Environment

Development and the Environment

Carbon Offsets: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and a Collective Hope Ahead

Carbon offsets may become an excuse for polluters to keep polluting. Emerging technology and regulations hold promise for India.

The Power that Humour Holds in Addressing Environmental Issues

How can humour be used in addressing environmental problems? Is it a useful tool to have in our arsenal, and how is it being deployed in India in particular? This article explores the ways that humour, through stand-up comedy and cartoons, is used to convey environmental issues in India.

Revival of Endangered Species Habitats Reflects Nagaland’s Commitment to Biodiversity Conservation

Nagaland has adopted a community-driven approach to preserve species like the Chinese Pangolin, Western Hoolock Gibbon, Blyth’s Tragopan, and the Great Indian Hornbill. What lesson can be learnt from such an approach?

Projects in Protected Area: How Development Politics Fragments Conservation in the Sanjay Gandhi...

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a one-of-a-kind national park located inside the city of Mumbai. How have developmental projects inside the protected area impacted the people, flora, and fauna?

Tragedy of the Commons: How a Flawed and Racist Metaphor Continues to Dominate Environmental...

The Tragedy of the Commons is one of the most influential ideas in environmental thinking. But, a deeper look at the metaphor reveals that community governance of commons, as opposed to privatisation, may in fact be the answer to governance woes.

Infrastructure Projects In and Around Protected Areas Need to Be Held Financially Accountable

This is Part Two of #FinancingDevelopment, a series analysing the finances behind India’s development journey, in collaboration with the Centre for Financial Accountability. Read...

Caste, Class, and Awareness—Makers and Breakers of Common Land Dispute Resolution in Rajasthan

The second half of this investigative series on Rajasthan’s Public Land Protection Cells (PLPCs) finds evidence via RTIs and interviews with locals that explain why the district administration has not been effective in spreading awareness about the Cell's functions. Implementing final orders from the PLPC seems to be largely shaped by class and caste dynamics.

In Rajasthan, a Public Land Protection Cell is Removing Encroachments, But Challenges Abound

A 2019 order passed by the Rajasthan High Court called for the formation of a Public Land Protection Cell, a district-level conflict resolution institution to investigate cases of encroachments on common lands. In this two-part series, The Bastion investigates the efficiency of these unique Public Land Protection Cells through interviews and information received via Right to Information applications. Part 1 uncovers the types of conflicts that occur on these “commons”, and how a delayed start to these cells and slow disposals might be plaguing their functioning.

Food, Festivals, and Heritage: The Climate Crisis is Erasing our Culture

In the temperate regions of North America, there is a small tree called the shadbush. Its name originates from the synchronisation of its flowering...