Recently Reported Greenhouse Gas Levels: 2307.78 MtCO2e in 2018, an Increase of 335.33% from 1990 (Source: IEA) Despite being among the first countries to join in the Paris Climate accord in 2015, India is currently the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the US. Coal power plants, rice paddies, and cattle...
Author: Pooran Chandra Pandey (Pooran Chandra Pandey)
New Federal Air Quality Guidelines, a Rise in Extreme Weather Events, and New Climate Research Studies in India
Listed below are some of the notable events that took place in India between July and October 2020, offering glimpses of India’s initiatives and new response measures to better build back the country in a post-COVID-19 period. New Federal Air Quality Guidelines India has long been troubled by the practice of stubble burning of agricultural...
India Spotlight: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and The Center for Science and the Environment (CSE)
Research over the years in the area of climate change in India has gradually been adopted by the school and university systems and offered through various mediums including through curriculum, outreach mediums and demonstration methods, leading to better awareness and mitigation solutions at local levels, given enormity of the country. Such avenues of educating children...
Green Jobs are Key Contributors to Preserve the Environment in India
Because India has been an agrarian economy, ‘green jobs’ have long existed in the country. However, the phenomena of green jobs attracted the attention of academia and policy makers after initiatives of UNEP and ILO and the publication of the report on “Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a Sustainable, Low Carbon World”. A green...
India’s Indigenous Peoples are Key Constituents in Climate Action
India is a large country with interspersed legacy and identity largely driven out of its people and their natural habitats. The country has 705 ethnic groups recognised as Scheduled Tribes. which literally means ‘Indigenous Peoples.1 There are, however, many more ethnic groups that would qualify for Scheduled Tribe status but which are not officially recognised....
Climate Bailout Guidelines for the Automobile Industry in India
The COVID-19 pandemic in India, like everywhere else, has adversely impacted the Indian economy across many sectors. The most affected sectors include automobile, aviation, retail (including tourism and services), construction, and real estate, among others. The automobile sector, in particular, has been the most adversely impacted. The industry contributes approximately 7.5% of the nation’s GDP...
Deforestation and Land Use Changes in India Have Increased Zoonotic Disease Risk
India has some of the world’s most bio-diverse regions, accounting for c.10% of global floral and c.7% faunal species in addition to encompassing a wide range of biomes–desert, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands, areas surrounding rivers, and island archipelago. It also hosts 4 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats,...
Can COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plans Help Put India on the Path to Low Carbon Sustainable Development?
The first case of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in India was reported on 30 January 2020, originating from China. As of 30 April 2020, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has confirmed a total of 33,050 cases, 8,325 recoveries (including 1 migration), and 1074 deaths in the country. Experts suggest the number of infections could be much higher as...
India Takes Steps to Reform its Power Sector but Still Heavily Relies on Coal
India is the world’s third-largest producer and third-largest consumer of electricity. With more than 400 million people lifted above the poverty line over the last decade, there has been a consistent rise in demand for power consumption across the nation’s rural, urban and semi-urban areas, necessitating far-reaching changes in India’s power sector. The national electric grid in India over the years has come to...
Indian Businesses Take the Lead on Carbon Pricing
The government in India, until recently, has not put in place a carbon tax or cap in the trade system. However, leading Indian companies have set up their own carbon pricing mechanisms following a three-phase process. In the foundational phase, a company assesses how much carbon it is emitting through greenhouse gas inventories. In the...