The discovery of major lithium deposits is being seen as a mixed blessing in India's troubled Kashmir region, where hopes for a major economic boost are tempered by fears of human displacement and damage to the territory's fragile ecology.
The discovery of vast lithium deposits in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir, hailed as a win for the country’s clean energy transition, comes at a price for communities in the Himalayan region, say villagers and environmental scientists.
The discovery of vast lithium deposits in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir, hailed as a win for the country’s clean energy transition, comes at a price for communities in the Himalayan region, say villagers and environmental scientists.
More than one billion people in India welcomed the first ever discovery of lithium deposits in the country last month. The news arrived from Salal, a remote village in the Reasi district on the Indian side of Jammu and Kashmir. Around 5.9 million tonnes of this soft white metal were found on 9 February, following deep drilling by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in the area. It is a core component in batteries, which the electrification of the world depends heavily on.
The Geological Survey of India recently identified a potential deposit of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium in Reasi district's Salal-Haimana area, the first such anywhere in India, which imports lithium. GSI said the site is an "inferred resource" of the metal, which means it is at a preliminary exploration stage, the second of a four-step process.
The discovery of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir is significant for India's push towards electric vehicles but any environmental gains could be negated if it is not mined carefully, say experts, citing risks such as air pollution and soil degradation in the fragile Himalayan region.
The discovery of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir is significant for India's push towards electric vehicles but any environmental gains could be negated if it is not mined carefully, say experts.
This public webinar discussed research findings from IISD's State of Sustainability Initiatives.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) hosted a public webinar to discuss the findings from the IISD's forthcoming report: Voluntary Sustainability Standards in South Asia: A focus on the cotton sector in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The research maps voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) criteria and market potential and explores how VSSs can help address three major sustainability issues: pest management, water conservation, and farmers’ incomes and prices.
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The early success of e-mobility in India can largely be attributed to a supportive policy landscape at the national and state level. Of the 36 states and Union Territories in the country, 26 have released EV policies over the last 5 years, with 16 of them being released between 2020 and 2022. However, none of them are on track to meet their targets of EV penetration, charging infrastructure or investments, according to a recent study.