Publications

Climate Proofing Indian Cities: A Policy Perspective

Policy brief
| March 23, 2014

The impact of climate change on cities is of particular concern due to high concentrations of population and infrastructure in these areas. Depending upon their geographical location and climatic conditions, the climate hazards may range from increased and frequent flooding and water logging to heat and cold waves, sea-level rise, and storm surges. In this context, the policy brief outlines emerging opportunities for Indian cities to foster climate resilient development and recommends for the formulation of a specific new policy pertaining to urban climate resilience in India.

India and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Policy brief
| November 12, 2013

This Policy Brief, based on research on current international developments and consultations with policy-makers and other stakeholders, seeks to make suggestions on how India should engage with the design of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ensure an alignment of its own Plan goals with the SDGs wherever possible to establish a greater synergy and efficiency in the achievements of these goals. SDGs was one of the main outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), popularly known as the Rio+20, convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012.

Engagement with Sustainability Concerns in Public Procurement in India: Why and How

Policy brief
| August 24, 2013

A major part of the Indian GDP is spent on public procurement. Owing to large spending on procurement, Indian public sector can push towards a process of sustainable production and consumption through sustainable public procurement. Once such a process is implemented with specific contexts, it can create social, economic and environmental benefits. With this background, the policy brief explores why there is a need to promote sustainable public procurement within India.

Shale Gas in India: Look Before You Leap

Policy brief
| June 27, 2013

The policy brief explains why the resources that have made the extraction and availability of shale gas in the US a success, are not available to India. Apart from extraction technology, land and other factors, the single biggest handicap is the very large quantity of water that is required to "frack" the underground rocks that contain the gas. India is a water-stressed country, and is fast approaching water scarcity conditions. India cannot further endanger a rapidly depleting resource on which all life depends.

Petroleum Product Pricing Reforms in India: Are We on the Right Track?

Policy brief
| March 5, 2013

The path to petroleum product pricing reforms in India has been full of undulations. Even though Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) was dismantled during 1 April 1998 to 31 March 2002, the government continued to regulate the prices of petrol, diesel, Public Distribution System (PDS) kerosene, and domestic LPG, except for over a year, when oil marketing companies (OMCs) revised the consumer prices of petrol and diesel in line with the international prices. In June 2010, petrol pricing was deregulated, but government control continued to an extent.

Enhancing water-use efficiency of thermal power plants in India: need for mandatory water audits

Policy brief
| December 24, 2012

This policy brief discusses the challenges of water availability and opportunity to improve the water use efficiency in industries specially the thermal power plants. It presents TERI’s experience from comprehensive water audits conducted for thermal power plants in India. The findings indicate that there is a significant scope for saving water in the waste water discharge, cooling towers, ash handling systems, and the township water supply.

Governance of mining in India: responding to policy deficits

Policy brief
| June 23, 2012

The reform in the minerals sector has been in response to both global and national pressures. Internationally, there was a need for India to make credible commitments to the world that it would do things differently in terms of approval, transparency, greater efficiency, more incentives to attract investment in exploration, and development activity. Nationally, there was need for greater exploration information; improved allocation processes; increased resource revenues from mineral rich states; and greater compensation for externalities created by mining.

Variation in air quality at Filling Stations, Delhi, India, International Journal of Environmental Studies

Research Paper
| March 10, 2012

The air was monitored for two consecutive periods, in the dry and the rainy seasons (2009–2010) at 40 petroleum-filling stations in the Indian capital, Delhi, to assess variations in carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM10, PM2.5, benzene, toluene and xylene content. PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the national ambient air quality standards at all the monitoring locations with maximum values of 1105 and 625 micro gm_3, respectively, in the dry season.

Don’t tinker with the clock to save energy

Policy brief
| August 10, 2011

On 23 March 2011, all clocks in the UK were turned forward by an hour marking the start of Daylight Saving Time (DST). The clocks will be turned back on 30 October 2011. The objective is to save energy by educing the use of artificial light and maximizing the use of daylight over a period of seven months. While this has been the practice for many years in countries situated in the upper part of the northern hemisphere and the lower part of the southern hemisphere, DST is hardly practised in countries situated closer to the equator.

India's coal reserves are vastly overstated: is anyone listening?

Policy brief
| March 4, 2011

The policy brief deals exclusively with thermal coal and demolishes the myth that India has plenty of coal. The brief explains in detail why the coal that can be extracted is only a small fraction of our total coal inventories. If we remain in denial, we will not take the urgent and necessary steps to augment these reserves.