A reprieve for the paper industry

Jute fibre, which could provide a solution to the increasing crisis in procuring wood pulp, could be science's gift to the paper industry.

New role for earthworms as sewage cleaners

A Pune-based research institute has developed a process that employs earthworms to remove impurities from waste water.

Betrayal via bamboo

Largest paper manufacturer is using most of the bamboo in Maharashtra, leaving little for residents

Peatlands of Indonesia: in conversation with Myrna A Safitri

Indonesian peatlands are being burnt for palm oil and paper industries. Last year at the COP 21 in Paris though, Indonesian President Widodo …

Forest to farms

India's paper industry now sources more wood from farmers. Why does it still demand forestland?

Don’t say bamboo

Aparna Pallavi travels to Gadchiroli district to find out why villages relinquished forest rights

Crank it up

Sugar mills in India are doubling up as power generators by burning crushed sugarcane or bagasse. But with the price of bagasse rising, their …

Smokestacks lightening?

Emissions are bound to increase. The power sector improves, but others will spew more, especially iron and steel

Bacteria from rotten pomegranade can help produce cellulose

Bacterial strain from rotten pomegranate promises to help produce bacterial cellulose not just on a large scale but 4 times cheaper than made …

Environmental governance in India pushes industries to face stricter pollution norms

The last one year of environmental regulation in India has shown many improvements. But a lot remains to be done

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (October 21, 2022)

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

Why farmers are abandoning totapuri mango

The price of the totapuri mango has crashed due to low demand for its pulp, leaving farmers to dump produce on roads

Things fall apart: why do the ecosystems we depend on collapse?

From fisheries to forestry, there's a pattern to collapsing ecosystems and industries. If we can predict them, maybe we can avoid the damage.

India's biggest tomato district surrenders to cheap Chinese pulp

Farmers of Chittoor and nearby areas in Andhra Pradesh are struggling to get minimum returns from the crop

This paper mill in Punjab is causing cancer, loss of vision

Residents allege that the Kuantum pulp and paper mill in Saila Khurd, the only industry in the block for 30 years, is responsible for their …

World’s leading financial institutions continue to bankroll deforestation

Most of them have failed to manage and mitigate environmental, social and governance risks

‘Compostable’ not ‘Recyclable’ is the only way out

We all compost at the end of life. Let us learn from what is all around us and adapt our choices so that we can continue to survive and thrive

Half-way to autonomy

Decisions by Maharashtra’s top forest official can empower gram sabhas prepare plans to revive their forests, but a policy is awaited

Bamboo rising

Five years after it was implemented, the Forest Rights Act finally takes root. Communities across the country rush to claim rights over forests …