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Rishika Pardikar

@rishpardikar.bsky.social

3.7K followers 330 following 600 posts

Environment and climate reporter covering science, law & policy | Drilled, Article-14, AGU's Eos, African Arguments, Frontline 📍Bengaluru, India

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · May 23

A 'Coal in India' explainer for @drilledmedia.bsky.social. Historical roots to nationalisation & back to privatisation, worker issues, Adani & state favour, resistance by Adivasi communities & police action & underground mining. Context: non-existent energy transition
drilled.media/news/india-c...

In India’s Coal Belt, a Window into the Challenges Facing Energy Transition

India’s reliance on coal is tied to a complex set of economic, social, and energy security factors; any successful energy transition plan will have to address all of them.

drilled.media

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

Ken Opalo @kopalo.bsky.social · 5d

If the U.S. were a low-income country, right around now they'd have been hit with a range of economic sanctions designed to impoverish Americans into rising up to defend their democracy -- with predictable results.

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2h

"The colours on a butterfly’s wings are not trivial – they have been designed over millions of years... being colourful in the Amazon may be turning into a disadvantage"

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

As forests are cut down, butterflies are losing their colours

The insects’ brilliant hues evolved in lush ecosystems to help them survive. Now they are becoming more muted to adapt to degraded landscapes – and they are not the only things dulling down

www.theguardian.com

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 3h

Going to Australia in a week. Feel free to share climate-related news

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

The Saturday Paper @thesaturdaypaper.com.au · 23h

Warnings about how to avoid a paper trail that might later be accessed by an FOI request are part of the induction kit for new political staffers. Even the acronym has its own crude nickname in the ministerial wing: “FOI. Fuck Off Idiot.” satpa.pe/zPB9QFA

Inside Albanese’s FOI reforms: ‘He hates transparency’

Labor’s reforms to freedom of information laws are opposed by every public submission made to the Senate, with the government’s record on secrecy worse than Scott Morrison’s.

satpa.pe

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 1d

"There are even more in the pipeline. In addition to those 31, the @climatecouncil.org.au report released a few weeks ago identifies another 38 new or expanded coal projects seeking federal government approval... In some cases, they are planned to continue operation well beyond 2050..."

Labor’s slate for fossil fuel approvals

The Albanese government has already approved 31 fossil fuel projects, and more than that are waiting, even as renewables overtake coal as the top source of electricity.

www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting. Hadn't thought about this. At the least, attribution studies that do not need observed data - be it weather or mortalities and other health impacts - should include a big disclaimer saying so. But from what I have observed, they don't. And media reports carry conclusions as headline

Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

"Putting the cart before the horse" is a good analogy to describe demands for climate action that are completely removed from demands to provide climate finance. Climate action in developing countries faces many structural barriers of which climate finance is a big one

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

Climate action in developing countries hinges on climate finance. A failure to provide finance means a failure to enable energy transitions

oilchange.org/news/eu-mini...

EU Ministers Undercut Fossil Fuel Phaseout Leadership with Weak Finance Position Before COP30 - Oil Change International

Today, EU Finance ministers approved the EU Council Conclusions on Climate Finance ahead of COP30. In response, Laurie van der Burg, Public Finance Manager at Oil Change International, said: “The EU…

oilchange.org

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

Oil Change International @oilchange.bsky.social · 1d

The EU wants to be seen as a climate finance leader, but this is more self-praise rather than progress. It is falling short of ending its fossil fuel subsidies or contributing its fair share to global climate finance.
#COP30 #JustEnergyTransition #ClimateFinance

oilchange.org/news/eu-mini...

EU Ministers Undercut Fossil Fuel Phaseout Leadership with Weak Finance Position Before COP30 - Oil Change International

oilchange.org

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

Alleen Brown @alleenbrown.bsky.social · 1d

An anti-protest law in Australia that was first used to go after climate activists is being used to go after pro-Palestine protesters

7news.com.au/news/south-a...

Pro-Palestine protesters locked up under strict ‘draconian’ laws

Protesters may have to miss national rallies under strict bail conditions.

7news.com.au

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, agree. When disasters like flooding occur in places like Bengaluru or some Himalayan towns, a lot of us find singular attributions to extreme rainfall misleading. Because we know developmental plans did not adhere to local ecology

Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

Small qualifiers like "estimates suggest" in cases where there is no observed data. Although I doubt most editors would let me write this headline 😅

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

I was just thinking about this. Grantham Institute report itself is titled 'Climate change tripled heat-related deaths in early summer European heatwave'. Agree with everything else you say but I remain uneasy such titles and media headlines because I know audiences often draw a lot from headlines

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 1d

No one on this thread is calling the use of counterfactuals dishonest. I am specifically talking about cases where there is no data regarding actual deaths/ health impacts. Like this (www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperi...). And the critique, as I have repeatedly clarified, is about how media fails

Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

IPCC @ipcc.bsky.social · 4d

📣 Attention: Early-career researchers from developing countries & countries in transition!

Are you interested in becoming a Chapter Scientist and supporting author teams for #IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report?

Apply by 18 Oct 2025

🔗 www.ipcc.ch/2025/10/07/c...

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

I haven't come across any counting exercises post climate attribution via modelling. They could actually help contextualise

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

The use of such estimates in studies or for framing health policy is perfectly ok. My point here is about science communication and an understanding gap among general audience - it exists for these other cases too. Accurate science communication is a good thing. We don't need to patronise audiences

Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

This critique is from the point of view of general public as news consumers. A headline that says "thousands of people die each year in heatwaves/ wildfire" would, to a lay audience, sound like a thing that has happened

Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

I wonder how many people understand that the studies do not quantify the number of people killed/ affected by climate-linked disasters in our present world. They make assumptions and compare and analyse worlds with and without climate change

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

Still trying to understand climate attribution science & criticisms but one thing I can say is headlines like "[insert climate-linked disaster] kills [insert number] people each year" are misleading. There are many possibilities & many worlds that could have existed had there been no climate change

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

Hi, a small query: you write "... given China’s previous commitment to reach net zero on all warming gases by 2060, seems like a significant blind spot." I thought China only committed to peak CO2 emissions by 2030 & achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. I doubt they have committed to all gases earlier

Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

Oxfam EU @oxfameu.bsky.social · 2d

"So far this year, the EU added 39 additional billionaires to its list of nearly 500 ultrawealthy, a new Oxfam report released today finds. To put that more simply, that means a new billionaire was minted every 9 days in the European Union."

Politico's coverage of our report 👇

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 2d

In today’s EU Influence:

🇨🇳 The Huawei lobbying scandal is far from over.

💰 The EU’s wealthiest are getting richer.

👨‍💻 A Big Tech lawyer helped pick a Big Tech lobbyist as regulator.

Learn more 👇

Huawei lobbying is back

A weekly newsletter on campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the EU. By JORDYN DAHL Tips, tales, traumas to [email protected] | View in your browser Welcome back to your weekly dose …

ow.ly

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

Joshua Basseches @joshuabasseches.bsky.social · 2d

Oil and gas companies will often claim to be partners in the clean energy transition, when it is politically expedient to do so, but new research finds their actual contributions are marginal:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Oil and gas industry’s marginal share of global renewable energy

Nature Sustainability - The decarbonization of oil and gas companies may not be as speedy or robust as advertised. This analysis finds that renewable energies make up just a minor fraction of the...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Rishika Pardikar

ClimateActionNetwork @canclimateaction.bsky.social · 2d

🚨 WEBINAR ALERT: The Renewable Energy Tracker 2025

Our new report tracks the Energy Transition in 16 countries. Beyond gigawatts, we're monitoring justice and who really benefits.

🗓 Date: Oct. 15, 2025
🔗 Register here: shorturl.at/q4TTY

#changingcourse #JustTransition

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Rishika Pardikar @rishpardikar.bsky.social · 2d

One of India's leading public interest lawyers in the Supreme Court read my report for @drilledmedia.bsky.social 😀

ICYMI drilled.media/news/modi-ad...

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