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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/green-business/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:41:31 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>India’s carbon market sets weak emissions targets, analysis finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-carbon-market-sets-weak-emissions-targets-analysis-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-carbon-market-sets-weak-emissions-targets-analysis-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jul 2026 16:51:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/31160627/pexels-yajna-s-r-55953015-20591230-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39764</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pollution, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A critical evaluation of emissions reduction targets set under the country’s carbon market framework has deemed the targets “modest and unambitious” — unlikely to drive changes in operations that would reduce emissions substantially. Between October 2025 and January 2026 India notified greenhouse gas reduction targets for nine industries. Under the framework, industries can earn carbon [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A critical evaluation of emissions reduction targets set under the country’s carbon market framework has deemed the targets “modest and unambitious” — unlikely to drive changes in operations that would reduce emissions substantially. Between October 2025 and January 2026 India notified greenhouse gas reduction targets for nine industries. Under the framework, industries can earn carbon credits if they surpass these reduction targets, with each credit signifying an additional tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced per unit of production (emissions intensity). The industries covered include cement, aluminium, iron and steel, paper and pulp, chlor-alkali, petroleum refinery, petrochemical units, fertilisers, and textiles. The evaluation of the targets by Climate Risk Horizons (CRH), a research organisation, finds that in addition to the targets being “readily achievable,” over the two-year compliance period, the cost of non-compliance is too low to incentivise the kind of systematic operational changes needed to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, with emissions from industrial processes and product use accounting for approximately 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. In August 2022, the Indian government pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 45% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. It also pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2070. According to the CRH analysis, the cost of purchasing credits for major companies in the steel, aluminium, and cement sectors is between 0.6% and 7% of profits, assuming credit prices are $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, as indicated by S&amp;P Global, which tracks&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-carbon-market-sets-weak-emissions-targets-analysis-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Bihar&#8217;s green budget expands, but environmental indicators show little progress</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jul 2026 14:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/31125413/NTPC_Kantin_Muzaffarpur-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39756</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Environmental Politics, Green Business, Green Energy, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It has been seven years since Bihar introduced a green budget. However, even now, data from various sources suggests little to no improvement in key environmental indicators such as renewable energy, air pollution, biodiversity and waste management, among others. The Bihar government presented its first green budget in 2020-21; this year, 2026, it presented its [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It has been seven years since Bihar introduced a green budget. However, even now, data from various sources suggests little to no improvement in key environmental indicators such as renewable energy, air pollution, biodiversity and waste management, among others. The Bihar government presented its first green budget in 2020-21; this year, 2026, it presented its seventh, amounting to approximately ₹158 billion which is roughly three times the amount of the initial ₹56 billion budget. However, on key environmental indicators, the state&#8217;s performance remains poor. For example, the energy sector accounts for roughly 65% of Bihar&#8217;s total greenhouse gas emissions, driven by coal-based power plants. The shift to renewable energy has been low, with renewable energy capacity for 2025-26 standing at 651 MW, up from 376 MW in 2020. The amount is significantly behind the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) call for increasing renewable capacity to 10,000 MW (10 GW) by 2030 and 28,000 MW (28 GW) by 2050 to achieve a &#8216;net zero&#8217; pathway, as stated in its 2024 report. At the current pace, Bihar will reach around 900 MW, just about a tenth of that 2030 target. Biodiversity data shows a similar trend. In 2019, Bihar had 4,550 wetlands spread across 389,713 hectares. By 2025, the number of wetlands reduced by 24 to 4,526 wetlands. As per the latest green budget data, in this period, the total area of natural water bodies has shrunk by 16,843 hectares, that&#8217;s about 70% the size of Patna, Bihar&#8217;s capital. In waste&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Why feasibility matters for land use projects in India [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2026 15:37:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[J.V. SharmaSayanta Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/07142040/AP274368273581-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39054</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Trading, Climate Change Mitigation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Forestry, Forests, Grasslands, Green Business, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s carbon market conversation is widening beyond energy and industry. Forests, farms, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and rice fields are increasingly being viewed as spaces where climate action, ecological restoration and rural livelihoods can converge. Carbon credits are expected to help bring private finance into these landscapes. But the global experience of the voluntary carbon market [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s carbon market conversation is widening beyond energy and industry. Forests, farms, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and rice fields are increasingly being viewed as spaces where climate action, ecological restoration and rural livelihoods can converge. Carbon credits are expected to help bring private finance into these landscapes. But the global experience of the voluntary carbon market shows that a project can be registered, verified and even generate credits without necessarily delivering the climate or community outcomes that buyers assume. After evaluating 2,346 carbon-crediting projects and nearly one billion tonnes of issued credits, a 2024 study in Nature Communications estimated that less than 16% of the credits examined, represented real emission reductions. The study does not mean that every carbon project has failed, but it shows how badly results can diverge from claims when baselines, additionality or monitoring are weak. Specific cases make the warning harder to ignore. In 2025, the carbon certifier Verra reviewed Zimbabwe’s Kariba REDD+ project and found that actual deforestation in the reference area was far lower than originally projected. Verra identified 15.22 million excess credits among 26.82 million credits already issued and said these could no longer be corrected through future monitoring periods because the project had withdrawn from its registry. Similarly, in 2024, Verra rejected 37 rice-cultivation projects in China. It sanctioned project proponents and validation bodies and required compensation for overissued credits after concerns were raised about project areas, additionality and emission-reduction calculations. Community governance can be equally decisive. The Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Trade liberalisation meets carbon tariffs as India eyes EU market [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jun 2026 13:19:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Isha SharmaSoutrik Goswami]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trade]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/30112819/AP459830664323-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38847</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement was agreed upon in early 2026 after more than two decades of negotiations. Recently, the Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India and the EU are expected to sign the FTA in December, and it is likely to come into force early next year. The agreement signalled [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement was agreed upon in early 2026 after more than two decades of negotiations. Recently, the Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India and the EU are expected to sign the FTA in December, and it is likely to come into force early next year. The agreement signalled cooperation amid geopolitical tensions, but it also came amid contestation over the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes a tax on the greenhouse gas content of imported goods, which became fully operational in January this year. As the union minister Goyal said, the FTA will give India the opportunity to increase exports to European countries, but export-oriented industries will also face pressure to reduce the emission intensity of their exports to comply with CBAM. The opposing impacts of tariff liberalisation and carbon tariffs on exports call for a closer look at the interaction between the CBAM and the FTA, especially in the Indian iron and steel sector, which remains one of the most exposed to the CBAM. It raises the question: how will the interaction between the FTA and the CBAM impact India&#8217;s export opportunities compared to those of its competitors? Moreover, is India’s long-term export competitiveness increasingly being tied to its industrial emissions? Climate action or trade-protectionism CBAM currently targets six carbon-intensive sectors, including iron and steel. These sectors account for around 10% of India’s exports to the EU and about 1.64% of total Indian exports. However, the EU is planning a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Financing the green shift remains a hurdle for steel MSMEs</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/financing-the-green-shift-remains-a-hurdle-for-steel-msmes/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/financing-the-green-shift-remains-a-hurdle-for-steel-msmes/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jun 2026 15:55:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rohini Krishnamurthy]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[metal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/24140405/AP20270312356413-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38792</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Environment, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly a decade after independence, one of India’s first public sector steel plants was established in Bhilai, Durg district, Chhattisgarh — a region rich in iron ore, coal and other natural resources. In the ensuing decades, several scattered steel units, dominated by micro, small, and medium-enterprises (MSMEs), began to mushroom some 40 km away in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly a decade after independence, one of India’s first public sector steel plants was established in Bhilai, Durg district, Chhattisgarh — a region rich in iron ore, coal and other natural resources. In the ensuing decades, several scattered steel units, dominated by micro, small, and medium-enterprises (MSMEs), began to mushroom some 40 km away in Raipur, helping Chhattisgarh become the third-largest producer of crude steel in the country. Meanwhile, about 1,100 km away, a slightly different story unfolded in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur during the 1960s — one where the region’s industrial journey was shaped by its agricultural roots. The demand for agricultural machinery paved the way for a local foundry industry. Foundries use metals like iron to produce castings that are used widely, from irrigation pumps to automobiles. Now, Kolhapur is one of the country’s largest foundry clusters, dominated by MSMEs, contributing 7-8% of India’s casting production. Together, Raipur and Kolhapur, along with other MSME clusters across India, drive India’s secondary steel production — where steel is made by melting scrap metal and other processed forms of iron in electric furnaces, rather than producing iron from iron ore first. The secondary steel sector, which contributes 30-35% of the country’s crude steel capacity, is dominated by MSMEs and relies on coal and inefficient technologies. In contrast, the primary production route is also energy-intensive but dominated by large players with higher capital investment. Notably, the secondary route of steel production accounts for more than 50 million tonnes (MT) of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/financing-the-green-shift-remains-a-hurdle-for-steel-msmes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Efficiency mandates can build India’s clean tech sovereignty [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 16:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajay Mathur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/15092043/AP23313788200798-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Commentary, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Green Business, Green Energy, Industry, Renewable Energy, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today we are seeing it play out acutely in the clean energy transition. While importing technology serves as a necessary jumpstart, relying on it as a permanent strategy creates a fragile foundation. In an era defined by geopolitical volatility, trade barriers, and fractured supply chains, the strategy of continuous imports is no longer just economically draining, but also a risk to national energy security. To build a truly resilient, low-carbon future, India must pivot from being a passive consumer of global technology to an active creator of indigenous innovations. The key to unlocking this shift does not lie in blunt import bans or open-ended subsidies alone. Instead, it lies in a regulatory mechanism that India has already proven. Anchoring long-term procurement frameworks to progressively tightening, non-negotiable efficiency standards can work. By announcing these escalations well in advance, India can compel industry players to move away from quick-fix imports, invest heavily in domestic research, development, and demonstration (RD&amp;D), and forge deep, lasting linkages with local academia. The fragility of the import trap India’s climate targets are among the most ambitious in the world, requiring the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy over the next few&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>India-E.U. agreement promises trade growth but could face green regulatory barriers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Feb 2026 15:11:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Trade Agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FTAs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intellectual Property Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MSME]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Trade Organisation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WTO]]></category>
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Environment, Environmental Politics, Green Business, Industry, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India and the European Union signed a trade agreement on January 27 that&#8217;s been projected as a major breakthrough “in a tumultuous time for global trade and supply-chain realignment,” as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described it. The free trade agreement aims to boost trade and investment between India and the European Union by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India and the European Union signed a trade agreement on January 27 that&#8217;s been projected as a major breakthrough “in a tumultuous time for global trade and supply-chain realignment,” as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described it. The free trade agreement aims to boost trade and investment between India and the European Union by reducing tariffs and trade barriers. The two major economies together account for about 25% of global GDP and nearly one-third of global trade. Both sides have presented the agreement as a win. India said in a press statement that almost all Indian exports will gain preferential entry into the E.U. Sectors such as textiles, leather, marine products, engineering goods, and agri-processed foods will benefit from the lower tariffs. It added that tea, coffee, spices, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods will strengthen their position in global markets, while sensitive sectors that are linked to several domestic livelihoods, such as dairy, cereals, poultry, and soymeal will be protected from foreign competition. India said that the trade agreement will open new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), create jobs for women, artisans, youth, and professionals, and boost exports worth ₹6.41 trillion ($75 billion). The E.U., meanwhile, has said the deal will remove or reduce tariffs on its exports of agri-food products, opening up a large market to European farmers. It also said that sensitive sectors linked to jobs in the E.U., such as beef, chicken, rice, and sugar will be excluded from liberalisation. At the same time,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Tracing the evolving landscape of green jobs in 2025</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/tracing-the-evolving-landscape-of-green-jobs-in-2025/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/tracing-the-evolving-landscape-of-green-jobs-in-2025/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Dec 2025 10:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/29170926/AP25275619529125-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36280</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Green Business and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Green jobs are not new, but what counts as a green job is evolving. Typically tied to renewable energy or sustainability roles, the term now captures a broad spectrum of roles that contribute to environmental protection, restoration, or adaptation. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), green jobs are &#8220;decent jobs that contribute to preserve [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Green jobs are not new, but what counts as a green job is evolving. Typically tied to renewable energy or sustainability roles, the term now captures a broad spectrum of roles that contribute to environmental protection, restoration, or adaptation. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), green jobs are &#8220;decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment&#8221;, whether in established industries such as manufacturing and construction or emerging ones such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. In today&#8217;s context, this definition encompasses everything from solar technicians and electric vehicle specialists to environmental engineers and jobs in climate finance, ESG reporting, and nature-based solutions. It also includes roles that may not seem traditionally “green”, such as community environmental workers or disaster management personnel, but are linked to climate resilience. Since Mongabay-India&#8217;s inception, we have been reporting about green jobs. In 2017 we wrote about how India’s push for renewable energy will generate more jobs, particularly in villages. In the following years, we analysed whether the renewable energy sector would be able to provide the capacity of jobs needed for the transition away from fossil fuel jobs, we looked at the scale of solar energy needed to accommodate the shift from coal mining jobs and at how jobs in the decentralise renewable energy sector are projected to increase. Almost a decade later, we are still talking about green jobs to document their evolution and the aspirations of the new entrants into the workforce. By 2030, Gen Z (born between 1997&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/tracing-the-evolving-landscape-of-green-jobs-in-2025/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>When reel and real stories create impact</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Nov 2025 13:53:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi TandonSejal Mehta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/07131150/Ramoji_Film_City_-_Train_station_set_23256471982-e1762502342133-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35440</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Climate Change, Environment, Green Business, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on evolving green jobs. It looks at roles in the film and entertainment industry, where entrepreneurs are innovating on ways to bring sustainability into the sector. Previous stories in this series unpacked what green jobs are and why they matter; how people are navigating careers in the green [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on evolving green jobs. It looks at roles in the film and entertainment industry, where entrepreneurs are innovating on ways to bring sustainability into the sector. Previous stories in this series unpacked what green jobs are and why they matter; how people are navigating careers in the green economy and the support that is emerging for them; and roles in the disaster response and resilience space, a growing area of employment that focuses on helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. Everything about the movies is vast — the screens, the drama, the locations, the music, the emotion. Most of us frequent this portal between fiction and reality with the excitement of those hungry for stories, glamour, connection, fashion, all designed for you to step into a world different than yours and still in so many ways, exactly the same. Films are larger than life. With a considerable economic footprint. The broader film, television and online curated content industry in India generated about a trillion rupees in 2024-25. The movie and entertainment segment in particular, raked in a revenue of about half a trillion rupees in 2023, and is forecast to go up to more than double, hitting almost a trillion rupees, by 2030 under current trends. Larger than life, indeed, even behind the scenes. According to this article by Social Policy Research Foundation, “The data from tentpole productions (big-budget films with budgets over ₹800 million) in India showed an average&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The Green Credits Programme needs to move beyond its tree-centric approach [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2025 15:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gautam Aredath]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP28]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green credit scheme]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/23152611/pexels-equalstock-20356946-scaled-e1761217352522-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35176</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Environment, Environmental Economics, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Government of India’s Green Credit Rules, 2023, established the Green Credit Programme (GCP) as a market-based mechanism to incentivise “environmentally-positive actions”. Under the law, green credits can be generated from a range of activities such as tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and more, and traded on a domestic platform to meet legal obligations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Government of India’s Green Credit Rules, 2023, established the Green Credit Programme (GCP) as a market-based mechanism to incentivise “environmentally-positive actions”. Under the law, green credits can be generated from a range of activities such as tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and more, and traded on a domestic platform to meet legal obligations or encourage voluntary action. The political pitch went further. At its launch during COP28 in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the GCP as more than a market: a moral initiative to “add positive points to the Earth’s health card”, he claimed, breaking from the commercialised philosophy of carbon credits. Both claims — market and moral — falter under scrutiny. Two years on, only the tree plantation component has moved forward. A draft framework for water conservation remains stalled, and other activities lie dormant. Even for plantations, the legal framework has undergone multiple revisions, and has narrowed in both scope and ambition. What began as a broad-based methodology, envisaging a variety of actors and multiple land tenures, has been pared back. In its latest iteration, credits are generated solely from plantations on land controlled by forest departments. These credits are explicitly non-tradable, and their primary, if not, only viable, use is as offsets for statutory compensatory afforestation requirements. In effect, growing trees in one place permits cutting down forests in another. To be clear, the initial methodology for plantations was not without concerns. Its tree-centric focus overlooked other ecosystems, while questions of forest rights and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Data deserts and drowning cities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/data-deserts-and-drowning-cities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/data-deserts-and-drowning-cities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Jun 2025 10:37:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Soumya Bhowmick]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data centers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme weather events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[slums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/24144033/Flood_Affected_Areas_of_Amreli_District_Gujarat_India_on_24_June_2015_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33300</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Green Business, Green Energy, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s cities are racing into the future, swelling in size, complexity, and ambition. By 2030, more than 40% of the country’s population, around 600 million people, will call urban areas home. Cities in India are engines of growth and already contribute over 70% of India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, for all this growth, India’s [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s cities are racing into the future, swelling in size, complexity, and ambition. By 2030, more than 40% of the country’s population, around 600 million people, will call urban areas home. Cities in India are engines of growth and already contribute over 70% of India’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Yet, for all this growth, India’s urban policymakers are flying blind. They are grappling with the monumental task of building resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities. Still, they lack a clear understanding of crucial aspects like where vulnerabilities are high, where the opportunities lie, and the costs of inaction. This is the crux of India’s urban paradox: a future unfolding at breakneck speed, guided by data that is outdated, fragmented, and incomplete. It has a direct impact on common people. For example, the Praja Foundation reveals that in Mumbai, slum residents receive 45 litres of water per capita per day (LPCD), significantly below the recommended 135 LPCD. Furthermore, the absence of localised weather monitoring stations in populous cities like Noida and Ghaziabad leads to delayed or insufficient weather alerts, exacerbating vulnerability to extreme weather events. Without a serious overhaul of how we collect and use information, India’s cities risk becoming unmanageable, vulnerable, and unsustainable. Mapping the blind spots The problem runs deeper than just a lack of numbers. India’s cities are built on data deserts. Many still rely on the 2011 Census to make decisions about housing, transport, pollution control and public health. That’s a decade-old snapshot in a country where millions have migrated,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/data-deserts-and-drowning-cities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Giving floral waste a second life</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/giving-floral-waste-a-second-life/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/giving-floral-waste-a-second-life/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Jun 2025 14:11:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shilpa Raina]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flowers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial waste]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/06/18010019/1280px-And_one_man_to_clean_it_5580936611-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33207</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Green Business, Plants, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Flowers speak a universal language. They symbolise love, celebration, special moments, and sometimes even grief. That is why fresh flowers are a popular gift or decoration item for occasions. The global floriculture market, valued at around $55 billion, is projected to touch about $85 billion by 2032. Similarly, as per reports, the Indian floriculture market [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Flowers speak a universal language. They symbolise love, celebration, special moments, and sometimes even grief. That is why fresh flowers are a popular gift or decoration item for occasions. The global floriculture market, valued at around $55 billion, is projected to touch about $85 billion by 2032. Similarly, as per reports, the Indian floriculture market is expected to grow by 11.7% during 2023-2032. With this growing consumption of flowers comes growing waste accumulation after each cycle, posing challenges in waste management and disposal. Globally, the story of unmanaged flower waste management is yesterday’s news. A new shift in how we see unwanted ornamental flowers is the growing interest in their rich biochemicals and their potential to support a circular floral bioeconomy. India, which generates over 300 tons of floral waste every day, arguably, stands at the forefront of flower waste innovations. In the last few years, India has witnessed several start-ups developing incense, compost, soaps and candles from floriculture waste from religious places and daily activities. At the global stage, designer Irene Purasachit has developed bio (floral) foam from the stems of flower waste; British biotech firm Sparxell creates biodegradable colour pigments from plant-based cellulose. In India, Kanpur-based Phool has developed vegan leather from floral waste, which it calls &#8216;fleather&#8217;. These innovations are the beginning of a new dawn in this ecosystem. A flower market. The Indian floriculture market is expected to grow by 11.7% during 2023-2032, pointing to an overconsumption of flowers and subsequent waste accumulation and challenges regarding&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/giving-floral-waste-a-second-life/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>An evolving workforce around disaster management</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/an-evolving-workforce-around-disaster-management/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/an-evolving-workforce-around-disaster-management/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2025 14:21:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi TandonSejal Mehta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/22093316/from-Priyanka-Vaderu_IMG-20210331-WA0008-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32722</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Green Business, Sustainability, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on evolving green jobs. It looks at roles in the disaster response and resilience space, a growing area of employment that focuses on helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. The first story in this series unpacks what green jobs are and why they matter. The [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on evolving green jobs. It looks at roles in the disaster response and resilience space, a growing area of employment that focuses on helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. The first story in this series unpacks what green jobs are and why they matter. The second story explores how people are navigating careers in the green economy and the support that is emerging for them. The upcoming stories will dive into specific sectors driving India’s green workforce and the aligned opportunities that this creates. At 2 a.m. on July 30, 2024, Kerala was hit by one of the largest landslides in Indian history. Cutting across seven to eight kilometres, it annihilated the villages of Punchirimattam, Chooralmala and Mundakkai with a reported death toll over 231 people. Praveen S., Manager, Disaster Preparedness and Response at Humane World for Animals India received news from the district administration and an online ‘Inter Agency Network’ that facilitates coordination in the face of calamities. With a team of 10 people, Praveen worked on rescue operations for animals. “Handling animals, especially those in distress is just one aspect that needs trained people to manage disasters. There are also no shelters built for animals in the region yet,” he said, adding that they were building one now. “This is how disasters prepare us for the next one; we learn and fill in the gaps.” Between 2000 and 2019, India experienced 321 natural disasters, resulting in over 70,000&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/an-evolving-workforce-around-disaster-management/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Limited climate finance shifts focus on startups and local innovation</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/limited-climate-finance-shifts-focus-on-startups-and-local-innovation/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/limited-climate-finance-shifts-focus-on-startups-and-local-innovation/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 May 2025 15:30:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Navya P.K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme weather events]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/09110303/A-deserted-Metro-station-during-the-2018-Kerala-floods-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32534</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance, Climate Change Adaptation, Governance, and Green Business]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With limited climate finance coming its way, Kerala is seeking less bureaucratic routes to raise funds, such as collaborating with climate tech startups. The state also plans to push for policy changes at the national level to make access to climate finance easier. In recent years, hundreds have died in Kerala from floods, landslides, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With limited climate finance coming its way, Kerala is seeking less bureaucratic routes to raise funds, such as collaborating with climate tech startups. The state also plans to push for policy changes at the national level to make access to climate finance easier. In recent years, hundreds have died in Kerala from floods, landslides, and heat waves, underlining the urgency for climate investment. Extreme rainfall killed 433 people in 2018 and 57 in 2021; in 2024, landslides in Wayanad alone claimed 359 lives. The state aims to fully shift to renewable energy by 2040 and be carbon neutral by 2050, but accessing finance remains a challenge. The Kerala State Climate Change Adaptation Mission (KSCCAM), set up in 2023 to steer climate action, is preparing “a platter full of multiple projects that will be palatable to different funding sources,” says Chief Resilience Officer Shekar Kuriakose. Meanwhile, the state government and its line departments have been incorporating climate action as a component in their multilateral loan proposals, raising some funds. Local bodies, which often directly feel the impact of climate change, have also been finding creative ways to fund small projects. However, the state is likely to fall short of its requirement of raising over ₹900 billion for climate action till 2030. According to the State Action Plan for Climate Change (2023-2030), Kerala needs ₹522.38 billion for mitigation activities such as reducing emissions, and ₹384.07 billion for adaptation in various sectors like farming, forest, health, and water resources. The action plan has&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/limited-climate-finance-shifts-focus-on-startups-and-local-innovation/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>The future of jobs is green, but getting there is a maze</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/the-future-of-jobs-is-green-but-getting-there-is-a-maze/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/the-future-of-jobs-is-green-but-getting-there-is-a-maze/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2025 13:39:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi TandonSejal Mehta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green careers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/01124918/IMG_2482_solar-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32406</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Environment, Green Business, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on green jobs. It explores how people are navigating careers in the green economy. The first story unpacked what green jobs are and why they matter. The upcoming stories will dive into specific sectors driving India’s green workforce and the aligned opportunities that this creates. “Technical Lead – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on green jobs. It explores how people are navigating careers in the green economy. The first story unpacked what green jobs are and why they matter. The upcoming stories will dive into specific sectors driving India’s green workforce and the aligned opportunities that this creates. “Technical Lead – Sustainability Engineering and Consulting,” says Hayagrivan Balaji when asked what his job role is. We’re speaking over a virtual platform, where he’s chosen a sci-fi-esque spaceship filter, perhaps a fitting nod to a conversation on the future of jobs. Jobs such as “sustainability engineer” often make it to lists of top green jobs in business reports and journals. But Balaji’s work at HCLTech goes far beyond the buzzword. The 26-year-old from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, has been working in this role for two years, focussing on decarbonising product lifecycles. Working in the sustainability sector happened by chance for Balaji. He graduated as a mechanical engineer, started working in an engineering role at first, where he was involved in product design and strategy for the oil and gas sector. During his time there, when sustainability engineering roles were being created in the organisation, his managers saw an alignment between some of the work he had previously done during his volunteering days — impact measurement and sustainability of projects — and the roles they were developing. He became a natural fit for these emerging roles. Balaji now works on integrating sustainability into a product’s lifecycle. His work involves&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/the-future-of-jobs-is-green-but-getting-there-is-a-maze/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>What are green jobs? [Explainer]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/what-are-green-jobs-explainer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/what-are-green-jobs-explainer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 May 2025 13:32:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/05/01114208/Rainforest_phenology_fieldwork_Anamalais_IMG_20210701_123314-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32416</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment Explained and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Green Business, Green Energy, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on green jobs. It unpacks what green jobs are and why they matter. The next story explores how people are navigating careers in the green economy. The upcoming stories will dive into specific sectors driving India’s green workforce and the aligned opportunities that this creates. Green jobs have [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on green jobs. It unpacks what green jobs are and why they matter. The next story explores how people are navigating careers in the green economy. The upcoming stories will dive into specific sectors driving India’s green workforce and the aligned opportunities that this creates. Green jobs have become central to conversations about sustainable development and climate action, both globally and in India. Today, green jobs are seen as a key pillar in the global transition to a low-carbon economy — but what exactly makes a job &#8220;green,&#8221; and how accessible are these roles in India? Green jobs are growing – but what exactly are they? The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines green jobs as “decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency”. This definition indicates that green jobs are not only limited to emerging industries, but also exist within conventional fields that are evolving to adopt sustainable practices. The concept of green jobs, globally, gained prominence in the late 20th and early 21st centuries with the growth of awareness and advocacy around environmental issues. This was further driven by renewable energy development which spurred the creation of new green jobs. In recent years, with the global agenda shifting towards sustainable development and climate action, efforts to address issues like carbon emissions, pollution and labour rights in the context&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/05/what-are-green-jobs-explainer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Greenwashing guidelines a ‘welcome step’, but needs enforcement, says industry</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/greenwashing-guidelines-a-welcome-step-but-needs-enforcement-says-industry/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/greenwashing-guidelines-a-welcome-step-but-needs-enforcement-says-industry/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2024 16:37:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ecomark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GreenPro]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greenwashing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/10/23161143/4970638741_5371eb3a7f_c-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=29998</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Governance, Green Business, Greenwashing, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued guidelines to prevent greenwashing in an effort to curb false claims of environmental benefits arising from products and services. The guidelines, issued on October 15, seek to foster practices where “environmental claims are both truthful and meaningful, thus enhancing consumer trust and encouraging sustainable business practices,” the CCPA [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued guidelines to prevent greenwashing in an effort to curb false claims of environmental benefits arising from products and services. The guidelines, issued on October 15, seek to foster practices where “environmental claims are both truthful and meaningful, thus enhancing consumer trust and encouraging sustainable business practices,” the CCPA said in a statement. Greenwashing is defined in the guidelines as a deceptive or misleading practice which “includes concealing, omitting, or hiding relevant information,” by “exaggerating, making vague, false, or unsubstantiated environmental claims.” It also includes the use of misleading words, imagery, and symbols that place an “emphasis on positive environmental impacts while downplaying or concealing harmful attributes.” The guidelines were finalised after a draft version was introduced in February. While the draft version emphasised greenwashing in advertisements, the final version more broadly addresses all environmental claims in any form. The casual use of terms like “green,” “eco-friendly,” “good for the planet,” and “carbon neutral,” among others, used without adequate qualifiers, is prohibited under the guidelines. Companies, advertisers, endorsers, and service providers making environmental claims on their products and services have to support it with “verifiable evidence based on independent studies or third-party certifications,” say the guidelines. The guidelines do, however, accept puffery and “obvious hyperboles,” as long as they don’t deceive customers. Experts in industry and the private sector say that while the guidelines are a welcome step, addressing greenwashing needs a stronger regulatory framework. “Manufacturing sectors are highly regulated, where the regulatory framework&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/10/greenwashing-guidelines-a-welcome-step-but-needs-enforcement-says-industry/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Major players driving India’s green growth story spent millions in funding for political parties</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/major-players-driving-indias-green-growth-story-spent-millions-in-funding-for-political-parties/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/major-players-driving-indias-green-growth-story-spent-millions-in-funding-for-political-parties/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Mar 2024 14:15:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electoral bonds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environmental Impact Assessment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental law]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/29160218/A-thermal-power-plant-in-Bellary.-Photo-by-Pranav-Kumar_reworked-e1711708439152-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27119</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Corruption, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Green Business, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the years since it came to power in 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government has positioned itself as an advocate of green growth locally and globally. But recent revelations about political funding through electoral bonds cast doubt on these credentials. Newly released data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows big [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the years since it came to power in 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government has positioned itself as an advocate of green growth locally and globally. But recent revelations about political funding through electoral bonds cast doubt on these credentials. Newly released data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows big players in India’s infrastructure development industry – from the energy to natural resource extraction businesses – paid millions in anonymous donations to political parties, of which the BJP emerged as the biggest beneficiary. Released on the orders of the Supreme Court, the State Bank of India (SBI) shared the information with ECI, which, for the first time, made public the data of purchasers and recipients of electoral bonds – a financial instrument that allowed political parties to receive unlimited sums of money while guaranteeing purchasers anonymity. The scheme had been in effect since 2018, till it was struck down by the apex court in February as being unconstitutional for its lack of transparency. The shadow of India’s development industry over the electoral bonds spotlights India’s weakening environmental regulations, particularly at a time when it seeks to transition its energy systems. Mining giants Vedanta and Essel Mining, that have a history in violating environmental norms, are among the top buyers of bonds, having purchased over Rs. 600 crore worth. “The presence of energy and mining companies in the electoral bond scheme reinforces the need to ramp up institutional and legal accountability measures in India’s environmental governance&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/major-players-driving-indias-green-growth-story-spent-millions-in-funding-for-political-parties/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Green Credit Scheme’s ‘methodology’ doesn’t inspire confidence among experts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/green-credit-schemes-methodology-doesnt-inspire-confidence-among-experts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/green-credit-schemes-methodology-doesnt-inspire-confidence-among-experts/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Mar 2024 14:31:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green credit scheme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[markets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plantations]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/18152035/Nandkumar103-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26982</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Economics, Green Business, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On February 22, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) released a detailed methodology for a component of its Green Credit Programme, effectively enabling the trade of environmental benefits arising from tree planting. The Union government calls the programme an “innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivise voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors.” But [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On February 22, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) released a detailed methodology for a component of its Green Credit Programme, effectively enabling the trade of environmental benefits arising from tree planting. The Union government calls the programme an “innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivise voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors.” But environmentalists and policy experts are wary about the extent to which market forces can support conservation and sustainability goals. The fine print of the scheme says the objective is to “encourage industries, companies and other entities to meet their existing obligations,” under current compliance laws, while also encouraging “other persons and entities” to participate voluntarily. The methodology, issued in February, encourages large-scale tree planting on open forests and scrub lands, among other land types, to generate credits. These credits can be bought to meet obligations under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). They can also be exchanged to meet compensatory afforestation requirements under the Forest (Conservation) Act, which makes it mandatory for project developers to raise plantations at an alternate site for cutting down trees on forest land. Launched in October 2023, the Green Credit Programme aims to create tradable credits from a range of activities, such as reducing air pollution and incorporating sustainable infrastructure. The Ministry had sped up the process of officiating the scheme by cutting down the window for civil society and others to submit their objections and suggestions to the scheme. “The Green Credit Programme is trying&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/green-credit-schemes-methodology-doesnt-inspire-confidence-among-experts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Interview] Camelia Dewan on how ‘climate change’ is becoming a development buzzword to continue business as usual</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/interview-camelia-dewan-on-how-climate-change-is-becoming-a-development-buzzword-to-continue-business-as-usual/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/interview-camelia-dewan-on-how-climate-change-is-becoming-a-development-buzzword-to-continue-business-as-usual/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2024 13:48:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP28]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/02/26134001/c_1077334-l_1-k_camelia-bild-e1708935166432-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26649</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bangladesh, Global, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Green Business, Greenwashing, Industry, Interviews, and People]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In December last year, as the largest annual climate conference, the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28), was underway, researchers from a prominent global environmental think tank made a provocative argument: The demand for more climate finance from emerging economies to cope with the effects of climate change, would likely be at the cost of developmental [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In December last year, as the largest annual climate conference, the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28), was underway, researchers from a prominent global environmental think tank made a provocative argument: The demand for more climate finance from emerging economies to cope with the effects of climate change, would likely be at the cost of developmental aid. “The dirty secret of climate finance is that much of it is displacing traditional development aid,” wrote Vijaya Ramachandran, director of energy and development at the environmental research centre Breakthrough Institute, along with her colleague Alex Smith in an article published in Foreign Policy. “Calls for more climate finance are important, but if current practice is any guide, a large share of the funds will be taken from budgets that fund critical development priorities, such as health, education, women’s rights, infrastructure construction, and humanitarian aid,” the article went on to say. Camelia Dewan, an environmental anthropologist and assistant professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, studied what the rising global interest in funding climate action meant in a Global South country like Bangladesh, which shares many similarities with India. In her book Misreading the Bengal Delta: Climate Change, Development and Livelihoods in Coastal Bangladesh, Dewan found that “climate change” was commonly applied by fundraisers as a “masala”, or spice, to their project proposals for a better chance at securing funding – even if the projects themselves had little to do with mitigating climate impacts. In other cases, solutions being pushed to mitigate climate impacts had&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/interview-camelia-dewan-on-how-climate-change-is-becoming-a-development-buzzword-to-continue-business-as-usual/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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