GigaWhat: Clean the messy trail

GigaWhat: Clean the messy trail

Author: Mongabay.com August 27, 2022 Duration: 18:47

The clean energy sector maintains that it is crusading the fight against climate change. But first, governments and companies have to fix the road to making clean energy technologies.

The supply chain to create clean energy technologies is riddled with issues. Unsustainable mineral extraction to make solar cells, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries and other clean technologies pose high social and environmental risks. These scenarios are visible worldwide, especially in less industrialised nations.

A secure and sustainable supply chain can contribute to a clean energy transition.

In this episode of GigaWhat, Mongabay-India Contributing Editor and the podcast host, Mayank Aggarwal, speaks with Jessie Cato (natural resources programme manager, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) and Saurav Goyal (founding member, Metastable Materials) about various aspects of the clean technology supply chain.

Guests:

Jessie Cato, Programme Manager, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Saurav Goyal, Founding Member, Metastable Materials

Links

The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions, IEA

Critical Minerals for India, Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP)

Securing Clean Energy Technology Supply Chains, IEA

Climate-positive, high-tech metals are polluting Earth, but solutions await, Mongabay

Corporate sustainability due diligence, EU

India's market regulator takes a step towards sustainable finance, Mongabay-India

KABIL Set up to Ensure Supply of Critical Minerals

GigaWhat episode 1: Clean Waste

Read the full Clean energy series on our website
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Credits:

Produced and scripted by Kartik Chandramouli

Edited and mixed by Tejas Dayananda Sagar

Copy edits by Aditi Tandon

Production assistance from Ayushi Kothari

GigaWhat artwork by Pooja Gupta


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
Trailer: Environomy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30
The economic reforms of 1991 caused a radical shift in India's economic and social structure. It gave a new life to the middle class. But did you know that the reforms also changed how India dealt with its environmental…
Imprints: Lake hopping with Anoop Ambili [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:06
Lake-hopping is Anoop Ambili's thing. For Ambili, a paleoclimatologist, the Lonar Lake in Maharashtra, Tso Moriri in Ladakh and Renuka in Himachal Pradesh hide clues that help him reconstruct past climate changes going b…
Imprints: Sifting through microfossils with Rajani Panchang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:04
Looking at sediment under a microscope is a window into past environments and climates. In a dot of sediment, you may find thousands of microfossils - tiny remains of bacteria, protists, fungi, animals, and plants. Rajan…
Imprints: Digging up bones with Advait Jukar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:21
Imagine this: When modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, they saw creatures such as giant prehistoric elephants, a hippopotamus and a zebra-like horse, alongside other great beasts. Infact, these…
GigaWhat: What not to do [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:57
India's renewable energy dreams have been big since the country shifted gears post-Paris climate summit in 2015. The country is now working towards achieving 500 GW of installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2…
Imprints: Finding molluscs with Devapriya Chattopadhyay [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:38
What can shells tells us about marine paleoclimate? Shells and molluscs store a wealth of paleoclimate information. Molluscs build their shells with calcium carbonate from the sea water. Their shells record the sea water…
Imprints: Lake and archive diving with Atreyee Bhattacharya [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:11
It is fascinating how scientists unearth data for climate science in unusual locations. Atreyee Bhattacharya's work takes her to lakebeds and libraries. She's a paleoclimatologist who looks back at past climates to devel…
GigaWhat: Fuelling startups [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:18
India has an ambitious clean energy target that needs technology and innovation. While government and private sectors have their role to play, startups are critical for innovation and faster execution. They identify loca…
Trailer: Imprints [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
It is fascinating how scientists unearth data for climate science in unusual locations. Fossils, trees, lake sediment, other natural objects, and archival documents are like time portals. They tell us when and how ancien…
GigaWhat: Building the backbone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:43
We are all familiar with the buzzing sound under high-voltage power lines and transmission towers. The electricity passing through it is generated from coal power plants, solar parks, wind farms, dams and other sources.…