Plastic pollution has reached a tipping point, endangering our ecosystems, wildlife, and the very fabric of our planet. This World Environment Day marks the theme ‘Solutions to Plastic Pollution’ to address this urgent global crisis. By collectively committing to sustainable alternatives, responsible consumption, and stringent policies, we can drive the change necessary to combat plastic pollution and restore the health of our environment.

World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5 every year, serves as a global call to action to address pressing environmental challenges. As we stand at the intersection of environmental crises, we must reflect on the state of our planet and take decisive action to safeguard our future. It is imperative for nations to step up their efforts to protect and preserve our planet. India — home to diverse ecosystems — is among the countries at the forefront of this global movement.

The first two articles of our ‘Under the Weather, On the Move’ blog series talked about the various considerations in conceptualising climate migration, and why migration is usually not the first adaptation strategy when facing a combination of climatic and non-climatic risks.

Over the past two decades, India has seen growth in forest and tree cover despite developmental activities. India in its 2015 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) committed to creating an additional sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) through the expansion of forest and tree cover by 2030.

A quarterly newsletter featuring CSTEP commentary, publications, events, and other developments.

The solar photovoltaic industry is witnessing a remarkable expansion worldwide. India is ranked fourth globally in ground-mounted photovoltaic deployment. While this is impressive, the waste resulting from such end-of-life photovoltaic panels is expected to be enormous at 4.5 million tonnes by 2050, as per our estimates. In the absence of suitable infrastructure facilities and a lack of proactive policies for recycling, waste accumulation can become an unmanageable problem.

The study conducted by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) employed a hybrid measurement approach to generate high-resolution air pollution maps. A mobile monitoring campaign was conducted where various monitoring instruments were set up in a CNG-fuelled car, which covered approximately 10% of the city's roads, to measure on-road mass concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and number concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFPs).

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.