The idea of interlinking rivers is appealing because it is so grand, but this is also the reason it is nothing more than a distraction

The Supreme Court recently issued a diktat to the central government about the scheme to interlink rivers. The directions are straightforward. The government shall set up a high-level committee of ministers and other representatives on interlinking of rivers; the committee shall meet “at least once in two months”;

Spending has been increased again, but there’s still no effort in the Budget to improve outcomes

In this Budget, the government has raised the outlay for social sector schemes — from drinking water and sanitation to education and health. This is clearly important. But the question is: how will this money be spent so that it can make the difference in people’s welfare? At this moment, there is little understanding about how to ensure that the social service schemes are more effective and reach the people they are meant to service.

The world does not need another cheap energy option, it needs options that will drive it to secure its future

In the US, the climate change issue has lost so much traction that President Barack Obama, who came with a promise of change, has backed down on any discussion on it. After his election in 2008, Obama announced: “This is the moment when the rise of oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” But since then, little has happened to cut emissions at the scale and pace needed.

CSE study shows that wind energy business often subverts the purpose for profit, and wind farms do not generate energy

It was a trade exhibition abuzz with the restrained chatter of busy suited executives at company stalls making contacts and finalising deals. Nothing out of place — except that this trade was in renewable energy technologies, which have unconventional reasons for growth.

Poor nations have been sparring over emission cuts without realising that the fight is a deliberate creation of rich countries

Many years ago, in a desperately poor village in Rajasthan, people decided to plant trees on the land adjoining their pond so that its catchment would be protected. But this land belonged to the revenue department and people were fined for trespass. The issue hit national headlines. The stink made the local administration uncomfortable.

Indians know little about the water they use and the waste they discharge

Water is life, and sewage tells its life story. This is the subject of the “Citizens’ Seventh Report on the State of India’s Environment”, Excreta Matters: How urban India is soaking up water, polluting rivers and drowning in its own excreta. It has a seemingly simple plot: it only asks where Indian cities get their water from and where their waste goes. But this is not just a question or answer about water, pollution and waste.

The question is whether the protests across the world can be channelled to shape a better tomorrow

In 1990, China was responsible for only 10% of annual emissions. But in 2010, it contributed some 27%