Bloody Plastics

The oceans, covering over 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface, have long been perceived as infinite reservoirs of resources. However, with the escalation of climate change impacts and pressures from hu...
Heatwaves are no longer episodic extremes but are increasingly becoming a structural feature of India’s climate landscape. Globally, nearly half a million people die each year from heat-related causes...
The conceptualization of the blue economy is rapidly evolving from a niche sub-sector to a central aspect of economic and ecological discourse. In this conversation, Pradeep Chauhan, Director General...
Sanitary napkins are indeed hygienic—eliminating a plethora of diseases for the user. However, it is a little known fact that these products are largely plastics in various synthetic combinations. As...
With 1.1 million vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG), India has the 5th largest fleet of CNG vehicles in the world. However, CNG use only manages to reduce the particulate matter (PM) em...
The problematic particles are 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, not 10, which result in health deficits. In developing countries, there is a lack of surface- based air pollution sensors which make...
With an estimated 620,000 deaths in a year and a six fold increase in premature deaths since 2000, India has the worst air pollution in the world.
Sanitary napkins are indeed hygienic—eliminating a plethora of diseases for the user. However, it is a little known fact that these products are largely plastics in various synthetic combinations. As a nation with 310 million potential users unregulated rise of napkins is a humongous disposal issue. Yet, India hasn’t even begun thinking.
With 1.1 million vehicles running on compressed natural gas (CNG), India has the 5th largest fleet of CNG vehicles in the world. However, CNG use only manages to reduce the particulate matter (PM) emissions as compared to other conventional fuels—on other counts however it performs poorly. Combined with the inability of the massive population of two-stroke auto rickshaw engines to adequately burn...
The problematic particles are 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, not 10, which result in health deficits. In developing countries, there is a lack of surface- based air pollution sensors which make it difficult to assess the extent of particulate pollution. NASA’s study on information obtained by MODIS and MISR-AOD satellites suggested that 80 per cent of the world’s population breathes air with...