Nuclear energy, as we know it, was unleashed by nature at Oklo in Gabon, Africa, when uranium formed rings on its mountains billion of years ago. Natural uranium contains at least three per cent uranium. This uranium formed rings around the mountain and acted as fuel rods in a reactor. When rain water was run across the fuel rod, it acted as a reactor. The Oklo phenomenon was discovered only in 1972. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) saw fit to run an international conference on the subject.

• R. R. Subramanian
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

The eradication of poverty and prosperity depend upon the economic development of a nation which in turn is dependent on an adequate and continuous supply of energy sources. Hence, energy is the lifeline of economic development. The rise of South Asia in general and India in particular as a force on the economic scene is now widely acknowledged. India's growing population and expanding economy with the shift in focus from agriculture to the manufacturing and services sectors have led to an increase in energy intensity which has resulted in an unprecedented demand for energy sources.

• Bhupendra Kumar Singh
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

What are the major trends that will shape the global energy future in the medium to long term, say up to 2030? The authoritative report of the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued in 2007, before the global economic slowdown of 2008–09, had predicted the world's primary energy demand growing by 55 per cent at an average annual rate of 1.8 per cent between 2005 and 2030. This was before the global economic crisis of 2008–09.

• Arvind Gupta
• November 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Both the Chinese government and the Tibetans are in agreement over the impending issues relating to the adverse impact of climate change on Tibet while the India-specific data on glacier melt is as yet inconclusive. There is, however, a difference of perception in Sino-Tibetan discourse over the capitalist model of economic development being undertaken by China which is at variance with the cultural practices of Tibetans, informed and regulated as they are with the Buddhist values of oneness with nature. Nomadism is also fundamental to the preservation of the ecology of Tibet.

• P. K. Gautam
• September 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Rivers are more than what Samuel T. Coleridge poetically expressed in Kubla Khan: ‘meandering with mazy motion’ and falling into the ‘sunless sea’. Rivers are life-givers, carrying a mystic and sacred quality about them. That they are oft described as being ‘mighty’—the mighty Amazon; the mighty Nile; the mighty Brahamaputra; the mighty Murray; the mighty Mississippi and Missouri—is hardly mystifying. Civilizations have grown around it and flourished. In contemporary politics the salience of rivers cannot be overlooked both in terms of being drivers of cooperation and conflict.

• Uttam Kumar Sinha
• September 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Like in the 1950s, the word ‘riparian’ is back again in the India–Pakistan lexicon, becoming this time intensely political, emotional and divisive. This development is both instructive and unsettling. It is instructive to note how the current water realties of the two countries, which have changed significantly since the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in 1960, will now determine the treaty's future. With growing populations, inadequate water management techniques and the impact of global warming, water resources are under pressure.

• Uttam Kumar Sinha
• July 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Climate change has acquired high priority in the United Kingdom's foreign policy. It has in recent years raised the issue of climate change at various international forums, such as G-8, the European Union and the UN Security Council. This article examines how and why climate change has become one of the core components of UK foreign policy, and in so doing analyses the interconnections between foreign policy and climate change, and interactions between domestic and international politics.

• Uttam Kumar Sinha
• May 2010
• Strategic Analysis

This research article examines the rationale for Iran, Pakistan, and India entering into a trade agreement to meet their economic, political, and strategic needs as well as the constraints and challenges that still hamper such an agreement from realizing its full potential. Using the gas pipeline project as a case study, the issues of energy security (as the independent variable) and of economic interdependence (as the dependent variable) highlight the importance of cooperation among these countries.

• Anjali Sahay , Jalil Roshandel
• January 2010
• Strategic Analysis

India is being subjected to increasing pressure from the developed countries to cut down on its carbon emissions on the grounds that it is the fifth largest consumer of energy. This comes even as there are forecasts that India's energy consumption will increase incrementally as it tries to address the challenges of its social and development goals by increasing and sustaining economic growth at around 8–10 per cent of its GDP.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• January 2010
• Strategic Analysis

Though global warming and climate change is a real concern and needs to be addressed, it is concerns over energy security that are driving the West's policy and debate on climate change. With the traditional oil and gas market changing in favour of the developing countries, the developed countries are concerned about retaining their preferential access to energy resources.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• November 2009
• Strategic Analysis

India’s record in wind energy development is good. But the existing technology is fast becoming outdated. Evolving technologies like kite wind should therefore be considered.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• June 09, 2017
• IDSA Comments

While hydropower projects are critical for economic growth and development, it is equally important to fully assess their potential social and environmental impact in the long-term. The challenge lies in finding the right balance between the need for development and the necessity of protecting the environment.

• Opangmeren Jamir
• May 12, 2017
• IDSA Comments

Given that over 70 per cent of the world's energy consumption comes under the IEA umbrella, the association with the agency will substantially increase India’s relevance in global energy governance.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• April 19, 2017
• IDSA Comments

Unless an integrated view of Teesta basin management is adopted, the water and power needs of Sikkim and Bengal cannot be attended to in juxtaposition to the needs of Bangladesh.

• Gautam Sen
• April 18, 2017
• IDSA Comments

TAPI has the potential to be a game changer for Turkmenistan. To boost confidence among potential investors, Turkmenistan needs to adopt best global practices in its gas sector.

• Sanket Sudhir Kulkarni
• September 02, 2016
• IDSA Comments

The longer the price of oil remains depressed, India, like other major oil importers, will not only increase its dependence on crude imports, but it will also become more dependent on OPEC.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• January 18, 2016
• IDSA Comments

The fact that the developed countries succeeded in making all commitments non-binding makes the Paris Agreement almost toothless.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal , Satyam Malaviya
• December 18, 2015
• IDSA Comments

India needs to capitalise on the emerging Iranian gas supply market and the current low price scenario, before rival consumers snap up Iranian exports or prices go up. Developing broader relations that entail incorporating gas supplies from Iran would give India greater leverage at a time when other countries in South Asia are emerging as key gas importers.

• Shebonti Ray Dadwal
• November 10, 2015
• IDSA Comments

Often criticised as an obstructionist or stubborn negotiator, India now holds considerable credibility as a leader when it comes to climate change related pledges.

• Satyam Malaviya
• September 03, 2015
• IDSA Comments

This fresh move on the Indian Prime Minister’s part is perhaps meant to signal to Pakistan that if the latter continues with its hostilities and political rhetoric towards India, then India and other countries may consider an alternative arrangement.

• Sanket Sudhir Kulkarni
• August 27, 2015
• IDSA Comments