Climate Change and Energy: Challenges for a Just Transition
By now, there is an almost universal consensus that the world energy systems must move away from climate-threatening fossil fuels and into non-carbon, safe, and sustainable sources.
Countries using Energy Security as an excuse to not take Climate Action
The term ‘energy security’ has become popular again after February 2022 when Russian troops invaded Ukraine and the subsequent events.
Fukushima, Chernobyl, Three-Mile Island and more; the case against disastrous Nuclear-fission power as India’s energy source
In this period of ever-increasing Climate Crisis, when many voices pushing nuclear fission power as a supposedly zero-carbon safe’ energy are being heard, it is fitting to remember some of the catastrophic disasters of...
Energy profile of G20 countries: are they compliant with necessary Climate actions?
In recent times, wherever one travels in India, and in all big cities, one is bombarded with the message on the lines that “India under Modi rule has become so great that the G20,...
A very brief report of major points of outcomes and disappointments of COP-27
Soumya Dutta traveled to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, to participate in the 27th Conference of Parties (COP-27) of the UNFCCC. Along with participating in a host of meetings & public protests and speaking with...
India’s Climate Action Pledges at Paris COP21 (NDC) and Glasgow COP26: What are these, how far have we come and what needs to improve?
A Briefing Paper IPCC report: ‘now or never’ if the world is to stave off climate disaster. “Greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 (and reduce by over 45% by 2030), say climate scientists in...
The Great Indian Power Crisis
The power crisis, triggered by the coal shortage, has been in the news for the past few months. Almost the whole of India was caught in a serious power crisis from early May 2022.
India’s Renewable Energy Promise at the COP-26 in Glasgow
One of the most important climate summits under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the CoP-26 recently took place in the Scottish city of Glasgow in United Kingdom.
The Great Indian Climate Gimmick!
The union budget 2021-22 was placed in the parliament a few days ago. Taking a quick look at its Environment & Climate provisions, here is a brief snapshot of the DISMAL picture of the...
A Bill that is Badly Timed, Mal-Directed and Devoid of Basics
Any Act or bill to get an act on electricity (or the larger issues of primary energy), has to first comprehend the basic functions electricity has in human society. Presumably, some form of electricity might...
Pre Budget Musings
Starting with GDP, in the 2nd quarter of 2019-20 the real Gross Domestic Product (adjusted on base year price) of the country has been recorded at 4.5%, which is the lowest in last 6...
Emerging Landscape of Global Climate Finance
The concept of climate finance originated from the need for financing both the Mitigation (reducing the root cause of Climate Crisis, greenhouse Gas emissions) as well as Adaptation (building resilience in countries, societies, communities...
Ease of Doing Business and Rana Plaza Tragedy
Five years ago, on April 24, 2013, a tragedy in neighbouring Bangladesh shook up everyone. Rana Plaza, a five-storied commercial building, that housed several “sweatshop” clothing factories, a bank and few shops, collapsed and...
India’s Thermal Power Projects are Making Even our Public-Sector Banks Sick
We all know of the killing impacts of coal based power plants – from the massive air pollution, from water contamination and from the dirty coal mines. As per the “State of Global Air...
Changing Trends in Global Energy Finance
The year 2015 was called a landmark year in terms of global environmental action. Two global agreements were reached and sealed – both critically concerned with the future environmental health of the earth and...