Ban on exports helps protect Indian bullfrog
The decline of the Indian bullfrog was reported recently in a New Scientist article. But, it may be premature to conclude that the species is doomed.
A junkyard in the sky
An average trekker uses as much firewood in a day as an average Nepali family would in a week.
How many trees for a political tamasha?
Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram's self-boosting extravaganza in Madurai has cost the nation an estimated 40,000 litres of precious …
The unaccounted wealth that leaves our shores
The Indian government invests Rs 34 lakh to educate each IIT graduate. It therefore has the moral authority to get him or her to work for the …
Up in smoke
Illegal marijuana cultivation leads to a systematic butchering of the rich rainforests of Kerala
Aswamedh Yajna - the burning question
Over the centuries, the Aswamedh yajna changed from being related to metal smelteries and became associated with horse sacrifices?
From butterfly to caterpillar
Stung by unplanned growth, Naini Tal -- once a queen among hill resorts -- is being divested of her riches.
Panel inspected
The inherently flawed investigation of Nepal's Arun III dam project has undermined the credibility of the World Bank's new Inspection Panel
Behind the buzzword
The NGO movement in South Asia has come a long way in the past 10 years. Last month, a panel discussion between some of them emphasised …
Imparting environmental education
What is the best approach to instil in the minds of students a lifelong respect for the environment?
Reworking of times past
In the race to make a fast buck from Jurassic Park, Spielberg lost a cinematic shot at recreating the complex ecosystem where dinosaurs ruled Earth
Manna from the sky
You can now 'telecommute' for sustainable use of resources and take an 'edutainment' break! overseeing more than what an overseas aid by a …
New raj wars the old
Its high time the panchayati raj institutions in India reviewed their actual role in spelling out developmental processes
Crimes against the environment
The Environmental Crimes Bureau (ECB) of New Jersey in the US is a state agency that is entrusted with the job of taking action against those …
Reaction time
Electronic conferences can speed up decision making which lengthy, costly and conventional deliberations cannot
Locking horns with the bull
International agreements like the Basel Convention are not enough to defeat corporate agendas firmly rooted in the stock market
No laughing matter
Activists are increasingly resorting to attention-grabbing techniques to bring development issues into the public domain
Agenda for people's participation
Two new amendments to the Constitution promise greater effectiveness in civic administration and urban planning; but is that enough?
Southern solutions?
Sustainable industry could emerge in the South if it does not repeat the follies committed by Northern nations during their industrialisation process
For a new deal
The role of non-government organisations (NGOs) in the international arena is changing. They have to devise new strategies to consolidate their …
Bridge to nowhere
Sweden and Denmark, two of the world's most eco-friendly countries, compromise on environment to go ahead with the construction of Europe's …
Speak up!
As Brazil's energy industry undergoes an overhaul, consumers must take a more active role in protecting public goods
Budgeting for science
The government should not only increase funding for science and technology but overhaul institutions of research
Shades of equity
Negotiators from developing countries lack the strategy to put equity on the global climate change agenda. But the US has already begun to define …
Nature's whims and fancies
Early flowering of mango trees, rain constellations going haywire, disappearing nor'westers, shifting seasons - all these unusual phenomena can …