In this sixth and final episode of Environomy, we will explore how India has dealt with issues related to biodiversity and climate change since the 1991 economic reforms. Since the national government has taken a strong position on climate change in recent years, this episode will also try to connect the past with the present and the future. Explore other episodes of Environomy where S. Gopikrishna Warrier took us through the journey of how environmental economics got interlocked after the...

Though farming contributes less than 20% of India's GDP, it provides livelihood support to nearly half of the country's population. It is an extremely challenging occupation, with many from the younger generation unwilling to pursue agriculture. When the post-economic reforms financially benefited sections of Indian society, how did the farmers feel left out? In the fifth episode of Environomy, the host discusses the impact of economic reforms on the agricultural sector. Through...

There are traffic jams on India’s hill stations and mountain roads across the year. It wasn’t always like this. Increased incomes of the Indian middle class after the 1991 economic reforms translated to improved mobility. Many made their way to the mountains. And the most significant impact of India's increased mobility has been on the environment of the mountains. Through Environomy, S. Gopikrishna Warrier will take you through the journey of how environmental economics got interlocked...

The legislature, the executive, and the judiciary, form the three pillars of Indian democracy. The legislature consisting of the parliamentarians, and legislators are the policy makers who draw up acts and policies. The executive is the government, consisting of the Prime Minister, Council of Ministers, Chief Ministers, and their officials. The judiciary are the lawyers and the judges in the courts, from the lower ones to the Supreme Court and also the National Green Tribunal.  During the...

In the early 1990s, the anti-Tehri dam and anti-Narmada dam movements were India's most well-known environmental protests. It was not as if only environmental activists were involved with these movements. The developments in Tehri and Narmada were watched keenly by people across the country. In the coming decade, something changed. In this episode, hear about how a distinct economic and political identity for the Indian middle class after the economic reforms of 1991 changed the way in which...

How did the 1991 economic reforms impact the course of the Indian environment in the past three decades? Listen to Environomy's first episode, where we will look at how the Indian middle class acquired a distinct economic and political identity after the economic reforms of 1991. Through our show Environomy, S. Gopikrishna Warrier will take you through the journey of how environmental economics got interlocked after the economic reforms of 1991. This is a journey for which he had a ringside...

The economic reforms of 1991 caused a radical shift in India's economic and social structure. It gave a new life to the middle class. But did you know that the reforms also changed how India dealt with its environmental issues? Join S Gopikrishna Warrier, Managing Editor of Mongabay-India, as he takes us through three decades of India's environmental history. Delve deep into the important environmental movements in India, meet the people behind them, and learn their history and...

Lake-hopping is Anoop Ambili’s thing. For Ambili, a paleoclimatologist, the Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, Tso Moriri in Ladakh and Renuka in Himachal Pradesh hide clues that help him reconstruct past climate changes going back to 10,000 years. Ambili is also studying microplastic pollutants in these freshwater lakes. For example, he is looking for pollutants such as microplastics in Renuka lake, a popular tourist spot and also the largest lake in Himachal Pradesh. Information about the changes...

Looking at sediment under a microscope is a window into past environments and climates. In a dot of sediment, you may find thousands of microfossils - tiny remains of bacteria, protists, fungi, animals, and plants. Rajani Panchang, an oceanographer and micropaleontologist, uses microfossils from oceans, of tiny marine organisms, to interpret how the climate and environment may have been when they were alive. Such work gives us ideas about the chemistry and temperature of the ocean, ocean...

Imagine this: When modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, they saw creatures such as giant prehistoric elephants, a hippopotamus and a zebra-like horse, alongside other great beasts. Infact, these large mammals stuck around in the region for at least 20,000 years after the arrival of humans. A low-magnitude extinction began about 30,000 years ago when some megafaunal species, such as the giant elephants, started disappearing. This is in contrast to the Americas, Europe...

India's renewable energy dreams have been big since the country shifted gears post-Paris climate summit in 2015. The country is now working towards achieving 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030. However, every choice has a cost. Rapid renewable energy installation and the transition have left several aspects overlooked. And they have given rise to new issues. Issues related to land availability and acquisition for mega-renewable projects, impact on biodiversity,...

What can shells tells us about marine paleoclimate? Shells and molluscs store a wealth of paleoclimate information. Molluscs build their shells with calcium carbonate from the sea water. Their shells record the sea water chemistry, which lets us decipher the changes that occurred in their environment. Paleoclimate scientist Devapriya Chattopadhyay studies mollusc fossils which help reconstruct the marine paleoenvironment. Her findings revealed that even periods of slight warming affected...

It is fascinating how scientists unearth data for climate science in unusual locations. Atreyee Bhattacharya’s work takes her to lakebeds and libraries. She’s a paleoclimatologist who looks back at past climates to develop the context for understanding recent climate change. She analyses sediments drilled from old lakes and scours British archival records to reconstruct past rainfall changes. This aids in predictions of future climates. “Without paleoclimate research, we just wouldn't know...

India has an ambitious clean energy target that needs technology and innovation. While government and private sectors have their role to play, startups are critical for innovation and faster execution. They identify local, national and global problems, find opportunities and develop solutions. India is home to the third-largest startup ecosystem, with about 57,000 startups. A fraction of this number is working in sustainability and solving climate change issues. Worldwide, it’s noted that...

It is fascinating how scientists unearth data for climate science in unusual locations. Fossils, trees, lake sediment, other natural objects, and archival documents are like time portals. They tell us when and how ancient organisms and ecosystems experienced past environmental changes. On Imprints, you will hear how scientists look at the past to understand the modern climate. The show will shine a light on a lesser-discussed science in India. We will listen to five paleo scientists who put...

We are all familiar with the buzzing sound under high-voltage power lines and transmission towers. The electricity passing through it is generated from coal power plants, solar parks, wind farms, dams and other sources. It passes through transmission networks and substations to eventually reach the end users. Day by day, the share of renewable power entering this system is increasing. However, the solar and wind farms that are coming up or expanding to meet India’s renewable energy goal are...

The clean energy sector maintains that it is crusading the fight against climate change. But first, governments and companies have to fix the road to making clean energy technologies. The supply chain to create clean energy technologies is riddled with issues. Unsustainable mineral extraction to make solar cells, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries and other clean technologies pose high social and environmental risks. These scenarios are visible worldwide, especially in less...

Lack of energy access limits the rural economy. But reliable electricity creates an infrastructure for rural entrepreneurs and gives people a chance to work on their aspirations. In rural India, decentralised renewable energy options – primarily solar power – are creating livelihood and business opportunities. Decentralised renewable energy systems are primarily independent of the central power grid and the energy is generated close to its area of use. To address daily issues that arise out...

Hydropower has been an old and reliable source of energy in India. Until a few years ago, India considered a hydropower project renewable only when the installed capacity was less than 25 megawatt (MW). But then, in 2019, the government of India decided to consider large hydropower projects as renewable projects too. This makes hydroelectricity a vital part of India's clean energy targets - installing 500 gigawatt (GW) of non-fossil fuel-based capacity by 2030. However, activists and...

What are the high hurdles for India to uplift its people and realise its potential on the world stage? Two of the most significant ones are securing food for its large population and providing enough energy to power homes and industries. As it has always been, land, as a resource, is a precious commodity for both farming, and energy production. On the one hand, it is estimated that nearly 58 percent of India’s 1.2 billion people are engaged in agriculture, which occupies 60 percent of its...

The loss of biodiversity, the sixth mass extinction, high chances that you would have heard these terms. It's clear what pushed us into this situation - overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, the way we farm, climate change and more. One big reason is that plants, animals and all other life forms on Earth that we collectively term as biodiversity are losing their natural spaces. Human activities have destroyed or degraded habitats such as forests, deserts, rivers, et cetera,...

Let's visualise the sheer expanse of one of India's largest solar parks, the Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka. An aerial view of the site shows a never-ending sea of glass panels and wires spread across 13,000 acres. That is about 1/4th of the size of Kolkata city. Then there are smaller solar and wind power plants too. Some are even a fraction of the Pavagada solar plant. These power projects that harness unlimited sunlight and wind need another critical resource, a limited one… land. Land...

The world is looking towards the sun, wind, and other alternatives for energy, and so is India, as a way to tackle climate change and other environmental issues. The sight of solar and wind farms, rooftops lined with solar panels, and electricity-powered vehicles might soon be common. For the first episode of GigaWhat, we begin at the end. Where do solar modules go when they are no longer in use? What happens when a wind turbine finishes its lifecycle? Or when an electric car battery stops...

GigaWhat will explore some of the biggest questions, challenges, and opportunities in India's transition from fossil fuel to clean energy sources. As countries commit to cut their carbon emissions to tackle climate change and other environmental issues, there's growing attention on the clean and renewable energy sector. And there’s a lot of money behind it too. It's a sector evolving every day, right in front of us. India is the world’s third-largest energy consumer. Its clean energy dream...