Articles & Op-Eds

Baku conference has shown up the glaring inadequacy of the international climate framework and the deep mistrust among nations. Bad news for the fight against climate change. Mahatma Gandhi’s famous critique of the Cripps Mission in 1942—describing its proposal as “a post-dated cheque on a crashing bank”—perfectly captures the essence [...]

Acknowledging the true impact and sources of our pollution crisis is the first step toward meaningful action. A quarter-century ago, over 200 scientists from the US, Europe, the Maldives, and India came together to study the haze over the Indian Ocean. Led by atmospheric scientist V Ramanathan of the Scripps [...]

COP29, being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Nov 11 to 22, has opened under ominous circumstances. The re-election of Trump as US president looms over the event, reviving memories of his first term when he withdrew from the Paris Agreement, halted climate funding, and significantly slowed international climate progress. During [...]

These are anxious times for the climate community, watching with bated breath to see who will become the next US president. The last time Donald Trump held office, he withdrew from the Paris Agreement and stalled efforts to curb domestic emissions. But would Kamala Harris take a radically different approach [...]

We know we’re losing the battle against air pollution, yet we persist with the same corrective measures, hoping for different results. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) serves as a good example. GRAP protocols are triggered when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches “poor” category. However, most measures within GRAP [...]

Investments in ISTS grid infrastructure dedicated to RE projects have surged over the past decade, as new transmission lines and substation capacities have been developed to transfer power from RE-rich states to low-RE states. The inter-state transmission system (ISTS) charge and loss waivers for renewable energy (RE) between Indian states [...]

With Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) rising to 235 on Wednesday, its highest level since June 19, pollution season is here again. In what’s ominous, air quality dipping to “poor” category in Sep is a first in six years. As citizens of the national capital brace for the dreaded winter [...]

The most viable path forward is to decontrol the urea sector and allow market competition, similar to other fertilisers. One of the core priorities in this year’s Budget is “productivity and resilience in agriculture”. Under this, the government plans to promote natural farming, enhance the production of pulses, oil seeds, [...]

Soaring temperatures are here to stay & cooling has become a necessity. But it has to be done smartly. Not via ACs that guzzle electricity & worsen outdoor heat at a low-penetration level. Last Wednesday the automatic weather station sensor at Delhi’s Mungeshpur reported a record high temperature of 52.9°C. [...]

A warming Arabian Sea means cities around it, Dubai to Mumbai, are vulnerable to extreme weather. But what’s more extreme is that govts and companies are trying to fix the weather using tech. The unprecedented flood in Dubai on April 19 has ignited much-needed discussion on weather modification and geo-engineering. [...]

Unfortunately, the Vienna Convention is toothless, and its provisions have been ignored. Therefore, rebooting the Vienna Convention to govern SRM research is essential. Solar radiation modification (SRM), a group of technologies to deliberately reflect sunlight into space to cool the planet, is now being seriously explored as a solution to [...]

Delhi’s pollution levels keep rising with rising GRAP restrictions. This plan is only spiking congestion and chaos. Eight years in, it needs replacing with something that actually works. Even as Delhi was enjoying a rare respite with cleaner air and sunny skies, dropped the news of its being the world’s [...]