Sustainability Insider

In an exclusive interview with Business Insider India, Bhumi Pednekar spoke about her struggles with eco-anxiety during her early years, her efforts to strike a balance between her professional career and environmental responsibilities, her advice for a younger audience, and her take on the climate action across the globe. In a world where the spotlight often blinds stars to the sufferings of the planet and its people, Bhumi reminds us that every person on this planet needs to keep that spark for eco-consciousness alive.

​India needs to see USD 293 billion of investment made between 2023 and 2030 to meet our ambitious renewable energy targets. Can these funds contribute to the decarbonisation of our energy system while driving advancement on health, meaningful livelihoods, economic and infrastructure resilience, and also improve food, water and materials security?

Life cycle assessment of plastic reveals that petroleum-based plastics can be recycled three to four times — with product quality deteriorating with each cycle — finally finding its way to landfills. In 2016, the World Economic Forum had estimated that plastic production could triple by 2050, if the businesses continue as usual.

In less than 10 years, nature lovers have a lot going for them in Vijayapura. The district is now home to one of the largest urban forest plantations - over 600 acres planted with 60,000 and odd native species of trees. In all, over 1.30 crore saplings have already been planted, and with drip irrigation powered by solar, it was possible to achieve a 98% survival rate for plants.

Although the detrimental effects of climate change on economies have been acknowledged, quantifying its impact has proven challenging. Nonetheless, a recent study has provided a grim forecast, suggesting that climate change could slash global GDP by a substantial $38 trillion by 2050, equivalent to nearly a fifth of the world’s total GDP.

The study suggests that the Plains could face increased risks of crop failure due to rising temperatures, drought, and unpredictable rainfall patterns caused by global warming. The team emphasises the importance of preparing for these challenges, suggesting measures such as investing in heat and drought-resistant seeds, building flood-resistant dams, and storing rainfall for irrigation during dry periods.

The Science Based Targets initiative, revered for its role in setting rigorous climate targets for corporations, has now found itself at the centre of a storm, with dozens of its own staff demanding the resignation of the organisation’s board members. Further, the involvement of the Bezos Earth Fund, a major financial supporter of SBTi, has added fuel to the fire.

Studies have shown that electric vehicle sales in India have risen more than sixfold since pre-pandemic times. However, more than a growing concern for the environment, skyrocketing fuel prices might have given the necessary push to this transition. Nevertheless, it still begs the question: is moving away from planet-killing fossil fuel vehicles actually working?

It is common to see plants at Indian traffic medians wilting away for lack of care, or even destroyed by stray cattle which use these spots as drive-through diners. Not only is this terrible from an ornamental standpoint, a new study has found that these plants also play a crucial role in mitigating the harmful effects of motor vehicle emissions.

Over three-quarters of countries are expected to struggle to maintain their population sizes by 2050, escalating to more than 97% by the century's end. This trend will create a stark contrast between regions experiencing declining birth rates and those witnessing a surge in childbirth, leading to what experts term a "demographically divided world".

In order to convert polymers into actual usable products, manufacturers add certain chemicals to alter their properties as per need. Prior to mass bans across countries, many of these additives included stuff like lead that pose major risks to human health and the environment. In fact, a recent study has shed new light on the shocking contents of PVC floor coverings that are commercially available in the Swiss market.

Although Arctic ice has been steadily diminishing over the past fifty years, the most dramatic decline occurs during the summers. Even September months are projected to become ice-free between 2035 and 2067. By the century's end, continual high emissions could lead to ice-free conditions from May to January, whereas a low-emission scenario might restrict this to August to October.

According to the Centre for Science and Environment's State of India's Environment 2024 report, 44% of all climate-related incidents in India from 2013-2022 occurred in the Himalayan region. Glacier melt has also accelerated significantly, with glaciers in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas losing 65% more ice mass between 2010 and 2019 compared to the previous decade. This loss of glaciers poses catastrophic consequences for irrigation, hydropower, and domestic use.

In the journey towards a greener and more sustainable future, women are not just stakeholders, but essential architects of change. Despite a global acknowledgement of this crucial fact, the ongoing socio-environmental shifts risk leaving women behind, worsening historical injustice. Therefore, on this International Women’s Day (IWD), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has urged governments, policymakers and employers to actualise the 2024 UN IWD theme, ‘Invest in women: accelerate progress’.

For millions of women, the simple act of leaving their homes to navigate work or errands is fraught with numerous challenges. Can we design women-friendly urban mobility systems as a part of the solution? Equitable mobility opens up earning opportunities for women — with positive correlations with their household savings, children’s education and personal autonomy. But if ignored, it has the opposite effect.

Despite covering a mere 0.1% of Earth's surface, mangrove forests play a critical role in regulating pretty much everything you can think of. These unique ecosystems nurse three-quarters of the world’s tropical fish and provide a safe haven for many critically endangered species, including our national animal, the Bengal Tiger. In addition, our stilted hard-workers are up to ten times better than other land-based forests in skimming atmospheric carbon!

Climate change is often associated with rising temperatures, but it has also led to an overall increase in global humidity, since warmer air is generally able to hold more moisture. And a new study has suggested that both of these factors are set to play a significant role in the spread of parasitic worms in many parts of the world.

While planting trees certainly helps, there are a ton of usually uncounted things that prevent it from being the magic bullet we believe it to be. For instance, the darker foliage of certain trees, while adept at capturing carbon, also absorbs sunlight that would otherwise be reflected back into space, creating a warming effect. This is especially true when trees replace snow and ice, like in high-altitude and extreme-latitude regions.

The report finds growth in per capita consumption, a decline in urban and rural inequality and a drastic decline in the country’s poverty index. It says that the government’s sharp focus on providing basic amenities to the entire population via cooking gas, housing for all, toilet constructions, piped water, and electricity supply to urban as well as rural belts went a great deal in enabling and facilitating an environment for all-inclusive growth.

Extreme temperatures also had other effects, distinguished by which end of the spectrum took its toll on the children. For instance, too much cold made babies more susceptible to respiratory diseases, while drought and severe rainfall stunted their growth. The effect of air pollution was smaller compared to temperature, but most pollutants did end up having some or the other effect on the children.

Many factors such as droughts and floods can incur a noticeable toll on supply chains worldwide, especially in climate-vulnerable countries such as India, and countries with limited trade routes. However, India recently addressed the World Trade Organisation members at the thirteenth Ministerial Conference, insisting that climate change is a “non-trade” issue

Studies have shown that about 80% of the Goan population lives in low-lying coastal areas, making it highly susceptible to flooding as sea levels rise at 1.5 mm a year in many of its coastlines. Further, fervently rising temperatures and an increase in devastating floods and cyclones in recent years have exacerbated the toll on the environment and economy of the popular getaway.

The impacts of climate change-fuelled changes not only affect individual farmers' livelihoods, but also contribute heavily to massive food price fluctuations that affect millions across the country. In a budget presentation, Tamil Nadu’s Agricultural Minister, MRK Panneerselvam recently explained that climate change is very likely to present considerable challenges to biodiversity, crop yields and food security in the coming two decades.

More than just a straightforward impact on the residents' physical health, scientists have always worried that the high levels of toxic smog could be finding its way to our brain and altering its chemistry, effectively impacting our mental well-being as well. And now, a new study might just have confirmed these concerns.

While headlines may remain fixated on carbon dioxide, there is another accomplice aiding the gas in heating our planet. Trapping 30 times more heat than carbon dioxide despite lingering in the atmosphere for a shorter period, methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas. Studies have also shown that about a quarter of our global warming can be attributed to methane.