An environmental skirt to hide behind
In a dark time reason takes a backseat, and propaganda can get rash. To convince 'nose-in-the-air' liberals that Saddam is really a bad boy, he …
Debate: Has economic liberalisation threatened India’s environment and natural resources?
The inaugural issue of Down To Earth (May 31, 1992) coincided with India opening up its economy. We carried a debate on how economic …
Desperately seeking experts
The environmental situation in India is grave -- our natural resources are getting depleted at an alarming rate and there is an acute paucity of …
"We don't intend to threaten India"
The Environmental Investigation Agency ( eia) is one of the leading international environment organisations in London. Recently, it has …
India will soon play a major role
SIRPA Pietikainen, Finland's environment minister, says the world has quite a few things to learn from India, especially when it comes to …
‘EIAs of mining projects have become a farce’
Christopher Albin-Lackey, senior researcher with New York-based non-profit Human Rights Watch (HRW), has documented the large-scale environmental …
On paper
The Green Rating Project (GRP) of the Centre for Science and Environment was conceived as a means to track the environmental performance of India'…
Enter -The green rating project
Indian industry is huge. But most environmentalists believe it has done little to reduce pollution, which will only rise as the economy grows. …
Short circuit
On the face of it, the ambitious Sethusamudram project to bridge the east coast with the west coast of the country seems a great idea. The …
SEZ, how special?
Despite having burned its fingers with export processing zones, which mainly involved a number of substantial fiscal benefits, the government has …
Tipaimukh Dam in Manipur driving a wedge?
Imphal, Manipur's capital, came to a grinding halt on August 28, with a strike being called. Imphal's people are habituated to bandhs, and most …
Mining firms set up shop in Orissa
Lanjigarh block, Kalahandi, Orissa, May 17: At its summit, the northeastern ridge of the Niyamgiri hill range has a bald patch, typical of …
Deep waters
Puducherry's plans for a new port have prompted unprecedented protests. Allegations of a huge land grab facilitated by procedural violations and …
Tribunal on trial
It has been four years since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act was passed by Parliament for effective and expeditious disposal of cases …
United Colours of Industry
Of all dyes produced across the world, 11 per cent goes out as effluents. 2 per cent from manufacturing and as much as 9 per cent from colouring. …
Sand slips
Where there is a river, there is sand. Called a minor mineral, it fulfils a major requirement of the booming construction industry. No wonder, …
Lavasa exposed
By its looks, the place could be mistaken for Portofino, a fishing village-cum-resort in Italy—multi-coloured buildings crowd a waterfront …
EIA 2020 to give straight clearances for 239 dams
Some 900 hectares of forest will be submerged with the dams, claim experts
Environment (Protection) Act: 39 changes made to rules in 2 years of pandemic, shows report
Most relaxations & exemptions made for development projects through gazette notifications, office memorandums, orders
Miner liable to pay ‘dead rent’ when unable to extract minerals due to lack of clearance: Andhra HC
Petitioner approached the court against the state government insisting on a dead rent for 2013-2020
Draft EIA 2020 undercuts India’s biodiversity and climate goals
The proposal to weaken policies for environmental protection with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) draft, 2020, has resulted in …
Draft EIA: SC rejects Centre challenge to Delhi HC translation order
The high court heard a petition asking the Centre to print the draft EIA notification in 22 languages mentioned in the Eight Schedule of the …
Draft EIA notification institutionalises 1 season data for baseline
Such data is needed for assessing impact of a project on the environment; experts fear Environment Impact Assessment studies will become …
Draft EIA 2020 notification: Moving beyond technical jargon
It is crucial to envision the EIA as anticipatory, participatory and systematic in nature and a process that relies on multidisciplinary input, …
Whose EIA draft is it anyway — people or project proponents?
The draft Environmental Impact Assessment reflects technocratic language, as it makes public consultation a tertiary issue and focuses on …