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The India Observatory works on various aspects of sustainable growth, inclusion, population development and governance, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainable development, climate change and environmental sustainability
There are quite a few landmark judgments which, while not resulting in the expected social transformation, have made a beginning simply by acknowledging the wrong
The latest Outlook edition titled Women-in-law takes stock of significant rulings and legislations in recent times that specifically deal with women’s rights in the country.
Progressive verdicts by courts help the cause of gender justice. But a lot remains to be done. Despite laws like protection of women from domestic violence act, 2005, Indian women continue to suffer violence in a patriarchal society, claim activists and experts
Why does our legal morality treat marriage between two people as some social welfare institution in whose continuance society at large has a stake?
Despite there being a multitude of alimony and maintenance laws, women are left empty-handed and struggle to make ends meet after a bad marriage, as experts feel that these laws do not give any cover for the women
Updated: 12 Sep 2022 3:42 pm
Indians or Indian-origin people are set to mark their presence in climate academics globally ranging from heading institutions working on sustainable development related subjects to facilitating knowledge exchange initiatives between Indian and foreign universities.
The most recent to join the climate action is eminent corporate lawyer, Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. To mark his 40 years of legal practice, he has instituted Cyril Shroff Scholarships at Somerville College, University of Oxford, for ushering in change in India through law and public policy with a lens on tackling the climate crisis. Shroff says, “It is my ardent belief that law and public policy scholars at Oxford will be instrumental in tacking the intractable challenges facing India, particularly the existential challenges of climate change. I also hope that that this will be ‘brain gain’ for India.” It is not a one-off for Shroff. He is known to have pioneered and incubated several industry leading practices, including Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), to address the challenges of climate crisis and its intersection with economic development and business.
Elaborates Shroff, “On my 40th professional anniversary, I have commenced my “giving journey”. I believe that life is divided into three parts – learning, earning and giving. Learning is lifelong, and in recognition of this, my giving journey commences with the scholarship instituted at Somerville College, University of Oxford.” The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development at Somerville College is engaged in studying sustainable development related challenges and opportunities in India.
Earlier this month, Arun Majumdar, who is known for his work in the areas of advanced energy systems, new materials, electrical grids and renewable energy, took over as the inaugural dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. A former co-director of the Precourt Institute for Energy, Majumdar also co-chairs the George Shultz Energy and Climate Task Force at the Hoover Institution. Majumdar was quoted as saying, “As is often said, we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. We must collectively figure out how to create a future where humans and nature thrive together.”
Dr Ruth Kattumuri and more famous climate scientist Nicholas Stern are co-directors at the India Observatory at the London School of Economics and Political Science or LSE. The India Observatory works on various aspects of sustainable growth, inclusion, population development and governance, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainable development, climate change and environmental sustainability.
Some experts are coming back to work in India. Dr Miniya Chatterji, CEO of Sustain Labs Paris, is Director of Centre for Sustainability and Anant Fellowship for Climate Action at Anant National University. Chatterji says, “Anant National University has been a client of Sustain Labs for the past four years and Sustain Labs' mandate is to infuse sustainability across infrastructure, research, and curriculum.” While Anant National University works in areas like affordable housing, indigenous models of circular economy and building sustainable education campuses in India, Sustain Labs Paris operating out of India and France is known for making conventional organisations sustainable.
The reasons for reverse brain drain are obvious. Chatterji says, “There is little research, R&D spend and initiative to focus on the specific challenges and corresponding solutions for climate change related issues that affect developing countries, and the private sector and the governments in developing economies end up looking at technologies and policies that originate from developed economies.” She adds, “Those then dominate the discourse of climate change solutions in developed and developing countries alike, but the lack of context, affordability and availability of those solutions lead to a drag in the climate resilience of many developing economies.”
Climate Influencers don’t need support systems necessarily. Aswath Damodaran, who teaches corporate finance and valuation at the Stern School of Business at New York University, is well-known for saying ESG has been “oversold and overhyped” by its proponents and is a “feel-good scam”. The mere fact that there is space even for lone contrarian voices is an indication how much system support can enable voices of consensus to pitch for a common cause like climate action from the perspective of developing countries.
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