GigaWhat: What not to do

GigaWhat: What not to do

Author: Mongabay.com December 25, 2022 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 2030. However, every choice has a cost. Rapid renewable energy installation and the transition have left several aspects overlooked. And they have given rise to new issues.

Issues related to land availability and acquisition for mega-renewable projects, impact on biodiversity, lack of involvement of local communities and gender-based plans, lack of financing solutions, absence of waste management and recycling policies, etc.

Considering its impact on society, experts fear that the clean energy sector will follow in the footsteps of the fossil-fuel industry.

The shift from fossil fuels to renewables is needed eventually, but it poses loud questions: What will happen to the states that'll stop producing coal? What'll happen to the millions working in coal and related industries? Are they skilled enough to switch to the renewable sector? Also, is renewable energy coming up in coal-dependent regions in the first place, or is it happening elsewhere? How will the state departments and economy cope with this shift?

In this episode, we will try to understand the challenges that this sector's rapid but probably unplanned growth has thrown. We will examine if there are solutions and what needs urgent attention.

Listen to GigaWhat and explore some of the biggest questions, challenges, and opportunities in India's transition from fossil fuel to clean energy sources. Mongabay-India is an online publication dedicated to bringing you stories on science and the environment in India.

Read the full Clean energy series on our website

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Guests:

Bhargavi Rao, Senior Fellow and Trustee at Environment Support Group

Balasubramanian Viswanathan, Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development

Selna Saji, Research Analyst, Council on Energy, Environment and Water

Credits:

Host: Mayank Aggarwal

Writer and producer: Kartik Chandramouli

Audio editor: Tejas Dayananda Sagar

Copy editor: Priyanka Shankar

Podcast production assistant: Sapna Verma

Episode cover art: 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…
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.…
GigaWhat: Clean the messy trail [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 ene…