Science
Down To Earth
THIS CRISIS IS OF OUR MAKING
We are living through catastrophic times that will bring even mighty mountains to their knees
4 min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Himalaya Wellness Committed to Conserving Biodiversity
Biodiversity is crucial for the sustenance and balance of life.
1 min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
PLAN OR PERISH
Rivers that water Punjab were already flowing at capacity due to heavy rain in upstream states, when a record August monsoon made them flood simultaneously. What fuelled the deluge?
10+ min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
A SLOW HEALING
Global action is mending the ozone layer, but unregulated short-lived chlorinated emissions by industries are delaying full recovery
3 min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
MELTED LIKE WAX
The Western Himalayas have taken a severe hit this monsoon, as shifting wind patterns fuel extreme weather events across the region.
10+ min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
CLOUDS OF CRISIS
The year 2025 will be remembered as one in which normal rainfall masks an abnormal reality of destruction and weather extremes.
5 min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
WESTERN HIMALAYA AT POINT OF NO RETURN?
This monsoon season has been unusually severe for the Western Himalayan region, which has witnessed extreme weather events almost daily. Relentless, intense rainfall and repeated cloudbursts have triggered flash floods, landslides and mudflows, wiping out villages, claiming hundreds of lives, cutting off highways and bringing life to a standstill. DOWN TO EARTH speaks with a climate scientist, geologist, geomorphologist and glaciologist to understand whether the Himalayas have reached a point from which it may be extremely difficult to recover.
8 min |
September 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Rich pickings from orphan drugs
Big Pharma is raking in billions from orphan drugs while India's policies on rare diseases is way behind in protecting patients
4 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
POD TO PLATE
Lotus seeds are not only tasty, but also a healthy and versatile ingredient to add to diet
3 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
'We are on mission-driven approach to climate challenges'
Tamil Nadu is tackling its environmental, climate and biodiversity challenges with a series of new initiatives, including the launch of a climate company.
3 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
NEED NOT BE A DIRTY AFFAIR
The potential to reduce emissions from India's coal-based thermal power plants is huge, and it needs more than just shifting to efficient technologies.
10+ min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Of power, pleasure and the past
CONCISE, ACCESSIBLE HISTORIES OF INDIVIDUAL FOODS AND DRINKS THAT HAVE SHAPED HUMAN EXPERIENCE ACROSS CENTURIES
3 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Promise in pieces
Global Talks collapse as consensus rule blocks progress on ending plastic pollution
4 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
ROAD TO NOWHERE
WHILE OTHER NATIONS LIMIT WILDLIFE NUMBERS IF COSTS OUTWEIGH BENEFITS, INDIA BEARS THE EXPENSES WITHOUT THINKING OF THE GAINS
7 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Disaster zone
With an extreme weather event on almost every day this year, the Himalayas show the cost of ignoring science and warnings
5 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Power paradox
In drought-prone districts of Karnataka, solar parks promise prosperity but deliver displacement, exposing the fault lines of India's renewable energy transition
5 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Are we beyond laws of evolution?
WE AS a society are disconnecting from nature. This is a truism for the human species. But how disconnected are we from nature, from where we evolved? On the face of it, this sounds like a philosophical question. Still, if one gets to measure this, which tool to use? Miles Richardson, a professor engaged in nature connectedness studies at the School of Psychology, University of Derby, UK, has published a study that attempts to measure this widening connection between humans and nature. His finding says that human connection to nature has declined 60 per cent since 1800.
2 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Paddy overload
Even as it records a rise in paddy acreage, Telangana enhances its push for fine-grained varieties of the crop, raising concerns
3 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Dogged disruption
Free-ranging dogs have risen as predators due to the decline in vulture numbers in India. Now, these canines threaten other animals and humans with feral behaviour, disease transmission
5 min |
September 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Rain check revolution
A citizen science initiative collects localised precipitation data in and around Pune to help people gain insights on rainfall patterns
2 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
A STATUTORY ORDER, NOT AN ADVISORY
The International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion that countries driving climate change are committing a crime against humanity reiterates the principle of common but differentiated responsibility. It is likely to boost litigation related to climate reparations
10+ min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
TIMELESS CORBETT
EXPLORING THE HUNTER, WRITER, NATURALIST AND CONSERVATIONIST BEHIND THE LEGEND OF JIM CORBETT
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
REIGN OF FIRE
Jharia coalfield continues to burn, with no sign of respite and only sluggish progress in rehabilitation for its people
6 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
FORGED CONSENSUS
State governments offering financial incentives to make panchayats forego voting and elect candidates by consensus could have unfavourable consequences for India's local self-governance.
10+ min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Healing minds
In Chhattisgarh's Durg district, health workers are offering support to those silently struggling with mental health conditions
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Spirit of the soil
MITTI: EK NAYI PEHCHAAN BRINGS FARMER ISSUES TO THE FORE THROUGH THE EYES OF A YOUNG PROTAGONIST WHO RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS
3 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Soft targets
India's largest renewable energy park risks displacing Ladakh's nomadic herders and their prized pashmina goats
4 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Breaking the coal taboo
WHAT DO we do with coal and the electricity it generates? This is the zillion-dollar question in the face of the twin challenges of climate change and the urgent need for energy to power homes, factories and shops across vast parts of the still-developing world. The world is fast running out of the carbon budget to keep temperature rises below 1.5°C—a guardrail against out and out devastation. We need solutions that can and must work in the interests of all. This is where the coal question becomes complicated. It is easy to say “keep it in the ground”—do not use coal for generating electricity as it is more than certainly responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions that have already filled our shared atmosphere. But how will that work in an energy-insecure world?
3 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Micro menace
As nations negotiate a global treaty to regulate plastics, scientists have released a damning report highlighting the health impacts on humans
5 min |
August 16, 2025
Down To Earth
'Window to avoid worst climate scenarios is rapidly shutting'
In 2023, scientists for the first time quantified nine planetary boundaries—aspects that affect the functioning of Earth systems, including climate change, ocean acidification and land-system change—and concluded that six of them have already been transgressed. This assessment is based on a framework put forth in 2009 by a team led by JOHAN ROCKSTRÖM, now director at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and professor of earth system science at the University of Potsdam, Germany. All the boundaries are under strain due to global warming, bringing us closer to irreversible climate tipping points, Rockström tells SHAGUN. Excerpts:
4 min |