Guar mine
Farmers in Rajasthan make big bucks as shale gas rush boosts demand for little-known cluster bean
Trump must confront climate challenge, but will he?
People in the US must turn up the heat on Donald Trump so that he doesn’t water down Obama's environmental agenda
Volkswagen to pay $14.7 billion to settle emissions-cheating cases
After violating environmental and consumer laws for years, Volkswagen makes the largest-ever automotive buyback offer in the US
US agency proposes more stringent rules to curb downwind air pollution
The proposal is expected to reduce emissions from power plants in 23 states, protecting neighbouring states from ozone pollution
The truth about US emissions
A close look at the inventory published by the US Environmental Protection Agency shows emissions rose and dipped due to market forces and …
Patently hollow claims of the US
Global organisations and academics defend India’s IP laws and call for US to back off
Menacing US diplomacy
Specialist attachés are strenuously pushing maximalist intellectual property rules worldwide
Myriad gains, we all lose
The US appeals court has upheld the patents for isolated human genes, ignoring scientists’ warning that it would obstruct vital research …
Bank’s first contest
Developing countries challenge US monopoly by putting up candidates for World Bank’s presidency
Science meets fiction
Down To Earth invites sci-fi buffs and writers to take its readers on a guided tour of the world of science fiction that throws a mirror to the …
Poisons we live with
Book>> What’s gotten into us? Staying healthy in a toxic world • by Mckay Jenkins, Random House • US $26
Turn on the tap
Why do Americans buy expensive bottled water when they have high quality tap water? That’s been an abiding enquiry for PETER GLEICK. …
Only 15% COVID-19 vaccine doses pledged by countries have materialised: WHO chief
Around 50 countries, mostly in Africa, will lag behind the global target of vaccinating 10% population in each country by September
King Coal is dethroned in the US – and that's good news for the environment
For the first time ever, natural gas overtook coal as the top source of US electricity generation
Fuming over food
The US food industry tries hard to dilute dietary guidelines. A story that repeats itself across the world
Can carbon-negative be the next step?
Carbon-negative technologies sequester more carbon than they release. But experts say they cannot be a substitute for reduction of greenhouse gases
Real threats of virtual world
Spending too much time on the Internet is causing mental health disorders. Is India prepared to tackle the addiction?
Acta is trade terrorism
India’s generic medicines export faces a huge threat from the anti-counterfeiting law which creates barriers to global trade
Avoiding climate breakdown depends on protecting Earth’s biodiversity — can the COP15 summit deliver?
COP15 brings together parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with a goal of negotiating this decade’s biodiversity …
The US takes on a drug giant
The US government's patent lawsuit against Gilead Sciences indicates it is tired of being milked by pharma companies
Are signs on the wall signalling the death of diesel cars?
Mayors of 20 European cities have signed a petition to the European Union denouncing a loophole in diesel cars’ pollution limits
Domestic industrial emissions in decline as US relies on imports
Sixty per cent of everything a US consumer bought in 2004 came from imports. In the last 15 years, imports of capital and consumer goods have doubled
Antarctica may hold the key to regulating mining in space
If we're going to mine asteroids, then we need an international treaty to prevent it becoming a wild west. …
Why do we need patents?
There is no empirical evidence that patents serve to increase innovation and productivity
Nuclear shield for MNCs
The new Indo-US agreement protects American companies from being held liable for nuclear accidents