Defiling the sacred
How the environment --- sacred to Hindus --- is bearing the brunt of pollution in the name of religion
Turmoil in the park
Book>> Democratizing Nature: Politics, Conservation, and Development in India by Ashwini Chhatre and Vasant Saberwal OUP 2006
How to plant trees for development
There is no economic value seen in forests, but there is value seen in the development project for which forestland is required
Colonial hangover persists
Forest Act Amendment Bill maintains the forest department as the supreme controlling agency
Tackling poverty
INDIA: REDUCING POVERTY, ACCELERATING DEVELOPMENT, A WORLD BANK COUNTRY STUDY·Oxford University Press·New Delhi·260 pages
Battle for turf
If the South wants to protect its interests against the power of the Bretton Woods institutions and WTO, it will need its own, equally powerful forum
Polluter says' principle
GEF should have been a liability fund, rather than a 'guilt fund' set up by the North to make up for the global damage it had caused
Free, not fair
Does a country have the right to demand that its domestic standards on environmental protection be applicable to all countries?
Wood-headed proposal
After almost 10 years of fighting for or against a forest convention, there is not even a common view on why forests are under threat and what …
Toxic travellers
Developing countries are wary of the proposed treaty as chemicals like DDT are still used in many malaria-prone regions for vector control
Rio's stepchild
Northern countries still see desertification as a local problem caused by population pressures rather than international trade patterns and …
Biodiversity
To energise the biodiversity convention, the world will have to first deal with difficult countries like the US
Boiling point
Climate change negotiations get emotional because carbon dioxide emissions are closely related to individual lifestyles - and to national …
Fighting for a cause
K N Narayana Pillai, 75, is an ordinary citizen who has been suffering because of pollution from an industrial unit operating beside his house. …
Nobody's waste
Kerala's capital wants a solid waste treatment plant in a nearby village. This has created a rural-urban conflict
Jharkhand
Most politicians and activists see the Forest Conservation Act as a hurdle towards empowering the tribal population. They want the act amended
Uttaranchal
The process of alienating people from natural resources has not stopped, even with the attainment of statehood
Chattisgarh
Fighting the drought preoccupies the new government. Charting a mining policy to explore the rich mineral deposits is next on the agenda
Tehri: is it curtains?
The beginning of submergence of Tehri also marked the drowning of anti-dam sentiments. Any strong protest was conspicuous by its absence. Does …
15 lessons for India
As odd-even traffic restrictions in Delhi draw to a close, we highlight the takeaways from this massive community initiative to curb air …
An oasis put to test
Backed by three decades of water conservation measures, semi-arid Saurashtra is driving Gujarat’s agricultural growth. Will it be able to …
Micropowerful
A microhydel project a day. Communities snatch the initiative from the government to electrify rural Nepal
Poor little rich states
Rich in natural resources but extremely poor, the three new states are in need of a new strategy for development. But no blueprints have been …
Hunters turn protectors
Traditional hunters Phase Pardhis are part of an initiative to save critically endangered lesser floricans
Ugly is the new beautiful
A group of anonymous citizens in Bengaluru is cleaning filthy streets and inspiring change across India