Potential and challenges of using hydrogen to decarbonise Indian Railways
The Indian Railways, one of the biggest train networks worldwide, transports over 24 million passengers and 3 MT of freight daily. It is a major energy consumer in the country with a significant emission footprint. To overcome these challenges, the government has set a target to achieve 100% electrification of the railway network by 2024. Currently, 80% of the routes have already been electrified. However, the cost effectiveness and technical feasibility of complete electrification in areas with low grid access or inaccessible terrain or in routes with low frequency remain unclear.
Regional (South) Meet of Institutes of Repute Associated with NCAP
CSTEP and the National Knowledge Network (IIT Kanpur) organised the regional (south) meeting of Institutes of Repute (IoR) associated with NCAP on 27 July 2023 at Royal Orchid, Bengaluru.
The objective of the meeting was to synergise the efforts among agencies and discuss integrated multi-dimensional aspects of air quality monitoring and management.
Please refer to the concept note and agenda for more details.
ICAS 2023: Clean Air for Sustainable Development and Mission LiFE
The India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) is the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy’s (CSTEP’s) flagship event on air pollution. The event is organised by the Centre for Air Pollution Studies (CAPS) at CSTEP and serves as an important platform for shaping the narrative and driving action on air quality in India.
In the fifth edition of ICAS, we explored the need to prioritise clean air for sustainable development and Mission LiFE in collaboration with Indian Aerosol Science and Technology Association (IASTA).
Democratizing Air Pollution Models in India: Current Opportunities and Challenges
CSTEP collaborated with ORF America to organise a round-table discussion on 22 June 2023 in ITC Windsor, Bengaluru.
Titled ‘Democratizing Air Pollution Models in India: Current Opportunities and Challenges’, various stakeholders, including technical and policy experts, deliberated on current practices in air quality modelling in India and the way forward.
Unpacking the concept of climate migration
Human mobility in the context of environmental impacts has been gaining increasing attention. Our blog series ‘Under the Weather, On the Move’ seeks to demystify climate migration by exploring some of its key aspects, intersectional variations, and policy angles.
In this first article, we discuss how climate migration can be broadly defined.
Are you making the sustainable choice?
India became the fifth largest economy surpassing the UK recently, recording a greater-than-expected 7.2% GDP growth rate in FY 2022–23. Also, as per the latest State of World Population (SOWP) report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), India is the most populous country on the planet, leaving behind China.
Living a Low-Plastic Lifestyle
World Environment Day reminds us—the contributing species to pollution on planet Earth—that the environment can be preserved through mindful actions and addressing harmful human activities.
In the context of this year's focus on combating plastic pollution, the United Nations Environment Programme has strongly emphasised the significant role of individuals in accelerating the shift to a plastic-free world.
How India can balance growth and sustainability for its petrochemical industry
At the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference held in New Delhi in May, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, said that the demand for petrochemicals is expected to nearly triple by 2040 in India.
Why is battery recycling key to achieving a net-zero economy by 2070?
India is committed to its net-zero goals by 2070, and the decarbonisation of the transport sector through vehicular electrification is a major cornerstone.
Evidently, this is expected to increase the demand for batteries in future. Among the available battery technologies, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are most suitable for electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are mainly powered by lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistries.
Explained | Was India’s hot summer of 2023 the first of many to come?
It will be fair to say that many of us are looking forward to the monsoon season this year, eager to put behind us one of the hottest summers ever on record. With each passing year, India has been experiencing more and more instances of severe heatwaves, rendering these months more and more dreadful.