Climate Emergency

Bihar has the lowest electricity consumption per person in India, mostly due to lack of power availability. The government is now focusing on solar energy projects, like rooftop installations, floating solar panels, and solar street lights, to boost clean energy. But is this solar energy boom in Bihar addressing the energy poverty challenge?

Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya travelled to the neighbouring villages in Gaya district of Bihar to understand how renewable energy is penetrating in Bihar. This episode explores the extent of solar adoption in the state and looks at whether solar adoption in Bihar transcends socio-economic factors like income, occupation and caste.

This is the third story as part of a three-episode mini-series supported by Earth Journalism Network. 

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In this final episode in the Joshimath series, Sudeshna Chowdhury speaks to an anthropologist, Lokesh Ohri who talks about how ancient rituals had always held nature in high esteem and how a sustainable development model is paramount for protecting the Himalayas.

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The Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project undertaken by NTPC since 2006 is the biggest bone of contention between the people of Joshimath and the government. Residents say that it is this project that has caused disaster in the region. On the other hand, government representatives have steered away from blaming the NTPC for the disaster. Sudeshna Chowdhury speaks to different parties to unravel the reasons behind the disaster

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Studies in the 1970s indicated that the town is located in a fragile area rendering the region unsuitable for construction of massive infrastructural projects. In this episode, Sudeshna Chowdhury speaks to scientists and environmentalists to understand the landscape of the place and what lies beneath its earth that makes it susceptible to land subsidence.

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Joshimath, an ancient spiritual town in Uttarakhand, is facing an existential threat due to land subsidence or urban sinking. Future of people who call this town their home is uncertain. The entire region has been divided into danger zones and safe zones. Some residents seek compensation to give up their homes while some don’t want to move at all. Sudeshna Chowdhury visits the town and speaks to residents to find out more about the issue.

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This summer, temperatures in India soared beyond 45 degrees Celsius, sparking discussions about the necessity of cooling as a fundamental need rather than a luxury. In India, fans, coolers and later air conditioners have been effectively used for seeking comfort from the heat. But with rising CO2 levels, experts have expressed the need for sustainable cooling methods. 

In countries with modern and planned infrastructural settlements such as Japan, Canada, Middle East, Sweden, USA, France and some parts of Europe- ‘District Cooling’ has been used as a popular cooling solution. But what exactly is district cooling? How does cooling happen in a typical district cooling setup? How climate-friendly is this solution?  And is it a viable solution for India? 

Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya speaks to Sudheer Perla who is the Managing Director of Tabreed Asia. Tabreed provides district cooling solutions in the UAE and Gulf Cooperation Council. They plan to collaborate with Indian real estate companies and corporations to establish district cooling systems, targeting airports, aero cities, and green buildings. 

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In the past few years, Jharkhand has seen extreme climate shifts which have affected the forests. The forests are home to various forest flowers, fruits, roots and stems that have been used for medicinal, consumption, healing, trade and many purposes and some have also been used as a livelihood measure. Many products have also been used in urban centres in daily cooking, like lac and tamarind. The climate shifts have resulted in reduced forest produce, affecting the livelihoods of tribal people here.  For reporting on this episode, Sushmita visited remote villages located deep inside forests. She interviewed activists and government officials to understand this issue.

This podcast was supported by the Pulitzer Center.

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Extreme heat this summer has indicated the need for a robust urban cooling system. It shows an urgent need to build community cooling centres which can be accessed by the most vulnerable groups such as the urban poor, women and elderly. 

To understand the challenges and solutions for urban cooling in Indian cities, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to Abhiyant Tiwari, who is the lead climate resilience and health consultant at National Research Development Corporation or NRDC India. He talks about the feasibility and scalability of cooling strategies like community cooling centres and district cooling systems, and effective integration of cooling measures in city planning.

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This year, Delhi faced severe heat waves with temperatures that soared past 45 degrees on several days. The most vulnerable people—those who live in informal settlements—suffered the brunt of this extreme weather. 

The Union Health Ministry and India Meteorological Department issued public health advisories as heatwave conditions persisted in various parts of the country. The advisories talk about following precautions such as monitoring the health of vulnerable individuals, staying hydrated, staying indoors during peak hours, keeping the house cool and so on. 

Suno India's Sneha Richhariya visited Nandlal Juggi in Gopalpur village near Mukherjee Nagar in North Delhi, to understand whether these advisories reflect the lives of the urban poor and more. 

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There is a strong belief that recycled plastic is always good for the environment, and is safe to use. But increasing, increasing evidence shows that recycled plastic should be used with caution. Toxics Link, a Delhi based  environmental research and advocacy organisation conducted a research to assess the toxic contaminants in recycled plastic products that were recycled in Delhi.  As part of this study, 15 samples of recycled plastic products, including food contact materials and toys were tested. 

In this episode, Suno India’s Sneha Richhariya spoke to Priti Mahesh who has authored this study. She talks about several issues related to recycling of plastic. Some of these are:

• The recycling of plastic waste in India is mostly done by the informal sector which uses unsound, improper recycling methods.
• All recycled plastic products are not necessarily safe to use. There are harmful contaminants in recycled plastic that could pose health risks. This is an understudied subject
• The laws and policy regarding plastic recycling in the country
• There is a need for enforcement and standardisation of plastic recycling in India 

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