Feature Article

The EU and the United States are pursuing ambitious goals in the use of CCS technology. But there are still almost no pilot projects, and cost-effectiveness remains a big question mark.

When the World Bank cancelled its loan for the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada in 1993, it was the first time that the institution had terminated an agreement due to environment/rehabilitation reasons.

This study examines the validity of the democracy advantage thesis with reference to India’s states and shows that the impact of democracy on health, in terms of infant mortality rates, is mixed – good to moderate in a number of states but poor in most of the populous states. It explains why and how democracy is believed to make a difference to a country’s health and human development performance. Further the article highlights the significant variation in IMRs across states and the good to moderate performance among a number of states.

The various mechanisms evolved through global negotiations to deal with shared environmental problems, such as climate change, fall short because they are not located within a larger debate on dealing with human well-being and instead focus only on limiting damage. The United Nations is best placed to support a common understanding on patterns of resource use that are in principle common for all by generating strategic knowledge, also leading to deepening coherence of the global agenda.

In late 2010 a group of professionals published a report of surveys conducted in the Sundarbans following the destruction caused by cyclone Aila in May 2009. This report shows how little we care to know about the people living in the delta. While the state government attempts to include it among the wonders of the world, the people living here are impoverished and vulnerable. The Sundarbans is a disasterprone region, but the government is yet to come up with a disaster management policy.

The currently planned expansion of thermal power generation capacity works out to 1.3 times the existing generation capacity. The geographic distribution of this expansion is highly uneven, showing clustering in certain coal-mining states, and further within districts and regions. By backing independent power producers through comprehensive memoranda of understanding, state governments have forsaken the communities that will bear the environmental, health and livelihood impact of these thermal clusters.

The 2011 Census has reported a marginally higher growth in the urban population, yet it also reports a phenomenal increase of 2,774 new “census towns” – greater than the number of such new towns identified in all of the 20th century. Could this be the result of some kind of census activism working under pressure to report a higher pace of urbanisation? Since the Census of India has a reputation for rigour, it is imperative that the methodology for identification of new towns and possible changes from the past are made public.

Will the protests against the Koodankulam project force the government to pause and rethink its nuclear power plans? (Editorial)

Residents of Jamsher village in Punjab's Jalandhar district are up in arms against a proposed waste-to-energy plant in their village. At the public hearing on the proposed municipal solid waste management project held on Friday, the residents appeared well-informed and raised pertinent questions. But the district authorities as well as the company consultants were unable to answer the queries. When contacted, the company spokesperson refused to comment.

 

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are known for saving power. What is less  known is that they have high mercury content, which damages the environment and human health. According to non-profit Toxics Link, 22 sample bulbs taken from the four leading manufacturing brands of CFLs in India showed mercury presence up to 21.2 milligram per unit on an average. A 2008 CPCB survey says the average mercury used in CFLs is much lesser at 7.5 mg.