CAG's soon to be released study findings on the correlation between air pollution and violent crime, was preceded by a discussion bringing together TNPCB officials and the Chennai police. As part of the discussion, officials considered the reasons for weak implementation of the various environmental protection laws.
Vamsi Kapilavai, Senior Researcher at CAG, commenting on the large quantities of supposedly 'non-toxic' coolant packages and discarded close to the Pallikaranai marshland, asks how these can be treated as non-toxic materials. Even just the plastic packaging is well established as having toxic properties. They are known to leach several toxins into the soil, air and water when exposed to even ambient conditions.
Are civic agencies doing enough to engage with the public, via social media? Sumana, researcher at CAG, comments that grievance redressal is important content to the public, and one that should be prioritized by civic authorities.
As the incidence of hypertension soars across the nation, the TN government has pioneered the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme, in a bid to take healthcare for non-communicable diseases to the hard to reach communities in the state. CAG spoke to beneficiaries of the scheme and this piece documents these patient voices.
Madhuvanthi Rajkumar, CAG and delegate representative of Consumers International at the recently concluded INC-3, Nairobi, gives a first hand account of proceedings from the event and the status of progress towards the Global Plastics Treaty.
An article about CAG's Zero Waste Store Locator - an online resource to help shoppers identify local stores that can sell plastic free. If you are looking to start your zero waste journey, this is a good place to begin. The Zero Waste Store Locator is a crowd sourced database - so if you know of a shop that should go here, get in touch with us!
The quintessential Aavin milk packets, produced in the thousands, are made of Low Density PolyEthylene (LDPE), a type of plastic that can be recycled effectively. However, Chennai-based petitioner Ayya points out that the pouches are merely discarded, endangering human health and the environment. The petition filed before the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal cites findings from CAG's plastic brand audit (2021) that Aavin milk pouches constituted 7% of the plastic waste analysed in the audit.
As cyclists are increasingly crowded out of our roads, this article quotes a study by CAG that found that livelihood cyclists (or captive cyclists, as they cannot afford a motorised form of transport) are the ones mostly left on our roads, battling traffic. Sumana, CAG, explains that piecemeal approaches to making cyclists safer, such as isolated cycle tracks on a few roads, are not good enough to solve the problem of the vulnerable cyclist.
CAG's Climate Action Month drew to an end, after a month of activities that reached over 10,000 Chenai-ites. Speakers at the event stressed the need for both individual and collective action to adapt to and mitigate the inevitable changes from the climate crisis.
As part of #ClimateActionMonth2023, CAG organised a discussion on the Chennai Climate Action Plan which threw up interesting observations on the practicalities of the plan. Plan points on renewable energy, solid waste management and just transitions were some of the aspects that were analysed.