-Scroll.in/ qz.com There are parallels between India’s economic situation today and the US experience of 2008. The Indian economy is facing one of its most challenging times in years, and Policymakers are responding to the crisis through monetary measures, such as tweaking key interest rates. But how far can this go in reviving growth? On August 7, the Reserve Bank of India, in its bi-monthly monetary policy meeting, lowered its growth projection for...

-Down to Earth The IPCC’s Special Report on Climate Change and Land says land-based carbon sinks are not limitless The carbon cycle is classically described in terms of ‘sources’ and ‘sinks’ of emissions. The electricity sector, which converts fossil fuels into light and heat, is a source (as are most human activities since the dawn of the industrial age). Identifying sinks is trickier. We know that, as a general principle, more forest cover...

-The Indian Express This is the first time that the IPCC, whose job it is to assess already-published scientific literature to update our knowledge of climate change science, has focused its attention solely on the land sector. Pune: A new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released Thursday presents the most recent evidence on how the different uses of land — forests, agriculture, urbanisation — are affecting and...

-Hindustan Times If Indian cities have become successful in turning away migrants, we should see that as the first sign of their demise, not their dynamism. “Stop migration into cities.” These were the words of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during last week’s budget speech, even as she — confusingly — called urbanization an “opportunity rather than a challenge.” A call to stop rural-urban migration should alarm, but not surprise us. The FM’s statement...

-The Hindu With growing environmental distress, Policymakers cannot shy away from adopting best eco-management practices In a report last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) called the Chennai floods of 2015 a “man made disaster”, a pointer to how the encroachment of lakes and river floodplains has driven India’s sixth largest city to this ineluctable situation. The Chennai floods are a symbol of consistent human failings and poor urban...