Fortnightly Column Articles

  • India’s Renewables Disparity

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Financial Express

    Chandra Bhushan

    Even a good policy with the best intentions can have unintended and adverse consequences. The Freight Equalization Scheme (FES) was one such policy meant to promote balanced industrial development throughout the country but ended up impeding the industrialisation of the mineral-rich eastern states. From 1956, consumers across the country got [...]

  • Defining the environment sector

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Financial Express

    Chandra Bhushan

    The environment sector provides a vast opportunity to create new jobs and build a green economy. For this, the environment sector must become an important economic sector. What is the environment sector? How many people work in this sector? How many new jobs are needed to meet environmental challenges like [...]

  • Energy transition crucial

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Orrisa Post

    Chandra Bhushan

    Odisha is known for coal. It is the second biggest coal-producing state, and by 2030, it will be the country’s top coal-producing state. So naturally, Odisha’s electricity production is heavily reliant on coal. Presently, more than 90% of electricity comes from coal-based power plants; renewable energy (RE) sources like solar, [...]

  • A coal economy to a green economy

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Financial Express

    Chandra Bhushan

    Just energy transition’ must Shape net-zero pathways for fossil-fuel-dependent districts. In the last 18 months, several modelling studies have been published on the costs and benefits of net zero emissions in India. A few days back, another modelling study was published, which projected that India will require an economy-wide investment [...]

  • पर्यावरण पर कैसा है हमारा रिपोर्ट कार्ड !

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Navbharat Times

    Chandra Bhushan

    पर्यावरण पर कैसा है हमारा रिपोर्ट कार्ड, जानें मौजूदा कानूनों और संस्थानों में सुधार क्यों है जरूरी | साल 2022 पर्यावरण के लिए एक महत्वपूर्ण वर्ष है। संयोग से, आजादी के 25 साल पूरे होने के हफ्तेभर बाद, लोकसभा ने वन्यजीव (संरक्षण) विधेयक, 1972 पारित किया, जो स्वतंत्र भारत का [...]

  • No piecemeal solutions, please!

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Deccan Herald

    Chandra Bhushan

    The year 2022 is important. It not only marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, but it also marks the 50 years of institutional environmentalism in India. Coincidently, a week after we celebrated 25 years of Independence, the Lok Sabha Sabhapassed the Wildlife (Protection) Bill, 1972, making it the fi [...]

  • Is the Environmental Performance Index really faulty?

    PUBLISHED IN:
    The Hindu

    Chandra Bhushan

    Last month, India protested against its ranking on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of 2022, prepared by researchers at the Yale and Columbia Universities in the U.S. The report measures 40 performance indicators across 11 categories to measure the “state of sustainability around the world.” India was ranked last (180) [...]

  • Plastic ban: The problem is not plastic, it’s single-use

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Times of India

    Chandra Bhushan

    Multi-use products, not the material they are made of, are the key The nationwide ban on single-use plastic products (SUPs) that started yesterday comes on the heels of a two-decade-long effort. The first attempt was made in 1999 with the ban on thin polythene bags. Since then, three national and [...]

  • ‘Made in India’ green rankings: India needs its own benchmark to track progress made on the environmental front

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Financial Express

    Chandra Bhushan

    GoI must support an independent benchmarking scheme to evaluate our environmental performance and track progress. Much debate has happened on the recently released Environmental Performance Index (EPI), in which India was ranked the worst country in the world. The Government of India (GoI) has rejected the ranking and called it [...]

  • The risk of playing god in fighting climate change

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Times of India

    Chandra Bhushan

    New disasters can happen if countries decide to unilaterally try technological fixes to global Warming. With record-breaking heatwaves hitting many parts of the world over the last few months, scientific circles have been hotly debating whether countries should prepare to deploy geoengineering technologies to deal with such climate emergencies. Should [...]

  • क्या चारधाम यात्रा में भीड़ घटाई जानी चाहिए

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Navbharat Times

    Chandra Bhushan

    This article originally appeared in NBT पिछले कुछ दिनों में सोशल मीडिया पर और खबरों में केदारनाथ में फैले प्लास्टिक प्रदूषण की काफी चर्चा हुई। जो तस्वीरें आईं, उनसे लगता है कि केदारनाथ जाने वाले श्रद्धालुओं ने काफी मात्रा में प्लास्टिक की बोतलें और चीजें वहां फेंकीं। सोनप्रयाग में कार [...]

  • Question of faith : Leverage power of religion to drive a unity of purpose to protect the planet

    PUBLISHED IN:
    Financial Express

    Chandra Bhushan

    Faith-based organisations can be strategic actors in supporting environmental action. The climate crisis demands collaboration between countries and communities We Indians love to speak about our religious and cultural heritage of protecting the environment. And, we do have a vast heritage to boast about. Our sacred texts are full …