Bharati Chaturvedi is an environmentalist and writer. She is the founder and director of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group.
Articles by Bharati Chaturvedi
Strengthen institutions to combat air pollution
As India marks five years of the bold idea of the NCAP, it should take stock of what needs to be done in the next phase
Published on Nov 21, 2024 08:11 PM IST
Action on toxic plastics can’t wait for consensus
While the current state of play suggests eliminating plastics will prove elusive in the medium term, mitigating toxicity can’t wait for global consensus.
Published on May 04, 2024 10:09 PM IST
Green piece: National clean air plan lists 131 cities struggling to meet norms
Many are doing important things to get off this list with Lucknow managing road dust with paving and Ghaziabad monitoring road repairs
Updated on Feb 05, 2024 07:52 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Green Piece: The depleting forest cover across country
From Ayodhya to Rameshwaram, via endless places in Central-Western India, there isn’t no vast expanse of forest. One can’t even thrive on river water these days
Updated on Jan 22, 2024 07:26 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Saving the Capital’s outdoor workers
Air pollution hits them the hardest. Policies need to be tweaked to protect their health
Published on Jan 08, 2024 06:45 PM IST
Green Piece: Concerns persist around Loss and Damage Fund’s implementation
For those of us in India, even the rest of the developing world, the path is clear : we cannot afford to stop speaking out loud and clear so the most vulnerable among us can fight back climate change with optimism and resources
Updated on Dec 11, 2023 07:28 AM IST
Green Piece: Indians need more push to tap into the solar energy
While India has developed some of the most ambitious solar plans, the average Indian hasn’t made solar power a part of their lifestyle as much as we should.
Updated on Nov 20, 2023 01:29 AM IST
Leopard park likely to be built in Aravallis near Gurugram
If the project is feasible, then scientists who understand leopards, the Aravalli ecology and the local topography and hydrology, must be key advisors.
Updated on Nov 06, 2023 01:17 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Green piece: A look at eco-tourism as a means to fight climate crisis
The older generation of Indians who protected forests and wildlife as part of their every culture, are declining.
Updated on May 22, 2023 12:23 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Greenpiece: All across Himalayas, India needs to rethink
While in the past, developing the Himalayas became a project on a war-footing, saving the region will also have to be undertaken on a war-footing. Plans must be modified. Not all plans have to be stopped, but they must all be re-examined.
Published on Jan 09, 2023 06:10 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Greenpiece: A Failure to stop the chemicals comes full circle
The well-known research of Dr. Shanna Swan in 2017, says by 2045, most people will rely on assisted reproduction, for environmental toxins, such as additives like phthalates from plastics, are disrupting the human endocrine system and are reducing fertility.
Published on Dec 05, 2022 02:35 AM IST
Reducing air pollution needs systemic changes
The solutions to reducing air pollution are well known: Shift the poor from biomass for cooking to clean fuels, push cleaner construction, reduce landfill fires, and increase reliable public transportation — for the most part. But each of these must be systemic, not piecemeal
Updated on Nov 18, 2022 07:09 PM IST
Greenpiece: Brazil’s Prez elections key to climate policies in coming years
The incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, is guilty of unprecedented destruction of the one of the world’s great carbon sinks — the Amazon Rainforest. With the narrow victory of Lula da Silva, hope for recovery brightens.
Published on Nov 07, 2022 03:57 AM IST
Greenpiece: ‘Light pollution’ is an issue for avian visitors
Birds are often unable to migrate when confronted with light pollution, because they get disoriented, fall prey to predators and travel the wrong way, among other things. This should worry us, because India offers important pathways for migrating birds.
Published on Oct 10, 2022 06:41 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Collaborate to build up climate resilience
Like other parts of the Global South, our region has also been left to its own devices in the face of climate calamities. This is evident in the uneasy global silence around climate finance
Updated on Sep 10, 2022 07:37 PM IST
Adapting celebrations for today’s festivals
We are not toiling farmers, but urbanites. We should adapt. Why can’t the local MLA hold a common fireworks display after 8, when Diwali pooja is done, or a bonfire? Solutions exist.
Published on Aug 08, 2022 01:44 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Let planning reflect the PM’s LIFE mantra
Last year, at COP 26 in Glasgow, Scotland, PM Modi introduced the idea of LIFE, or ‘Lifestyles for Environment’.
Published on Jul 18, 2022 04:47 AM IST
Single-use plastics: The next five steps
The government, especially the Bureau of Indian Standards, must set minimum standards to ensure alternatives can be reused and contain zero-toxicity, keeping the circular economy principles in mind
Updated on Jul 16, 2022 07:24 PM IST
Need to Prevent conflict between renewable energy and biodiversity
Today, wildlife-renewable conflict is a global challenge. India is no exception.
Published on Jul 11, 2022 05:55 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Why not lead the world in phasing out zoos?
In this era of the 6th extinction, unless it’s a conservation programme, should we still invest in zoos? What are the options?
Published on Jul 04, 2022 03:50 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
A climate shield for India’s small farmers
Water evaporation and shortage apart, such long days of intense heat change how crops grow, their ability to absorb nutrients. In some cases, they burn off the plant itself.
Published on Jun 20, 2022 06:43 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Greenpiece: need to create law to reduce food waste
Most middle class Indians have grown up being told not to waste food because it’s in short supply for the poor. Yet, the world wastes up to 30% of all food, increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
Published on Jun 13, 2022 07:07 AM IST
Need to create better ecosystem for animals
The problem, scientists pointed out, was that humans were feeding coyotes so they could draw them out for photographs. Consequently, the animals lost their fear of humans over time and chased, bit and scratched them.
Published on May 30, 2022 04:48 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Infusing green tradition in our cities
Increasingly, we read about city slickers beating a leopard to death. It’s a crime? That it was seen. We dump endless plastics in our rivers, regardless of how this impacts riverine life. We watch passively as trees are lopped.
Published on May 23, 2022 12:28 AM IST
To survive heatwaves, we need a moratorium on cutting down trees
Prior to this heatwave, several workers I spoke to asked why they couldn’t start working at 5 am and ending at 1 pm? Coupled with workplaces designed for frequent rest, shade and hydration, this could be a first step.
Updated on May 17, 2022 09:24 PM IST
Rising electric scooter fires need a closer look
Despite about 15 manufacturers in India, the quality of the batteries is unclear. Could some of them have been imported from outside, with no quality control, to meet the growing demand?
Published on Apr 25, 2022 06:02 AM IST
Need to take lessons from Sri Lanka crisis
The world is deeply interconnected. This is exhilarating, but it exacerbates our vulnerability, especially in the context of climate change.
Published on Apr 18, 2022 05:07 AM IST
Elderly losing out to climate change talk
According to the National Statistical Office ‘s 2021 report on the elderly, India can expect a 41% increase in the population of those above 60 in a decade, by 2031. How can we increase their resilience to climate change?
Published on Apr 11, 2022 07:06 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
India must eliminate toxins from the system
An avid birder in the Ottawa region mentioned to me how rare ravens were in the area till a decade ago. Now, they are plentiful.
Updated on Mar 28, 2022 05:58 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi
Mix modern science, indigenous wisdom to mitigate climate crisis
During the last few years, temperatures have started shifting from high to low rapidly, which forces the snow on top to melt and freeze back into ice.
Published on Mar 14, 2022 06:41 AM IST
Bharati Chaturvedi, New Delhi