India's transition to green energy is an opportunity to get it right

 India has committed to transit substantially from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This is an opportunity to ensure that the legacy problems of fossil fuels do not affect renewable energy and the transition is just environmentally and socially. MORE ...

City Scripts on covering climate change

On February 27, I spoke with environment journalists on covering climate change. This was at the City Scripts online conference organised by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements, Bengaluru. SEE THE VIDEO ... 

OL Nation: The Nilgiris, Todas and sustainable environmental action

It was a privilege to be invited by the Old Lawrencians Association (OLA) to participate and moderate in a discussion on the environment of the Nilgiris. SEE THE VIDEO ...

Indian environmental history for young adults

 A new book explains Indian environmental history to young adults. MORE ... 

Exploring the linkages between environment and music

 In an interview with Rahul Ram, lead singer for the Indian Ocean Band, this piece explores the relationship between environment and music. MORE ... 

Onam links to the environment and economics

 Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, has strong linkages to the environment and the economy of this coastal state. MORE ... 

Three strands of the same braid

The COVID-19 pandemic is braided together with the environment and the economy. MORE ...

A migrant helps a customer wash his hands in front of a supermarket in Chennai. 

What is a forest - an explainer

Along with my colleague Aditi Tandon, I look at what is defined as forests in India. MORE ... 

Environmental economics is a mature science today: Pavan Sukhdev

An interview with environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev, after he was selected for the Tyler Prize for environmental excellence. MORE ...

Pavan Sukhdev.

Environmental reality as the economy goes to recession

An entire generation of environmental journalists have been covering stories about economic growth and the environment. With the economic recession continuing, journalists will need to look at the situation differently. MORE ...

The economic recession necessitates journalists to look at environment journalism differently. Photo SGW

India loses its pioneering environment journalist

I started by reading his stories in the mid-1980s as a student. It enthused me to become an environment journalist. From the 1990s, he was my mentor and friend. My tribute to Darryl D'Monte. MORE ...

Darryl D'Monte. Photo by Neeraj Khera. 

Will environmental issues drive the narrative in 2019 national elections?

The agrarian crisis due to environment issues and policy paralysis was one of the issues that surfaced during the state elections in November-December 2018. Could environmental issues will drive the narrative in the 2019 national elections? MORE ...

Kole Birders: Learning habitat conservation from the birds

They have different day jobs, but they have one passion in common. They love to watch and photograph birds. Starting from this hobby, this group of citizen scientists have contributed some of the best bird surveys in the country. MORE ...

Birdwatchers in the midst of the kole fields. Photo by Kole Birders. 

Nipah infection in Kerala: Don't blame the bats alone

It is easy to blame the bats without introspecting on public health. MORE ... 

A heart and head for conservation

At a time when the idea of a strong prime minister means a neglect of environmental concerns, Jairam Ramesh's biography of Indira Gandhi proves that a strong political leader could also have a strong heart and head for conservation. MORE ...

Picture published by Frontline. 

For sustainable development

If environment sustains life, economics runs it. The ever-continuing environment-and-development debate and discussion centre around the question of what the economic value of nature and its environmental services are. MORE ...

The GM jinx

The decision on GM mustard can either be technical or democratic. It should not mix the two. MORE ...

Environment and business

Environment and business are strange bedfellows. They should neither be too close or too far away. MORE ...

More smoke, less fire

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi has become the official icon for the official environmental initiatives in India in the past two years. But is the assimilation of Gandhi complete? MORE … 

Green memories

On how Jairam Ramesh found the middle ground of engagement on economic growth and environmental conservation. ... MORE ...