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 …
Silent sufferers
Indifferent primary health care in developing countries could lead to mental depression taking the form of a mass illness
Save the sea
...by encouraging local participation of fisherfolk to arrest overfishing and damage to the eco-system
The daily bread
Bangladesh's flood victims have little or no work, and little or no money to buy food. And even the foodstuffs that are provided to them under …
Fuel for thought
To reduce the level of carbon in the atmosphere, growing and using biomass as an energy substitute for fossil fuels is of greater advantage than …
Whale of a problem
The world has again failed to agree whether whaling should continue or a moratorium should be placed on hunting the sea mammal
Alluring corridors
Conservation of lengths of forests, harbouring native animal and plant species, is a powerful concept that can involve people and attract funds
Starting afresh
For the writer, the environs and celebrations will be very different when the new millenium dawns
Trim that FLAB
The bureaucrat is a generalist and gets to head departments that should be managed by specialists
Parched tip
Kanyakumari stands testimony to the fact that unchecked population growth and faulty land use can lead to water scarcity even in places wallowing …
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 …