Climate Emergency: Recent Episodes
Suno India
In India, every year, the summers are getting longer, the winters harsher and the downpours intense. Floods in Assam, droughts in Tamil Nadu and growing problem of water scarcity in many states are no longer an abnormality but the new reality!There is an urgency to solve the problems caused by human induced climate change and to understand and find solutions before it is late. This is Climate Emergency and we will bring to fore and discuss the growing impact of climate change. We will also highlight and celebrate climate champions- individuals and communities who are undoing the damage done so far
In this final episode in the Joshimath series, Sudeshna Chowdhury speaks to an anthropologist, Lokesh Ohri who talks about how ancient rituals had always held nature in high esteem and how a sustainable development model is paramount for protecting the Himalayas.
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The Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project undertaken by NTPC since 2006 is the biggest bone of contention between the people of Joshimath and the government. Residents say that it is this project that has caused disaster in the region. On the other hand, government representatives have steered away from blaming the NTPC for the disaster. Sudeshna Chowdhury speaks to different parties to unravel the reasons behind the disaster
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Studies in the 1970s indicated that the town is located in a fragile area rendering the region unsuitable for construction of massive infrastructural projects. In this episode, Sudeshna Chowdhury speaks to scientists and environmentalists to understand the landscape of the place and what lies beneath its earth that makes it susceptible to land subsidence.
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Joshimath, an ancient spiritual town in Uttarakhand, is facing an existential threat due to land subsidence or urban sinking. Future of people who call this town their home is uncertain. The entire region has been divided into danger zones and safe zones. Some residents seek compensation to give up their homes while some don’t want to move at all. Sudeshna Chowdhury visits the town and speaks to residents to find out more about the issue.
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This summer, temperatures in India soared beyond 45 degrees Celsius, sparking discussions about the necessity of cooling as a fundamental need rather than a luxury. In India, fans, coolers and later air conditioners have been effectively used for seeking comfort from the heat. But with rising CO2 levels, experts have expressed the need for sustainable cooling methods.
In countries with modern and planned infrastructural settlements such as Japan, Canada, Middle East, Sweden, USA, France and some parts of Europe- ‘District Cooling’ has been used as a popular cooling solution. But what exactly is district cooling? How does cooling happen in a typical district cooling setup? How climate-friendly is this solution? And is it a viable solution for India?
Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Sudheer Perla who is the Managing Director of Tabreed Asia. Tabreed provides district cooling solutions in the UAE and Gulf Cooperation Council. They plan to collaborate with Indian real estate companies and corporations to establish district cooling systems, targeting airports, aero cities, and green buildings.
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In the past few years, Jharkhand has seen extreme climate shifts which have affected the forests. The forests are home to various forest flowers, fruits, roots and stems that have been used for medicinal, consumption, healing, trade and many purposes and some have also been used as a livelihood measure. Many products have also been used in urban centres in daily cooking, like lac and tamarind. The climate shifts have resulted in reduced forest produce, affecting the livelihoods of tribal people here. For reporting on this episode, Sushmita visited remote villages located deep inside forests. She interviewed activists and government officials to understand this issue.
This podcast was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
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Extreme heat this summer has indicated the need for a robust urban cooling system. It shows an urgent need to build community cooling centres which can be accessed by the most vulnerable groups such as the urban poor, women and elderly.
To understand the challenges and solutions for urban cooling in Indian cities, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to Abhiyant Tiwari, who is the lead climate resilience and health consultant at National Research Development Corporation or NRDC India. He talks about the feasibility and scalability of cooling strategies like community cooling centres and district cooling systems, and effective integration of cooling measures in city planning.
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This year, Delhi faced severe heat waves with temperatures that soared past 45 degrees on several days. The most vulnerable people—those who live in informal settlements—suffered the brunt of this extreme weather.
The Union Health Ministry and India Meteorological Department issued public health advisories as heatwave conditions persisted in various parts of the country. The advisories talk about following precautions such as monitoring the health of vulnerable individuals, staying hydrated, staying indoors during peak hours, keeping the house cool and so on.
Suno India's Sneha Richhariya visited Nandlal Juggi in Gopalpur village near Mukherjee Nagar in North Delhi, to understand whether these advisories reflect the lives of the urban poor and more.
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There is a strong belief that recycled plastic is always good for the environment, and is safe to use. But increasing, increasing evidence shows that recycled plastic should be used with caution. Toxics Link, a Delhi based environmental research and advocacy organisation conducted a research to assess the toxic contaminants in recycled plastic products that were recycled in Delhi. As part of this study, 15 samples of recycled plastic products, including food contact materials and toys were tested.
In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to Priti Mahesh who has authored this study. She talks about several issues related to recycling of plastic. Some of these are:
- The recycling of plastic waste in India is mostly done by the informal sector which uses unsound, improper recycling methods.
- All recycled plastic products are not necessarily safe to use. There are harmful contaminants in recycled plastic that could pose health risks. This is an understudied subject
- The laws and policy regarding plastic recycling in the country
- There is a need for enforcement and standardisation of plastic recycling in India
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There is a strong belief that recycled plastic is always good for the environment, and is safe to use. But increasing, increasing evidence shows that recycled plastic should be used with caution. Toxics Link, a Delhi based environmental research and advocacy organisation conducted a research to assess the toxic contaminants in recycled plastic products that were recycled in Delhi. As part of this study, 15 samples of recycled plastic products, including food contact materials and toys were tested.
In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to Priti Mahesh from Toxics Link who has authored this study. She talks about several issues related to recycling of plastic. Some of these issues are:
- The recycling of plastic waste in India is mostly done by the informal sector which uses unsound, improper recycling methods.
- All recycled plastic products are not necessarily safe to use. There are harmful contaminants in recycled plastic that could pose health risks. This is an understudied subject
- The laws and policy regarding plastic recycling in the country
- There is a need for enforcement and standardisation of plastic recycling in India
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As part of an aggressive push on solar, there is a strong emphasis on establishing “solar cities” in Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya is being developed as a model solar city under the Solar City program in Uttar Pradesh.
How far is Ayodhya from becoming a Solar city? How will the Solar City initiative change Ayodhya and the lives of its people? Where do people stand in Ayodhya’s Solar city dreams? Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya travelled to energy poor areas of Uttar Pradesh to find out what the solar schemes like PM Suryaghar Muft Bijli Yojna and other policies on solar mean to the people. In this episode, the focus is on Ayodhya as it is being planned as a “solar city”
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Connecting more and more people with solar energy has become an election plank for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Ram Mandir was consecrated in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024, 10 million poor and middle-class households in India are supposed to get residential rooftop solar.
In this series, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya investigates what a scheme like this means to the people. In May 2024, she travelled to some energy-poor areas of north India.
Where do the poor and the middle people fit into this policy framework? In this episode, Sneha tries to find out whether the scheme is accessible to the people it is intended to benefit.
This is the first episode in Suno India’s ‘Indian Solar Dream’ series. Reporting for this series was supported by Earth Journalism Network.
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On April 6, 2024, the Supreme Court gave a landmark judgement bringing the right to be free from adverse effects of climate change within the ambit of fundamental rights. Indian jurisprudence had earlier held that people had a right to clean air and a clean environment. The right to be free from adverse effects of climate change is a new addition. This flows naturally from the right to life, and the right to equality guaranteed in the Constitution under Article 21 and 14 respectively.
But what are the implications of this ruling for climate litigation in India? How will this help in India’s fight against climate change? Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya explains in this episode of Climate Emergency.
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The cooling industry contributes significantly to global CO2 emissions. As pressure mounts to address climate impacts, there's a crucial need for the industry to overhaul its manufacturing and disposal practices of appliances. But how are your cooling appliances making the climate worse? What exactly is energy efficiency and what makes an appliance energy-efficient? What role can the consumers play? What do they do with their refrigerant-filled equipment once they are done using them?
Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to Bishal Thapa, senior director at CLASP, an international nonprofit organisation which provides technical and policy support to governments worldwide and works to implement energy efficiency standards and labels for appliances.
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On 17th March 2024, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the Capital notified the new Delhi Solar Policy, 2024, rolling out larger incentives and subsidies for people to install solar power systems at their homes and businesses. The vision is to make solar energy accessible and affordable for all consumers in Delhi.
In the past months, the government has repeatedly promoted the policy that appears less like an environmental step taken to reduce emissions, but more like a policy to push subsidies and reduce electricity bills. Notably, the policy is being sold to all middle and working-class people. But is it really inclusive? Is it really consumer friendly as the government says? Will the middle class who have access to conventional forms of electricity switch to solar energy? Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to people in Delhi to understand the complexities of residential rooftop solar adoption.
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In early March 2024, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted a hot summer this year, with above-normal temperatures and an above-normal number of heatwave days from March to May.
On 5th March 2024, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a specialised agency of the UN, said in a media release that the 2023-24 El Niño, one of the five strongest on record, has peaked and is gradually weakening — but it will continue to impact climate around the world in the coming months.
We’re playing an episode from last year where Sneha Richhariya explained what El-Nino is, what impact it causes and what is its relation to climate change.
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We're seeing what is being called one of the worst droughts in recent years in Karnataka. Bangalore has become unliveable. Bangalore has access to only half the amount of water that it needs on a daily basis. There's no water in many high and mid-rise buildings, gated colonies. The government is rationing out water tankers, construction using the adjacent Kaveri river is banned, new bore wells are being dug and so on.
In this episode of Climate Emergency, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Shreya Nath, who heads the urban water program at Well Labs, which is an environmental research organisation based in Bengaluru. Last year, Well Labs conducted a study on ‘How water flows through Bengaluru?’ to understand where is Bengaluru's water, how much of it is there and in what condition.
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Access to clean cooking has been on the radar of policymakers for several decades. With over half of rural households still using traditional, polluting cooking methods, the need for cleaner alternatives is more pressing than ever.
In this episode of Climate Emergency, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Noble Varghese, who has studied India’s transition to e-cooking. Why should we think about transitioning to cleaner cooking options, more specifically e-cooking? How are India’s villages going to see this transition? Is e-cooking more polluting than LPG? Can India make e-cooking a reliable cooking option? This episode attempts to find out.
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More than 500 people lost their lives in human-wildlife conflict between January 2000 to December 2023, as per the data gathered by the forest department. In 2023 alone, more than 20 persons died of conflict with leopards in the state. The state’s Living with Leopards programme is trying to mitigate these conflicts. The programme that originated in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park kicked off around 2016 when several non-profits such as Titli Trust, Wildlife Conservation India along with the forest officials sat down and discussed the problem. The programme that was piloted in three clusters in Pauri, Tehri and Almora districts depends on the co-operation of villagers. It is a behavioural change program that teaches people how to live peacefully with leopards. Instead of conflict, the focus here is on coexistence which takes place through sensitization and involvement of various stakeholders.
Sudeshna Chowdhury tails forest officials to find out how they are co-opting villagers into this programme and trying to reduce human-animal conflict. She also speaks with Sanjay Sondhi, Trustee of Titli Trust, NGO, Dr. Koko Rose, deputy project director with Jyca project in Dehradun, Dhananjai Mohan, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttarakhand, Dharam Singh Meena, Uttarakhand’s Additional Secretary Forest and Environment, and Diksha Bijlan Bhatt, range officer, Maniknath range.
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Efforts towards fighting plastic pollution are being made by governments across the world. India is also speeding up its fight against plastic pollution. On July 1, 2022, a ban was imposed on single-use plastic items. This ban was ambitious, covering 19 items.
In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya tries to dig deep and understand all about single-use plastics. She speaks to retail shopkeepers, wholesalers whose businesses rely heavily on single use plastic items and to Siddharth Singh from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) who has conducted a study to assess the status of the ban.
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On 21st and 22nd December, 2023, authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Surguja district cleared thousands of trees over hundreds of hectares for the phase-2 extension of coal mines in the Hasdeo Arand forest.
Over the past one decade, Adivasis have been a part of a struggle to save Hasdeo Arand forests that stretch across over 1,500 km through Chhattisgarh. The area is home to India’s tribal communities, with an estimated five billion tonnes of coal buried under the dense forests.
In this episode of Climate Emergency, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Adivasis from villages in Korba and Sarguja districts of Chattisgarh, to understand their concerns regarding the felling of trees in Hasdeo for coal mining. She also speaks to Alok Shukla, the convenor of Chattisgarh Bachao Andolan and has been associated with the Hasdeo moment for a decade.
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In this episode, Rakesh Kamal, host of of the Climate Emergency Podcast sits down with Disha Ravi, a prominent voice from an environmental awareness youth group, Fridays for Future India. She talks about the expectations and aspirations of the youth as they are participating in the critical climate change negotiations at COP28 in Dubai. Disha shares her realistic insights into the role of young activists, the challenges they face, and the impact they hope to make on the global stage. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on the power of youth involvement in shaping the future of our planet.
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The climate change conference, COP28, where the world gathered to make agreements to solve the climate crisis, has wrapped up in Dubai. It's now a crucial moment for assessment and contemplation. Was the conference effective? Are we progressing as planned to achieve the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement? And, importantly, is the Global South experiencing upliftment or facing neglect?
Climate Emergency podcast editor- Rakesh Kamal has reported from the grounds of COP28 in Dubai. In this episode, host Sneha Richhariya speaks with Rakesh about his observations, experiences, and reflections at the climate conference this year.
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In this episode of "Climate Emergency," host Rakesh Kamal engages in a conversation with Vaibhav Chaturvedi, a fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a leading think tank in Asia.
He delves into the heart of the global stocktake (GST) in climate change negotiations, unraveling key developments and emerging trends witnessed at COP28 in Dubai.
Vaibhav Chaturvedi brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities presented during this critical international climate summit. This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the discussions that shape our collective response to the climate emergency.
Stay tuned to "Climate Emergency" and be part of the conversation that shapes a sustainable and resilient future for our planet.
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Join host Rakesh Kamal in this episode of "Climate Emergency" as he sits down with Arun Krishnan from the Climate Policy Initiative to delve into one of the most contested issue at COP28 in Dubai "the Global Goal on Adaptation". As the world gears up for outcomes from COP28 in Dubai, Arun sheds light on the challenges that lie ahead and opportunities that are being missed. Gain insights into the crucial discussions surrounding climate policy, adaptation strategies, and the collective efforts needed to address the urgent climate emergency. Don't miss this informative and timely conversation on the forefront of climate action.
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In this episode of "Climate Emergency," host Rakesh Kamal engages in a compelling conversation with Ranjan Panda environmental activist and Convenor at Combat Climate Change Network, India, and Co-Founder, Youth4Water.
He discusses the pivotal role of grassroots organizations in the battle against climate change, particularly within the context of international platforms like the Conference of the Parties (COP).
Ranjan Panda shares his insights into how these local efforts can influence global decisions. Gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by these organizations, their successes, and the transformative power they bring to the forefront of climate action.
In this episode he delves into the heart of climate advocacy, showcasing the importance of community-driven initiatives in the fight for a sustainable future. Tune in to this episode that is being reported from COP28 in Dubai and be inspired to take action in your own community.
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In this episode, Host Rakesh Kamal delves into a conversation with Aakash Raanison – a passionate environmentalist, content creator, influencer, Author and documentary maker. In this episode, Aakash talks about how today's youth can actively engage at COP28 in Dubai. He also shares his experiences and insights on how the younger generation can make a meaningful impact on the global stage, influencing policies and fostering change. Tune in for an engaging discussion on navigating the path towards a sustainable and climate-resilient world.
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In the lead-up to COP28, the call for increased youth engagement in climate negotiations resonates more powerfully than ever. As the world gears up for another critical COP session, the question looms: to what extent will global leaders heed the diverse experiences and perspectives of a generation least accountable for climate change but most susceptible to its repercussions?
For this pre-COP episode of Climate Emergency, host Sneha Richhariya and Editor Rakesh Kamal spoke to Heeta Lakhani and Aditya Mukarji, two of the 17 UN-recognized young climate leaders, about what they think of climate negotiations.
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There are videos on social media suggesting that an artificial rain experiment by IIT Kanpur can tackle air pollution and drought and that this artificially induced rainfall is likely to have “no negative consequences on the environment”. Videos on social media claim this as a “sustainable solution”. However, this isn't the first time that cloud seeding has been suggested as a possible solution for air pollution in Delhi.
Some experts say that it is complicated, an expensive exercise whose efficacy in battling pollution is not completely proven, and that more research is needed to understand its long-term environmental impact. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur has proposed this idea to reduce pollution levels in the national capital. This project has been in development since 2018.
To understand this further, Climate Emergency host Sneha Richhariya speaks to Professor Maninder Agarwal, who is a professor at IIT Kanpur and is the scientist who's leading this project on artificial rainfall.
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India lost one of its most renowned agricultural scientists, MS Swaminathan, on September 28th, 2023. He not just spearheaded the green revolution and pulled the South Asian masses out of a famine, but also contributed immensely to this field by engaging in solution-oriented deliberations and discussions with various stakeholders. He involved farmers into his mission. He involved politicians in his mission, and the global scientists too.
In this episode, Sharada Balasubramanian talks to R Ramkumar, agricultural economist from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Ramkumar talks about various unknown aspects of the green revolution and the contribution of Swaminathan not just to India, but to the world’s agriculture.
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Solar energy has been an important player in India’s energy transition. But how does the growth of solar align with the global targets of reducing emissions and alleviating energy poverty? How do we see the world's transition towards clean energy? How do we eliminate disparities in energy access? How do we make sure that renewables are cost-effective?
To delve into this further, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya talked to Dr. Ajay Mathur, Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and discussed a range of issues, from current challenges to the solar industry to ISA’s journey so far and the expectations at the climate change conference this year.
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On October 4th, a glacial lake outburst event struck North Sikkim, sending shockwaves across the northeastern state. This event unfolded at Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim, causing an abrupt and alarming surge in the water level of the Teesta River. The floodwaters reached the Teesta III Dam in Chungthang around midnight, resulting in the dam's destruction within mere minutes.
While initial reports suggested that a cloudburst may have triggered the glacial lake outburst, scientific investigations are ongoing to uncover the true underlying causes of this phenomenon. In this episode of Climate Emergency, reporter Sneha Richhariya talks to local residents to understand the situation on ground and speaks to Prof. Vimal Khawas from the Special Centre for the Study of North East India at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi about the factors driving this event, with an emphasis on how climate change has exacerbated it.
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Bengaluru is currently experiencing significant and diverse forms of urban growth. Numerous environmental studies have consistently highlighted the adverse impact of intense urbanization on the city's environment. However, the city is now also gaining attention in discussions about its susceptibility to climate change. Unfortunately, the most severe consequences of this situation are affecting those residing in informal settlements throughout Bengaluru.
Due to the lack of resources, the priorities of these residents in these settlements do not include climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies. Then how do we make these residents an active participant in the agenda of climate change?
In this episode of Climate Emergency, host Sneha Richhariya talks to Bijal Brahmbhatt, who is the executive director of Mahila Housing Trust, which is a grassroots organization that works to strengthen women in the urban informal sector. MHT is also a part of Ellara Bengaluru, which is a union of NGOs, academia, civic society authorities to jointly work on building a climate-change resilient Bengaluru.
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Bundelkhand region in central India is infamous for its frequent droughts. Due to the lack of water, farmers in this region have either been aligning their farming with seasonal rainfall patterns or are dependent on diesel or electricity operated pumps for irrigation. But the erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts and poor electricity supply have disrupted farming practices, making them riskier.
Pumping ground water using solar energy is now seen as the solution to these water woes. The Central government started the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-Kusum) scheme in 2019 to overcome challenges of irrigation supply. Through this scheme the government subsidises these solar pumps for the farmers. However, solar water pumps rely on existing or available groundwater, which is already scarce in the region.
In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya travels across three districts of central India’s drought-hit Bundelkhand region to understand if solar water pumps can solve the issue of irrigation for the farmers and figure if it possesses a threat to its groundwater levels.
Note: This report was produced with the support of Internews’ Earth Journalism Network. It was originally published by Suno India on 28 September 2023.
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In this episode of the Climate Emergency podcast, Editor and host for this episode Rakesh Kamal speaks with Aditi Tandon, a production editor with Mongabay India and a fact-checking trainer with the Google News Initiative India Training Network. They discuss greenwashing and its role in climate misinformation.
Greenwashing is the practice of making misleading or deceptive claims about the environmental benefits of a product or service. This can make it more difficult for consumers to make informed choices about the products they buy, and it can also give companies a free pass to pollute the environment.
In this episode, Aditi and Rakesh explore the different ways that greenwashing is used, and they discuss the challenges of detecting and preventing it. They also talk about the role that consumers can play in holding companies accountable for their environmental claims.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who is concerned about climate change and the spread of misinformation. It provides important insights into how greenwashing can be used to deceive consumers and undermine efforts to address the climate crisis.
Call to Action:
If you are concerned about greenwashing, there are a few things you can do:
- Be aware of the signs of greenwashing.
- Do your research before you buy a product or service.
- Contact companies that you believe are engaging in greenwashing.
- Support organizations that are working to combat greenwashing.
Together, we can make a difference in the fight against climate change.
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In this episode of the Climate Emergency podcast, host Rakesh Kamal talks to independent journalist and trainer Mayank Agarwal about the importance of climate literacy and the need to train media organizations and journalists in fighting climate misinformation.
They explore the role of journalists and media organizations in combating this growing problem and discuss the importance of responsible reporting in shaping public opinion and driving meaningful action.
Join us as we uncover the challenges faced by reporters in an era of misinformation, and discover ways we can collectively address this urgent issue for a sustainable future.
Episode highlights:
- The rise of climate misinformation and its impact on public opinion
- The role of journalists and media organizations in combating climate misinformation
- The importance of responsible reporting in shaping public opinion
- Ways to address climate misinformation and build a more sustainable future
Listen now to learn more about this important issue!
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Join Rakesh Kamal, Editor of Climate Emergency Podcast, in this episode as he delves deep into the intricate matter of climate misinformation and its far-reaching consequences for the global north and south. He speaks with Aditi Tandon, production editor with Mongabay India, and a fact-checking trainer with the Google News Initiative India Training Network. She discusses the significance of narratives in climate negotiations to the detrimental effects of misinformation and the vital role of accurate information in tackling the urgent climate crisis. Tune in now to gain valuable insights into this pressing issue.
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In India, we witness misinformation rampantly on social media platforms. Edited video clips and photographs of politicians/ celebrities without context are unfortunately quite common. During the peak of the COVID pandemic, health misinformation was rampant. And we saw how misinformation spread faster and is very harmful especially during situations of panic when people are willing to believe anything. And that is what climate change does, it creates those emergency situations because of extreme weather events which are on the rise.
Introducing "Climate Check," our new podcast mini-series on Climate misinformation in India. In the upcoming 3 episodes, we'll focus on the spread and impact of climate misinformation, the importance of climate literacy, and the need for collective action. We'll address misleading claims that confuse and disrupt real climate action.
Climate misinformation involves disseminating false or misleading information about climate change, its causes, impacts, and solutions. It distorts facts, cherry-picks data, and manipulates evidence to deny or downplay the reality and seriousness of climate change. Discussing it is crucial because misinformation confuses people, hampers decision-making, and delays necessary actions. To protect the environment and make informed choices, accurate information is vital.
Our mini-series will explore these issues and more, ensuring accurate information prevails and empowering individuals. Stay tuned for our three enlightening episodes on climate misinformation.
In the first episode, Rakesh Kamal, Editor of the Climate Emergency podcast and co-founder of Suno India talks to Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu, Founder of Factly about the spread of misinformation and introduces Climate misinformation.
This mini-series is supported by Check Global Independent Media Response Fund.
Additional material
https://soundcloud.com/dhirendra-rai-745607051/suresh-audio-on-keral-flood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy0E7h-_Ic8&ab_channel=IndianNationalCongress
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C1p4HUHlfE&ab_channel=Sadhguru
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The peril of climate change is not new to Sundarbans. But in recent years, climate disasters, mostly in the form of cyclones, are occurring all too frequently. What are the reasons for worsening climate change? How does this affect daily life? Must people brace themselves for future disasters? In this episode, Urvashi Sarkar spoke with Pintu Das who shares a first-person account of the 2009 Aila cyclone, and Prof. Sugata Hazra of Jadavpur University, Kolkata who studies climate change and rising sea levels in Sundarbans.
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Since time immemorial, tigers have killed hundreds of fisherfolk and honey collectors who roam the forests of Sundarbans for a living. While hunting for fish and crabs, fisherfolk often wander into government protected areas for tigers, also known as the core area. No human entry or activity is permitted in these areas. Yet, fisherfolk continue to frequent these areas – for them it is less about daring and more about earning a livelihood in order to feed their families. When a fisherfolk or honey collector is killed by a tiger, government authorities usually refuse compensation to families, asking instead why the person was in the protected area to begin with. What follows is a cycle of trauma, deprivation and stigma for the families.
In this episode, Urvashi Sarkar, reports if human-wildlife confrontation has increased in recent times and the reasons for it. This episode looks at the close link between the government’s failure to create employment in Sundarbans and the desperation which drives generations of families to the forests for a livelihood. For this Urvashi speaks to Pradeep Chatterjee, convenor of the national platform for small-scale fish workers, and Pushpa Mondal’s husband Arjun Mondal, who was a fisherman.
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In the public imagination, Sundarbans conjures visions of tigers, dense forests and tourism. But not many know, or perhaps care, that this region spread out in West Bengal and adjacent Bangladesh, is home to over 50 lakh people on the Indian side alone and has its unique history and politics. In this three-part series on the Indian Sundarbans, we look at various factors that are of consequence to this region- recurring climate disasters, human-wildlife conflict and the role of development.
In the first episode of this series, reporter Urvashi Sarkar talks with Annu Jalais about the geographic, historical and social processes which make up the Sundarbans. We explore myth and legend, the inescapable role of tigers and the fragile ecological balance of this region.
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We all have seen big empty fields with lush green grasses. Those fields are actually called grasslands and they make up a huge chunk of India. Grassland conservation in India is facing a governance crisis due to the lack of proper policies and regulations. The Indian government has not included grasslands in any of its forest policies, and there is no dedicated policy for the management of grasslands. This has resulted in a bias towards forest-centric conservation strategies and a lack of attention towards the ecological and socio-economic importance of grasslands.
But why do grasslands need attention? Who owns these grasslands? What's their deal? Why do they matter? How are they different from forests? And why are they being left out? In this episode, host Sneha Richhariya speaks to Dr. G.D. Muratkar, who's like the "Grass Man of India". He's a botany professor from Maharashtra who's come up with a technique for planting grass and making long fields, or meadows.
References:
Cabinet approves India’s Updated Nationally Determined Contribution to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
‘Foresting’ the grassland: Historical management legacies in forest-grassland mosaics in southern India, and lessons for the conservation of tropical grassy biomes
Mapping the distribution and extent of India’s semi-arid open natural ecosystems
Grassland Habitat in India
NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 1988
Draft National Policy
National Forest Policy Draft 2018 Takes One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Grasslands and desserts
NATIONAL MISSION FOR A GREEN INDIA
Proposal to involve private sector in increasing India’s green cover has environmentalists worried
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Coral reefs are complex ecosystems made up of tiny coral polyps that provide shelter, food, and breeding grounds for a wide variety of marine life. They are incredibly diverse ecosystems, home to an estimated 25% of all marine species, and are essential for human well-being. However, coral reefs are under threat from human activities such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change. In this explainer, host Rakesh Kamal talks about Coral reefs, the impact of climate change on them, and the need to protect them.
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Betel Leaf or “Paan” has been seen across all streets in contemporary India. Paan consumption has continued to be a post-meal ritual for several centuries. Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh is known for cultivating a unique variety of pan called “Desawari”. But extreme weather conditions induced by climate change and rising input costs are making betel cultivation unviable in Mahoba.
In this episode, Sneha Richhariya travels to Mahoba, a city in Uttar Pradesh, known for Desi Pan cultivation, to know why the city which once had a flourishing trade of pan, is now struggling to keep the paan legacy alive. In 2021, Mahoba’s Desawari pan variety was awarded a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, but farmers now fear its extinction. Why? Listen to know more.
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April is when we start to be serious about heat waves in India. But did you know that some sub-nationals like cities, districts and states in India have heat action plans which detail the actions that have to be taken during a heat wave? To talk more about how heat action plans help and about a report that a Delhi-based think tank CPR has produced on heat action plans we talk to Aditya, Associate fellow at CPR and who is one of the authors of the report "How Is India Adapting to Heatwaves?: An Assessment of Heat Action Plans With Insights for Transformative Climate Action"
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Around the world, the impact of climate change – rising temperatures, shifting patterns of rainfall, more frequent and intense extreme weather, and rising sea levels – will affect all types of infrastructure. Ensuring the climate change resilience of infrastructure will help to protect lives and livelihoods. The government is taking numerous measures like heat action plans to tackle impacts of heat waves but are they inclusive?
In this episode, Sneha Richhariya reports on how residents of informal settlements in Delhi are tackling heat waves. We explore how heat waves hit one section of the society more severely, we track who are the most vulnerable and how it impacts the way they live and work and in what ways they seek relief. We answer why does India need to climate-proof its infrastructure? We also look into the human and economic toll of climate related damage due to poorly built infrastructure and finally at the need for accurate climate data.
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We live in a world of food abundance, yet there is widespread food insecurity. The government policies focus on the production side to increase the physical availability of food. However, the patterns of household consumption and the drivers behind them have been poorly understood.
In this episode, host Sneha Richhariya speaks to “India’s Rice Warrior”, Dr. Debal Deb, a renowned scientist, ecologist and conservationist, on why we need to protect crop diversity and how monoculture in agriculture can affect India’s food security.
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Winters have gone and we all are gearing up to beat the heat this summer season. Heat wave warnings have already started to scare us all. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned of a warming El Niño event developing in the coming months, which is likely to cause extreme heat waves, making 2023 even hotter than 2022. But what is El-Nino? Why are we hearing about it more often now? What impact is it likely to cause in India and across the world and what is its relation to climate change? Host Sneha Richhariya explains.
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Buying clothes has never been easier. 80 billion items are manufactured every year. Millions of tonnes of clothes end up in landfills—it’s one of the fastest-growing categories of waste in the world. E-commerce and fast fashion have made our desires to own clothes for different occasions easier. But what’s the problem? Fast fashion allows consumers to buy more. But they are wearing these garments less often and disposing of at an unprecedented rate. The rise of fast fashion has had devastating consequences.
In this episode, our reporter Sneha Richhariya tries to understand the magnanimity of the problem. The episode features conversations with Atin Biswas, Programme Director at Centre For Science and Environment, Apla Shrivastava, Associate Professor at National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai, Monika Gera, Founder, One For Blue and Pooravi Chabbra, an instagram influencer
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Millets, the ancient grain family of Jowar, Bajra and ragi, are to come back into India’s foodscape. Millets are not new to India’s culture or kitchens. But in a country obsessed with rice, wheat and pulses, they aren’t widely produced or consumed.
Will that now change? What is up with farmers who are already growing millets? Do they have enough incentives? Can the millets make India more food secure? Can they help fight malnutrition and climate change at once?
In this episode, host Sneha Richhariya talks to millet farmers in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This episode also features a conversation with Ms. Salome Yesudas, who has worked extensively on millets and other indigenous crops.
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Plastic has infiltrated deep into our lifestyle, it is now so widespread that it is even finding its way into the water we drink, the fruit and vegetables we eat and in personal care products like your face wash! Latest studies show that microplastics have reached human bodies as well! But how do they get there? Are we responsible for this? Host Sneha Richhariya explains. This episode features conversation with Priti Mahesh, chief programme coordinator for Toxics Link.
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The agricultural industry is an important part of the Indian economy, and many startups are developing new technologies and innovations to improve agricultural practices and increase efficiency in the industry.
In this episode, host Rakesh Kamal talks to Kaushik of Kheyti farms, which helps smallholder farmers in India gain a steady and dependable income. Kheyti has developed a “Greenhouse-in-a-box”, an affordable, modular greenhouse bundled with full stack services that use 90% less water, helps grow seven times more food and gives farmers a steady, dependable income.
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While presenting the annual budget this Wednesday, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman listed seven priority areas that the budget had adopted this year. Green growth and energy transition has been kept among the priority areas and lies at the front and center of this year's Budget.
In this podcast, host Sneha Richhariya speaks to Mr. Deepak Krishnan, who is an associate director for World Resources Institute India's energy programme. We look at how India is planning what is being called one of the largest energy transition programmes in the world. We try to analyze if the provisions in this budget will help accelerate our transition to green energy. Above all, we also attempt to see how inclusive this transition is going to be.
References:
Comments by CPR-ICEE on the Union Budget 2023-24
How the budget can spur India’s energy transition
Budget Reactions: Views of industry experts
Budget: Energy transition gets fund boost, green growth key economic driver
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Indigenous people play an important role in protecting the environment. The tribals or adivasis as they are called in India depend on the forest for their survival. They have developed sustainable practices that preserve natural resources. Indigenous people are also increasingly being recognized as key partners in conservation efforts and are being included in decision-making processes related to natural resource management. But contrarily in India, many tribals are still being jailed and are being harassed says the report "Wildlife Policing- The reign of criminilization in the forests of Madhya Pradesh " by Criminal justice and police accountability project.
For this episode Host, Rakesh Kamal, brings you a very interesting conversation with Mrinalini Ravindranath and Nikita Sonavane who are two of 13 authors of this report.
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At the 68th International Whaling Commission meeting held in Portoroz, Slovenia in 2022, India, as one of the member countries, spoke about the conservation initiatives of dolphins in the country. The government officials from the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forest (MOEFCC) put forth their agenda and suggestions in the forum. They talked about the need for a more inclusive participation from the developing countries in Asia and SouthEast Asia, which was largely missing.
On the research front, they discussed how India is already leading in the conservation of dolphins, and is way ahead of the commission’s prescribed strategies. In this story, Sharada Balasubramanian, an environmental journalist, who received Earth Journalism Network's Biodiversity Media Initiative to cover the conference, spoke to the Indian delegation at the IWC, Dr. Vishnupriya Kollipakkam, Scientist from the Wildlife Institute of India and Bivash Ranjan, Additional Director General of Forests, MOEFCC.
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The annual Climate conference COP27 is being held next month in Egypt. This is the first time the conference is being conducted in Africa and a discussion on "Loss and Damage" is expected to set center stage. To discuss what we can expect from the negotiations this year, Climate Emergency Host Rakesh Kamal talks with Navroz K. Dubash, Professor, Centre for Policy Research.
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In the past couple of decades, we have been hearing of cloudbursts in some part of the country or another. How is the Indian Meteorological Department studying this phenomenon? Why are these incidents increasing over a period of time, and what can be done to minimize the damages cloudbursts cause, both to life and property?
To understand this phenomenon, we spoke to Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune studying climate change research, and extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, floods, heat waves, and cyclones among others.
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In the past couple of decades, we have been hearing of cloudbursts in some part of the country or another. How is the Indian Meteorological Department studying this phenomenon? Why are these incidents increasing over a period of time, and what can be done to minimize the damages cloudbursts cause, both to life and property?
To understand this phenomenon, we spoke to Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune studying climate change research, and extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, floods, heat waves, and cyclones among others.
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Ratan Hemrom, a 33-year-old rice farmer in Birbhum district, says he will lose his home, culture and community if the West Bengal government goes ahead with its coal mine plans. He lives in the Deucha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harinsingha area which is also home to the largest coal block in Asia, the 2nd largest in the world. Our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to him about why the Santhal residents are protesting against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plans. His voice has been dubbed by activist Udvas Das.
We also hear from Dr Pradip Swarnakar, founder of the Just Transition research centre at IIT Kanpur, about what this means for India’s coal phase down plans. India has a target of zero net carbon emissions by 2070. This year, the Union Ministry of Coal set up a Just Transition division to draft sustainable coal mine closure plans.
Additional reading:
Deucha Panchami: Mamata Banerjee increases monetary package for tribals - The Economic Times
Bengal: Solidarity Platform Formed to Protect Rights of People Hit by Deucha Pachami-Like Projects | NewsClick
Coal ministry to have a 'just transition' division; WB to provide $1.1 mn | Business Standard News
Target of Coal Ministry is to minimize import of thermal coal and to make the country aatmanirbhar in the sector: Union Coal Minister
India’s Net Zero strategy: India can be a role model for developing countries | The Financial Express
India’s largest coal block will displace thousands but may not be viable after all - The Probe
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One of the main problems during the floods is the complete disconnection of essential services. Electricity disruption in hospitals and a lack of fuel for running generators have become a yearly problem in Assam. To address this World resources institute, India has piloted a project on adding solar panels to provide uninterrupted electricity to hospitals and the difference has been noticed this year during the floods.
So talk about this, the host of Climate Emergency Podcast, Rakesh Kamal, spoke with Masfique of WRI and Mr Johnson Singson from Burroughs Memorial Christian hospital society.
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After the ivory kingpin, Umesh Aggarwal was nabbed in 2015, there were various discussions within the Kerala forest department officials on what could be the next steps to detect and prevent such crimes. The officials, after intense brainstorming, brought in a robust system by the name Hostile Activity Watch Kernel (HAWK). The system was developed by Kerala-based Leopard Tech Labs, a company formed by a group of young enthusiastic techies, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Kerala Forest Department. The shift from manual to a digital system for clocking crimes showed great potential to not just reduce and prevent wildlife crimes but also generate data that could throw patterns to predict such crimes in future.
The first of its kind system, spearheaded by the Kerala forest department, HAWK is slowly taking its footsteps to the adjacent states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and hopes to expand to the other Indian states to have a uniform system across the country to stop such organised wildlife crimes.
Sharada Balasubramanian, an environmental and development journalist traveled to Forest department offices in Kerala where this system was implemented. She spent time at Periyar Tiger Reserve to understand how it works. She spoke to Dr. Jose Louies, from Wildlife Trust of India, Manu Sathyan, DFO at Periyar Tiger Reserve, Sajesh Kumar ACF, Kerala forest department and Allen Shaji from Leopard Tech Labs, who developed the system HAWK.
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Elephants are among the endangered species in India. Over the years, with demand for ivory, tuskers have been particularly targeted and killed. Despite laws, and bans in place, ivory poaching still continues. When male tuskers are poached for the ivory trade, it also threatens the future population of elephants.
In 2015, an ivory kingpin was nabbed in New Delhi for procuring tusks and creating artefacts out of it, and exporting them discreetly. The massive effort by the name Operation Shikar was all in the media limelight.
For this story, Sharada Balasubramanian, an environment and development journalist, travelled to Trivandrum, Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, Thekkady and spoke to Jose Louise, Director, Wildlife Trust of India, Dr Surendra Varma, Asian elephant scientist, Manu Sathyan who was the DFO at Periyar Tiger Reserve, and Sajesh Kumar, ACF, and part of Forest Intelligence Unit or FIC. The various sources in the story spoke extensively on various aspects of poaching and wildlife laws prevalent in the system.
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In this episode, host Rakesh Kamal talks to Sidharth Singh and Simon Bennett who work at the International Energy Agency. They are experts in Energy policy and have started a podcast recently called “Innovation Frontlines” dealing with the Clean energy innovation. They talk about their new podcast, the challenges innovators are facing in clean energy space and how important innovation is?
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According to the World Weather Attribution, the heatwave in India and Pakistan this year was a one-in-a-hundred-year occurrence. With global warming, things are only expected to get worse. Heatwave advisories ask people to not step out during extreme temperatures, but daily wage labourers have no choice. With unbearable working conditions, a 2021 study published in Nature Communications found that in India, the productivity lost per year due to heat is equivalent to 23 million jobs.
In this episode of Climate Emergency, host Suryatapa Mukherjee explores solutions with Dr. Dileep Mavalankar, the director at the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar who designed South Asia’s first heat action plan for the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat; and Jagdish Patel, the Director of Peoples Training And Research Centre, who works on occupational health and safety rights. She also spoke to Arati Naskar and Sheela Chakraborty who work as sweepers with Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and Habibul who is contractually hired as a construction worker.
Stay Off Work In Afternoon, Labourers Told | Bhubaneswar News - Times of India Kolkata heat rise worst in world, IPCC global warming report finds - Telegraph India Disaster deaths, sinking: Unprepared Kolkata face multiple climate risks, warns IPCC report Heat Exposure, Cardiovascular Stress and Work Productivity in Rice Harvesters in India: Implications for a Climate Change Future Employee's State Insurance Corporation, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India – ESIC Scheme |Coverage.
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Historically India has been a handloom wearing country. Handlooms were not so easily available and would take time and were relatively expensive. But with changing times we have started to see the change. More and more clothes are now produced and more thrown away every year. We buy clothes for no reason. We buy what we feel like, we buy because there is a sale and not necessarily because we need it. We have a wardrobe full of clothes but still feel we don't have enough to wear. The number of times we wear the same clothes has come down and the number of clothes we throw away has increased. But what does buying clothes have to do with Climate change you may ask. To talk about this host Rakesh Kamal talks to Dr. Monika Gera, who is the Founder of One for Blue, a sustainable clothing company.
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The increasing threat of climate change and the contribution of waste to the emissions is something that needs to be taken seriously. And as individuals, by living sustainably each one of us can make an impact. But many of us are often stuck with questions like how do you begin this zero waste journey? where do you start? and will it really make any difference?
To know this and more in this episode host Rakesh Kamal talks to Srini Swaminathan and Shubashree, authors of the books (Im)perfectly Zero Waste: A No-Nonsense Guide to Living Sustainably in India and The Everyday Eco-Warrior: 110 Easy Tips for a Zero-Waste Life. Both these books are really interesting in understanding what Zero waste means in an Indian context and give really good examples of how to cut down your waste.
You can buy their physical copies of the book in a local book store near you or on Amazon. You can also buy it on Kindle and help save some emissions.
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To earn their daily bread, fishers from Tamil Nadu put their lives and property in peril while crossing the maritime boundary between India and Sri Lanka in the Palk Bay. The large trawlers they operate, however, wreak havoc on the shallow waters and destroy the marine ecosystem. This leaves precious little marine life for the fishers across the border. What are the roadblocks India has faced in solving this dispute, and what is the way forward?
For this episode of the Climate Emergency, independent journalist Hariprasad Radhakrishnan travels to Pudukottai. He also spoke with V Suryanarayanan, former director of the Centre for South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Madras and Prabhakar Jayaprakash, a doctoral scholar at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to understand the challenges faced by the fishing communities and get insights into possible solutions to the Indo-Sri Lankan fishing dispute.
Show notes
T.N. fisherman drowns after boat rams Sri Lankan vessel Sri Lanka Navy
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Global temperatures are already 1.2 degree C higher than pre-industrial era. As the UN’s annual climate conference COP26 drew to an end with little progress on most key issues, it drew reactions of anger and disappointment from young activists.
The world leaders needed to agree on some key issues: who will do how much to reduce their carbon emissions, the finance that will be given to the developing countries to cope with the changes already underway, and whether countries with historically high carbon emissions will compensate the vulnerable countries for the ongoing damage.
All through the COP, Scotland’s Glasgow, the venue for this year’s conference was buzzing with activity. There were roaring protests by the young outside, lots of pushback from the developing countries inside in the negotiation rooms, and plenty of big speeches by the world leaders.
In the end, little was delivered. India stepped up to block coal phaseout and watered it down to coal phase down, at a time when its capital is engulfed in thick air pollution. On the plus side, COP26 did see a rise in conversations about the public health fallouts of climate change.
In this episode, we string together the key highlights from COP26.
Disha Shetty reported from COP26 as a part of the 2021 Climate Change Media Partnership.
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Are green crackers, the proclaimed panacea to the problem of air pollution caused due to firecrackers, solving the problem of air pollution? And can we do without a blanket ban for firecrackers?
For this episode, Hariprasad Radhakrishnan speaks to environmentalists and other experts to figure what are the possible solutions to the problem facing us this Diwali.
Tune in to this episode of the Suno India Show to find out!
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Almost every year since 1995, politicians and representatives from all over the world have been meeting in the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) to discuss ways to reduce CO2 emissions which cause climate change. Scientists have been producing reports in a collaborative manner and all say the same “Climate change is happening” and over years only say that it is worsening. All the countries came to an agreement in the 21st year of meetings in COP 21 called the “Paris agreement”. The sense of urgency with which climate change has to be addressed seems limited to words and not actions.
Since climate change affects all the countries in the world and the vulnerable the most and climate change is so interdisciplinary, there has always been some pressure from civil society. But for the last few years youth from across the world has played a very important role in bringing this issue forward. In this episode of Climate emergency, Rakesh Kamal talks to climate change activist Disha Ravi on youth climate activism, dissent and the role of the global south.
This episode also features a poem by feminist & activist Kamla Bhasin who passed away recently.
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In September 2020, India passed the Farm Laws without any multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary consultations or parliamentary debates. There were sweeping protests across India against these laws, which favour private investment, unregulated markets, and contract farming, among other changes. Experts feel this will push commercially viable but intensive agriculture which will not favour the farmer or the environment.
India is home to over 18,000 species of plants including, 160 crop species (with several thousands of varieties), 1,500 wild edible plant species, nearly 9,500 plant species of ethnobotanical and medicinal purposes.
This podcast episode traces how India’s agrobiodiversity was destroyed and continues to be under threat. We look at alternatives and examine what ecologically sustainable farming looks like. In this podcast episode, Mahima Jain reports from Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu on alternative models of farming that farmer organizations are promoting.
Additional reading:
Agricultural Subsidies: Study Prepared for XV Finance Commission Biodiversity in Farming, European Court of Auditors, May 2019 Assessing the sustainability of post-Green Revolution cereals in India The impact of the Green Revolution on indigenous crops of India
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While scientists discovered a new snake species in the southern Indian state of Tamilnadu, little did they know that this discovery would unearth a 185-year old problem of name mix-ups done in the past. In 2016, Deepak Veerappan, working with the Natural History Museum in London, received a new snake species from Tamilnadu. It was considered similar to banded racer (a widespread species). For this, they had to describe the snake, look at finer details, and also compare it to a banded racer. When they looked at the morphology and DNA of the new species, they found it to be different from banded racer. When they probed further into banded racer for comparisons, they found that banded racer was wrongly classified in the category of wolf snake. And all this mix-up happened due to Albert Gunther, a scientist, working with the Natural History Museum between 1875 and 1895.
The specimens, snakeskin collection and paintings in the Natural History Museum, London and Bodleian Library, Oxford University among other repositories were analysed to deconstruct this. Though discovering a new species is not uncommon among researchers, this research traces back to historical archives and modern science to break a taxonomic confusion.
The story is based on a research paper published in the journal of ‘Vertebrate Zoology. Sharada Balasubramanian, an environmental journalist, spoke to authors Deepak Veerappan and Surya Narayanan, and renowned herpetologist Varad Giri, for this story.
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In April 2020 India’s environment ministry gave wildlife clearance to two infrastructure projects waiting for approval in Goa. This was another step towards allowing trees to be cut in the forests of Mollem that is part of the UNESCO global biodiversity hotspot–the Western Ghats.
In Goa, this move was met with strong resistance. What initially started out as an online campaign due to Covid-19 restrictions soon bubbled into an offline one once they began to ease.
The Save Mollem movement is one of the many local citizen-led movements in India and highlights the increasing concerns of the young at a time when climate change threatens their future. In the process, the citizens of Goa also showed the rest of India how to make the environment political.
A year on, we look back at the movement, and speak to Karleen De Mello, an advocate based in South Goa, on how the movement began and where it stands now.
This podcast was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.
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If you ever visit a vegetable market late in the day you will see mostly rotten vegetables and leftovers thrown around everywhere. Some of it is stored in cold rooms but most of it, unfortunately, ends in dump yards. But one such exception is the Bowenpally market yard in Hyderabad. It got a mention in Prime Minister Modi's Man ki Baat.
In this episode, we talk to Shruti Ahuja director of Ahuja engineering services private limited from Hyderabad who has been instrumental in developing the biogas plant which helps in generating energy with the vegetable waste.
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In a recent paper published in the Journal of Hydrology, scientists looked at climate change and their impact on river runoffs in the Dokriani Glacier in the Central Himalaya. To understand the impact of climate change on these glaciers, it was crucial to collect and analyse regional climate data from the field.
It was found, over forty years of data analysis, that the glacier was in steady state before 2000. The temperature changes impact the glaciers, and as a result, the snowmelt and ice melt disappears earlier. This, in turn, impacts the runoff of the river.
Experts also talk about debris cover in this paper. The lower part of the glacier has rocks that come down to the glacier when there is an avalanche. Scientists worldwide say that perhaps this debris cover could prevent the glacier from impacts of climate change. In the last 5-6 decades, glaciers have been losing their mass but the impact of climate change on melting runoff into rivers depends on the local climate. This study quantifies the snow and glacier melt at local conditions and looks at how the river runoff would be impacted in the downstream regions. This would help in planning the water resources and flood risk reduction in the rivers. As farmers heavily depend on these rivers for sowing, and this happens on a very timely basis, this data would help in water management in future.
In this episode, independent environmental journalist Sharada Balasubramanian talks to Smriti Srivastava, a research scholar from the Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, and Mohammad Farooq Azam, a glaciologist and professor from IIT Indore.
Being an editorially independent platform, we rely on you to help us bring in untold stories that have the potential for social change. Do consider supporting us!
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In a recent paper published in the Journal of Glaciology, scientists have reported their findings from the longest ever field data from the entire Himalayan range for the first time. Chhota Sigri, a key benchmark glacier or an indicator glacier for the Lahaul-Spiti region in Himachal Pradesh, was studied to understand the effect of climate change. The data looked at various components of the glacier like mass balance, ice velocity, high altitude meteorology, glacier runoff, and their interactions with climate change.
The glacier is losing its ice mass like other glaciers in the world. However, it’s not as bad as previous studies have pointed out.
Also, based on The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that the Himalayan glaciers would be gone soon, it was found that the glaciers would not really disappear as predicted or talked about. The study revealed that glacier health depends on fluctuations in air temperature but summer-monsoon snowfall plays a key role in maintaining the mass of the glacier. If such summer snowfalls continue to arrive, the glaciers would sustain. Their patterns were analysed over different time periods to understand what could be the possible factors that could drive the glaciers to disappear.
Over the past two decades, there was a significant slowdown inflow of the lower half of the glacier, and this was directly related to glacier mass loss or thickness reduction. However, at the higher altitudes, ice flow didn’t change much, indicating less impact of warming at higher altitudes. The glacier river runoff is tightly controlled by the air temperature, which translates to the fact that a warmer world would likely be associated with higher runoff in the Himalayan rivers.
In this episode, independent environmental journalist Sharada Balasubramanian talks to Arindan Mandal, a PhD student at JNU’s School of Environmental Sciences, and Mohammad Farooq Azam, a glaciologist, and professor at IIT, Indore.
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During the COVID lockdown, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change gave many virtual environmental clearances with little or no consultation with the public. Three such environmental clearances in Mollem, Goa have given rise to Save Mollem Campaign by youth and environmental activists in Goa. They have been advocating to get the clearances cancelled and save the pristine Mollem from “development". Recently, some of the young protestors have also been arrested for their non-violent protests to stop these projects.
To discuss these issues Rakesh Kamal, host of Climate Emergency talks to two young activists Gilbert Soyus and Leandra Do Carmo Souza to understand the Save Mollem campaign.
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Fans, one of the most used electrical appliances in India, has the potential to reduce energy demand and carbon emissions. Fans consume about 20% of the electricity in Indian households. And this number is growing rapidly, said a study from a Pune-based NGO Prayas. Versa Drives, a Coimbatore-based company made Superfans, became one of the earliest companies to produce super-efficient fans. This fan runs on just 35 watts as compared to normal fans which consume almost 75-90 watts. As the fan industry is growing, and the energy efficiency norms have changed, there is hope that energy-efficient fans could capture the mainstream fan market, and reduce the demand for energy in India.
In this episode independent journalist Shardha speaks with Sundar Muruganandham, Maheshwari Krishnasamy and R Mahendran of Versa Drives and Toine van Megen, Co-Founder of Auroville Consulting to know all about these Energy efficient fans.
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In August this year, the Madras High Court delivered a rare, but decisive victory to the people of Thoothukudi in their fight against an industrial giant in their quarter-century battle. Thoothukudi is an industrial seaside town of 700,000 facing the Bay of Bengal in South India. The court not only denied Vedanta, the multi-billion-dollar global mining and metals conglomerate permission to resume its shuttered copper smelter, it also held the company responsible for widespread environmental degradation and severe health consequences suffered by the people of Thoothukudi as a result of sulphur dioxide poisoning.
This episode on the Climate Emergency podcast reported by journalist Kunal Shankar captures why this court order is significant to India’s environmental jurisprudence and how opposition to Vedanta has influenced the social and political dynamics of Tamil Nadu.
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In August this year, the Madras High Court delivered a rare, but decisive victory to the people of Thoothukudi in their fight against an industrial giant in their quarter century battle. Thoothukudi is an industrial seaside town of 700,000 facing the Bay of Bengal in South India. The court not only denied Vedanta, the multi-billion-dollar global mining and metals conglomerate permission to resume its shuttered copper smelter, it also held the company responsible for widespread environmental degradation and severe health consequences suffered by the people of Thoothukudi as a result of Sulphur dioxide poisoning.
This episode on the Climate Emergency podcast reported by journalist Kunal Shankar captures the genesis of Vedanta’s entry into Thoothukudi and the beginnings of what has come to be a highly effective grassroots environmental campaign.
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Forest owlets are one of the most endangered and cryptic bird species in India. These birds are found only in India and nowhere else. Though the bird was first spotted in the 1880s, for almost a little over a century, the bird was not discussed by anyone. Forest owlets looked similar to spotted owlets (a more commonly seen species), and hence were often mistaken for them. After 113 years, the species was rediscovered by Pamela Rassmussen from the Smithsonian Institute. After her team spotted these birds in India, more researchers started working on forest owlets. Two research papers, one relating to the genetic research on these owlet species, and two, relating the bird’s diversification to ancient climatic change were significant in understanding the species in a better way. For the first time, genetic research was done for the owlet species in India, which led to new information that was unknown earlier. In this episode, Sharada Balasubramanian talks to various researchers about the Conundrums of the forest owlet.
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At a time when the voices of youth are growing louder in the climate change campaigns because it concerns their future. Delhi police has slapped UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) on a youth led climate change advocacy organsiation called Fridays for Future(FFF). Fridays For Future is a global people's movement for climate justice. They are a volunteer based youth led movement with over 10000 volunteers and more than 60 branches across the country. The crime they have allegedly committed according to the Delhi police and some media reports is to spam the email of Prakash Javadekar, minister of environment forest and climate change with request to not to make amends to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) as they believe it will impact the environment negatively. The website of FFF was pulled down from 10th July till 24th July which meant they lost a lot of time for their campaign as well.
To discuss this we have with us Vaishnavi, an 18 year old volunteer from Bangalore, who completed her 12th and wants to become a lawyer. Also in this episode, we have Apar Gupta, Executive director of Internet freedom foundation who has offered pro bono legal support.
Please note the link to the representation mentioned by Apar Gupta here.
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Students in Madhya Pradesh are documenting excess fluoride in groundwater through a citizen science project that uses smartphones and portable fluoride detection kits. The students go around villages in Alirajpur district, testing water samples from handpumps, geotagging them, and marking them as safe or unsafe.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the 19 Indian states severely affected by high fluoride content in drinking water. Long-term ingestion of large amounts of fluoride can lead to dental and skeletal fluorosis.
Through the project run by Columbia University researchers and local partners, the young volunteers, majorly girls, are finding a solution to the fluoride crisis by identifying the extent of the problem in their homelands.
Visit Mongabay India for news and inspiration from nature’s frontline in India.
The story was supported by the Solutions Journalism Network ‘LEDE’ fellowship.
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In 2011, Cyclone Thane had a serious impact on the livelihood of farmers in Cuddalore, the eastern coast of Tamilnadu. The farmers in this region could only grow casuarina, cashew, due to the soil conditions here. After the cyclone, many farmers looked for an alternative crop. Vettiver, a perennial grass variety, turned out to be the only feasible alternative. This hard grass could survive drought, rain and tolerate salinity. Many farmers shifted to vettiver cultivation hereafter 2011. Though the state was traditionally growing this crop for bund strengthening, the practice reduced over time. A few traditional farmers still practised it. What further gave an impetus to vettiver farming in Tamilnadu was the announcement of Aroma Mission in 2016 by the Indian government. Cuddalore was declared as the hub for vettiver cultivation by the Prime Minister. Over the last five years, the acreage of vettiver plants increased in Cuddalore due to climate change, and the announcement of aroma mission. The crop made environmental and business sense, as the profits seemed good. However, the graph changed this year, with fluctuating prices. The plant is climate-resilient, good for the environment, and makes good business sense. To make vettiver a robust climate-resilient crop that also gives sustainable income to farmers, government support is needed. Farmers believe that if the government supports in marketing, setting a minimum price, gives concessions on solar pumps, and encourage exports, it would be greatly beneficial for them to sustain.
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In this episode, Sharada Balasubramanian set off to Vanagiri, a small fishing village, in the Nagapattinam district of Tamilnadu. Every year, Olive Ridley turtles come here for nesting, all the way from Orissa. Local people say that in recent years, the turtle population has been declining. Also, the arrival of these turtles are now varying. In the last decade, shift to modern fishing practices, like use of destructive nets, are one among many reasons why this vulnerable species is at risk. Propellers in the boats often injure the turtles, and also leads to fatalities. In Vanagiri, a fisherman, Kutti Andi has been working on the conservation of turtles from 2009. He was roped in by the forest department to do this. Every year, Kutti Andi collects turtle eggs and keeps them safe until they hatch. After the turtle eggs hatch, he releases the little ones into the sea.
Earlier, eggs were destroyed by fishermen, or even consumed by the local people. Now, with increased awareness and knowledge, local people having been coming together to collect these eggs. They safeguard the eggs until hatching. Training programmes were done by MSSRF along with the fisheries department, forest department, panchayat, and local people. The fishermen were told that for the fishes to breed, oceans need to clean, and if oceans need to be clean, turtles should be protected, as these turtles cleaned the oceans. Knowing the impacts of plastic on these turtles and on marine life, fishermen have also taken concrete steps. They have stopped taking plastic water packets to the sea.
Conscious and concerted efforts through integration and collaboration from the forest department, fisheries department, NGO, panchayat, along with fishermen communities has bettered conservation of turtles in Vanagiri.
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Poompuhar, a quaint, ancient, port town is in the Nagapattinam district of Tamilnadu. The land has a history of a tsunami and sea-level rise, as many historians and scientists point out. The 2004 tsunami impacted the lives and livelihood of fishermen here. MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) set up ‘Fish for all Centre’ in Poompuhar, and worked with local communities on rebuilding their lives after the tsunami, and offering training programmes to better their livelihood for a sustainable income.
As overfishing, and exploitation of marine resources is becoming rampant, small scale fishermen cannot depend on one source of income for a sustainable livelihood.
Integrated Fish Farming was introduced by MSSRF and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to create community fishing ponds. Unutilised farm ponds were brought back to life and converted into fish ponds. Overall, 152 farm ponds were rejuvenated to convert them into fish ponds in the Nagapattinam district.
Along with this fish pond, farmers also diversified their livelihood through horticulture, floriculture, apiculture and other components. By integrating these components in their farmland, fish farmers had increased incomes and could reduce their livelihood risks in times of changing climate.
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The videos of Kangaroos and koala bears being rescued in bushfires in Australia have made it headlines all over the world. This year the bushfires were as big as that of the whole of South Korea killing more than a billion animals in the forests and damaging millions of dollars of property. For some years, various parts of Australia have been in drought conditions which led to the spread of fires. Ahead of the bushfires, the scientists have already anticipated intense fire breakout in the country due to the hotter and drier climate conditions. They also cautioned the catastrophic and irreversible climate breakdown beyond a rise of 2C. The Paris agreement was estimated to put the world on track for 3C of heating in order to control the greenhouse gas emissions. To know more about the bushfires in Australia, we reached out to Kaushik Sridhar, who is based out of Melbourne, and has been working in Climate change and sustainability space for more than a decade.
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Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) methods are said to be more resilient to climatic changes and have more nutritious yields. It enables farmers to shift out of chemical-input based agriculture to low-cost, non-chemical farming, and instead of one crop, grow many types of crops in one harvesting period. In the recent budget session, the finance minister announced that the government will promote ZBNF. In this episode of Climate Emergency, our reporter Vaishali speaks with Ramprasad Sana, from Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, to understand what it takes to practice climate resilient farming, in the context of arid and semi-arid regions of Andhra Pradesh.
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Women forest dwellers struggle to defend their rights to the forests in the wake of the Supreme Court judgement in the forest rights case as their rights are compromised by the threat of eviction of millions of Adivasis and forest dwellers. MAKAAM - Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch - a nation-wide advocacy platform was created in 2014 with a mission to visibilise women farmers – especially marginalized women, with a development vision to create and secure rights over productive livelihood resources.
In this episode, we reached out to Dr Soma KP, a researcher, a policy analyst and one of the leading members of MAKAAM to know more about the organisation and the struggles of women forest dwellers. This episode also features the voices of other members of Makaam, Rajhim Khewas from Chhattisgarh and Shubhada Deshmukh from Maharashtra.
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Every country agrees that we need to fight Climate change but no one agrees who has to pay for it. Historically most developed countries grew unsustainably mainly by mining for oil and coal for their development. In the process releasing a great amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which causes climate change. Scientists have predicted that increasing CO2 increases temperatures and if the temperature of earth goes beyond 1.5 degrees it will lead to irreversible damage. A UN report called "Emissions Gap report" that came in this week says that we have to cut global emissions by 7.6 percent every year for the next decade to prevent irreversible damage to climate change. A long-standing discussion in global climate change negotiations is a demand for equitable distribution of carbon space. What it means is that we assume that only a certain amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere to limit temperature rise by 1.5 degrees and as that space in the atmosphere is a common property and every individual has a right to it, it has to be shared equally. There are many theories that carbon space should be divided equally among countries based on population, based on their historical use, based on development etc. To discuss this concept and more we talk to Arjuna Srinidhi, a research analyst specialising in Climate Change policy, Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development. He works with the Watershed Organisation Trust - WOTR - an NGO based in Pune and has over 10 years of experience across India and Southeast Asia working at the interface of science, policy and practice of development issues.
Arjuna follows international Climate Change negotiations closely and writes extensively on the subject of Adaptation through various forums and publications. He is also the author of the book RISING TO THE CALL - Good practices of Climate Change adaptation in India and a TEDx speaker.
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On World Pneumonia Day, we bring this special episode which looks at the impact of air pollution on our health but most importantly those of our children. I interviewed Dr Anupam Sachdeva, Chairman, Department of Pediatric and chairman of Academics at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. He is also the President of Indian academy of paediatrics.
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Every winter Delhi turns into a gas chamber with air pollution causing severe health effects making the city go standstill. But why is Delhi failing and what needs to be done to make it a better place for children to breathe and parents to live. To discuss this and more we talk to Pallavi Pant, who was originally from Delhi but now lives in Boston has over 10 years of experience in air quality measurement and management.
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With over 500 islands, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, with its turquoise beaches and tropical forests has been facing extreme weather events in the recent past. From tsunami to cyclonic storms, these islands have seen it all. Such extreme weather events impact the livelihood of farmers living here, as agriculture is one of the key economic activities for the locals. With no borewell, canals, dams, or huge rivers and streams, the farmers face a humungous challenge every day. Central Island Agriculture Research Institute's scientists engaged with farmers to protect the land and water, and also ensure farmers gained sustainable income through smart climate-resilient farming.
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On 15th August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, announced that India will ban single-use plastic from October 2nd of this year. But on 2nd October the government decided to phase out single-use plastic by 2022 instead. To discuss this issue and more Suno India reached out to Aparna Susarla, Director, Swach Cooperative.
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Over 4.2 million people from over 170 countries, old and young participated in the Climate March held last Friday. This week too, estimated 2 million people too are expected to participate in the climate strikes to be held all around the world. This is happening at the backdrop of UN Climate Summit being held at New York from September 23rd to 29th.
Suno India has partnered with IndiaSpend, India's leading data journalism portal to bring exclusive podcasts from the Summit. Disha Shetty, Columbia Journalism School, and IndiaSpend reporting fellow interviewed 11-year-old Ridhima Pandey who is among 16 children from across the world who have filed a petition against five countries for failing to uphold their end of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and for not cutting emissions thereby endangering their futures.
Even before Greta Thunberg started the school strike, Ridhima Pandey, a native of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand filed her first petition when she was 9-years-old against the Indian government in the National Green Tribunal. She stated in the petition that the Indian government should take “effective, science-based action to reduce and minimize the adverse impacts of climate change”. Her petition wasn't taken forward by NGT and she has since then petitioned the Supreme Court demanding the same.
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Sagar Island is one of the 102 Islands in the Indian Sundarban. Surrounded by Bay of Bengal on one side, and Hooghly river and Muriganga river on the other two, this island is experiencing real time effects of climate change. With the mangroves being torn down and the fragile land being used for agricultural purposes, those living there say nothing can save them from the wrath of the sea. This is their story brought to you by our reporter Vaishali Pandiyen who is in conversation with those living in Sagar Island as well as professor-cum-researcher Tuhin Ghosh from the School of oceanographic studies, Jadavpur University.
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Desertification and land use has been in the news recently a lot more than it usually is mainly because of the UNCCD COP 14 held in Delhi recently. So during the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, all countries came together and decided to host COPs on three thematic issues Climate Change, Biodiversity and desertification. Since then there have been many many meetings across the world and this year the desertification COP was hosted by India. India is the current President of COP14 and will serve for 2 years. Desertification initially looked as a lone ranger now is looked at more seriously partly because of climate change worsening it. So to understand this very pertinent issue we speak to Rishu Garg - Deputy Director - Watershed Organisation Trust and Kundan Pandey, Sr. Reporter at Down To Earth Magazine.
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We hear of floods in the northeastern state of Assam almost every year, sometimes multiple times in the same year! And with increasing rainfall intensities because of climate change, are the existing embankments in Assam a good adaptation mechanism or are they adding to the problem? Anupam Chakravartty, an independent journalist based out of Guwahati, reaches out to the experts and most vulnerable communities by travelling to Kaziranga and unearthing the reality of the situation.
This ground report brings to you perspectives that are hardly discussed in the Media. For instance, is the govt policy to build concrete houses good adaptation mechanism or going against age-old practices of building houses on stilts?
While every year Kaziranga is flooded we see animals being rescued but we see very little about tribal communities which live in harmony with the animals?
Why is there very little discussion on the need for people living around Kaziranga?
Are Embankments just another fraudulent practice for speculative profits?
Anupam discusses this and more with Pranab Tulip, a member of a mass organisation called Gipal krishak sangathan and researcher Mirza Zulfequr Rahman.
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In this episode of climate emergency, we discuss how the lungs of Delhi, the Aravali hills, are being encroached using the illegal purchase of forested common lands. Suno India talks with Journalists Nitin Sethi and Kumar Sambhav about their investigative piece in the Business Standard.
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Home to over 10 million people, Chennai is witnessing dried lakes & reservoirs. There is very limited availability of potable water. Some schools, shops and other public spaces have been shut down, IT offices have asked their employees to work from home and hospitals are rationing water. In this first episode of Climate Emergency, our new podcast on the impact of climate change and growing environmental degradation, we bring you this ground report from Chennai.
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