The Third Pole Podcast

After six years of direct rule from New Delhi, a new administration came to power in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in October 2024. In a region long marked by political instability and military conflict, the new government faces many challenges. The environment is undoubtably one of these, given the region’s high vulnerability to the impacts of climate change.With glaciers melting, rivers becoming increasingly polluted, wetlands shrinking and rampant urbanisation, Kashmir’s

Northern Pakistan’s remote mountain communities are a rich reservoir of diverse cultures. But some of the languages in these regions – such as Yidgha and Dameli – are only spoken by a few thousand people. This makes the languages vulnerable, especially in the face of climate disasters like floods and droughts. With livelihoods under threat, many members of these communities are forced to migrate to other regions in search of a better life. This distance erodes the vitality of their mother tongue,

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

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