Reporting climate change from the Himalayas: The Best Stories from the Fellowship

The Bakarwals: A way of life under threat

"Our sheep are dying because of this heat", says Muhammad Anzar, a sheep rearer from Kashmir. As temperatures increase and rains disappear, the Gujjars and Bakarwals, the nomadic pastoral communities of Jammu and Kashmir, fear losing the vocation they have practiced for generations, and along with it a whole way of life.

Tame the running water, make it walk

"Make steps along the slope. Tame the running water, make it walk", says Bachhi Singh, an environmentalist from Nainital. As extreme rain batters the fields of small farmers year after year, many of them are learning, innovating and finding hope as they adapt to climate change.

Nainital: A Story of Hills, Lakes and Landslides

The beautiful hill city of Nainital has a historic relationship with landslides. Today, as the city faces the dual pressures of extreme rains and rampant construction, the fragile Ballia ravine in Nainital is eroding fast, risking the lives and habitats of local residents. Bahadur Singh, calls upon the government and citizens of Nainital to work together to safeguard this city from the impending risks of climate change.

Nepal: Slow melt, rushing floods

In what is perhaps a sign of things to come, Nepal has experienced at least 24 to 30 glacial lake outburst floods in recent times. Kunja Shreshtha, gives us a peek into what it would look like if climate change reaches its tipping point.

The Missing Apples of Himachal Pradesh

Its the case of missing apples. As temperatures rise, Himachal Pradesh's apple produce has dropped by one-third in the last decade. What does it mean for the economy of the state, and the livelihood of its people?

Landslides: Is Nepal prepared?

More than 300 people were killed in 2020 in one of Nepal’s biggest landslides. Climate change has impacted rainfall patterns adversely and the people of Nepal have been at the receiving end. Is Nepal prepared on ground, to deal with rising number of climate disasters?

Greenhouse farming boosts income of Kashmiri farmers

Greenhouse farming in Kashmir is yielding positive results, helping to increase production during harsh winter months and improving farmer incomes. With rising impacts of climate change, more needs to be done to spread awareness on greenhouse farming in the state.

Walk the Talk: 5 things to make your lifestyle sustainable

Soumya Prasad, an urban resident of Dehradun, uses solar energy, drives an electric car, grows her own vegetables, harvests rainwater, generates zero waste and believes she has enough clothes for a lifetime. “Listen to your inner voice. It will tell you what to be done”, she says.

Rainwater Harvesting: Plastic lined tanks can beat the water woes

Climate change has changed rainfall patterns in the Himalayan states, but thankfully it does rain still. Jitendra Singh highlights a do-it-yourself, low cost, plastic lined water tank that is helping a few enterprising farmers beat the water crisis head-on. If promoted widely, this could be a game changing solution for the water stressed Himalayan states.

Valley of Flowers: Don’t shut them for Himalayan shepherds

The Bhotiyas have grazed their sheep in the valleys of flowers in Uttarakhand for generations, but lately there have been restrictions on their movement, imposed in the name of conservation. As climate change threatens the rich biodiversity of these meadows, should the Bhotiyas and their knowledge be used to conserve this vital ecosystem, or should they be alienated?

The Birds of Nepal: How climate change is taking away their food and home

Hundreds of migratory birds come to Nepal for food and habitat. As temperatures fluctuate, they lose their sense of prediction, hence their ability to catch insects and sustain their young ones. Sonam Lama, puts together this rich visual story, calling out for greater conservation efforts by the government and communities to protect these birds from extinction.

Nardu: The Shrinking Glacier of Himachal Pradesh

Nardu glacier in Baspa basin in Himachal Pradesh is retreating continuously and this will directly impact the flow of rivers in the state and the livelihood of people living in this region. Shivam Sharma, catches up with scientists studying the Nardu glacier under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem.

Living on the edge: The Mising community of Assam

The Paris Agreement, The Kyoto Protocol – these are mere words to children whose villages are being eaten away by the river Brahmaputra. Listen to the story of Podumi, who is staring at the possibility of her Mising community slowly vanishing due to repeated floods.

The millet advantage

“Experts have found that millets have high resilience to climate variability and are much more adaptable to climate extremes. Furthermore, in terms of nutritional securuty millets offer far more protein than rice or similar crops,” says Yenten Namgay, Agricultural Officer, National Centre for Organic Agriculture, Bhutan. With an expected increase in the frequency of droughts due to climate change, millets- the staple diet of Lhops, the aboriginal inhabitants of southern Bhutan might be the climate-smart crop of the future. Watch Sherub Dori, report from Bhutan on millets and their advantage.

Climate Dialogues - Perspectives of farmers and pastoralists from the Himalayan region

Beyond the science and policy domains that climate change dialogues usually occupy, voices of marginalised and vulnerable often struggle to find any space. This first video is a series of two by Debarun Dutta, brings climate change impact discussions to the ground. Exploring insights from farmers and pastoralists of Tehri, the video attempt to bring to fore, voices of communities who are most affected by the climate crisis.

Climate Dialogues - 2 Women farmers and millet cropping

Almost 70% of agricultural work in India is done by women, yet their voices and perspectives have long been ignored in discussions around agriculture and climate change. This second video on ‘Climate Dialogues’ in a series of two by Debarun Dutta, highlights the efforts of women farmers in reviving traditional agricultural practices and farming of traditional crops like millet to enhance nutrition and food security in their region. By reverting back to coarse grains that are resilient to climate fluctuations, the video shares insights from women farmers of Himachal Pradesh.

Climate Resilience in North East

The North East owing to its geography, and ecological sensitivity is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. These impacts get further exacerbated due to the dependence of local communities on agriculture and similar sectors that are extremely climate sensitive. Building resilience of North East is then immensely crucial. This podcast by Trisanki Sakia with Dhriti Pathak, Research Associate in the Earth Science and Climate Change division of TERI, discusses the measures that have been adopted and the opportunities that exist to enhance North East India's resilience to climate change.

Compassionate Farming: An interview with farmer Samir Bordoloi

Farmer Samir Bordoloi is promoting an unconventional form of farming he has termed 'compassionate farming'. He is also building a network of "Green Commandos" - a group of young people who are learning similar principles of farming, promoting indigenous food and making farming aspirational again. Watch Trisanki Sakia's interview to learn more about Farmer Samir Bordoloi’s understanding of "compassionate farming" and its relevance in the growing space of sustainability.

Climate change: Migration trigger for flora and fauna

"Changes in animal movement and migration as a result of habitat modification and climate change may therefore alter lifetime fitness of individuals in addition to biodiversity and ecosystem processes at regional and global scales," reports Ishan Pareek in his podcast detailing the ecological consequences of climate change on humans as the flora and fauna shifts north in search of cooler temperatures.

Man vs forest- In Uttarakhand

चिपको आंदोलन की धरती उत्तराखंड में आज जंगलों का अस्तित्व खतरे में है। पेड़ों को बचाने के लिए महिलाओं ने पेड़ से चिपक कर उन्हें कटने से बचाया था। आज वही पेड़ वनाग्नि की बेतहाशा घटनाओं के कारण जल रहे हैं, मर रहे हैं। ग्लोबल वॉर्मिंग, बढ़ता तापमान, कम बारिश जैसे कारण हैं, लेकिन लोगों का जंगलों में आग लगाना भी इसकी बड़ी वजह है। ऐसे में एक बार फिर चिपको आंदोलन की जरूरत लग रही है। पद्म पुरस्कार से सम्मानित ।

पर्यावरणविद् अनिल जोशी का कहना है कि वन नीति को बदलने की जरूरत है। लोगों को भी पुराने समय की तरह जंगलों की रक्षा में भागीदारी के लिए प्रोत्साहित करना होगा। इसको लेकर उन्होंने प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी को एक खत लिखा है, जिसमें वन पंचायतों को प्रोत्साहन देकर हर ग्रामीण को वनों के रखरखाव से जोड़ा जा सकता है। प्रकृति के आगे हमारा बस नहीं लेकिन जब कारण वजह इनसान हो तो तस्वीर बदली जा सकती है।