Hello,

A carbon credit is a kind of token that a polluting company can buy from a renewable energy project. When the latter uses this revenue to generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases, it is said to offset the harm that the former does to the environment.

In India, renewable energy projects have sold millions of such credits to companies from industrialised nations. Many of these projects are situated in the Himalayas, and harness its rivers to generate electricity.

But, as Vaishnavi Rathore reports from Himachal Pradesh, there are significant problems with the way this system has been functioning. Recent analysis has shown that some of these projects offset far less carbon than they claim to. And on the ground, they have done considerable damage to the local environment.

“People in Kinnaur who had been impacted by dams had not heard of carbon credits before,” Rathore said. “Many of them had crucial concerns to raise when they understood the mechanism. These interactions showed that companies had not included communities in carbon-credit discussions.”

You can read the story here.

And you can support more such in-depth and investigative reportage by becoming a subscriber of Scroll.

Ajay Krishnan,
Senior Editor

Write a comment ...

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Show your support

Your support is crucial: India needs independent media and independent media needs you.

Recent Supporters

The dangerous world of Tamil Nadu’s alcohol deaddiction centres

Hello,In July, the problem of alcohol addiction in Tamil Nadu made the headlines after a horrific incident in Kallakurichi district, in which 66 people died of alcohol poisoning after consuming illicit liquor.Another story from the district the following month received less attention: a 38-year-old man died, allegedly after being assaulted by members of a privately run de-addiction centre.This was not an isolated incident. A 2021 study found that between 2013 and 2016, 13 such deaths had occurred at private centres across the country. As Johanna Deeksha found, Tamil Nadu has seen some of the most disturbing cases of this nature. Speaking to individuals who had spent time at such centres in Chennai, she learnt of how they faced violent, inhuman treatment during their time as patients. And the families of those who died remain haunted by their decision to send their loved ones into the facilities.“When individuals with addiction want to get help, they have the right to a dignified and safe environment, where they will be given proper food, medication and care, ” Deeksha said. “Nobody deserves to die in their endeavour to recover from addiction, which is a disease. The government must do more to ensure the safety of people seeking help.”You can read the story here

Why lightning kills more people in India than any other natural disaster

Hello,Anyone caught in the open during a spell of rain would be likely to seek shelter under a tree. That's what a group of young men who had met for a cricket game did in Jharkhand’s Simdega district in August. But tragedy befell the group when lightning struck the tree, killing three. None of those present that day were aware that National Disaster Management Authority guidelines advise against taking shelter under trees during rains, precisely because they are prone to being struck by lightning. As Nolina Minj found, lightning causes more deaths in India than any other natural phenomenon, including floods, landslides and heatwaves. In several states, particularly in central and eastern India, frequent thunderstorms and a high incidence of lightning, combined with a lack of awareness of protective measures, kills hundreds of people every year. But the central government has not formally declared lightning strikes a natural disaster. And while some states have done so, and put policies in place to spread information about the risks and provide compensation to those who are affected, on the ground, implementation is slow. You can read the story here.

In Ladakh, a massive energy project is shrouded in mystery

Hello, On Monday night, police detained the climate activist Sonam Wangchuk along with around 150 others as they marched towards Delhi. Among the protestors’ demands are statehood for Ladakh, and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the constitution, which will guarantee the region a greater degree of autonomy. The government’s crackdown on the protestors is unsurprising given the opaque nature of development work it is planning in Ladakh. This is strikingly clear in the case of a colossal renewable energy project that will take up a total of 250 square kilometres, and will transmit electricity more than 700 km to Haryana, where it will be integrated into the national grid. As Vaishnavi Rathore and Safwat Zargar found, the government has ignored anxieties of locals over the loss of land and livelihoods, as well as warnings from environmentalists, to go ahead with the project. Details about the project and its proponents, meanwhile, remain shrouded in secrecy.Zargar recounted that reporting the story was a challenge given the region’s difficult physical terrain. “The area is at least 200 km from the nearest power centre, which is Leh city,” he said. “Getting back to contacts was not possible because of a lack of mobile connectivity or phones.” He added, “I had to get oxygen at a local health centre multiple times because it is a high-altitude area.” Rathore, meanwhile, explained that the lack of information available about the project was frustrating. “On ground, political representatives told us that the environmental impact assessment had been completed, yet it was not made public,” she said. “When we asked for this information via RTI, neither the environment ministry, nor the renewable energy ministry, nor the Solar Energy Corporation of India, had it.” You can read the story here.

How hydropower projects in Himachal sold dubious carbon credits

Scroll Membership

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Common Ground, Scroll.in

In-depth reporting on the stories that bind us.

905 Followers

3 Following

For Jharkhand’s Asurs, the present matters more than a mythic past

Common Ground, Scroll.in

On the Great Nicobar island, why the future is fearful

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Why India needs to rethink its love for pigeons

Common Ground, Scroll.in

The dangerous world of Tamil Nadu’s alcohol deaddiction centres

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Why lightning kills more people in India than any other natural disaster

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Daily Brief: Vinesh Phogat is winning over Haryana’s women – but is still wrestling with a tough election, and more

Common Ground, Scroll.in

In Ladakh, a massive energy project is shrouded in mystery

Common Ground, Scroll.in

A government scholarship took them abroad. But then left them in a lurch

Common Ground, Scroll.in

How the government undercut TISS over the past decade

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Why sexual harassment goes unchecked on Indian campuses

Common Ground, Scroll.in

The harrowing life of a loco pilot: No time to eat and sleep

Common Ground, Scroll.in

The hidden lives of those who protect Mumbai from floods

Common Ground, Scroll.in

The Tamil Nadu police’s brutal violence against the state’s weakest citizens

Common Ground, Scroll.in

How Adivasis in Jharkhand are taking the leap into entrepreneurship

Common Ground, Scroll.in

What the Prajwal Revanna case reveals about the struggles of women in politics

Common Ground, Scroll.in

How India’s weak international stand on plastic pollution harms Indians

Common Ground, Scroll.in

How Indian fishers suffer exploitation and abuse on UK boats

Common Ground, Scroll.in

How Bengaluru’s water crisis is rooted in the neglect of its lakes

Common Ground, Scroll.in

Why Kerala’s palliative care model is making an impact

Common Ground, Scroll.in