Migration is probably a more important element in determining population structure and change in an area than fertility and mortality. Its study however poses many problems as the subject is prone to definition complexities especially in the global context.

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) to raise awareness about the underlying threats to and the need for biodiversity conservation. As a mega-diverse country and as a Party to the International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), India had committed itself to achieving the 2010 Biodiversity Target, adopted by the sixth Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the CBD, to significantly reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity.

Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (POWERGRID), a central transmission utility, was established in 1989 with the mandate of establishment and operation of regional and national grids to facilitate transfer of power with reliability, security and economy.

The oceans and the land beneath them could provide all the energy the world needs for years to come. As new technologies are been developed ocean resources are shaping up to meet our increasing energy needs.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences established National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to serve as its technical arm for taking up technology development and demonstration projects in major areas of ocean energy, a reliable and commercially viable multi-functional system for the extraction of energy from sea water. Gas hydrate exploration amounts to one of its prominent achievements.

Reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases, while increasing economic wealth is only achievable with an intelligent mix of all available energy sources.

India energy scenario is fast adapting to the changing climatic regimes with new low carbon technologies, energy efficiency and renewables striding into prominence. Shri H S Brahma, Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India, briefly interacts with G’nY team via email to lend us a glimpse of what is envisaged for the years ahead.

While the developed countries want the developing countries to put caps on greenhouse gas emissions (GGE), the emerging economies want the advanced countries to accept deeper cuts in GGE and also provide technology transfer besides financial help for adaptation and mitigation programmes.

Shri S K Chaturvedi, CMD, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd., in conversation with the editor, affably offers insights on issues of sustainable grid management and outlines mechanisms to increase grid efficiency. Optimistic about the sustainability of India’s energy scenario. Shri Chaturvedi feels that renewable energy will take great strides in the near feature.

For those not yet fixated on the inevitability of the use of modern materials for their much vaunted strength, mud houses can be a liberating way to meet housing needs, private and public, without extravagance but with elegance.