Engage

Time we solved the population question

Empowered by water

Access to water in households helps women save time to earn additional income and improve their quality of life RUBY SARKAR

Third pole melting away

Himalayan glaciers disappearing 65% faster since 2010. This will drastically reduce water flows in the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra

GREEN PROMISE

Although a weed, silver cockscomb is high in nutrients and shows potential for use as a leafy vegetable

Fix at source

Bengaluru must close data gaps, rope in bulk waste generators to cope with its growing piles of rubbish

TIME AFRICA SWITCHED

Africa has always been energy-poor, and the scenario has gotten worse in the past decade. The continent must leapfrog to renewables to become energy-secure, and the West would do well to aid the transition.

ALARMING TRENDS

Cyclone Biparjoy in the Arabian Sea provides yet another example of the changes that storm systems are exhibiting due to warmer waters

Writing on the wall

Excessive groundwater extraction is triggering subsidence in the Indo-Gangetic plain

Money matters

The last meeting before COP28 gets little work done as developed and developing countries fight over climate finance

TOXIC TRAIL

How a polluted seasonal rivulet in Ludhiana causes cancer, cognitive impairment and organ damage cases in districts 200 km away

Conflict Of Existence

Humans have an affinity for certain species. This is perhaps the reason stray dogs, monkeys and pigeons have always been part of Indian life. Their numbers have, however, reached unmanageable levels in urban areas in recent decades, so much so that they now pose a threat to public safety. Zoonotic diseases like rabies, caused by dog and monkey bites, and lung ailments, caused by pigeon droppings, are on the rise like never before. The behaviour of these city-bred species has also undergone changes. They now feed and breed profusely, and are fast adapting to urban settings. For peaceful coexistence, curbing the population of these species may not be enough. It requires a change in people’s etiquette so that these benign species do not become an urban menace

Climate counsel

Farmers in Maharashtra alert each other about local weather conditions and share new agricultural strategies to cope with climate change SHEKHAR PAIGUDE

Delay tactics

Slow progress on treaty to end global plastic pollution as countries hold up negotiations with procedural objections

Act of faith

Why is Mendha fighting for community ownership of land under gramdan law at a time when most other villages want to give up the tag and states are diluting it?

Ominous change

A clear change evident in western disturbances that bring the crucial winter rains to India

India has lost its way on open access

New Delhi’s focus on striking a deal with the scientific publishing industry ignores the true spirit of open access and knowledge sharing

Rise Of The Fungus

Fungal infections often go undiagnosed. Even when identified, they are among the most difficult diseases to manage. They are now quietly spreading across the globe, preying on people’s weakened immune system and taking advantage of the high diabetes burden. Some are even showing resistance to the existing arsenal of drugs and are becoming virulent in a warming world

'ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO MARRIAGE'

Nearly five years after scrapping Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised homosexuality, the Supreme Court in April 2023 began hearing petitions seeking legalisation of same-sex marriage, which would not just recognise unions within India’s LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, transgender, queer-identifying and others) community, but also allow partners to open joint bank accounts, make medical decisions and be eligible for inheritance. As a five-judge bench of the Apex Court headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud heard arguments both for and against the petitions, debates arose on the institution of marriage, on whether marriage equality was an “elitist concept”, and even on the biological definitions of a man and a woman. DOWN TO EARTH spoke to two experts on the fate of marriage equality in India.

PLANT BABOOL

The tree can grow well on degraded land, can survive droughts and floods, and has numerous medicinal properties

GREEN FLIGHT

From sustainable fuel to hydrogenpropelled engines, the aviation sector is experimenting with various technologies for a clean future

When generics turn into Big Pharma

Top generics firms, some from India, are charged with price-fixing and sleazy deals; Sun Pharma has paid up to settle claims

Every count matters

India’s first census of waterbodies is a much awaited one but experts question the methodology

POTENT EMITTER

Termites are a major source of methane, but determining the risk they pose to global warming is fraught with uncertainty

A silent crisis

Years of undernutrition and a heavy reliance on rice, supplied through public distribution system, could be fuelling diabetes among tribal population

Deserted by state

Rural households in West Bengal are pushed into debt traps and forced migration after the Centre’s decision to withhold funds to implement India’s flagship public wage programme in the state

Link as old as time

CONSIDERED AN ENIGMA TODAY, CHEETAH IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF INDIAN HISTORY, NOTES WILDLIFE EXPERT DIVYABHANUSINH IN THE STORY OF INDIA’S CHEETAHS. FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1995, A NEW EDITION OF THE BOOK WAS LAUNCHED RECENTLY, WITH A CHAPTER ON INDIA’S PROJECT CHEETAH

Amplifying discontent

Absence of a good census allows politicians to exploit aspirations, hopes, sentiments, language traditions and social identities of people in Manipur

Lethal hypocrisy of US Special 301 Report

Patent protection in the US is a convoluted and expensive business and yet it pulls up other countries that have robust systems

Displaced by disasters

Climate emergency replaces wars and conflicts as the biggest global cause for internal displacement of people