South Asian countries have been dealing with several issues of social, political, cultural, and economic nature among many others. The environmental issues however are slowly becoming more and more pronounced in the region, with the rise in natural catastrophes, energy crises, and scarcity of resources. Mainly consisting of developing nations of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, this region since the early 20th century, first, most of them as a colony and later as independent states, have been experiencing economic upheavals. Notably, most of the environmental issues surged post-1960s due to high economic activities, industrialization, population […]
Author: Apurvaa Pandey
Apurvaa is a double Masters in Journalism and Development Studies. She holds a BA Honors in Sociology from the University of Delhi. Currently, working as content strategist in a public relations firm, she has worked with the government and inter-government bodies. Apurvaa specializes in public affairs, sustainability and development; and from time to time contributes to foreign affairs publications. Additionally she is a regular blogger on LinkedIn and also holds a PG degree in United Nations Agencies from the IFUNA- World Federation of United Nations Association.
Geopolitics: An Introduction
Geopolitics has acquired a new dimension and responsibility in the present-day world. Its importance can be attributed to the cleavage-ridden plural society, where people seek to preserve and spread their distinctiveness and regional claims, many times organized politically. There are several determinants in geopolitics such as maritime waterways, frontiers, population composition, resources among others. Frontiers, synonymous to boundaries, have gained prominence with rise of global economy. They define the sovereignty of nations, which is closely intertwined with state resources- their utility and management contingent to the topography of the nation states. A large number of landlocked nations exist in […]
US- China Trade War amidst COVID-19
This is not the first time that the world has faced a bio-threat. Back in 2003, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak resulted in 8000 cases and 800 deaths. The world came together, acting promptly by imposing immediate quarantine in some cases community quarantine and syndromic surveillance to contain the pandemic. Cut to 2020, we are faced with a new pandemic (COVID-19) and the world cannot be more divided than this. While there are lives lost in excess of 15000 world over to this virus, nations are yet to, China & the US, come together and fight this pandemic. Rather, […]
The Unlikely Vaccine for Environment- Corona
The world is facing a common enemy scenario, where people today are ready to look beyond the borders, religion, caste, class and other social boundaries. A novel virus which keeps inside our homes is already reorienting our relationship with our environment, government, work and even to the society at large. While these changes are unfamiliar and unsettling, yet no one can deny the positive impact it has had on the environment. If reports are to be believed the earth seems to be recovering amidst COVID-19 spread. In these extraordinary times, several countries have implemented restrictions upon public interaction, suspending public […]
Development as a Response to External Exigencies
Development- Once the most prized singularity of 20th century, today is viewed as grim reality given the onslaught of projects which threaten the environment and society. Be it Narmada dam or bullet train corridor in India, all have come under fire. With climate change debate picking up momentum due to the efforts of the future generation of leaders, development has been garnering even further bad reputation. We forget that though this is the same development which has for centuries and generations helped mankind build its civilization and protect it from external forces. For instance, the Harappa Civilization is known for […]
Water Scarcity & Indian Agriculture
Water scarcity in India is changing everything, from what we eat to the way of our living. Water is the existential need of our body & society alike. Though, over the years it has also become an over-the-top abused commodity, without having received any serious attention from planning commissions, until recently. Time and again, early societies stressed upon the importance and need for water and ably planned their lives around it. Civilizations, like Mesopotamia, Egyptian or our very own Harappan, were built or lost on account of water. Today, while we have this knowledge, as a society we fail to […]
Relative Safety of E-Cigarettes
Government of India, in recent years has been taking strict measures to control tobacco and nicotine consumption. Several initiatives in the area have paid positive dividends, albeit few others like the ban on ENDS— Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems can downsize the impact of these very measures. In India, under law of Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulation, 2011, nicotine as an ingredient in any form is prohibited, and therefore ENDS, which also includes E-cigarettes has been declared as drugs. As per Indian Journal of Medical Research, ENDS are being marketed as alternatives to regular smoking; but […]
Weekly Bulletin: Articles from the UN Desk
This is the weekly bulletin bringing to you some interesting articles from UN Desk, covering topics across continents and borders. Africa: Balancing Morocco’s indigenous culture and conservation– The delicate balance between indigenous farming practices and conservation in Morocco is under threat, but according to the UN, local communities in the Western High Atlas Mountains are finding ways to preserve traditions and still make a living from the land. Americas: Murals help heal wounds of bloody conflict in Guatemala— “The villagers knew that the military kidnapped [indigenous] people and brought them here and tortured them. While alive, they were forced to dig their […]
Top 5 Global Environmental Concerns for 2019
Environmental concerns are on the rise with some becoming more critical by the year. UN has declared 2019 the year of Biodiversity, asking all of us to do our bit to save the environment and the various species inhabiting the planet. Below are few more environmental threats in need of mitigation.
Earth Day- Past & Present
The earth day is commemorated on 22nd April world over with several events. Every year, it comes as a reminder of things that have come to be and things that can be with respect to environment, and what can we as earthlings do to protect our earth better. This year’s theme is “protect our species” with the agenda of raising awareness about rate of extinction of species. The earth day celebrations were first initiated in 1970 by a US Senator from Wisconsin Gaylord Nelson. He proposed the initiative after having witnessed the enormous oil spill of Santa Barbara, California in […]