Over the past few years, maths teacher Usha found her classroom sweltering during her usual 12.50–1.50 pm period, on the second floor of Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Government Girls Higher Secondary School. “It was so difficult to take class during the peak hours,” she says. But this year, she mentions that it feels slightly bearable, and attributes this to the shade of the trees, the wind blowing through the building, and the latest addition — solar-reflective paint on the roof. Data from a state government and UNEP Cooling pilot project at the Ambattur school shows that reflective coating brought the classroom’s internal…

The proposed GBIT project has generated considerable debate regarding its potential ecological impacts on the Bengaluru–Ramanagara landscape. Two overarching concerns include the loss of highly productive agricultural land, and the transformation of the region's existing natural ecosystems. In particular, the large-scale loss of tree cover and waterbodies has attracted significant public attention. However, another key ecological dimension is wildlife habitats and animal mobility. Unlike agricultural fields or trees, wildlife movement is dynamic and spans diverse landscapes. The area between Bengaluru and Ramanagara is marked by recurring human–wildlife conflicts, particularly human–elephant. Understanding these elephant movements is crucial  for addressing broader ecological…