The Third Pole Podcast

Dialogue Earth
The Third Pole Podcast

The Third Pole Podcast is a new Dialogue Earth series focusing on climate change and the environment in the Himalayan watershed. It aims to create a space for beyond-the-article conversations with our journalists and field experts. At the same time, we also ask questions about the state of environmental journalism in South Asia: why it’s needed, what issues it should be looking at and what challenges it faces. To find out more about us, visit: https://dialogue.earth/en/

集數

  1. 2 天前

    Ep 2: Can India use AI to predict extreme weather events?

    In the face of increasingly erratic weather patterns and growing incidences of extreme weather, precise and timely forecasting can protect lives, property and infrastructure. While traditional forecasting methods continue to be used, scientists are exploring how artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) could improve their speed and accuracy. Globally, there’s a great deal of financial excitement around these technologies, but India finds itself at a more nascent stage. In 2023, the country announced a new virtual centre to develop AI/ML techniques for weather predictions. But a massive challenge awaits: the lack of credible data. Robust and voluminous data is at the core of AI/ML models. India lacks this, despite being no stranger to frequent weather-related disasters like heatwaves, floods and cyclones. Data paucity is even more critical for the Himalayan region, which is also particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. Having worked with environmental data for more than 20 years – and knowing the challenges involved – journalist Nidhi Jamwal was keen to gain a deeper understanding of India’s AI weather forecasting journey. Writing for Dialogue Earth last year, she consulted various experts to explore the complexities of this topic and how the country’s data gap might be bridged. In this second episode of The Third Pole Podcast, Jamwal reveals that a lack of data is not the only problem. The availability of existing data, which is often very hard to obtain from the various agencies that gather it, is also a central issue.  Joining Jamwal is Amitabha Bagchi. A professor of computer science at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Bagchi gets down to the nitty-gritty of how AI/ML models work. He also introduces the India Stack, which might offer an innovative solution to many of the country’s data woes. GUESTSNidhi Jamwal, independent journalistAmitabha Bagchi, senior research associate, Centre for Policy Research CREDITSHosts: Shalinee Kumari, Omair AhmadProducer: Shalinee KumariAudio edit and sound design: Gaurav Krishna, Dead End Right StudiosRecording studio: Pindrop MediaArtwork: Sana NasirThanks to: Lizi Hesling, Nanaui Amoros Silva, Chaia Dechen, Georgie Campbell MUSIC“Alarm Cycle” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: CC BY NC“Borough” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: ⁠CC BY NC LICENCEThis podcast is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence. To find out more visit: https://dialogue.earth/en/republishing/ Visit our website for more podcasts: https://dialogue.earth/en/podcasts/

    31 分鐘
  2. 1月15日

    Ep 1: Is the Ganga any cleaner?

    The Ganga has nurtured civilisations in its basin for centuries, and continues to provide water for drinking and agriculture today. About 40% of India’s population live in the basin. Although the river’s purity is at the core of its huge religious importance in Hinduism, it is also one of India’s most polluted rivers. A concoction of untreated sewage and industrial waste continues to be pumped into its waters. The river’s significance is such that tackling this pollution has been a government focus since 1985, when the Ganga Action Plan was launched. Successive governments have since expanded and attempted to improve the approach, but with little success. The latest attempt to clean the river is the Namami Gange Programme, launched by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, soon after he came to power. A decade on, the government claims the project and its technology-first approach have succeeded where previous efforts had not. To investigate this claim, journalist Monika Mondal visited the sacred city of Varanasi (Benares), to assess the waters of the Ganga and two of its tributaries, the Varuna and Assi. She talked to local people and experts and visited the sewage treatment plants bearing most of the burden of the clean-up, publishing her findings in the Third Pole (now Dialogue Earth) in September 2023.  In this podcast, Mondal revisits her story, joining The Third Pole team to take a behind-the-scenes look at the work she did. With her is researcher Debarshee Dasgupta, who shares his insights on this most recent effort to clean the Ganga, and the complex structural challenges it faces. GUESTS Monika Mondal, independent journalist Debarshee Dasgupta, senior research associate, Centre for Policy Research CREDITS Hosts: Shalinee Kumari, Omair Ahmad Producer: Shalinee Kumari Audio edit and sound design: Sync Sound Sabha Recording studio: Pindrop Media Artwork: Sana Nasir Thanks to: Lizi Hesling, Nanaui Amoros Silva, Chaia Dechen, Georgie Campbell MUSIC “Alarm Cycle” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: CC BY NC “Borough” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: ⁠CC BY NC LICENCE This podcast is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence. To find out more visit: https://dialogue.earth/en/republishing/ Visit our website for more podcasts: https://dialogue.earth/en/podcasts/

    34 分鐘

簡介

The Third Pole Podcast is a new Dialogue Earth series focusing on climate change and the environment in the Himalayan watershed. It aims to create a space for beyond-the-article conversations with our journalists and field experts. At the same time, we also ask questions about the state of environmental journalism in South Asia: why it’s needed, what issues it should be looking at and what challenges it faces. To find out more about us, visit: https://dialogue.earth/en/

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