In this issue

UNCOMFORTABLE CLOSE-UP - Facial recognition technologies have created a data pool that allows unchecked surveillance on an unprecedented scale

People before profit

A Delhi-based clean energy services firm provides solar power and irrigation facility, with flexible repayment option, to returning informal workers in Uttar Pradesh

2 mins

CHAOS IN THE MANDIS

The first kharif season after deregulation of the agriculture market is underway. The government has started procuring paddy at minimum support price, even before the designated period. For the largest private trade in India, this is a time of anxiety. How is the market treating farmers? SHAGUN KAPIL visits mandis in Punjab and Haryana only to find that the market has become even more unfavourable for farmers

10+ mins

Bracing For An ‘Improved' WTO

The World Trade Organization needs an overhaul, but the reform will leave even less space for developing nations

6 mins

Milk, Or Not?

A debate rages as India’s top food regulator releases a draft regulation restraining plant-based milk from using the word “milk” on their labels

5 mins

FACE OFF

Facial recognition has become a frontline policing tool in India amid fears that it is prone to errors and allows the government to expand surveillance without much oversight

10+ mins

BORDERLINE UNETHICAL

Should we short-circuit trials of experimental COVID-19 vaccines?

6 mins

All talk, no show

Countries may have announced grandiose plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but they are unlikely to meet the global target to become carbon neutral by 2050

4 mins

“Multiple lakes beneath glaciers on Mars”

Mars’ south pole will be one of the prime sites for setting up a base if humans ever try that. In a region named Ultimi Scopuli, researchers have found three salty waterbodies underneath icy glaciers, giving a boost to prospects of both microbial extraterrestrial life on Mars and its habitability for humans. The results, published in Nature Astronomy on September 28, came from the analysis of data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) aboard the Mars Express spacecraft launched by European Space Agency in 2003. MARSIS sends out radio waves onto the Martian surface and interprets the waves that are reflected back. The scientists used the same processing techniques as they do to find liquid lakes beneath the ice sheets near the Earth’s poles. The team had found evidence of a 19-km-wide single saltwater body in 2018 through 29 observations made between 2012 and 2015. Now they have found stronger evidence from 105 additional observations for the existence of the larger waterbody and three smaller waterbodies that surround it. We are quite confident of our find, says ELENA PETTINELLI, professor of mathematics and physics at the Roma Tre University in Rome, Italy, and co-author of the research paper, in an interview with AKSHIT SANGOMLA. Excerpts:

3 mins

Meal Of Indulgence, Everywhere!

Using local ingredients in baking can make food healthier

2 mins

TEA POINTS

REKINDLING THE BRITISH-ERA ROMANCE WITH TEA CAN HELP UTTARAKHAND REVITALISE ITS ECONOMY AND RESOLVE THE LONG DRAWN-OUT MIGRATION CRISIS

4 mins

Read all stories from Down To Earth

Down To Earth Magazine Description:

Down To Earth is a fortnightly magazine published by the Society for Environmental Comm, a non-profit research and advocacy organization based in New Delhi, India. It is one of the most respected environmental magazines in the country.

The magazine covers a wide range of topics related to the environment and sustainable development, including:

* Climate change: DTE provides in-depth coverage of climate change, including its causes, impacts, and mitigation and adaptation strategies.
* Energy: DTE covers a variety of energy topics, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and fossil fuels.
* Water: DTE covers a variety of water topics, including water pollution, water scarcity, and water management.
* Pollution: DTE covers a variety of pollution topics, including air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution.
* Biodiversity: DTE covers a variety of biodiversity topics, including forests, wildlife, and conservation.
* Sustainable development: DTE covers a variety of sustainable development topics, including green economy, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable transportation.

Down To Earth magazine is known for its high-quality journalism and its commitment to environmental protection. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the environment and sustainable development in India and around the world.