Rural areas face unique risks due to COVID-19, with many rural hospitals also struggle with unreliable access to electricity, affecting the day-to-day treatment of patients. Nav Jivan Hospital in rural India shows the life-saving value of sustainable energy, especially in times of crisis.
India and Bangladesh are no strangers to extreme cyclones, so when Cyclone Amphan made landfall, South Asia could draw on decades of preparation and experience. The COVID-19 pandemic added a new layer of complication, so these areas had to deal with a double disaster.
While India makes decisions for immediate economic relief, additional actions can help ensure long-term sustainability and resilience.
This working paper proposes a framework to identify and assess the relevant sustainable development impacts of renewable power technologies in India and to estimate their economic rate of return (ERR). This economic analysis approach allows for systematic consideration of relevant socioeconomic and environmental costs and benefits, which are especially critical in energy policymaking and planning.
To curb the spread of the coronavirus, cities must address inequality. City preparedness and resilience are key to withstanding this and future crises.
This paper explores the environmental impact of Shuttl, a demand-responsive bus service, in the National Capital Region of India.
This working paper describes WRI India’s experience aggregating demand for clean energy in apartment complexes of Bengaluru India.
New research finds nearly two-thirds of sewage and human waste in 15 major cities is unsafely managed, worsening urban sanitation crisis.
What if we could predict violent conflicts before they arise and help stop them? A groundbreaking new tool, launched today by the Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership, can predict the risk of violent conflicts up to 12 months ahead of time.
New Delhi's growing industry and transport sectors contribute to year-round air pollution, but the city's air quality reaches crisis levels during the crop-burning season in October and November.
As Diwali ends and winter sets in, fireworks and crop burning push New Delhi's poor air quality to dangerous extremes. But to fix underlying, year-round air pollution, Delhi should look to cleaner transport.
When Cape Town and Chennai nearly ran out of water, these two cities managed to avert Day Zero, while revealing broad social inequity in both places. World Cities Day is a good moment to consider the lessons to be learned about equitable responses to water crises.
Solar panels can help rural doctors in India maintain reliable electricity and save more lives. But remote hospitals remain a largely untapped market for renewables.
India is often ground zero for extreme heat events, and the urban heat island effect makes these events even more severe in cities, which are warmer than surrounding areas due to concentrated human activity and construction. Cities' buildings have a lot to do with the heat residents feel.
We analyzed the effects of water shortages on five publicly traded Indian thermal power companies. In some cases, drought caused significant financial impacts, and investors should start stress-testing their portfolios now for climate impacts.
This paper provides quantitative evidence to help investors better understand and measure the financial impacts from water shortages in the thermal power sector, drawing on data and analysis of Indian companies. It introduces a new methodology to estimate the water shortage-induced impacts to earnings on five Indian thermal power companies from FY 2014-2017. It also uses outputs from climate models to analyze potential future changes to water availability in India, which could increase the risk of water shortages.
A new report from the Coalition for Urban Transitions shows that national governments that invest in low-carbon cities can enhance economic prosperity, make cities better places to live and rapidly reduce carbon emissions. The report finds that implementing low-carbon measures in cities would be worth almost US$24 trillion by 2050 and could reduce emissions from cities by 90%.
China's market for new buildings is booming. Constructing zero carbon buildings would enable China and other countries to keep up with demand without further fueling climate change.
Buildings that emit no greenhouse gas emissions during their operation are vital to meeting the SDGs and Paris Agreement targets. But in the past, zero carbon buildings have been assumed to be only attainable by technologically advanced or wealthy countries. New WRI research finds there are policy pathways to reach zero carbon buildings regardless of location or development status. The report identifies eight pathways countries can take to reach zero carbon buildings by reducing energy demand and cleaning energy supply.
As deforestation and land use issues get more global attention, leaders shouldn't forget the people living on these lands. A new report from the Food and Land Use Coalition outlines solutions that help rural and forest communities thrive.