SUNDARBANS MANGROVES
Satellite images reveal impact of frequent cyclones

Scientists examining satellite images find that cyclone-induced damage slows the recovery of mangroves and changes the forest composition in comparison to other regions that didn't witness many cyclones. 

#Forests #Environment #WEST BENGAL
AFFORESTATION
Missing the forest for the CAMPA trees

Global commitments and domestsic laws are driving afforestation. But conservationists argue that large scale tree plantations can do more harm than good if we overlook the nuances, and that all that is green is not forest. 

#Forests #Environment
GENDER AND CLIMATE
The climate crisis is India's feminist moment

Women are disproportionately impacted by India's climate crisis, but effectively excluded from decision-making in response to it. Ambika Vishwanath speaks with Omair Ahmad.

#Interviews #Environment #Women
URBAN MOBILITY
Shaping our streets for people

Plenty of money has been spent widening roads. It is clear that doesn't work. Instead, designing our cities for walking and cycling is a much better option, and is also imperative to fight climate change.

#Cities #Transport #Government #MAHARASHTRA
CARBON EMISSIONS
Net zero: Pledges are not enough

The so-called 'carbon neutrality' pledges many countries are making should include details and be given tight accounting norms. Additionally, high emitters should face stricter norms and earlier timelines.

#Energy #Economy #Environment
FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY
Green finance is still in the slow lane
FINANCING SUSTAINABILITY : Green finance is still in the slow lane

We need to unclog the channels for big- and small-sized finance to reach sustainable destinations. Neha Kumar points to the challenges, and the opportunities India must capitalise on.

#Interviews #Economy #Environment
ON UNFIRM GROUND
Erosion-hit Assam farmers turn to horticulture

Amidst the gloom of lives endlessly disrupted by river erosion, a few farmers are successfully experimenting with horticulture in the heart of the very river that is swallowing their lands.

#Horticulture #Land #Agriculture #ASSAM
LIFE ON A CHAR
River erosions batter the landless in Assam

The Brahmaputra has eroded lands along its course repeatedly, forcing villagers along its embankments to find new homes and work each time, in a perpetual struggle to stabilise their lives and livelihoods.

#Land #Agriculture #ASSAM
FOSSIL ENERGY
Should old coal plants be retired?

The decision is neither straightforward nor uniform. A nuanced view is needed to select the ones that can be closed profitably, and more importantly to stop too many new ones coming up.

#Energy #Economy
SMALL-SCALE FISHING
For Kerala's small-scale fishers, a stark choice

Erratic monsoon patterns and other disruptions by climate change are reducing the number of fishing days in coastal Kerala. Small-scale fishers are looking for other livelihood options instead.

#Fisheries #Environment #KERALA
RESILIENT POWER SUPPLY
Keeping the lights on for development
RESILIENT POWER SUPPLY : Keeping the lights on for development

In climate-vulnerable areas, the solutions proposed for electricity supply to development facilities must include technical, economic and organisational considerations.

#Energy #Economy
URBAN RESILIENCE
Cities must look to nature for relief from heat

Heat waves have not received as much attention as other climate risks, but more cities now confront their toll. New mechanisms for governance and financing will also be needed.

#Cities #Urban Environment #Environment
PARIS COP21 DESPATCH III
Shifting goalposts as summit winds down
PARIS COP21 DESPATCH III : Shifting goalposts as summit winds down

As the draft agreement is getting ready at the Climate Change Conference in Paris, Darryl D’Monte gives a final round-up on how countries are changing their alliances keeping their own interests in mind, and if it will be possible for a developing nation like India to work towards a low-carbon future.

#Environment
PARIS COP21 DESPATCH II
The Paris Climate Accord
PARIS COP21 DESPATCH II : The Paris Climate Accord

The Paris Climate Accord is undergoing final round of negotiations and will be announced soon. Darryl D’Monte reports from the Climate Change Conference in Paris, on how there will be a huge gap between the promises made in the accord and what will end up happening on the ground.

#Environment
PARIS COP21 DESPATCH
Will voluntary action to curb GHG emissions achieve anything?

Darryl D’Monte reports from the Climate Change Conference in Paris, on the consultations in progress and in particular, the stance of the developed world, its implications for India and the world at large.

#Environment