South Asia | Peter Schulte

Women and transgender people in Pakistan get a ride-sharing service for protection

By Peter Schulte / September 11, 2024 / Good news links

In an effort to increase protection for trans people, a Pakistani business has launched a ride-share service that will be available only to women and trans people. Called SheDrives, the service was launched last weekend and seeks to protect trans people from discrimination and harassment, says Ammaz Farooqi, the company’s chief executive. It currently operates only in the second-largest city of Lahore, but Farooqi said that expansion is possible.

Nepal opens first community-based red panda conservation area

By Peter Schulte / August 29, 2024 / Good news links

Nepal’s first community-based red panda conservation area has been established in the Puwamajhuwa area of Ilam Municipality, covering 287 acres of temperate broad-leaved forests. The conservation area aims to protect the endangered red panda species, promote ecotourism, and contribute to local community livelihoods. This initiative demonstrates the increased authority of local governments in Nepal following the 2015 Constitution, allowing for community-driven conservation efforts.

Mangrove tree in water above and below sea surface

Bangladeshi women embrace mangrove restoration as an alternative livelihood

By Peter Schulte / August 15, 2024 / Good news links

The vast Sundarbans mangrove forests along the southern coast of Bangladesh act as a shield and protect the coastal people and their livelihoods from tropical cyclones and tidal surges. In the last couple of years, the number of mangroves in the zone has increased as the government and some NGOs have introduced programs to plant mangrove trees on the coastal embankments as protection measures. Women from coastal villages, who know the ecosystem well, have been at the forefront of these reforestation projects and have also become entrepreneurial with mangrove forest resources.

Chinese drones to transport trash from Nepal’s Mount Everest

By Peter Schulte / August 10, 2024 / Good news links

Nepal is set to deploy Chinese-made drones to transport garbage from the slopes of Everest, marking the first time unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be used commercially in the country’s high-altitude zones. This initiative announced by China’s leading drone manufacturer, Da Jiang Innovations aims to reduce the risks faced by Sherpas and improve waste management on the world’s tallest peak.

India increases number of EV charging stations by 800% in last two years

By Peter Schulte / August 10, 2024 / Good news links

India has grown from 1,800 charging stations two years ago to 16,347 today, a greater than nine-fold increase. While this is great progress, the country will need more than one million stations by 2030 to keep up with the nearly $50 billion EV market expected there by 2030.

For the first time, India’s elderly and disabled are able to vote from home

By Peter Schulte / May 18, 2024 / Good news links

India’s election commission now allows and facilitates home voting for the elderly and persons with disabilities in the 2024 national elections. Voters at or above the age of 85 and those with 40% disability have been given the option to vote from home. More than 17 million such voters have registered across the country, the commission said.

A tiny olive ridley sea turtle crawling on sand

Bangladesh achieves major victory in olive ridley turtles conservation

By Peter Schulte / May 16, 2024 / Good news links

This year, Bangladesh has seen its highest number of olive ridley turtle eggs, thanks to extensive conservation actions, including building awareness among local people and the vigilance of local conservation groups to ensure favorable conditions for the species. The number of eggs has increased by almost 53% compared with the previous year, from 8,096 to 12,425. Those tallies represent a significant jump from the 4,713 eggs recorded in 2020-2021 and 5,763 in 2022-23. The olive ridley is listed as an endangered turtle on the IUCN Red List.

Coal’s share of power capacity in India drops below 50% for first time since 1960s

By Peter Schulte / May 15, 2024 / Good news links

India is rapidly emerging as a renewable energy powerhouse on the world stage with a surge in both capacity addition and tendering to add more plants, according to new research. Renewable energy accounted for 71.5% of the record 13,669 MW power generation capacity added by India in the first quarter of 2024, while coal’s share of total power capacity dropped below 50% for the first time since the 1960s.

Seven countries now generate 100% of their electricity from renewable energy

By Peter Schulte / April 25, 2024 / Good news links

Albania, Bhutan, Nepal, Paraguay, Iceland, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo produced more than 99.7% of the electricity they consumed using geothermal, hydro, solar or wind power. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) also revealed that a further 40 countries generated at least 50% of the electricity they consumed from renewable energy technologies in 2021 and 2022.

India aims to achieve debris-free space missions by 2030

By Peter Schulte / April 22, 2024 / Good news links

Low Earth orbit is littered with about 30,000 objects larger than a softball and millions smaller than a centimeter. A bombshell study found unexpectedly high amounts of vaporized metals polluting Earth’s stratosphere, which is home to the fragile ozone layer, whose chemical makeup can be altered by satellite material. Another study posted to the preprint server arXiv suggested that debris from burning satellites could be altering our planet’s magnetic field.