Electric Vehicles in India: Charging Toward a Cleaner Future

 

Stand at a busy traffic intersection in any Indian city during rush hour, and the air tells you everything. The exhaust from millions of petrol and diesel vehicles creates a cocktail of nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and unburned hydrocarbons that hangs over cities like a grey-brown shroud. India's transport sector, with over 300 million registered vehicles and growing, accounts for approximately 13% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions and is a leading cause of the urban air pollution that kills over 1.6 million Indians every year. Something fundamental needs to change. And it is changing. 

The electric vehicle revolution in India is real, accelerating, and more consequential than most people realize. Electric two-wheelers — e-scooters and electric motorcycles — are leading the transformation. Annual e-two-wheeler sales have grown exponentially, driven by falling battery costs, improving range and performance, rising fuel prices, and government subsidies under the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme. For most Indian commuters who travel less than 40-50 kilometres per day, an electric two-wheeler is already economically superior to a petrol vehicle over its lifetime. 

Electric three-wheelers — auto-rickshaws — are also transitioning rapidly. Electric autos are quieter, cheaper to run, and produce no tailpipe emissions. In cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Lucknow, thousands of electric autos are already on the road, and their numbers are growing rapidly. For auto-rickshaw drivers who work long hours in polluted city air, switching to electric means better health, lower fuel costs, and a more sustainable livelihood. 

Electric buses are transforming urban public transport. Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai are all deploying electric bus fleets, with thousands more ordered. A single electric bus replaces hundreds of private vehicles on crowded city roads, dramatically reducing both emissions and congestion. The economics are compelling: electric buses have lower operating costs than diesel buses, and as battery costs continue to fall, their upfront cost premium is shrinking rapidly. 

The passenger electric car segment is also growing, albeit more slowly given the higher price points. Tata Motors has established itself as India's dominant electric car manufacturer, with the Nexon EV becoming a bestseller. Mahindra, MG, Hyundai, Kia, BYD, and others are adding to the range of options available. As the charging infrastructure expands and battery costs fall further — anticipated to approach the cost parity with petrol cars by the late 2020s — electric car adoption will accelerate dramatically. 

One question that sometimes arises is: are EVs truly clean if the electricity that charges them comes from coal? The answer, even in India's coal-heavy grid, is yes — EVs are already cleaner on a lifecycle basis than petrol vehicles, because electric motors are far more efficient than internal combustion engines. And as India's grid rapidly greens with solar and wind energy, EVs become cleaner every year without any change to the vehicle itself. An EV bought today will be a zero-emission vehicle within a decade as the grid decarbonizes. 

India's EV revolution also has exciting implications for energy security. India currently imports over 80% of its oil, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on fuel imports every year — money that could stay in the Indian economy. Every electric vehicle that replaces a petrol vehicle reduces this import dependence, strengthens the current account balance, and insulates India from the volatility of global oil prices. 

The transformation of Indian mobility is not just about technology — it is about reimagining cities. Quieter streets. Cleaner air. Fewer traffic deaths. More space for walking, cycling, and public spaces. The EV revolution, combined with better public transport and more walkable city design, offers Indians a vision of urban life that is healthier, more livable, and more sustainable. That future is being built today, one vehicle at a time.

Content Courtesy: Inspired by SIAM and NITI Aayog reports

Wind Energy: How India Is Learning to Harness the Power of Air

Stand at the tip of Cape Comorin — Kanyakumari — where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean meet, and you will feel the wind as a physical, palpable force. It is the same wind that has filled the sails of trading vessels for millennia, powered the seasonal rhythms of Indian agriculture, and shaped the landscape and culture of coastal India. Now, with modern wind turbines rising like giants across the Tamil Nadu plains and the Gujarat coast, India is finally harnessing this ancient energy in a systematic and transformative way. 

Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing power sources in the world. In 2024, global installed wind capacity crossed 1,100 gigawatts — enough to meet the annual electricity needs of over a billion households. India, with an installed wind capacity of approximately 45 gigawatts, is the fourth-largest wind energy producer in the world. But this represents only a fraction of India's wind potential, which experts estimate at over 1,700 gigawatts — more than India's entire current electricity generation capacity from all sources combined. 

The geography of India's wind resource is diverse and, in some regions, extraordinary. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh all have substantial wind resources. The southern tip of India and the coast of Gujarat experience particularly consistent, high-speed winds driven by the monsoon and the prevailing westerlies. The high-altitude passes of Ladakh and the Himalayas have been identified as having exceptional wind resources that have barely been touched. 

A single modern offshore wind turbine — with blades spanning over 100 metres — can generate enough electricity to power approximately 1,000 to 1,500 Indian homes for a year. These machines represent one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways of generating electricity that humanity has ever devised. Once installed, they run on completely free fuel — the wind — with minimal maintenance requirements and zero greenhouse gas emissions during operation. 

The government has set ambitious targets for offshore wind development along India's vast coastline. Offshore wind turbines, installed on the shallow continental shelf of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, can harness stronger and more consistent winds than their onshore counterparts, generating more electricity per turbine. They also avoid the land use conflicts that sometimes arise with onshore wind development. India's offshore wind potential is enormous, and several large projects are in advanced stages of planning. 

Wind energy also creates significant economic opportunities. The manufacture, installation, and maintenance of wind turbines is a major employer — India's wind energy sector already employs hundreds of thousands of people, and rapid growth will create hundreds of thousands more jobs in manufacturing, engineering, construction, and maintenance. India has developed significant domestic manufacturing capacity for wind turbines, with companies like Suzlon becoming global players. 

The challenge of integrating large amounts of variable wind energy into the electricity grid is real but manageable. Wind and solar energy are complementary — wind often blows strongest at night and in winter, when solar generation is lowest. Combining wind and solar with better grid management, demand response, pumped hydro storage, and battery storage creates a reliable, 100% renewable electricity system. Countries like Denmark, which regularly generates over 100% of its electricity demand from wind, have demonstrated this is achievable. 

India's wind revolution is not just about electricity. It is about energy security, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels, creating jobs, improving air quality, and demonstrating that a rapidly developing country can power its growth with clean energy. The wind that shaped India's past is now powering its future. All we have to do is reach up and take it.

Content Courtesy: Inspired by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC)

Zero Waste Living: A Practical Guide to Reducing Your Environmental Footprint

 

The average Indian urban resident generates about half a kilogram of solid waste every single day. Multiply that by India's 500 million urban dwellers, and you get a staggering 250,000 tonnes of garbage generated in cities every day. Most of this waste ends up in overflowing landfills on the outskirts of our cities, in rivers and water bodies, burned in open dumps releasing toxic smoke, or simply littered across the landscape. Our relationship with waste is broken — and it is costing us enormously, in environmental health, in public health, and in economic productivity. 

The zero-waste movement offers a fundamentally different vision: a world where waste is seen not as an inevitable byproduct of modern life, but as a design failure — something that can and should be designed out of our systems entirely. In a zero-waste world, everything we make, buy, and use can eventually be safely reused, repaired, recycled, or returned to the earth as compost. Nothing is discarded because nothing needs to be. 

This vision may sound utopian, but communities and cities around the world are already moving toward it. Kamikatsu, a small town in Japan, achieved a 99% recycling rate by creating 45 different waste categories and eliminating most landfill use. Several municipalities in the Indian state of Kerala have achieved dramatic waste reduction through community composting and segregation programs. Bengaluru's network of dry waste collection centres has demonstrated that urban recycling can be economically viable and socially beneficial. 

For individuals and households, zero-waste living starts with a shift in mindset: from 'how do I dispose of this?' to 'how do I avoid producing it in the first place?' The five R's — Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (compost) — provide a practical framework, prioritized in that order. The most powerful action is refusing what you do not need, because waste that is never created cannot pollute. 

Practical zero-waste swaps are easier than most people imagine. A reusable stainless steel or glass water bottle eliminates thousands of disposable plastic bottles over a lifetime. A cloth shopping bag eliminates hundreds of plastic bags a year. A safety razor with replaceable blades eliminates the plastic waste of dozens of disposable razors annually. Shampoo and conditioner bars eliminate plastic bottles. Beeswax wraps or silicone food covers replace cling film. Loose-leaf tea replaces individually packaged tea bags. Each swap is small; collectively, they transform a household's waste footprint. 

Composting is one of the highest-impact zero-waste practices available to Indian households. Organic waste — vegetable and fruit peels, food scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells — makes up 50-60% of Indian household waste by weight. When composted, this material becomes a valuable soil amendment rather than methane-generating landfill. Urban apartment dwellers can compost in balcony bins or with vermicomposting (earthworm composting) setups that are compact, odour-free, and surprisingly low-maintenance. 

Beyond individual choices, zero-waste living requires systemic change. Manufacturers must be made responsible for the waste their products generate through extended producer responsibility policies. Plastic packaging must be taxed, regulated, and ultimately phased out. Cities must invest in segregation, collection, and processing infrastructure for different waste streams. And informal waste collectors — the kabadiwalas who already divert enormous quantities of recyclable material from the waste stream — must be recognized, formalized, and supported. 

Zero waste is not about perfection. It is about progress and intention — making more thoughtful choices, reducing harm where we can, and working collectively toward a world where nothing is wasted because everything has value. Begin where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Every action, however small, matters. 

India's kabadiwalas — those informal collectors who walk through neighbourhoods calling for old newspapers, bottles, and metal — already run one of the most efficient urban recycling systems in the world, largely invisible and unrecognized. Supporting them, ensuring they are paid fair prices, and protecting their role in the waste economy is itself a zero-waste action. Zero-waste living in India does not need to import Western solutions — it needs to recognize, formalize, and build on the remarkable waste wisdom that already exists in Indian society and tradition.

Content Courtesy: Original content for Green World

Trees: Nature's Air Conditioners, Water Managers, and Climate Heroes

 

A single mature tree can absorb up to 22 kilograms of carbon dioxide every year, release enough oxygen to support two human beings, intercept thousands of litres of rainfall, provide a home for dozens of species of birds, insects, and other creatures, lower the surrounding air temperature by several degrees through evapotranspiration, and reduce stress and improve mental health in the people who walk or sit beneath it. All of this, for free, powered by nothing but sunlight and water. Trees may be the single most extraordinary living things on Earth. 

Yet we are destroying them at a rate that future generations will struggle to comprehend. Global deforestation claims approximately 15 billion trees every year — that is nearly 2 million trees every hour. The world has lost approximately 46% of its tree cover since the dawn of human civilization. In India, urban tree cover is declining rapidly as cities expand, construction booms, and road widening projects claim century-old trees. In rural areas, agricultural expansion, fuelwood collection, and infrastructure development are shrinking forests and tree cover continuously. 

The consequences are far-reaching and deeply interconnected. Trees are the primary mechanism by which terrestrial ecosystems cycle water. When a tree absorbs water through its roots and releases it as vapour through its leaves, it contributes to local rainfall patterns and moisture availability. Large forests like the Amazon and the Himalayan foothills essentially generate their own weather — removing them disrupts rainfall patterns across entire continents. The declining forests of the Western Ghats are already affecting the monsoon patterns of peninsular India. 

Trees are also the lungs of cities. Urban trees absorb pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter, making city air measurably cleaner and healthier. Studies have shown that urban areas with high tree cover have lower rates of respiratory disease, lower hospital admission rates during heat waves, and lower rates of stress and anxiety among residents. Trees are not an aesthetic luxury in cities — they are critical public health infrastructure. 

The importance of trees in regulating temperature cannot be overstated. A shaded area under a mature tree can be 5–10°C cooler than an adjacent unshaded area on a hot summer day. In Indian cities, where summer temperatures regularly exceed 40°C, this is not a trivial difference — it can be the difference between life and death for the elderly, the very young, and outdoor workers. As climate change intensifies heat waves, urban trees will become increasingly vital. 

India's relationship with trees is ancient and profound. The Bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment, the banyan tree sacred to Vishnu, the neem tree whose medicinal properties have been recognized for millennia, the peepal tree at the heart of every village — trees are woven into the spiritual and cultural fabric of Indian life. India also pioneered some of the world's most powerful tree protection movements, including the Chipko movement of the 1970s and the ongoing battles against destructive highway projects. 

The Miyawaki method of intensive native forest planting is gaining exciting momentum in Indian cities. By planting dozens of native tree species together in a small area, Miyawaki forests grow ten times faster than conventional plantations, become self-sustaining within two to three years, and provide far richer biodiversity than monoculture plantings. Urban Miyawaki forests have been successfully created in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, and dozens of other cities. 

This monsoon season — and every monsoon season — let us commit not just to planting trees, but to caring for them. Planting is easy; nurturing a sapling to a mature tree takes years of watering, protection, and patience. Let us also commit to protecting the trees that already stand — especially the old, large trees that took decades to grow and provide irreplaceable benefits. Every tree that stands is a gift to the generations that come after us. Let us give generously.

Content Courtesy: Original content for Green World

Solar Power in India: A Revolution in Progress

India is rapidly transforming into one of the world's leading solar energy nations. With an installed solar capacity that has grown from just 2.6 GW in 2014 to over 80 GW today, India is proving that a developing nation can lead the clean energy revolution.

The government's ambitious National Solar Mission — part of the larger International Solar Alliance that India co-founded with France — aims to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. Solar energy is at the heart of this mission.

The benefits go beyond just clean electricity. Solar power is now cheaper than coal power in India. It is creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs. And it is bringing electricity to remote villages that were never connected to the national grid.

One of the most inspiring aspects of India's solar story is rooftop solar. Families and small businesses are installing panels on their rooftops, generating their own electricity, and even selling surplus power back to the grid.

India's solar revolution shows the world something profound: economic growth and environmental responsibility are not opposites. They can — and must — go hand in hand.

Content Courtesy: Inspired by MNRE India and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Canada ranks #2 for most LEED buildings

Though LEED is not the world’s only green building rating system, it is the most widely used and recognized. Thus it is no small thing that, for the second year in a row, Canada is #2 for LEED building in the World.

Most Certified Projects

Canada has the highest gross square meters (GSM) of LEED certified space internationally (ie outside of the United States) and the highest number of certified and registered projects (4,735).

European nations did poorly, with Germany placing #7 and Sweden #11, because the LEED program originates in the United States.

“(This) does not take into consideration other green building standards or rating systems. We cannot comment on which country leads the world in terms of overall emissions reductions,” explained Mark Hutchinson, Director of Green Building Programs for the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).

Canada’s LEED Accomplishments

Canada has been a leader in the green building movement since 2005. Some of its LEED accomplishments include:

•  Energy Savings of 4,230,206 eMWh which is enough to power 143,533 homes in Canada for a full year.
• 822,731 CO2e tonne reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which equates to taking 155,526 cars off the road for a year.
• Water savings totalling over 8.7 billion litres, the equivalent of 3,505 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
• Recycling over 1.1 million tones of construction/demolition waste which represents 348,691 garbage truck loads.
•  Installing 157,309 square metres of green roofs, or an area the size of 104 NHL hock rinks. This reducing the urban heat island effect and mitigates storm water flows in urban areas.

Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia lead the nation in terms of LEED projects, with 962, 439 and 407 respectively.

Five of the more notable projects certified in Canada during 2014 are:

• Vancouver, British Columbia: Van Dusen Botanical Garden, LEED Platinum

• St. John, New Brunswick: The City of St. John Police Headquarters, LEED Gold

• Toronto, Ontario: WaterPark Place, LEED Platinum (first Canadian project to earn LEED Platinum through the CaGBC’s recertification program)

• Calgary, Alberta: Bow Valley Square, LEED Gold

• Quebec City, Quebec: Place TELUS / TELUS House, LEED Gold.”

Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia lead the nation in terms of LEED projects, with 962, 439 and 407 respectively.

Continue reading at enn

content Courtesy : enn

Climate change threat must be taken as seriously as nuclear war – UK minister

The threat of climate change needs to be assessed in the same comprehensive way as nuclear weapons proliferation, according to a UK foreign minister.

Baroness Joyce Anelay, minister of state at the Commonwealth and Foreign Office, said the indirect impacts of global warming, such as deteriorating international security, could be far greater than the direct effects, such as flooding. She issued the warning in a foreword to a new report on the risks of climate change led by the UK’s climate change envoy, Prof Sir David King.

The report, commissioned by the Foreign Office, and written by experts from the UK, US, China and India, is stark in its assessment of the wide-ranging dangers posed by unchecked global warming, including:

• very large risks to global food security, including a tripling of food prices
• unprecedented migration overwhelming international assistance
• increased risk of terrorism as states fail
• lethal heat even for people resting in shade

The world’s nations are preparing for a crunch UN summit in Paris in December, at which they must agree a deal to combat climate change.

Monday’s report states that existing plans to curb carbon emissions would heighten the chances of the climate passing tipping points “beyond which the inconvenient may become intolerable”. In 2004, King, then the government’s chief scientific adviser, warned that climate change is a more serious threat to the world than terrorism.

“Assessing the risk around [nuclear weapon proliferation] depends on understanding inter-dependent elements, including: what the science tells us is possible; what our political analysis tells us a country may intend; and what the systemic factors are, such as regional power dynamics,” said Anelay. “The risk of climate change demands a similarly holistic assessment.”

The report sets out the direct risks of climate change. “Humans have limited tolerance for heat stress,” it states. “In the current climate, safe climatic conditions for work are already exceeded frequently for short periods in hot countries, and heatwaves already cause fatalities. In future, climatic conditions could exceed potentially lethal limits of heat stress even for individuals resting in the shade.”

It notes that “the number of people exposed to extreme water shortage is projected to double, globally, by mid century due to population growth alone. Climate change could increase the risk in some regions.”

In the worst case, what is today a once-in-30-year flood could happen every three years in the highly populated river basins of the Yellow, Ganges and Indus rivers, the report said. Without dramatic cuts to carbon emissions, extreme drought affecting farmland could double around the world, with impacts in southern Africa, the US and south Asia.

Areas affected by the knock-on or systemic risks of global warming include global security with extreme droughts and competition for farmland causing conflicts. “Migration from some regions may become more a necessity than a choice, and could take place on a historically unprecedented scale,” the report says. “It seems likely that the capacity of the international community for humanitarian assistance would be overwhelmed.”

“The risks of state failure could rise significantly, affecting many countries simultaneously, and even threatening those that are currently considered developed and stable,” says the report. “The expansion of ungoverned territories would in turn increase the risks of terrorism.”

The report also assesses the systemic risk to global food supply, saying that rising extreme weather events could mean shocks to global food prices previously expected once a century could come every 30 years. “A plausible worst-case scenario could produce unprecedented price spikes on the global market, with a trebling of the prices of the worst-affected grains,” the report concludes.

The greatest risks are tipping points, the report finds, where the climate shifts rapidly into a new, dangerous phase state. But the report also states that political leadership, technology and investment patterns can also change abruptly too.

The report concludes: “The risks of climate change may be greater than is commonly realised, but so is our capacity to confront them. An honest assessment of risk is no reason for fatalism.”


content courtesy : theguardian 

How reusable bags change shopping decisions

Taking reusable bags to the supermarket can help identify the environmentally friendly shopper but a new study has now discovered the products they are more likely to buy.

New research in the Journal of Marketing reveals unsurprisingly that shoppers who take their own bags are more likely to purchase organic food – and more surprisingly, junk food as well.

The study describes: "Grocery store shoppers who bring their own bags are more likely to purchase healthy food. But those same shoppers often feel virtuous, because they are acting in an environmentally responsible way.

“That feeling easily persuades them that, because they are being good to the environment, they should treat themselves to cookies or potato chips or some other product with lots of fat, salt, or sugar."

The study by Uma R. Karmarkar of Harvard University and Bryan Bollinger of Duke University is one of the first to demonstrate that bringing reusable grocery bags causes significant changes in food purchasing behaviour.

The authors collected loyalty cardholder data from a single location of a major grocery chain in California between May 2005 and March 2007. They compared the same shoppers on trips for which they brought their own bags with trips for which they did not.

Participants were also recruited online from a national pool and were randomly assigned one of two situations: bringing their own bags or not bringing their own bags. Depending on the situation, participants were presented with a certain scenario and a floorplan of the grocery store and were asked to list the ten items they were most likely to purchase on the trip.

The researchers found that when shoppers brought their own bags, they were more likely to purchase organic foods. At the same time, bringing one's own bags also increased the likelihood that the shopper would purchase junk food. And both results were slightly less likely when the shopper had young children: parents have to balance their own purchasing preferences with competing motivations arising from their role as parents.

Content Courtecy :enn

If someone were to set up a telephone booth sized box on your street filled with unwanted items — such as books, toys and small knick knacks, perhaps — and then topped it off with a “Free” sign, what do you think would happen?

If Switzerland is any indication, passersby turned salvagers and recyclers would appear out of nowhere, sifting their way through other people’s unwanted discards, thinking up ways to put their newfound discoveries to good (re)use. Some would even add their own unwanted items to the box.

Neighborhood exchange boxes have helped Geneva, Switzerland reuse 32 tons of goods thus far thanks to a program called BOÎTES D’ÉCHANGE ENTRE VOISINS–A box for exchange between neighbors. But can it work in other cities?

Started in 2011, people leave items that they do not want, and take items that they do want. It’s that simple.

Or is it?

The environmental benefits of increasing reuse are obvious, but from the project creator’s perspective, there’s more to the Neighbourhood Exchange Box program than just going green.

It’s also part urban art and part social experiment, providers of unusual opportunities to create social and cultural links between people in a neighborhood.

The program page explains:

Neighbourhood Exchange Box is a project which explores reciprocity between neighbours. It brings a new impulse into the neighbourhood and a sense of belonging and involvement to the local community by prompting opportunities of exchange and contact.

Behind it all is Happy City Lab, founded by Dan Acher, an “artivist” from Geneva focused on creating happy cities.

Most of us know by now that reducing and reusing are part of the answer to what our planet needs more of, so instead the program toils over questions like:

Nowadays, whilst most of our interactions depend on money, is it still possible to establish a completely disinterested form of exchange, without even knowing who the beneficiary is? Is it possible to extend such a project to the scale of a whole town? That of a region? A country? Further?


Content Courtecy :enn

India's forest cover is on the up – but are the numbers too good to be true?

Forest cover in India increased by 5871 sq km (2266 sq miles) between 2010 and 2012.

That’s the cheery headline news from the State of the Forest Report 2013 released this month by India’s environment minister, Prakash Javadekar. The findings appear to mark a turnaround from the previous survey, which had found a marginal decline in forests.

But the fine print reveals a less rosy picture. The bulk of the increase in forest cover – about 3800 sq km – was in just one state, the report shows, and is partly attributed to a correction in previous survey data.

In fact, India may be losing quality forests. Dense forests are degrading into scrub or sparsely covered forest areas in many states, says the report. “Moderately dense” forest cover – areas with a tree canopy density of between 40-70% – shrank by 1991 sq km in the two-year period, while “open forests” with less than 40% canopy increased by 7831 sq km.

Another potential worry: the Himalayan northeastern region, which holds one-fourth of the country’s forests, has seen a small decline of 627 sq km in forest cover.

India’s total forest cover now stands at 697,898 sq km or 21.23% of the country’s area. That’s well short of the official goal to get cover up to 30% of land area (in February, the government approved a £4.46m project to increase forest area).

Yet there’s been an overall rising trend in the recorded forest cover over the past decade – no mean feat given the dramatic acceleration in economic development in the same period.

This upward trend seems far-fetched to many conservationists, however. One environmental watchdog group, the Environment Impact and Assessment Resource and Response Centre, noted that an average of 135 hectares (333 acres) of forest land a day was given over for power, mining and other development projects last year. The group expressed dismay at the environment minister’s suggestion that degraded or open forests should be harvested to reduce wood imports.

Both conservationists and scientists have long questioned the Indian forest survey’s accuracy and methods. They’ve argued that the survey relies too heavily on low-resolution satellite imagery, which fails to capture small-scale deforestation, and that the definition of forest used by the report is too broad to be meaningful.

The forest cover data does not, for instance, distinguish between tree species, land use or ownership. A paper published in May by scientists led by NH Ravindranath of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore suggested that an almost seven-million-hectare recorded increase in forest cover between 1997 and 2011 could be accounted for by an increase in commercial plantations.

India could be potentially over-reporting the forest cover by including many plantation categories and fruit orchards…. Even the inclusion of plantations of Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Poplar, etc. under forest cover is questionable from a conservation perspective. India also could be potentially under-reporting deforestation by reporting only the gross forest area and changes at the national and state level, which may mask any forest loss, if the rate of afforestation is higher than deforestation rates.

With India seeking to tap international climate funds for afforestation, “there is need for a new approach to monitoring and reporting of forest area to meet the challenges of forest conservation, research and reporting to UN agencies,” the authors said.

Forest officials too have criticised the survey methods. In 2012, a joint director at the Forest Survey of India, which prepares the report, took on his own organisation when he flagged the discrepancy between the official forest data for the northeastern state of Meghalaya, which showed an increase in cover, and what he saw happening on the ground: forests being destroyed by illegal mills and mining.

Mining in this green, resource-rich region continues to be a concern. A recent report by India’s Comptroller and Auditor General found only one of 16 limestone mining licenses in the state of Meghalaya had obtained environmental clearances. “[T]he forest department has no idea as to whether the mining lease areas it granted forest clearance fall within forest area,” the report said.

Content Courtersy: theguardian

Safeguarding Our Future Water & Energy Systems-INFOGRAPHIC

As the Energy Department pursues our important mission areas of climate change, energy security and environmental responsibility, we must take into account dynamic interactions among our energy system, the population, the economy, other infrastructure systems and natural resources. One crucial interaction is that between our present-day energy and water systems, reports the DOE.

The interdependencies between our water and energy systems are clear — and becoming more prominent. Water is used in all phases of energy production and electricity generation, and energy is required to extract, convey and deliver water, and to treat wastewaters prior to their return to the environment.

The Energy Department’s new report – The Water-Energy Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities – examines this interaction, and lays out several technical and operational challenges at local, regional and national scales. The report notes that water scarcity, variability and uncertainty are becoming more prevalent, potentially leading to vulnerabilities within the U.S. energy system. Changes brought on by population growth, technological advances and policy developments are increasing the urgency for informed action.

When severe drought affected more than a third of the United States in 2012, limited water availability constrained the operation of some power plants and other energy production infrastructure. When Hurricane Sandy struck that same year, we saw firsthand the major problems that arise when vital water infrastructure and facilities lose power.

And the recent boom in domestic unconventional oil and gas development, brought on by hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, has added complexity to the national dialogue about the relationship between energy and water resources.

What’s more, the effects of climate change only amplify the need to manage our interdependent water and energy systems more mindfully. As the release of the third U.S. National Climate Assessment made clear last month, climate change is affecting every region of the United States and key sectors across our economy.

Even as the Energy Department is taking strong steps to cut carbon pollution and work with our international partners to build a more sustainable energy future, we must prepare for the effects of climate change we are already seeing.

The Energy Department’s longstanding leadership in modeling and technology research and development makes it uniquely suited to meet the national need for data-driven and empirical solutions to address these challenges. This report is just the beginning.

The Department of Energy looks forward to working with our partners, including other federal agencies, state and local governments, members of Congress, foreign governments, private industry, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and citizens, to develop and pursue a shared vision of more resilient coupled energy-water systems.

This integration and collaboration will enable more effective research, development and deployment of key technologies, harmonization of policies where warranted, shared datasets, informed decision-making, and robust public dialogue.

A key part of that dialogue is our ongoing meetings to gather public comment on the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), a four-year process to identify key threats, risks and opportunities for U.S. energy and climate security.

 Last week in San Francisco, Dr. John Holdren — Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy — led a discussion with regional stakeholders about the water-energy nexus and lessons learned that could be applied broadly across this issue area. Future opportunities to provide input to the QER process remain.

Content Courtesy: energy.gov

Tips To Save Money & Save Energy in New Energy Saver Guide

Saving energy is a win for not only your wallet but also the environment. To help you make the most efficient choices in your home and on the road, the Energy Department recently updated its popular booklet Energy Saver: Tips on Saving Money and Energy at Home, reports Nicole Harrison for the DOE.

Updated Energy Saver Guide Helps You Save Energy and Money at Home

The latest version of the guide includes updated statistics and recommendations for 2014 — all designed to help you make smart decisions about improving your home’s comfort and lowering your energy use. Some of the tips are simple to do. Others require more effort and investment but promise big savings over the years.

The Energy Saver guide teaches you which systems and appliances in your home account for most of your energy bills and how you can reduce the costs to both you and the environment. There is also a section on transportation with driving tips to help you save money at the pump. Learn about the average energy usage and costs at home and on the road, then try out our tips to save energy and money.

There are a couple of ways to get your hands on the updated Energy Saver guide:

Download the updated PDF
Order hard copies in bulk or
Download the first-ever Energy Saver guide e-book.

Find out more about saving energy and money at home on the Energy Saver website. You can also check out these new do-it-yourself energy-saving projects:

Insulate Hot Water Pipes for Energy Savings
Lower Water Heating Temperature
Insulate Your Water Heater Tank
How to Seal Air Leaks with Caulk
How to Weatherstrip Double-Hung (or Sash) Windows
Install Exterior Storm Windows With Low-E Coating

Content Courtesy: 1sun4all

Small Plastics Pose Big Problem

A decade or so ago, scientists first discovered that tiny pieces of plastic debris discarded by human civilization — some only a few thousandths of a millimeter in size — were finding their way into the oceans. But since then, it’s become increasingly apparent that microplastics, as the miniscule trash is called, represent a potentially huge threat to aquatic animals, according to an article in the July 11 edition of the journal Science.

The article, by marine scientists Kara Lavender Law of the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Mass. and Richard C. Thompson of the UK’s Plymouth University, notes that researchers increasingly are focusing upon the danger from microplastics, because their size makes it possible for a huge range of organisms — from large marine mammals, fish and birds to zooplankton — to ingest them. (Indeed, a 2012 study found that they pose a health threat to Baleen whales.)

Photos: Life on the Ocean Floor Garbage Patch

A report issued in June by the Global Ocean Commission estimated that 10 million tons of plastic is dumped into the oceans each year. Some of the plastic is discarded into waterways and then is carried into the ocean, but it’s also lost or discarded at sea by ships, the article notes.

Larger plastic items degrade to form microplastic, but some of the particles also are being put directly into the sea, because bits of cosmetic beads and clothing fibers are small enough to pass through wastewater treatment systems.

Once in the oceans, the particles are transported far and wide in a complex pattern that is difficult to predict. However, scientists have found very high concentrations in the subtropical gyres -- that is, areas where currents rotate rapidly — and in basins such as the Mediterranean.

Microplastics are themselves toxic, but they also soak up harmful chemicals that contaminate the ocean, such as DDT and PBDEs, so that they deliver a concentrated dose to the animals who ingest them. Marine scientists also worry that microplastics will end up in seafood-eating humans as well.

Video: How Much Trash is in the Ocean?

Microplastics are just one of the environmental woes afflicting the world’s oceans, and pushing them perilously close to ecological collapse, according to an article published last week in Foreign Policy, a political science journal.

Solving the problem is difficult because 65 percent of the oceans are outside the territorial waters of individual nations, and have become the equivalent of a chaotic, lawless “failed state” such as Somalia on land, the Foreign Policy article argued.

Content Courtesy: Discovery

Reducing Carbon Pollution Makes Us All Healthier-INFOGRAPHIC

A new proposed rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called the Clean Power Plan, will set the first-ever national carbon emissions limits for our country’s existing power plants. Find out how reducing carbon pollution will make Americans healthier in the new infographic from WhiteHouse.Gov.

Limiting the Carbon Emissions from Power Plants Will Make Americans Healthier. Here’s How:

Infographic courtesy of WhiteHouse.Gov

Power plants currently churn out about 40 percent of the carbon pollution in the air we breathe, and contribute to hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and thousands of heart attacks.

And even though we limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury, sulfur, and arsenic that power plants can put in our air and water, there are no national limits on the carbon pollution they can release.

As President Obama said in his weekly address on Saturday,

It’s not smart, it’s not safe, and it doesn’t make sense. –President Obama

That’s why today, at the President’s direction, the EPA is taking steps to change that with a proposal that will set the first-ever national carbon pollution limits for our country’s existing power plants.

Content Courtesy: 1sun4all.com