Earth, Space & The Human Race – A Tech2 Science Podcast Tech2

India has some of the strongest environmental laws, along with ambitious climate action targets over the coming decade. Since climate change was brought into the mainstream, everyday people from all walks of life and all ages are taking stands and making noise about the environment. 

Common folks are finding ways to contribute to the effort, who are not lawyers, educators or policymakers with the "power" to make a big change.   These are people who have made climate a personal priority, which extends to their household or community. 

In this tenth episode of the podcast, we speak to impact entrepreneur Antaraa Vasudev [Founder of Civis] and Navdha Malhotra [Associate Campaign Director, Purpose] who leads the Purpose Climate Labs in India, about the role of citizens in the climate movement. 

For the longest time, breast cancer was perceived as a disease restricted to older women. That's no longer the case – men and younger women also succumb to it, and the disease is also getting more prevalent.  

Thankfully, breast cancer is also very treatable if detected early. We speak with Dr Rucha Kaushik, Consulting Breast Cancer Surgeon at P D Hinduja Hospital & MRC in Mumbai, at the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Dr Rucha deconstructs the disease, how a self-test works, and helps us bust a few commons myths about breast cancer.

When we think of malnutrition in India, we think of the poorest sections of our society where access to education & nutritious food are not a guarantee. But, do you and me – people in India’s cities – also have trouble meeting their nutrition needs?   

Poor land productivity, impacts of changing climate, poverty and lack of livelihood opportunities are driving mostly the rural poor into towns and cities, many of which are already strained for resources. Nutrition is complex, and tied to a lot of socioeconomic and behavioural factors.   

In our eighth episode, we speak to Vinita Bali, a prominent businesswoman on the boards of multiple organisations that work in the nutrition & education, and Inoshi Sharma, director of the top food safety and standards regulator in India, to better understand malnutrition in urban India. But also, where the government's role ends, and where each of ours begins, in ensuring we eat safe and nutritious meals.

With the climate seeing unprecedented changes, more research is now exploring the link between species/biodiversity loss, and human health. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts are also reiterating the importance of biodiversity and healthy wildlife in preventing future pandemics.   

The "strong link" that some experts have described – between biodiversity, the health of wildlife in a region, and the health of societies – may sound far-fetched. There's many reasons why people in cities need biodiversity (in flora and fauna) more than people anywhere else.    

At the start of National Wildlife Week in India (3 October), we speak to conservation biologist/writer Neha Sinha (Bombay Natural History Society), and nature communicator Sejal Mehta (Marine Life of Mumbai), about the lesser-known connections between the health of humankind and natural diversity.

We've seen a lot of talk, policies and diplomatic meetings take place around climate action. More green bills and climate action plans are being written up, in the hope of meeting collective targets set by 170+ nations around the world. Meeting these targets is essential, as the science community argues, to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.   

India, too, has set ambitious targets in various areas including cutting emissions, amping up renewable energy supply, and switching to e-mobility in public transport services wherever possible.   But Is our progress steady or strong enough to meet those ambitious targets? In which areas are we still lagging behind compared to other nations in similar economic standing?   

In this sixth episode of our science podcast, we speak to Ulka Kelkar, Director of the Climate program at World Resources Institute–India, and Pranay Krishnan, Principal Environmental Specialist at the Environmental Management Centre, about India's progress towards its climate action targets.

The incredible work of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) over five decades has put India on the map as a space power with remarkable advances in satellite and space technology. The agency's agenda for space exploration, however, doesn't seem share a similar, long-term vision. So few people know India's long-term plans to explore the solar system... we weren't sure such a plan even exists. 

ISRO has shared its intent to send missions to the moon, Mars and more, including orbiters to Venus and the Sun. But what does the agency (and the government that funds it) use as a guiding beacon to chart its science missions in space? Is India's space exploration agenda strong enough for India to grow as a space power, make leaps in exploring planets and asteroids in the inner solar system?  

In our fifth episode, we speak to two experts – Narayan Prasad, a space entrepreneur, industry expert and podcaster; and Jatan Mehta, a space writer and communicator passionate about space exploration – in the hope of findings some answers to these questions, and more.