Sharon Mathew — Blog posts — Environmentality

An onslaught of red alerts: Is India ready for recurring extreme climate events?

India is among the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Public communication, scientific expertise and stronger legislation will be the key factors in India’s adaptation efforts.

CommentarySharon MathewJune 6, 2022Sharon Mathew, climate change, climate policy, climate action, adaptation

IPCC report on climate impacts sounds alarm bells for India, South Asia

The IPCC Working Group II’s synthesis of research on climate impacts, adaptation measures and vulnerability pushes governments and societies to respond immediately. The longer we wait on reducing global emissions, it argues, the fewer adaptation options we will have left.

CommentaryAditya Valiathan Pillai, Mandakini Chandra and Sharon MathewMarch 1, 2022Aditya Valiathan Pillai, Mandakini Chandra, Sharon Mathew, IPCC, climate change

Budget 2022: Air Quality Round-Up

In this piece, we unpack the Union Budget 2022, focusing on its implications for the current air quality regulatory framework and whether it gives impetus to new and ongoing interventions through adequate financial support. We find that the budget does little to improve air quality management in India.

CommentarySharon Mathew and Arunesh KarkunFebruary 5, 2022Air Quality, Sharon Mathew, Arunesh Karkun, Budget, electric vehicles, household solid fuels, NCAP, CAQMComment

Tempting ecological fate under MoEFCC’s new star rating regime.

The OM if implemented by the MOEFCC would not only have adverse consequences on the effective functioning of the SEIAAs as environmental regulatory bodies but also on the life and livelihood of people and the surrounding ecology.

CommentarySharon MathewJanuary 25, 2022EIA Notification, Sharon Mathew, Law and Governance

Hot and Flooded: What the IPCC report forecasts for India’s development future

The IPCC report indicates that the climate crisis will disrupt India’s developmental future, and undercut the prosperity of its people in the long run.

IdeasMandakini Chandra, Arunesh Karkun and Sharon MathewAugust 26, 2021climate change, climate politics, Mandakini Chandra, Arunesh Karkun, Sharon MathewComment

Marking 40 Years of India’s Air Act (March 29, 1981)

Forty years ago, India passed the Air Act, 1981- the first central legislation to tackle the air pollution crisis. What has it accomplished over the last four decades? Does the Air Act have enough teeth to deal with the crisis?

IdeasSharon Mathew and Nona UppalApril 22, 2021Air Quality, Airshed, Law and Governance, pollution politics, Pollution in India, Sharon MathewComment

What does the 2021 Union Budget do to improve air quality?

In 2019, air pollution was responsible for over 16.7 lakh deaths in India, more than ten times the lives lost due to COVID-19 so far. Did the budget address clean air adequately?