Blog posts — Environmentality

Why the Delhi smog tower project is deeply problematic even as a pilot - Part II

The smog tower pilot project that the Government has envisaged is unjustifiably expensive, sets a bad precedent for pollution control efforts nationwide and raises questions about its evaluation.

CommentarySantosh HarishAugust 7, 2020Air Quality, Santosh Harish, Smog towers, Supreme Court, Pollution in IndiaComment

Smog towers have no scientific basis as a policy measure - Part I

This post answers why smog towers offer neither a scientific policy measure to tackle air pollution nor do they constitute an idea worth piloting.

CommentarySantosh HarishAugust 6, 2020Air Quality, Santosh Harish, Smog towers, Pollution in IndiaComment

COVID-19 pandemic could reverse progress on India’s electricity transition

The report analyses government-led responses to the pandemic within the electricity sector, and suggests a structural approach to building a resilient electricity future.

New at ICEEAshwini K SwainJuly 23, 2020Energy, Ashwini K Swain, Electricity, electricity politics, Energy transition, COVID-19Comment

The interplay between the pandemic and pollution

As the country battles a public health crisis of staggering proportions, we must remind ourselves that we do not have the luxury of tackling air pollution at a later point.

Pursuing a clean air agenda during the COVID-19 pandemic

This report analyses the outcomes of state actions in response to COVID-19 and its impact on the air quality discourse in India.

Global solar grid could cause sun burns

India’s recent experiences, and successful global models, deliver a clear message—power pools can’t be built without an institutional architecture other countries trust.

CommentaryAditya Valiathan-PillaiJune 25, 2020EnergyComment

A convergence of crises

We should be careful not to drag ourselves through one crisis only to emerge into another longer, less predictable, and unstoppable one.

CommentaryAditya Valiathan-PillaiJune 10, 2020climate change, climate policy, climate institutions, low-carbonComment

How COVID-19 can affect India’s energy transition goals

Policy interventions are pushing electric vehicles and other modern energy technologies. Will the pandemic-induced economic contraction topple India’s energy transition priorities?

Post COVID-19, India needs increased focus on air quality

COVID-19 necessitates making health and social protection a priority. But we must not lose momentum on the strides made in tackling air pollution.

CommentaryAvani Kapur and Santosh HarishApril 22, 2020Air Quality, COVID-19, Finance Commission, Pollution in IndiaComment

The politics of power in times of a pandemic

Even as electricity can make us more resilient, electricity is also vulnerable to the pandemic. How is India’s electricity sector placed at this moment?

Imagining a different, better future

Could sustained, behavioural changes induced by COVID-19 alter the way we live and work?

Prepaid power is not the silver bullet to solve problem of discom finances

Let us not pretend that the Centre’s push for smart meters is the silver bullet to solve the long-standing problems of discom finance and losses.

CommentaryAshwini K SwainMarch 19, 2020Energy, Ashwini K Swain, Discoms, electricity politicsComment

Three ways by which Delhi’s Kejriwal govt can fulfil its promise to curb air pollution

Given the scale and scope of air pollution, the multiple sources involved, and the complexity of governance, this problem cannot be addressed without an actively involved executive.

Should India consider a ‘net-zero’ climate pledge?

The benchmark of credibility for country contributions is whether they include a ‘net-zero’ target. As an important player in global climate politics and a highly vulnerable country should India, then, also consider a net-zero target?

IdeasNavroz K. DubashFebruary 10, 2020climate change, net-zero, Navroz K. DubashComment

Bracing for the storm

To tackle climate change, not only does India need to pivot into a low-carbon future, it also needs to step up as a leader of climate-vulnerable countries.

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