DTE Exclusive: ‘Shamlat’ lands hold key to Dalit empowerment; alleviation of rural poverty in Punjab

Dalits, who form 31.94% of Punjab’s population, own just 3.5% of the state’s land

Decision 2022: Will AAP make a difference to Punjab Dalit issues? Watch this space

For the moment, the only thing clear about the verdict is that it reflects a narrative of change rather than continuity in Punjab

Contentious farm laws: Agri-reforms led to farm income decline, land concentration in Bihar

It is imperative to know that without the existence of regulated markets, agriculture markets are deprived of efficient marketing infrastructure …

Transforming land use can make world carbon neutral by 2040: Study

Immediate measures on agriculture, forestry, wetlands and bioenergy can cut down a third of the emissions to keep temperatures below 1.5°C

Desertification expands in areas on front line of climate change

The latest IPCC report does not clearly link climate change to desertification, but it does say desertification is a “function of both …

Centre uses SC order to turn forest land into revenue land

11-year-old order for relocating three Maharashtra villages used for conversion in 18 states

RE-powering Jharkhand: Solar objectives great, but execution may be tough

Coal to clean transformation will need structural transformation of age-old communities

Degraded land the size of China needs to be restored by 2030 to prevent biodiversity loss: UN Report

Every single year, we lose ecosystem services worth more than 10 per cent of our global economic output, the report said

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (August 3, 2023)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal  

Punjab shamlat lands: We will give land for housing, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal tells DTE

Punjab reserves 33 per cent of cultivable shamlat land for Dalit households, who can lease it for a year through competitive bidding. In reality, …

Himalayan plunder: Why Sikkim geologists fear Joshimath-like disasters

Sikkim, also in eastern Himalayas, is plagued by unchecked development & lacks strong civil society to voice concerns

Human activities are eating into reindeer grazing land in Europe

Multiple stresses affect 60% of Fennoscandia region; High risk of vegetation and landscape change in the future, finds study

Groundwater quality deteriorating in Tamil Nadu’s industrial areas: CSE

The most serious pollution threat to groundwater was from calcium, chloride and iron, associated with sewage and pollution from tannery waste

UNCCD CoP 14: Experts stress on restoring Sahel region by 2030

The Great Green Wall Initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land and create 10 million green jobs by 2030 in the region

Desertification in India: How a faulty government scheme degraded Gujarat's Banni grasslands

Introduction of a non-native plant, Prosopis juliflora, in the region on the recommendation of the third Planning Commission to fight salinity, …

Nigeria shows way to reverse land degradation

Launched in 2015, NEWMAP — a World Bank project — has successfully restored gullies, along with catchment planning, soil and …

Nature to tackle environment challenges: Triple investments by 2030, says UN report

Current investments of $133 billion comprise about 0.10% of global gross domestic product, most of which come from public sources  

Loss and grief at 14,000 feet: A shepherd’s fight to save his dying flock

The sheer number of migratory sheep & goats reaching Lahaul-Spiti from Chamba demands an allocation of sufficient vaccinations, medicines …

As told to Parliament (March 24, 2023): India has eliminated leprosy, as per WHO criterion

All that was discussed in the House through the day  

After Joshimath, it could be Karnaprayag, Nainital and other Uttarakhand towns next, say experts

Policy interventions are needed on construction work in Himalayan regions to avoid a repeat of Joshimath, according to experts  

Africa’s food systems are being shaped by climate crises, rising population

Report identifies six megatrends affecting development of agrifood systems in the continent

Coastal villagers vow to oppose JSW steel plant in Odisha

Jindal Steel Works Ltd is to build a proposed steel, cement and power plant on land where POSCO was to build a plant earlier

Is a land cyclone brewing over West Bengal

Two global forecasting facilities, including the US Navy have said a land cyclone is forming over West Bengal, but the IMD is yet to declare so &…

Huge implications for climate policy as new study confirms truth about land sink

It validates view that the prominent focus on the land sink is merely a smokescreen to mask countries’ hesitation at cutting down …

How does land motion, ice height impact sea-level rise? NASA shows in maps

In maps: How Earth’s surface mass in August 2020 deviated from average for all months between 2004 and 2009; spatial variations in the …