The global food system is under growing threat from climate change and few crops embody this vulnerability more starkly than the banana. As the world’s most consumed fruit and the fourth most important food crop after wheat, rice, and maize, the ba
Coral reefs, often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea,” are among the most biodiverse and crucial ecosystems on Earth. They sustain around 830,000 species[1] - over 33% of all known marine life - and deliver nearly USD 10 trillion in va
The shift to clean energy has significantly increased the demand for critical materials. Technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries require far more minerals than traditional fossil fuel-based systems, making the
Introduction The ten-year period from 2014 to 2024 has witnessed numerous humanitarian crises. The crises were triggered by, among other things, armed conflicts (Israel-Hamas war, Syrian civil war, Libyan civil war, Yemeni civil war, Tigray war, S
Introduction 2023 was a watershed year for climate change. As record after record was broken that year, experts lamented that the world may have reached an inflection point. For example, CO2 levels in the atmosphere are projected to reach record l
India’s Himalayan region encompasses 13 states/ Union Territories (UTs) including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. These states
In this episode of the VIF Podcast, Mr. PK Khup Hangzo, Associate Fellow, VIF and Ms. Heena Samant, Research Associate, VIF discuss two key issues namely the recently adopted UN High Seas Treaty, the first global treaty aimed at protecting marine lif
Introduction On 9 February 2022, India announced the discovery of 5.9 million tons of lithium deposit in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The estimated value of the deposit was around USD 410 billion.[1] Though the finding is preliminary
In this episode of VIF Podcast, PK Khup Hangzo, Associate Fellow and Heena Samant, Research Associate discusses the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) fourth and final instalment of its sixth assessment report (AR6) titled Synthesis
Introduction On 1 October 2022, the US government announced a Five-Year Plan to study the controversial and seemingly sci-fi notion of deflecting the Sun’s rays before they hit Earth in order to temporarily reduce the effects of global warming. Se