Obsession of our leaders in India to invest in fossil fuels should be cause of concern

By Shankar Sharma*
"Methane emissions cause 25% of global heating today and there has been a “scary” surge since 2007, according to scientists. This acceleration may be the biggest threat to keeping below 1.5C of global heating and seriously risks triggering catastrophic climate tipping points, researchers say." (See Revealed: 1,000 super-emitting methane leaks risk triggering climate tipping points)
The obsession of the various country governments, including our own leaders in India, to invest on fossil fuels such as natural gas should be a major concern for the global societies. Methane (CH4) is a highly potent GHG (estimated to be about 80 times more potent than CO2), and is commonly associated with gas fields, processing plants and the thousands of kM of transmission pipelines.
Power ministry's recent decision to float tender to buy 4,000 MW gas-based electricity should be questioned in this context. Is this yet another unsubstantiated policy in the power sector? Since the country is not self-sufficient in natural gas, how will the gas required for these power plants obtained? Will it be imported? Media reports indicate that many of the gas power plants in the country are either running at very low load factors or not functioning at all. May indicate the chaotic nature of the operation of the power sector in the country. (See Power ministry to float tender to buy 4,000 MW gas-based electricity)
Dams in tropical countries, which result in storage of large volume of water and in submergence of forests, trees and other vegetative cover, also give rise to massive quantities of CH4 because of the submerged vegetation. So, the obsession of our leaders in building more hydel dams also should be viewed with concern in this larger context of the increase of Methane gas in the atmosphere.
Since the new renewables such as wind and solar power are generally not associated with such GHG concerns, and are also known to be in plenty in our country, the question that needs to asked is why our society is not investing most of its energy related budget on suitable kind of REs?
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*Power & Climate Policy Analyst

A fearless spirit lost: Rebecca Thomson dies at 17-hour Catalina Swim Mark

By Harsh Thakor On July 26, 2026, Rebecca “Becky” Thomson suffered cardiac arrest while attempting the Catalina Channel Swim — a marathon open water crossing from Catalina Island to the California mainland. After swimming for 17 hours, Thomson collapsed in the water. Despite the painstaking efforts of emergency responders and the medical staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, she succumbed to a devastating hypoxic brain injury and died Friday evening.

Right to walk, right to livelihood: Clearing footpaths 'can't mean' clearing out the urban poor

By Aseem Mishra* India’s cities are locked in a quiet but intensifying struggle over one of their most contested public spaces: the footpath. For pedestrians, a footpath is basic infrastructure—a strip of ground that should allow people to move safely, independently and with dignity. For millions of informal workers, the same stretch of pavement is a workplace, a source of daily income and often the difference between survival and destitution.

Hyderabad-based Urdu university "bars" entry of its new chancellor, who had "initiated" reforms in institute

Counterview Desk In an unusual controversy, Aslam Parvaiz, vice-chancellor of of the Hyderabad-based Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) has restricted the entry of its newly appointed Chancellor, Firoz Bakht Ahmed, allegedly because he was trying to initiate reforms, including setting up of a Maulana Azad Center for Composite Culture and Progressive Studies, Model Madrasa, Center for Empowerment of Muslim Women, Course for the Development of Legal Vocabulary and Legal Consciousness in Urdu, and so on.

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