Mushroom magic
In a recent breakthrough, an Indian mushroom has been found to be extremely effective in controlling heavy metal pollution
Dancing to the World Bank's tune
The World Bank, which is the largest lender of aid to the Third World, is casting its shadow on decisions made by the Indian Union ministry of …
Can we live forever?
Though all living beings have a finite life span, beyond a certain age, the probability of survival becomes unpredictable.
Blame it on the foreign hand
The government's policy of screening long-staying foreigners for AIDS is an attempt to find a scapegoat for a national health problem
Whose home is it, anyway?
The Maldharis of the Gir national park face eviction because their "unsustainable" economy if threatening the Asiatic lion
UNEP set to navigate a new course
The United Nations Environment Programme, which had previously advanced legal instruments to solve global environmental problems, is now …
Mira Behn: A friend of nature
The urge to be close to nature guided Madeleine Slade, who came to be known as Mira Behn, throughout her life
An identity crisis for the South
The developing world needs to define what the South represents, for otherwise it risks its legitimacy as a negotiating bloc
Peasant women list their woes to scientists
At a recent conference, women farm workers got a chance to discuss their problems with agricultural experts.
Industrialising agriculture dooms the sources of life
Greens contend that agricultural productivity can be increased many times with minimal use of water and a few external inputs, but most …
Why are we begging for eco-clean technology?
If industrialised countries were legally barred from exporting anything considered eco-unfriendly, industries in the developing countries would …
Wanted: an independent appeals institution
If the World Bank does not withdraw from the Narmada dam, it will undermine the credibility it gained from setting up the review team. US NGOs …
THE BIG BAD WHITE MEN
To villagers in Bihar, the Dunkel Draft and GATT are not proposals or agreements but a couple of angrez out to play havoc with their lives.
High talk
Unspeak has piled up mountains of words on sustainable development of the world's fragile peaks, and action courses seem to have been lost on the …
Some knowledge is forever
The validity of traditional ecological practices, in terms of sustainability, has to be examined scientifically
Two new worlds
'Aid fatigue' in the West is changing the perception of the development paradigm of the poorer countries
Junking reality
The cleaning force of every country has an indispensable worker, the rag picker. But the health and safety of this person is conveniently ignored
The minister and the menace
A recent workshop on people's management of the Rajaji National Park brought out in full fury the debate whether the local communities are wiser …
Unfriendly neighbourhoods
In their rush to meet the housing requirements of cities, planners are turning a blind eye to the quality of the built environment
Under siege
India, seen as a dumpyard by the developed countries for toxic wastes, is under pressure not to ratify the Basel Ban
A revolution redefined
Troubled by the degradation of soil and water, French farmers are now switching to a more sustainable practise of agriculture
Ground realities
The importance of groundwater as a source of irrigation and the role of traditional methods in conserving it should be given due credit
Nature's laboratory
The ice cover almost 4.8 km thick is perhaps the most valuable feature of Antarctica, with its record of past atmospheres in the trapped air bubbles
Gandhi revisited
Development policies based on Gandhian philosophy, rather than consumerism, are the best bet for tackling current environmental and development …
Time to wake up
The demand for water and energy is likely to increase at a geometrical rate in the coming years. What are the policy options for a better …