Environomy #1: The Middle Class Unbottled

Environomy #1: The Middle Class Unbottled

Author: Mongabay.com February 9, 2024 Duration: 10:48

How did the 1991 economic reforms impact the course of the Indian environment in the past three decades? Listen to Environomy's first episode, where we will look at how the Indian middle class acquired a distinct economic and political identity after the economic reforms of 1991.

Through our show Environomy, S. Gopikrishna Warrier will take you through the journey of how environmental economics got interlocked after the economic reforms of 1991. This is a journey for which he had a ringside ticket as a journalist, reporting and writing on the environment for the past three decades.

Writer and producer: S. Gopikrishna Warrier
Production Editor: Kartik Chandramouli
Audio editor: Tejas Dayanand Sagar

Subscribe to Everything Environment by Mongabay India.

Follow Mongabay-India on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

Subscribe to our newsletter.


From the team at Mongabay.com comes Everything Environment by Mongabay India, a podcast that digs into the complex and often overlooked stories shaping India's natural world. This isn't just about headlines; it's about connecting the dots between biodiversity, climate change, and the natural resources that underpin daily life across the subcontinent. Each episode is a deep dive, whether it's examining the real-world impacts of the country's clean energy transition, uncovering lessons from ancient paleoscience, or giving a voice to lesser-known species fighting for survival. The conversations move beyond abstract problems to focus on tangible solutions and the people on the front lines. By weaving science and news into compelling narrative, this podcast places environmental discussions exactly where they belong: central to our understanding of India's present and future. You'll hear clear analysis and on-the-ground reporting that makes intricate topics accessible, fostering a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of ecology, policy, and community. For anyone curious about the forces shaping our environment, this series offers essential listening.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 28

Everything Environment by Mongabay India
Podcast Episodes
GigaWhat: Creating rural jobs with renewables [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:07
Lack of energy access limits the rural economy. But reliable electricity creates an infrastructure for rural entrepreneurs and gives people a chance to work on their aspirations. In rural India, decentralised renewable e…
GigaWhat: Clean-washing by dams? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:09
Hydropower has been an old and reliable source of energy in India. Until a few years ago, India considered a hydropower project renewable only when the installed capacity was less than 25 megawatt (MW). But then, in 2019…
GigaWhat: Farms harvest solar energy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:19
What are the high hurdles for India to uplift its people and realise its potential on the world stage? Two of the most significant ones are securing food for its large population and providing enough energy to power home…
GigaWhat: Renewables go reckless [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:13
The loss of biodiversity, the sixth mass extinction, high chances that you would have heard these terms. It's clear what pushed us into this situation - overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, the way we farm,…
GigaWhat: Renewable energy, limited land [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:34
Let's visualise the sheer expanse of one of India's largest solar parks, the Pavagada Solar Park in Karnataka. An aerial view of the site shows a never-ending sea of glass panels and wires spread across 13,000 acres. Tha…
GigaWhat: Clean Waste [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:07
The world is looking towards the sun, wind, and other alternatives for energy, and so is India, as a way to tackle climate change and other environmental issues. The sight of solar and wind farms, rooftops lined with sol…
GigaWhat Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:28
GigaWhat will explore some of the biggest questions, challenges, and opportunities in India's transition from fossil fuels to clean energy sources. As countries commit to cutting their carbon emissions to tackle climate…