Karnataka—the seventh most urbanised state in India—has witnessed significant urbanisation in recent decades. From 2001 to 2011, the proportion of the rural population shifted from 66% to 61%, and that of the urban population shifted from 34% to 39%. 

By February 2024, India's biomass power capacity had surged to 10,845 MW as per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). This surge in biomass power is crucial for India as it aims to meet 50% of its energy requirements from renewables.

At the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow in November 2021, India pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070, positioning itself as a frontrunner in the race to carbon neutrality. According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India had installed a renewable energy capacity of over 180 GW by 2023 and is expected to meet its target of 500 GW by 2030.

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Growing the bioeconomy in the Global South in a circular, sustainable way offers direct economic and environmental benefits, with the potential to capture the economic opportunity of bio-based products of bio-based products for food, feed waste products and energy estimated at USD 7.7 trillion (WBCSD 2020).

This study performed the spatio-temporal analysis of drought hazards across the agro-climatic zones (ACZs) of Karnataka under historical and future climate scenarios. The India Meteorological Department’s high-resolution gridded data for1989-2019 was used for historical drought occurrence analysis. Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment ensemble data of the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios were used for analysing future drought hazards in the near (2031-2060) and end term (2061-2099) periods.

In an era of escalating environmental concerns and the pursuit of sustainable development, the circular economy emerges as a transformative solution. This paper examines India's Solar Photovoltaics and Telecommunication sectors, assessing their potential for circular economy practices, resource efficiency, and waste management. While solar photovoltaics contribute to a greener energy mix, the mounting concern of PV waste persists. Similarly, the telecommunications industry faces a surge in electronic waste due to rapid advancements.

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India’s commitment to reach net zero by 2070 and meet 50% of its cumulative installed capacity from non-fossil fuel energy resources is a significant milestone in its fight against climate change. India has also updated its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions intensity of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 45 percent by 2030 (from 2005 levels). One of the initiatives to achieve these targets is to increase the share of renewable energy (RE) in the energy supply mix.

Bengaluru is witnessing alarmingly high pollution levels, with particulate matter (PM) levels reaching at least 5 times over the permissible limits by the World Health Organisation (WHO).