Category Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

A Comparative Analysis of Financing Climate Action in India and China: Is Climate Finance Working?

Climate finance has emerged as the financial cornerstone of global efforts to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. With rising temperatures, erratic weather events, and increasing socioeconomic vulnerability, especially in the Global South, the real-world effectiveness of climate finance is under growing scrutiny. Yet, in countries like India and China, two of the world's most influential emerging economies, the central question persists: Is climate finance delivering results on the ground, or is it still more rhetoric than reality?

Building Greener Cities Starts with Knowing what’s ‘Green’

India is urbanizing fast. By 2036, nearly 600 million people are expected to live in  cities. That’s almost 40% of our population. It means our cities will face immense  pressure, the existing infrastructures will not be enough: more people will need more  coverage of water supply, sewerage and transportation networks, more housing and  cleaner air to breathe.  

And how much is that going to cost us? According to a World Bank report, around  $840 billion by 2036. That’s a staggering amount. But here’s the real question: are our cities rich enough  to afford it?

Building Smarter Climate Insurance: Addressing Risk, Behaviour, and Innovation

Climate change intensifies, communities across the world face rising sea levels, more frequent  droughts, and extreme floods. In response, insurance has emerged as a critical tool to buffer  households, farmers, and governments against financial shocks. But traditional insurance  models—designed for rare and localized events—are now being stretched beyond their limits  by the scale and frequency of climate disasters (Kunreuther & Michel-Kerjan, 2011). 

Between Heatwaves and Policy Gaps: Climate Justice and  Adaptation in Delhi’s Informal Settlements

Delhi has been one of the hottest cities in India during the last several years. In 2024 alone, there were  days when the capital reached 45°C or more which set off warnings about health problems and increased  energy use. Even so, people are not all affected in the same way by this environmental problem. For  those living in slums in Delhi, heatwaves mean more than unusual heat—they bring endangerment  which can be blamed on both the city’s poor infrastructure and policy problems

Shifting Livelihoods in Rural India: From Fields to Cities

Agriculture has long been the backbone of rural India, not merely as a livelihood but as a  cultural identity. Yet, in recent decades, this foundation has begun to shift. Although agriculture  still employs over 45% of India’s workforce, its dominance has declined sharply from around  70% a few decades ago. The rural economy is diversifying, but this transformation is marked  more by distress than opportunity.

Everyday Sustainabilities: Rural Women and Everyday Environmental Action

Why do India’s climate debates focus so heavily on grand-scale actions, think carbon targets and green tech while ignoring the quiet, daily  efforts of rural women? These women, especially in tribal and village communities, practice  environmental conservation not out of policy mandates but through tradition, necessity, and a  deep connection to the land. Yet their contributions go unremarked in mainstream discussions.  Inspired by this gap, I set out to document their stories, drawing on my sociological lens to  highlight the gendered dimension of sustainability.

Depths of Concern: An Inquiry on Deep Sea Mining and Ocean Governance

Harnessing energy from any and every deemed resource since time immemorial, humankind has always sought to better its civilizations. We have tilled the land, turned over Earth's face, dammed rivers, extracted fuel, and new frontiers keep showing up as potential reserves. Land-based minerals have proved phenomenal, driving development by powering economies and enabling technological innovation. As with every venture of humanity, by its standards and definitions of progress through metrics, the repercussions to the planet have been inevitable. Terrains once lush have been scarred hitherto, still leaching toxins and contaminants into their surroundings, and social conflicts are imminent for the communities that once lived there.

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