By Soumya Sarkar It now seems difficult to imagine that many places in India were facing drought in late July 2019. In August, a few bouts of heavy rain changed that to devastating floods, killing over 1,500 people and displacing millions in much of northern, western and southern India. In mid-August, floods hit the southern … More Floods displacing millions partly due to reckless development, inefficient water management

By Manshi Asher* The floods in Assam and Bihar and the cloudburst in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have all once again underlined the risk of developing hydropower in the Himalayas. On top of that, over the last few years increasing evidence has emerged that hydropower production may not be as clean and green as claimed. … More Hydropower projects ruining lives in the Himalayas: Run–the-river projects no better than reservoirs

Statement on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land from Indigenous Peoples and local communities* from 42 countries spanning 76% of the world’s tropical forests: Finally, the world’s top scientists recognize what we have always known. We—Indigenous Peoples and local communities—play a critical role in stewarding and safeguarding … More Secure community land, resource rights essential for effective management, conservation of forests

By Dipti Singhal* Through a college course recently, I came across a 10th standard student speaking passionately about global warming and climate change. It got me wondering that would the current situation be so worse if our national leaders and decision makers had similar concern about this issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) … More Global warming: No single country will take costly mitigation efforts until all agree to mitigate

By Shelly* “Flygskam”, or flight shame is a movement which have gained enough buzz in Sweden to make people stay on the ground and be shameful of air travel. Flygskam encourages people to take train over plane to lower carbon emissions. Commercial flights currently make up around 2.5% of global carbon emissions, which is certain … More Impact of Greta Thunberg’s No Fly Movement on Swedish air sector: Can India emulate this?

By Himanshu Thakkar* Blessings, like disasters, are complicated. Blessings come with a lot of attachments. And if you cannot manage them, you could invite disasters. India is a blessed country in so many ways as far as water endowment is concerned. Our monsoons, rivers, aquifers, the Himalayas, the rich traditional techniques and management systems, to … More Why India’s policy makers refuse to acknowledge groundwater as India’s water lifeline