Synopsis: Fighting climate crisis needs high impact solutions led by entrepreneurs and start-ups. Hence, funding assumes critical importance. Contents1 Introduction2 What is the major problem faced in commercialization of high-impact innovations?3 Why there is a lack of risk capital?4 What is required to push the transition of ideas from labs to markets? Introduction Addressing climate… Continue reading Green-unready: On funding high-impact climate solutions
Tag: gs paper 3
How the world — and India — changed in the 20 years after 9/11
Synopsis: After the 9/11 attacks, geopolitics changed dramatically. Even democratic nation-states underwent a change to respond to non-state actors. Introduction It was September 11, 2001, when planes struck the twin towers of the USA. The attack on the superpower by non-state actors highlighted the new threats that states were forced to deal with in the… Continue reading How the world — and India — changed in the 20 years after 9/11
A very consequential Supreme Court ruling: When govt values land unjustly, landowners cannot seek full remedy in lower courts
Synopsis: Road construction is important. But so are the right of landowners who lose the land as part of the Government’s land acquisition. Contents1 Introduction2 Why the government arbitration is considered one-sided?3 What can courts do?4 What is the High Court stand? Introduction Government has the power to compulsorily acquire a person’s property for the… Continue reading A very consequential Supreme Court ruling: When govt values land unjustly, landowners cannot seek full remedy in lower courts
No offshore wind project has commenced in India: Are we on track for 30 GW by 2030?
Synopsis: To harness the capacity of India’s offshore wind potential, we need to identify the areas where we can develop offshore wind project and accelerate the project. Introduction India has planned to provide 24×7 electricity to every home. As per the forecast of International Energy Agency, the country’s energy demand will increase by 6-7% annually… Continue reading No offshore wind project has commenced in India: Are we on track for 30 GW by 2030?
Climate change impacts food and nutritional security — Earth needs regenerative farming
Synopsis: Climate change is a major threat to food production globally and vital steps need to be taken to mitigate it. Does climate change impact food production and nutrition? Yes. It has very significant impacts on these. Findings of the 2019 IPCC panel on climate change’s special report on land showed how climate change was… Continue reading Climate change impacts food and nutritional security — Earth needs regenerative farming
Trading Orangutans for palm oil
Synopsis: Instead of implementing Oil Palm mission, the government can look to set up sanctuary for endangered animal species. Introduction One of the problematic items in economic and environmental terms in the Indian food basket is edible oil. India imports 60 per cent of its cooking oils, and more than half those imports are of… Continue reading Trading Orangutans for palm oil
Making green hydrogen viable demands financial, tech support to lower costs
Synopsis: Bringing down the cost of producing Green Hydrogen in India will require a mix of financial and technological interventions. Contents1 Background2 What is the major issue with Green Hydrogen adoption?3 What is the present global scenario wrt Hydrogen production?4 At what price point will adoption of Green Hydrogen be feasible for industry?5 What steps… Continue reading Making green hydrogen viable demands financial, tech support to lower costs
The irrelevance of Indian GDP estimates to most of our citizens
Synopsis: Economic recovery is unlikely to prove sustainable when most basic indicators of human development show a worsening of our situation. Introduction Estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021-22 were released on 31 August. This year’s first-quarter estimate shows a 20%-plus GDP growth. However, the real issue is… Continue reading The irrelevance of Indian GDP estimates to most of our citizens
Terror didn’t win: 9/11 changed democratic countries in some unlovely ways. But democracies stayed on track
Synopsis: This article highlights how global democracies change after the 9/11 attack. Contents1 Introduction2 Does terrorism threaten democracy?3 What are the impacts of terror attacks?4 What should be done next? Introduction A study from the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimated that the number of active terrorist groups was 67 in 2018, the… Continue reading Terror didn’t win: 9/11 changed democratic countries in some unlovely ways. But democracies stayed on track
What Chandrayaan-2 has sent
Synopsis: The failure of Chandrayaan-2 to make a soft-landing on the lunar surface had led to much disappointment. However, Orbiter part of the mission has gathered a wealth of new information. Introduction Due to crash landing, ISRO missed the opportunity to demonstrate soft-landing in outer space and gather more local information. The lander Vikram and rover… Continue reading What Chandrayaan-2 has sent
