Climate adaptation is a dynamic and complex process. This includes risk assessment, adaptation planning, implementation, and monitoring at different scales. Adaptation strategies vary according to specific types of climate hazards, geographical scales, and time frames. However, limited knowledge while dealing with several uncertainties is a major challenge. CSTEP's scientific strategies can help policymakers design and prioritise adaptation measures to meet our climate agenda.
Climate change: The heat is on
The temperature in the Indian subcontinent is set to increase 4 degree Celsius or more by the turn of the century, with frequent heatwaves persisting over longer durations. This and more such acute insights were revealed in a recent study released by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. Based on a thorough assessment of the observed changes and future projections of temperature, rainfall, sea level, and extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, the report is a clarion call for immediate action.
Reverse Migration due to COVID-19 Underpins the Need for Adaptation
The domino effect set in motion by COVID-19 is a blunt reminder that under-prepared systems will have to bear devastating shocks. Climate change is one such inexorable force that not only amplifies existing risks but also creates new risks to natural and human systems.
How to Handle Locust Swarms
Swarms of locusts are currently on the rampage in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, after leaving a trail of destroyed crops in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. These are no ordinary hoppers in that they become dangerous when they enter the gregarious phase, by forming swarms that can travel up to 150 km per day and eat as much as about 10 elephants in a day. When millions of locusts descend on a crop, they destroy everything, devastating the agricultural supply chain and livelihoods of farmers.
Managing Climate Risks in the Times of COVID-19
COVID-19 is glaringly revealing the vulnerability of the systems we rely on. Paradoxically, factors that increase vulnerability to COVID-19 are also the ones that enhance vulnerability to climate change, such as income inequity, inappropriate and inadequate housing, employment type, age, and existing health conditions. This is a cause of concern, as both the crises impact the most vulnerable — the homeless, migrants, poor, the marginalised — who already have low or no access to food, housing, healthcare, water and sanitation.
Cleaning Up the Act
Find out how Shameela and members of her community in Andhra Pradesh are ensuring sanitation for all under CSTEP’s inclusive framework. Integrating gender into sanitation, the framework, which was implemented through a consortium including CFAR and ASCI, put an end to open defecation in three towns of the state, while achieving gender equality, clean water and sanitation.
Mobility & Urban Poor
Policy should focus onthe disaggregated needs of the public system, integrating land use and transport.Improvements to Non-Motorized Transit facilities with emphasis on importance of pedestrians Improvements to the bus system includes pricing, timing and awareness of service quality Social impact studies (positive & negative) of major projects should be mandatory, inclusive and participatory.
Electronic Waste Management in India
An article on Electronic Waste Management in India published in the Annual Technical Volume, Environmental Engineering Division Board (Session 2015-2016)
Platform for Integrated Sanitation Investment Planning (Proof of Concept): Review of decision support resources compendium
Effective decision-making support systems help decision makers in identifying, evaluating and choosing a technology that best suits context/conditions of a city/area/ward. In order to develop a tool which is of use to decision-makers, an evaluation of the existing support resources was considered necessary to identify challenges/gaps pertaining to content, design and usefulness of the resource in question.
CSTEP evaluated existing support resources for decision making, which include the following:
Data Visualisation: On Think Tanks
Increasing urbanisation and per capita GDDP:
Karnataka is one of the most urbanised states in India; 39% of the state consists of urban areas whereas the national urban area average is 31%. Karnataka is expected to be 50% urbanised by 2026, and that would mean 33 million people to be accommodated
in the cities of Karnataka. Urbanisation and GDDP (Gross Domestic District Product) follow similar trends in growth. As the GDDP in the state has been growing, so has urbanisation. This relationship, however, also highlights the growing inter-regional disparity in economic