can Spend His $10 Billion Earth Fund In India

In a few months' time, Jeff Bezos will start making grants from the $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund he has set up. India, as well as South Asia, needs such commitment to fight, in his words, the devastating impact of climate change.

Blog: In Delhi's Air Pollution Emergency, What Changed And What Didn't

Declaring a "public health emergency" in Delhi and its neighbouring area is unprecedented. However, doctors like Dr Arvind Kumar of Lung Care Foundation, have been demanding this for some time now.

Blog: The Big Climate Meet At the UN And Where India Stands On It

Global warming won't pause for geo-political and financial negotiations. Neither will the suffering of hundreds of millions already feeling the effects of the changing climate.

Blog: Land Use And Diets Need To Change, Now, Warns UN Report

There's a double whammy for mega-cities like Delhi-NCR, which could worsen heatwaves. A combination of "global warming and urbanisation can amplify warming in cities and their surroundings (heat island effect), especially during heat waves.

Blog: Voters, Please See. A 9-Point Clean Air Manifesto For Elections

The air across many places in India is toxic. Pollution levels, while not at emergency levels like a few years ago, remain lethally high. A glance at social media will show you who are the most worried. "Parents are only obsessing about how to protect their children (from air pollution). We're all terrified" tweeted a mother.

Blog: How India's Top Anti-Pollution Plan Is Failing Children

The question all this technicality raises about GRAP is this - why is the anti-pollution system in the most polluted mega-city in the world so structured that the most vulnerable, the children, are protected only when it surpasses 'severe' levels and hits 'severe plus or emergency' range? This is over 12 times WHO's safe limit of 25 micrograms/cubic metre.

Blog: Delhi, Bengaluru Becoming "Urban Heat Islands": IPCC Report Author

Hundreds of scientists have worked for the last three years to understand just how pressing is the need to limit global warming. The answer - very, very pressing indeed.

Blog: 10-Point Guide To The IL&FS Fiasco And How It Impacts Everyday People

The latest social media jibe on the rupee goes something like this: once it crosses 75 to the dollar, it will be become part of the Marg Darshak Mandal, the BJP's panel of retired statesmen. There are few cracks, however, at the IL&FS crisis, which threatens potential collapse for the markets and the country's financial network. Here's a 10-point guide to what exactly...

Blog: When Kids Get Smokers' Diseases, Where Tourist Hot-Spots Have Dirty Air

Now India is fast getting the tag of the most polluted country in the world, specially after the recent WHO report listed 14 Indian cities in the world's worst 15.

Blog: 'Indian' Data? Really? Huge Government Scheme Falls Into Easy Trap

Make no mistake about it, India could soon have the most polluted air amongst all large countries. In 2016, it saw the steepest rise in level of air pollution since 2010, while China actually saw a slight decline.

Blog: Netas, We Want Bijli, Sadak, Paani - And Swachh Hawa

Here are my suggested 10 resolutions for cleaner air

Blog: Delhi, We Can Beat This Smog. 7 Steps, Get Started Now

The pollution problem is big but is fixable with a mix of policy, political will, and micromanagement by residents at their home and neighbourhood level.

Blog: PM Modi, This Diwali, Why Not Appeal for Swachh Air?

One hopes the Prime Minister changes his Diwali message from last year. Study after study shows that children are most susceptible to airborne pollutants - PM 2.5 i.e. particulate matter 30x less than a hair's breadth.

Blog: What These Fires On The Map Mean For Delhi

Farm fires are expected to peak over the next few weeks sending air quality plummeting.

Blog: Dear Supreme Court, We Need Another 500-Metre Ban

The ban on the sale booze anywhere within 500 meters of a state or national highway has led to a lot of outcry. But there's another "500-metre" order with which the Supreme Court could save lives.