While information technology may not be the solution to all the problems ailing the world today, the pandemic has proven that it sure is the adhesive that glues things from falling apart.

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

With the Government of India’s (GOI’s) renewed focus on sustainable development and improving the quality of air in the recent budget, cities in India have started integrating electric buses (e-buses) into their fleets. Around 1,000 e-buses are in service at the moment, and nearly 6,500 e-buses are expected to be deployed across the country by 2022. The high purchase cost of batteries, though, is proving to be a major deterrent to the large-scale adoption of e-buses.

While environmentalists were busy applauding the decline in carbon emissions in the wake of pandemic-induced lockdown in most parts of the world, the Mauna Loa Observatory in the US posted a peak of 417 parts per million of atmospheric CO2 for several days in early 2021. The only time carbon levels exceeded 400 parts per million before this was during the Pliocene era—four million years ago when the average surface temperature was warmer and sea levels were 33-82 feet higher than now—long before man’s entry on the scene.

The surge in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the transport sector is a growing concern globally, given its enormous impact on environment. According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), about 24% of the global direct CO2 emissions from fuel combustion in 2019, came from the transport sector. 

Changes in the timing and magnitude of rainfall can put a severe strain on agriculture. Additionally, an increase in extreme climate events such as heavy rainfall and dry spells can also affect agriculture. In Karnataka, agriculture is the key contributor to the state’s economy. However, agricultural productivity in the state is hampered by the availability of irrigation (only 31.2% of the land is irrigated) and variability in rainfall distribution.

The world has been witnessing a series of virus spillovers from wild species to humans. The spate of infectious diseases in recent decades –  Chikungunya, Ebola, yellow fever, swine flu, bird flu, SARS, Nipah, Zika – all can be traced to biodiversity loss and the subsequent close interactions between wild species and human beings. Data reveals that infectious diseases have, in fact, tripled every decade since the 1980s, with nearly 60% of these originating in wild animals.