Need for a Research BLOG

Information about all aspects of waste management should be laid out for the Citizens of India to make informed decisions. Public knowledge sphere holds enormous quantities of misinformation, which is easily available. It is due to such information or a lack of any information that some environmental initiatives are opposed or are not welcome. Academic research helps clear some of that fog. However, it is necessary that academic research finds easier ways to create awareness, because awareness inspires action. Most environmental movements in the world happen at the grassroots level fuelled by general observations and research findings. Environmental regulations in United States and the MSW rules 2000 in India are some examples of the results of public awareness.

Figure 39, Internet Search for "Solid Waste Management", Source: Google Trends

The easiest way for general public to know about any topic of interest is through a simple internet search. Internet is the major source of information for public more often than ever before (Figure 39). Whenever someone needs information, “they will go to the Google search engine and type the words they want to know about and get those search results above, most likely clicking on the top link first”. (63)

Among world cities, majority of the searches (in English) on “Solid Waste Management” were from Indian cities (Figure 40). This represents a growing interest about SWM and the increasing role of internet in India. Academic research should be among the top links. This is possible through blogging because information in Blogs is easily searchable on most search engines.

Figure 40, Internet Searches for "Solid Waste Management" from Different Cities, Source: Google Trends