Selected Essays and Opinion Pieces from the World Emission Network (WEN)
WEN contributes to leading national and international platforms on air pollution, climate risk, heat resilience, clean energy transitions, and environmental governance. Our commentary integrates systems science, data analysis, and implementation realism — emphasizing durable institutional reform over symbolic short-term measures.
Delhi’s Refuelling Ban: Simple Policy, But Imprecise
The Hindu | July 11, 2025
A data-grounded critique of Delhi’s fuel-denial policy targeting end-of-life vehicles. The article examines emission attribution, enforcement feasibility, equity implications, and the risks of blunt regulatory instruments in complex urban systems. It calls for calibrated, source-specific interventions instead of symbolic bans.
India’s Scorching New Normal: The Escalating Heatwave Crisis and Paths to Resilience
Science Chronicle | July 2, 2025
An analysis of India’s intensifying heatwave crisis through the lens of climate risk, labour exposure, infrastructure vulnerability, and governance preparedness. The piece outlines practical resilience pathways — from Heat Action Plans to urban redesign — grounded in institutional capacity and anticipatory planning.
Indian Summers Are Getting Hotter — But Is It the Heat, or Is It Us?
The Hindu | June 2, 2025
A systems-level reflection on rising temperatures, urban heat islands, land-use transitions, and human vulnerability. The article challenges narrow climate narratives and examines how development patterns amplify exposure and risk.
Why India Needs to Clean Its Air
The Hindu | April 2, 2025
A structural assessment of India’s recurring air pollution crisis. The article critiques overreliance on quick fixes such as cloud seeding, smog towers, and odd-even schemes, highlighting fragmented governance, weak institutional mandates, and the need for durable regulatory reform.
Why India Struggles to Clear Its Air
The Hindu | November 27, 2025
An examination of India’s recurring pollution crisis shaped by highly visible but short-term interventions. The article argues that while India can learn from global experience and its own scientific advances, lasting progress depends on institutions and policies designed for Indian administrative and socio-economic realities.
Navigating COP28: India’s Leadership in Global Climate Action
Gaon Connection | December 11, 2023
An evaluation of India’s positioning at COP28, examining climate finance, energy transition pathways, equity principles, and India’s evolving role in Global South negotiations.
China Slashed Its Air Pollution in a Decade — Can India Replicate Its Model?
Scroll | August 23, 2023
A comparative governance analysis of China’s air quality transformation. The article explores enforcement structures, monitoring transparency, political economy trade-offs, and which elements are realistically adaptable to India’s institutional context.
Why We Need Better Data on Clean Fuel Coverage to Tackle Air Pollution
IndiaSpend | February 14, 2023
An analysis of LPG adoption, fuel stacking, and measurement gaps. The article highlights how inaccurate or incomplete data can distort policy effectiveness and obscure inequities in clean cooking transitions.
वायु प्रदूषण से प्रभावित होने के बाद भी भारत के गाँव वायु प्रदूषण निवारण नीतियों का हिस्सा नहीं हैं
Gaon Connection | February 4, 2023
A Hindi commentary highlighting rural exclusion from India’s air pollution governance framework. The piece calls for integrating biomass exposure, agricultural emissions, and village-level vulnerability into national policy design.