https://www.scmp.com/rss/508113/feed Kavitha Yarlagadda is an independent writer based in Hyderabad, India, who writes about the environment, science, health, social media, food, culture and travel. She has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in environmental science. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kavitha Yarlagadda Kavitha Yarlagadda Artificial intelligence (AI) may look automated, but it runs on human labour. Behind every chatbot and image generator are thousands of people labelling images, tagging text, moderating content and training systems to understand language and culture. This invisible workforce has quietly become a critical layer of the global AI economy. India has emerged as a major hub for this work. Its large English-speaking workforce and long history in information technology outsourcing have made it a go-to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341993/great-powers-bet-ai-what-workforce-holding-it-together?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3341993/great-powers-bet-ai-what-workforce-holding-it-together?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Kavitha Yarlagadda Kavitha Yarlagadda Despite years of policy interventions, air pollution in India is rapidly getting worse. By the middle of this month, cities including the capital New Delhi were seeing air quality readings at hazardous levels. A 2024 IQ Air report found India’s particulate matter (PM2.5) levels to be more than 10 times the World Health Organization’s safe limit. In the north, pollution mainly comes from traffic, construction dust, industry and seasonal stubble burning. What began as an environmental issue is now... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3334107/if-china-can-cut-its-pollution-why-cant-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3334107/if-china-can-cut-its-pollution-why-cant-india?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Last week, a Singapore Airlines flight encountered severe turbulence that left one passenger dead and dozens injured. While the episode has been described as a freak incident, it is making people wonder what could have caused such a serious disruption to the flight and whether climate change will worsen the frequency and intensity of turbulence during air travel. Already, turbulence is the leading cause of non-fatal injuries in on-board accidents. Hours after takeoff from London on May 20, the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3264170/singapore-airlines-turbulence-how-climate-change-has-hit-flight-safety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3264170/singapore-airlines-turbulence-how-climate-change-has-hit-flight-safety?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 May 2024 01:30:08 +0000 Given the likelihood of an extended heatwave this summer, the Indian government has ordered all gas-based power stations to be operational from May 1 to June 30. Power demand reached a record 243 gigawatts last September, and is forecast to hit 260GW this summer. India signed the Cop28 accord that calls for “transitioning away” from fossil fuels, but the country’s data on coal dependence indicates that this change is still far off. India has about 27GW of coal-based power capacity under... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3260196/chinas-and-indias-coal-habits-are-slowing-down-green-transition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3260196/chinas-and-indias-coal-habits-are-slowing-down-green-transition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:30:18 +0000 The popularity of electric vehicles has surged in the last few years, from just 1.4 per cent of passenger car sales worldwide in 2017 to 14 per cent in 2022. But something changed in the second half of last year and demand is decelerating, with EVs reportedly piling up at car dealerships. Analysts expect the growth in EV sales to continue slowing this year. Bloomberg last month estimated that EV sales made up 18 per cent of the global total for the third quarter, and expects EV sales of 16.7... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3252621/ev-honeymoon-over-demand-decelerates-and-carmakers-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3252621/ev-honeymoon-over-demand-decelerates-and-carmakers-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Feb 2024 08:30:10 +0000 Global temperatures are soaring, with heat levels never experienced before, in our warming world. According to the World Meteorological Organisation, human-induced greenhouse gas emissions will lead temperatures to soar to record highs over the next five years. Large portions of South and Southeast Asia saw record-breaking heat spells in April, causing scientists to warn that 2023 may break more temperature records as the planet’s climatic patterns alter and global warming worsens. Spain and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3223035/global-temperatures-soar-we-must-act-faster-tackle-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3223035/global-temperatures-soar-we-must-act-faster-tackle-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jun 2023 08:15:10 +0000 With the latest UN climate summit fast approaching, climate goals of different countries take centre stage. Many countries have made aggressive climate goals, but how far have these nations progressed in terms of action? Are they in line to achieve their goals? Some of the inaction might be because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis, making nations rush for fossil fuels. But there is positive news with rising investment in renewable energy sources and increasing sales... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197864/cop27-global-climate-change-progress-too-slow-stop-disastrous-temperature-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3197864/cop27-global-climate-change-progress-too-slow-stop-disastrous-temperature-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Nov 2022 14:00:19 +0000 Coal is both the cheapest source of energy and the biggest producer of greenhouse gases, which are responsible for climate change. Most developing countries still rely on coal – India is the second largest consumer of coal behind China. Despite India’s net-zero carbon goal and plans to develop renewable energy sources, its demand for coal is at an all-time high. And this demand is set to rise by a further 63 per cent by 2030, according to the country’s coal minister. China, too, is increasing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3196395/coal-seems-be-making-comeback-despite-glasgow-climate-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3196395/coal-seems-be-making-comeback-despite-glasgow-climate-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 20:30:08 +0000 In late September, India’s Supreme Court ruled that women, whether married or unmarried, have equal right to abortion for pregnancies of up to 24 weeks. Before the ruling, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, single women could cite “failure of contraception” to abort pregnancies of up to 20 weeks, while married women were allowed to do so up to 24 weeks. The country’s apex court also made clear that the term “woman” applies to transgender people, that medical practitioners do not... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3194914/indias-landmark-abortion-ruling-step-forward-womens-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3194914/indias-landmark-abortion-ruling-step-forward-womens-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Oct 2022 05:15:10 +0000 India and China, the world’s two most populous countries with more than 1.4 billion people each, are facing rapid demographic changes in the coming decades that threaten their hard-earned economic progress. China faces a shrinking, ageing population that will dampen its economic productivity while India’s challenges are the opposite – its population growth, much of it among the poor, uneducated and malnourished, will put increasing pressure on society and the state. As the world’s largest... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3191964/chinas-population-shrinking-while-indias-growing-both?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3191964/chinas-population-shrinking-while-indias-growing-both?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Sep 2022 03:15:10 +0000 Demand for electric vehicles is surging thanks to increased responsibility towards the environment, ambitious climate goals and the relative ease of maintaining the vehicles. Expectations for global electric vehicle (EV) sales at the start of 2020 were uncertain due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But, as time passed, it became clear that it would be a surprisingly successful year, with worldwide sales increasing by 43 per cent from 2019. Last year broke many records, with some 6.75 million sold –... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3190663/why-electric-vehicles-are-set-accelerated-growth-decade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3190663/why-electric-vehicles-are-set-accelerated-growth-decade?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Aug 2022 07:30:18 +0000 Millions are suffering in India’s relentless heatwave. The country experienced its hottest March in over a century. Temperatures went above 46 degrees Celsius last month, with northwest and central Indian seeing their hottest April in more than 120 years. Construction workers, vendors and workers in the informal sector have struggled to work in this unusually hot summer. Adding to the woes are the frequent power cuts as India faces its worst power crisis in years due to a shortage of coal as... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3178229/heatwave-and-coal-crisis-are-signs-india-should-speed-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/asia/article/3178229/heatwave-and-coal-crisis-are-signs-india-should-speed-its?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 May 2022 03:45:19 +0000 When Bindu Mohana Batta watched big budget Telugu-language epic RRR soon after its release last month, it upset her to see the scenes that had been filmed in Ukraine. “Watching the movie made me sad that the place won’t be the same again,” said the lawyer from Hyderabad. “I am against unwarranted and unprovoked war.” Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, people across India have taken to the streets in protest. In early March, college students in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh state, held a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3174458/how-ukraine-became-go-location-indias-blockbuster-hindu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3174458/how-ukraine-became-go-location-indias-blockbuster-hindu?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Apr 2022 07:00:27 +0000 Shoma Abhyankar is one of millions of Indians who turned to electric and electronic appliances during the Covid-19 pandemic to fill a housework gap left by limiting contact with domestic workers. The takeover by gadgets and machines could have lasting consequences, changing the face of domestic work across the nation. Abhyankar, 45, an independent writer from the western city of Pune who lives with her husband and daughter, has used a robotic vacuum cleaner since a pandemic lockdown was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3120978/indias-domestic-workers-facing-tough-times-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-relationships/article/3120978/indias-domestic-workers-facing-tough-times-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:45:11 +0000 Devotees hurry to buy flowers from vendors to fill their baskets and join the sea of women heading into the gaily lit and brightly decorated temple. It’s the evening of an auspicious festival and temples all over the southern Indian city of Hyderabad are crowded with Hindu worshippers, most bringing offerings of flowers: marigolds, lilies, roses and chrysanthemums. The faithful leave the temples with blessings, but they leave behind piles of blossoms and leaves too. Hyderabad homemaker Aruna... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3113838/recycling-indias-floral-waste-how-flowers-left-temple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3113838/recycling-indias-floral-waste-how-flowers-left-temple?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Dec 2020 08:45:17 +0000