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. 

Health is a basic right. And despite our constitution saying so, India is struggling to give its citizens fair and equal access to quality health care. Depending on your source, stats say that anywhere between a third to three-quarter of today's Indian citizens fall below the poverty line.   

A health care system that goes by 'Universal Health Coverage' has been adopted by 32 countries around the world as of 2020. It promises medical services to all citizens at affordable rates, such that health expenses don't drive patients into financial ruin. While India's Ayushman Bharat program is on the right track, the current health systems are largely inaccessible to non-urban India. A lack of state regulation has made it hard to unify public and private health players to hop on the "Quality Health for All" bandwagon.   

In our fourth episode, we speak to two experts – a lead campaigner for equality & access to essential services at Oxfam India, Anjela Taneja, and seasoned health care management professional, Managing Director and CEO of Thyrocare Dr Velumani – about whether "UHC" will benefit India once the coronavirus pandemic blows over.

We’ve all been told that each of us leaves our own little footprint behind. That over many decades, our footprint on the environment has brought on a 'climate change emergency'. The impacts of our changing climate are very visible today, and extend well beyond global warming, melting glaciers and sea level rise. It affects the health of ecosystems and communities around the world, and resources we depend on – water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and our own health, to name a few. These impacts are likely evolve well beyond the risks we're seeing today. 

What could save us from the worst of these impacts is 'resilience'. Climate-resilient societies are built to better assess, adapt, and cope with these risks. In our third episode, we speak to two experts – climate change communications strategist Ruhie Kumar & urban resilience researcher Aditya Bahadur – about what it takes to build societies and cities in India that are resilient to climate change.

Today, India is home to fewer than 20 startups and companies exclusively work in a modest but growing private space sector. Till date, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been the single biggest competitor in the nation's space industry, but this could change in the near future. 

The government announced a new organisation – InSPACe – dedicated to simplifying and encouraging the participation of companies in commercial space activity in India.   

We spoke to space engineer & entrepreneur Yashas Karanam (Bellatrix Aerospace) and space lawyer Ashok G V (Factum Law) about whether the formation of InSPACe could unlock the potential of Indian space companies and give them the license to dream big.

Perhaps even touch the moon and stars?

We still don't know which hole the novel coronavirus climbed out of. But it's done more damage than any of the coronaviruses that came before it. Now, knowing everything we do, is it fair to pin our hopes on a vaccine? Who stands first in line, and who gets to make those decisions? Is a vaccine that's been put through a "fast-tracked trial" safe to use? Do "immunity boosters" really work against this new threat? 

We speak to Professor Anant Bhan, a bioethicist and global health and policy expert, to understand some of the big questions still on people's minds.