The Indian Railways is one of the largest railway networks in the world, transporting millions of passengers and tonnes of freight daily. It has had a historically high demand for fossil fuels to meet the operational energy requirements, resulting in high operational costs and a high emission footprint. The government aims to tackle these challenges through 100% electrification of the railway network by 2024 and by becoming a net-zero emitter by 2030.

On 21 March, the Supreme Court, in a judgement regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) on protecting and conserving the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), noted that people have a fundamental right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. The court also set up an expert committee to assess the technical feasibility of undergrounding power lines, as well as to figure out ways to conserve GIBs. The next hearing in the matter is due this month.

Not a day or week passes without an extreme event such as a heat wave, high-intensity rainfall leading to floods and landslides, lack of rain or unseasonal rains destroying fruits and vegetable crops, or hurricanes striking coastal areas. Every month in 2023 set a new record for being the hottest on record, and every month of 2024 has already surpassed those records, with the hottest day in history recently recorded. Karnataka has experienced extreme droughts and flood-causing rainfall events in recent months and years.

A comprehensive study on what is polluting the air in India undertaken in 76 cities by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a research-based think tank, has found that only a few cities are on track to achieving the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) targets. NCAP was launched in 2019 by the Government of India, with an aim to improve air quality in 131 cities that do not meet the national air quality standards. The research spanning 2.5 years suggests that only 8 of the studied cities will be able to achieve 40% emission reduction by 2030.

As we head into yet another rice harvesting season in Punjab, the search for effective solutions to manage stubble continues. In 2021, over 50% of the rice stubble in the region was burnt, a practice that exacerbates respiratory illnesses, depletes soil fertility, and increases air pollution across neighbouring states.

India, the fifth largest economy in the world, is ambitiously striving to achieve a USD 5-trillion economy in the near future, positioning itself among the top three global economies. This has been possible due to the remarkable growth in India’s GDP over the past 18 years. As per NITI Aayog, India’s GDP increased from INR 42.6 lakh crore in the financial year (FY) 2006–07 to INR 295.4 lakh crore in FY 2023–24.