Climate change is impacting the world. It is the poorest who suffer the most. Yet often rural Indians are leading the way in sustainable advances and trialling schemes that – if rolled out on a macro scale – can create real change in the environment.
Environment
The elderly are leading climate action in Thar
In a time when heatwaves and droughts continue to threaten the future of human life as temperatures rise, GRAVIS (Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti)has been working with Help Age International to revive traditional water harvesting techniques in the Thar desert. The initiative focuses on getting the elderly together and taking charge of their situation.
Building homes, the natural way
This architect couple is on a journey to revive, document and promote the traditional ways of constructing natural buildings, through their Thannal Natural Homes initiative in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu.
The flame of Ujjwala burns strong
Through financial assistance, Ujjwala scheme helps rural and migrant households access cleaner cooking gas. Women save time spent earlier in collecting firewood and cooking and are able to earn more.
Planting palm trees to prevent lightning strike deaths
Odisha tops the list of states with the most number of deaths caused by lightning. Now an environmentalist is on a mission to revive the traditional practice of planting palm trees to counter the problem.
Nainital villagers use local oak to contain wildfires
Sustained efforts to plant native Himalayan oak trees bear fruit in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, which was once besieged by invasive pines that cause wildfires and climate change.
These kids are bringing back house sparrows to their village
The children of Kulathupalayam village in Tamil Nadu, which is situated near a bird sanctuary, are using shoeboxes to bring back house sparrows that had been missing for years due to urbanisation.
Kashmiri man’s plastic venture turns scrap into success
Manzoor Ah Dar, a 50-year-old from Anantnag’s Turka-Tachloo village, rose from a humble background devoid of formal education to become an inspiring entrepreneur
Maharashtra village quells drought for a brighter future
The united efforts of the villagers at Konambe in Maharashtra have transformed a drought-prone region into a thriving example of water conservation.
Coexisting with reptiles
Situated along Tamil Nadu's East Coast Road (ECR), just a stone's throw from Mahabalipuram, the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust is India's foremost herpetology centre and perhaps the only reptilian zoo.