India is the world's biggest importer of palm oil, the controversial edible oil found in everything from toothpaste to ice cream. The government wants to reduce our dependence on Southeast Asian imports by growing it ourselves. But as our correspondent Snigdhendu Bhattacharya reports, not all is going according to plan. Some farmers are reverting to other crops, because of the logistical headache of selling oil palm in remote areas.
India's attempt to wean itself off another dependence – coal – is a cautionary tale for the region's energy transition. A growing number of the 13 million people who depend on the fossil fuel for a living are being forced to criss-cross the country in search of work as coal job opportunities dwindle and salaries shrink.
Meanwhile, as we endure yet another spell of warm weather, our ability to meet sustainable development targets is wilting. According to a study published in April, the more intense heat waves get the more prone we are to vector-borne disease spread, urban decay and declining agricultural yields. As India's celebrates becoming the world's most populous country, the United Nation's ambitious Sustainable Development Goals are looking increasingly out of reach.
India, the world's largest palm oil importer, wants to expand domestic cultivation. But a lack of roadway connectivity is spoiling the country's mission.
Declining job opportunities in India's coal hubs force young people to seek work in far-away cities where they struggle to find secure, well-paid employment.
Previous climate fund meetings had unlimited seats for civil society, but climate justice observers were no longer able to directly participate at the first global session aimed at fleshing out details for financing for poor countries.
India's energy ministry issued a resolution mandating all new thermal power plants to ensure that 40 per cent of their total power production comes from renewable energy.
Scientists have reconstructed the past 1000 years of climate history from the Arctic, a region that’s warming faster than any other place on the planet.
A pumped hydro storage project in Hengbung village in Manipur state is the first in India to power the tech using solar pumps.
The heat is on
After the country’s warmest February on record, April brought an intense heat wave. Officials issued heat warnings for several states, with temperatures reaching 43°C in some parts of the country. Thirteen people died from heatstroke in mid-April after attending a public gathering in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra. Some 90 per cent of the population is vulnerable to heatwaves, according to a study by Public Library Of Science Journal. The hot weather is expected to continue until June.
Population pride
India became the world's most populous country in April, overtaking regional rival China. India is home to 1.41 billion people; 70,000 babies are born in India every day, compared to 50,000 in China. India's population is expected to peak at 1.7 billion by 2060, when the global temperature is projected to be 2°C above pre-industrial levels. India is the world’s third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the United States, its per capita emissions are roughly half the average of G20 countries.
World Bank's Indian saviour?
The appointment of Ajay Banga as new boss of the World Bank drew plaudits from some who believe that the India-born executive will better represent the developing countries the organisation is supposed to help. Others point to Banga's experience in the US corporate world with the likes of General Atlantic, Mastercard, Kraft Foods and Dow to suggest that the appointment is more about branding than driving real change at the World Bank.
Binge-watching the apocalypse
Climate change is not only evoking fear among young Indians who say they are decreasingly willing to have children. It is spawning a generation who are drawn to apocalyptic entertainment as a form of catharthis to cope with climate anxiety, according to an article in The Hindu.
