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 ecosystems are strained and local communities under threat. Despite this, the manifestos of parties competing in last year’s election revealed a lack of focus on such issues. In our fourth episode of The Third Pole Podcast, Srinagar-based journalist Auqib Javeed guides listeners through the region’s worsening environmental challenges. He highlights pressures from unregulated tourism and large infrastructure projects, explaining how these changes could have far-reaching impacts across South Asia.Joining him is Omair Ahmad, Dialogue Earth’s former South Asia managing editor and greatly missed host of this podcast. Having covered Kashmir for much of his career, he explains how years of conflict, political instability, limited local powers and weak governance have compounded its environmental problems. He strikes a note of hope for the future though. Things can turn around, and key to this is empowering local players to implement solutions.GUESTSAuqib Javeed, independent journalistOmair Ahmad, former South Asia managing editor, Dialogue EarthCREDITSHost: Shalinee KumariProducer: Shalinee KumariAudio edit and sound design: Sync Sound SabhaRecording studio: Pindrop MediaArtwork: Sana NasirThanks to: Lizi Hesling, Nanaui Amoros Silva, Chaia Dechen, Isa Lim, Sam GelderMUSIC“Alarm Cycle” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: CC BY NC“Borough” by Blue Dot Sessions, licence: ⁠CC BY NCLICENCEThis podcast is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence. To find out more visit: https://dialogue.earth/en/republishing/Visit our website for more podcasts: https://dialogue.earth/en/podcasts/

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