Desperate for Expressway
Uttar Pradesh is set to begin work on its ambitious expressway along the Upper Ganga Canal, turning a blind eye to environmental concerns and …
Jumbo conflict
Human-elephant conflict is rising across India. Every year nearly 400 people are killed by elephants and about 100 elephants lose their lives. …
One step forward, two steps back
Countries want to do little to keep global average temperature rise to below 2oC. The Warsaw climate talks have exposed this. A report by Uthra …
A look at some of the world’s most threatened forests
Unplanned and unrestrained activities for agriculture, industry and urbanisation are ruining our most important ally in nature—the forest
Daunting journey
Carbon particles from biomass burning and vehicles could be discolouring the Taj Mahal. Down To Earth returns to the monument, a symbol of …
Pollution threatens Taj Mahal
Despite crores being spent on its upkeep, air and water pollution continue to threaten the Taj Mahal
Living on the edge
Coastal South Asia is fragile and vulnerable to climate change impacts. Yet, governments are setting up industries, ports and promoting tourism …
Wild & fragile
The Western Ghats in the south of India have forests which are, for some plant species, their exclusive home on this earth. No wonder then, that …
"The awareness here is dismal"
Karnataka High Court's Justice M F Saldanha has emerged as one of judiciary's standard bearers in the ongoing battle to save the environment. His …
The Method Behind The Madness
When the official system learns to loot the official treasury, it also targets the natural estate, the biggest property of the modern state. Good …
"There can be no development without women"
REACHING Doongri, a picturesque village perched 1,750 m above sea level in the Pindar valley in Chamoli district, is a daunting task. The nearest …
Chipko: an unfinished mission
In 20 years, Chipko has acquired many facets, primarily as a conservation endeavour by the poor, a struggle for local control of natural …
"The DANGER to FORESTS is not over"
The subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) met from June 2-12 1998 in Bonn, Germany. A good …
On the Edge
In Vietnam, an astonishing array of species, some never before encountered by humans, are being threatened by deforestation and an illegal trade …
Climate is changing, and the Sundarban residents can feel it
The Sundarban delta region in the Bay of Bengal, with 10,000 square kilometres of estuarine mangrove forest and 102 islands, is the world's …
The goat gamble
It has been a slow and steady shift over decades. Forced by declining returns from farming in ecologically fragile areas, small farmers have been …
Logjam
Whenever the Supreme Court pulls the trigger, why does it miss the target? Because governments like those of the seven Northeast states work …
Newest Biggest Deal
In Kyoto, in 1997, nations of the world agreed the Clean Development Mechanism (cdm) was a competent way to combat climate change. The process …
Forest war
Naxalism started as a movement against land alienation. Today it has become a popular movement against natural resource alienation, …
How Bellary was laid waste
Karnataka’s Lokayukta Santosh Hegde’s report is a sordid story on the rise of India’s mining poster boy, Bellary. The …