Everyone says we need to embrace renewable energy to address the challenges of climate change. But integrating variable supplies of electricity into our current grid is easier said than done. One way to do that might be to virtualise our power plants.
With the number of extreme weather events that occurred in 2023, there is a new urgency around the need to find alternate and innovative solutions to the problem of climate change. One easy option is solar geo-engineering - that can be implemented by startups that raise donor funds to send up balloons carrying sulphates. That said this is not without its fair share of concerns. Not the least of which is uneven cooling and the impact on monsoon patterns in India.
Ethanol, a fuel that emits 44%–52% less greenhouse gas than petrol, is presented as a viable step towards sustainability for India, a major sugar producer like Brazil. By adopting flex-fuel technology and ethanol production techniques, India could significantly reduce CO2 emissions without immediate radical changes to its energy infrastructure.
I support India’s new draft battery-swapping policy for electric vehicles, particularly since it promotes battery-as-a-service and emphasizes openness without being overly prescriptive. However, we should aspire to lead in developing standards that align with its market, leveraging its position as the world’s largest two-wheeler market, and its expertise in the EV sector, to assume global leadership in battery swapping standards.
There is a significant environmental impact to livestock production. It accounts for 40% of global agricultural output and has significant greenhouse gas emissions. To meet global warming targets, a drastic dietary shift is needed. We need to explore meat substitutes like Impossible Foods’ products, that are a promising and nearly indistinguishable alternative to traditional meat.
