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IFAT India - Environmental Solutions for India

Nearing a decade IFAT India has been a hub for the environmental technology community, translating the passion of India’s game changers and leading environmentalists to bring holistic, sustainable solutions to pressing environmental issues and create a cleaner, greener, and more

“The Moment to Accelerate the Energy Transition is Now!”

‘A quicker and more equitable energy transition is in reach—not only for high-income countries where carbon reduction is the priority, but also for the developing and emerging world where a green energy transition can expand inclusive economic opportunities and provide access to energy that powers job creation and boosts livelihoods for hundreds of millions of low-income people.’ This is the view of the newly launched Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP). As the world reflects on the commitments made in Glasgow and looks ahead to Sharm El-Sheikh where the Conference of Parties will meet again, it is clear that unprecedented partnerships and bold commitments with rapid follow-through are needed if the world hopes to achieve the Paris Agreement. The clock is ticking. An analysis by the GEAPP made clear that while energy poor countries contribute to 25 per cent of global CO2 emissions, their share of global emissions could grow to 75 per cent by 2050. Yet these countries currently receive just 20 per cent of clean energy financing, despite representing nearly half of the world’s population. In 2009, at COP15 in Copenhagen, wealthy countries agreed to scale-up their level of support to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020, but this climate finance pledge has not been realized. The continued underinvestment in developing countries’ energy transitions is due to myriad reasons and international investors point to investment, off-taker, foreign exchange, and contract risks, among other challenges in the enabling environments of emerging markets’ renewable energy sectors. The Alliance’s view is that these issues can be addressed. To learn more about the GEAPP’s vision and mission for 2022 and beyond, we asked Sundaa Bridgett-Jones, Chief Partnerships & Advocacy Officer, five questions.

Towards a Resilient Planet - Through Public Health

The public health field is growingly being recognized in climate change policy. In this article, Drishya Pathak, Komal Mittal, and Philo Magdalene A, say that there is a need for developing interdisciplinary public health frameworks to reduce the vulnerabilities to climate change. A welldefined public health framework would redress the social and environmental determinants of health and allow offiials to build strategies and programmes to aid communities to acquire knowledge of climate resilience and prepare them for the health effects of climate change.

Save Soil Movement - A Race to Save the Planet

For all of Hollywood’s apocalyptic hyperbole, turns out reality is much more terrifying than celluloid doomsday fantasies. A silent catastrophe is unfolding across the globe: Soil extinction. The alarmingly rapid deterioration of cultivable soil could lead to massive species extinction, trigger global food and water shortage and set off unimaginable conflicts and suffering for humanity. This is not an ecological challenge but a very real existential threat to humanity. The Save Soil Movement is a global race against time to avert soil extinction.

Making India's Infrastructure Climate-Ready - What We Can Do

In this article, Shreya Wadhawan and Abinash Mohanty discuss the ways in which India can climate-proof its infrastructures. They feel that any further delay in climate-proofing of infrastructure will further risk lives, livelihood, and economies. Climate-proofing infrastructure against the impacts of changing climate scenarios is vital to prevent decades of development from collapsing.

Sustainability and Businesses - An Ecological Conundrum

In this article, Arghadeep Das highlights the potential of the private sector in enterprising green growth and their crucial role in helping address pressing environmental challenges.

Financing Climate Action in India - Priorities and Reflections on COP26 by Indian States

In this article, Rana Pujari says that finance will catalyse acceleration of ambitious climate actions in the global south and India could lead the way for the world

Responsible Business Action - Must Be Taken to Avert Environmental Crisis

In this article, Ryan Pathak says plastic pollution is engulfing our planet and concrete steps such as raising awareness must be taken and business companies should be held accountable. Company employees, including those in executive positions, must be educated on environmental issues, counting the consequences of their company’s decisions, including its carbon footprint. Businesses must have appropriate external entities that impose putting stricter restrictions on their actions, increasing their duty to be accountable.

Proposed National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Well-being - Glimpses from the Bio-economy Programme

In this article, Nandan Nawn dwells on the proposed national mission on biodiversity and human well-being and says that even with a clear scientific base, able and committed scientists, and assured State support, it may take several decades to marshal the gigantic effort—in the nature of a ‘social movement’—to restore and sustain Nature for augmenting and sustaining human well-being in India.

Humans for Earth - Finding the Voice of the Ordinary

In the words of Lord Robert Baden- Powell—“Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best.”

Fostering Sustainable and Resilient Agro-Food Futures in India

Manish Anand says adaptive measures need to be taken in India to achieve sustainable food security in the wake of threats posed by climate change. Further, there is a need to strengthen the capacity and tools to diagnose the challenges and map out integrated long-term strategies bringing coherence across the different dimensions of land-use, food systems, and climate change impacts.

Fostering Community-based Conservation in Nagaland, Northeast India

In this article, Siddharth Edake highlights TERI’s project titled “A Tradition in Transition: Understanding the Role of Shifting Cultivation for Sustainable Development in North East India” that is envisaged to gather wisdom pertaining to traditional agriculture in the form of shifting cultivation in Northeast India, providing useful knowledge and lessons so that traditional practices and knowledge will contribute to sustainable development in India and beyond.

A Vote for Radical Inclusion - Re-Framing Adaptation in the Decade of Action

In this article, UNICEF India WASH Team says that with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s spoken commitments and emphasis on adaptation, along with the global commitment to double funding for adaptation projects to $40 billion annually, have created the necessary momentum for a renewed discussion on what adaptation can look like in India, how to monitor it transparently and convergently, and how to reflect it in future NDCs and COPs.

Judicious Use Of Water - Save Virtual Water

In this article, Dr Ramesh Chandra Parida and Dr Pranab Kumar Ghosh highlight that for judicious use of the fast depleting fresh water resources, it is necessary to save virtual water by changing our food habits and lifestyle. For that we can opt for less water-intensive vegetarian diets and refrain from or reduce the consumption of non-vegetarian food items.

Importance Of Constructed Wetlands - For Water Quality Improvement

Constructed wetlands are well-known as a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable ecotechnology for contaminated water rehabilitation, particularly in rural and decentralized populations. In this article, Diksha Pandey discusses the importance of constructed wetlands for water quality improvement.

Water Crisis in India - The World's Largest Groundwater User

In this article, Anita Khuller says that with increasing news of areas facing water shortages and drought, saving water and using it more efficiently has become the need of the hour. Globally, providing clean drinking water is becoming a bigger challenge with population growth. To avert this challenge, the Government of India launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in August 2019 to provide safe drinking water to all rural households by 2024. JJM focuses on 1592 water-stressed blocks in 256 districts. The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rainwater harvesting. Read on to know more…

Care For Nature - To Stop Future Pandemics

In this article, Monika Chhimwal says not only is the coronavirus existent in nature, but there are many more unknown and highly dangerous microbes that live peacefully in their niches, such as those found beneath glaciers and vast ice sheets in the polar area, as well as those found in the deep oceans. They will not come out unless their ecology undergoes significant changes. But, with the looming danger of climate change and global warming due to population growth and urbanization, these viruses could come into contact with humans and the results could be disastrous.

Effects of Noise on Marine Life - Turtles are Among Animals Vulnerable to Hearing Loss

New research shows turtles can experience temporary hearing loss from an excess of underwater noise. This phenomenon, previously noted in other marine animals such as dolphins and fish, was not widely understood for reptiles and underscores another potential risk for aquatic turtles.

Propelling Sustainable Cooling - Through Public Procurement

In this article, Shivam Gupta, Gaurav Phore, and Shanmuganathan K say that public procurement for sustainable cooling products can lead to saving benefits in terms of cost, electricity consumption, and emission reductions. Propelling sustainable cooling through public procurement can be one of the effective ways for India to contribute towards its share in the Kigali Amendment implementation.

“I Have Made Impact Leadership and Ecosystem Developing My Mission”

Aspire Circle is a not-for-profit forum promoting enlightened social leadership in India through fellowships and research. Its purpose is to build India’s foremost social leadership forum. Here, we are in an exclusive email conversation with Amit Bhatia, Founder, Aspire Circle and Aspire Impact for TerraGreen.

Climate Action-Our Planet Needs a More Sincere Strategy

In this article, Ram Ramprasad says international agencies in the world should come together as an interdisciplinary team and communicate to the citizens of every country in easy-to-understand terms the health of our planet including the health of every country as it relates to their soil, water, and air. Transforming worldwide education to teach true climate science and sustainability concepts including the development of body, mind, and soul will be key to our success. In the meanwhile, leveraging social media will need to be explored.

Human–Wildlife Conflict Impacts on Human Population and Solutions

Nowadays, human-wildlife conflict is a very serious issue in India. In this article, Sughosh Madhav and Shaurabh Anand have tried to understand the basics of human–wildlife conflicts, the causes of the same, their effects on human life, and some solutions.

Moving Sustainability Goals From the Boardroom to the Control Room

Jane Ren explains how artificial intelligence can help achieve sustainability goals by providing visibility into the carbon effect of production activities.

The Rise of White Oil - How Lithium Dependency Will Shape the Future of Sustainable Transport

In this article, Rahul Kumar delves into lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs) and says that it is imperative that manufacturers realize the importance of sustainable EV production throughout all parts of the supply chain. With the monumental demand surge for EVs that is headed our way, lithium production might as well be labelled an environmental nightmare. Overcoming the lithium crisis within the next two decades will by no means be easy, but it is certainly achievable if given enough attention and resources.

Learn, Investigate and Experiment - Educational Initiative to Engage Students to Promote Reuse of Reclaimed Water

In this article, Neha, Saltanat Kazi, and Monmi Barua throw light on ‘LIVE with water’ project implemented by TERI in association with the support of the Government of Netherlands, the Partners for Water program India 2016–2021. The project aims to educate and empower the students to promote wastewater reuse applications in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi in India, and adopt methods to enhance the knowledge of the selected young community to increase local ownership and participation.

India's Mining Sector: Towards a Sustainable and Equitable Future

Mining is an important activity for India. With 3527 mining leases for 40 major minerals, extending a total lease area of roughly 315,986 hectares, India is a major producer of crucial minerals such as chromite, iron ore, coal, and bauxite, among others. The mineral resource sector has the potential to impact environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and economic development. Mary Abraham analyses India’s mining sector, which looks set to move India towards a sustainable and equitable future.

Unexpected Deep Diving in Albatross - Discovered by Oxford Researchers

Data collected by the team revealed that 50 per cent of the albatross birds studied were capable of diving over twice the depth previously thought, with implications for conservation efforts of this endangered species.

Kerala Triumphs with Floating Solar Power Stations At Banasura Sagar Dam

In this article, K Rajendran throws light on the floating solar power station on Kerala’s Banasura Sagar Dam—the first-of-its-kind in India. He feels that Banasura Sagar, along with many other floating solar stations, will attract nature-loving tourists to Kerala.

Countries Most Affected by Global Warming - India at Second Place

From earthquakes to excessive floods, extreme and unpredictable natural hazards impact every country around the world. To combat the effects of climate change and the vast rise in natural disasters over the past 50 years, nearly 200 countries agreed to the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’ at the 26th global United Nations Climate Summit (COP26) in November 2021.

Durga Mallu Gudilu Wins the 28th Jankidevi Bajaj Puraskar 2021 for Women COVID Warriors

Bajaj Electricals Limited along with the IMC Ladies’ Wing recognized Ms Durga Mallu Gudilu for being a staunch social activist and sarpanch of the 3-lakh strong Vaidu community.