Agenda for Doha
Closure of long-term cooperative action, sought by the US and other developed countries that want to wriggle out of climate change mitigation …
Message from Bonn: Drop Bali agenda
Disagreements begin; parties to discuss informally to adopt long-term cooperation agenda
Oxford University defers decision on divesting stake in fossil fuels
Alumni occupy office building in protest; 21 international universities have already divested their stakes
India denies GMO contamination in basmati
EU had sought clarification after finding genetically modified organisms in the exported rice
HFC-23 emissions on the rise
India, China threaten to release more super greenhouse gas; developed countries just as guilty
Vanishing islands of Bangladesh
Frequent natural disasters continue to inundate and erode many islands in the 'climate impact hot spot'
Biodiversity governance: A mix of knowledge and forest management for benefit sharing
People’s biodiversity register a roadmap for forest management plans; it documents knowledge of status, history, ongoing changes and …
Biodiversity governance: Access and benefit sharing and its implications on agricultural resources
A special instrument for access to crop genetic resources, access and benefit sharing (ABS) system, is fraught with challenges
Biodiversity governance: The agreements and laws that help enforce it
Major legally binding conventions to protect nature were adopted at the Rio Summit where several countries came together amid rapidly …
Time to wake up to threat of NCDs
As the UN begins its meeting to devise strategies to tackle NCDs, Indian public health activists say it was a wake-up call for the health …
Non-communicable diseases: The unrecognised public health threat
Health is rarely the topic of discussion at the UN general assembly. But starting September 19, the UN began a high-level meeting to debate a …
India reverses stand on asbestos at Rotterdam Convention meet
Opposes its inclusion in prior informed consent list; campaigners accuse industry lobby of influencing government
‘Handling toxic waste is a matter of science, not administration’
Whether it is the dismantling of toxics laden ship from the US, Oriental Nicety, or the clean up of the 350 tonnes of waste lying at the defunct …
Just dump it
Acids of arsenic. Organo-mercury compounds. Batteries. Bristles of boars or hogs. More potent stuff: asbestos; slag dross; ash and residues of …
Everyone is stealing germplasm
When agronomist Ralladoddi Hampaiah was advisor to the Russian government, he discovered how easy it was to take genetic resources out of India. …
Taking stock of biodiversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity, 20 years on, is still struggling to stem the precipitous decline in biodiversity. After missing the 2010 …
'Building and retaining capacity is the toughest challenge'
Balakrishna Pisupati is in the hot seat as chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), where he has to deal with regulatory and …
'CBD has lost its track'
Bolivia is one of the few countries that has consistently been opposing treating biodiversity as a commodity at the ongoing Conference of Parties …
The hunt for benefits
India is hailed as a pioneer in implementing the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity—fair and equitable sharing of …
'Most countries don’t want to recognise indigenous people as people'
Mohammed Taghi Farvar, former director of Avicenna University in Iran, is a well-known ecologist and social scientist. At present, he is the …
Future compromised
The Earth Summit was a historical opportunity to set the world on the correct development trajectory. Negotiators from 191 countries came …
What triggers desertification in India
A low down on the most important causes behind desertification in every state of the country. Addressing these will be critical to meet targets …