Science
Down To Earth
THE GREAT PIVOT
China's moves to transition to clean energy offer critical lessons to India
4 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
COAL V CORRIDOR
A proposal to mine coal along a corridor that links two tiger reserves in central India is a step away from getting final clearance. The move could affect movement and genetic diversity of tiger populations in the region
8 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
India's challenging AI predicament
Hobbled by lack of innovation and AI skills in its crucial technology sector, India is focusing on a ruinous plan to host data centres
4 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
China to implement zero tariffs across Africa
CHINA ON February 14 announced that it will implement zero tariffs for imports from all the 53 African nations it has diplomatic relations with, starting from May 1.
1 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
A bridge across forever
For two decades, a Chhattisgarh village remains stuck in a loop of building temporary river crossings to access markets and sell forest produce
4 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Liveable cities need a new model
CRY FOR my Delhi. This is my city—my family records many generations who have lived here.
3 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Real impacts of the changing seasons
This refers to the article \"1,500 days, and an alarm for new climate\" (1-15 December, 2025).
1 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
‘It’s a systematic effort by US to dismantle climate policy’
The US, the world's largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases, has overturned its “endangerment finding”, the legal foundation for regulating emissions under the Clean Air Act since 2009.
4 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Amazon turned carbon source in 2023 drought
EXTREME DROUGHT and a prolonged heatwave in 2023 pushed parts of the Amazon rainforest from acting as a carbon sink to becoming a carbon source for three months, according to a February 13 study published in the journal AGU Advances of the American Geophysical Union.
1 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
A step back
Recent amendments to Uttarakhand's Van Panchayat rules push the state into a risk zone. The state must usher in forest reforms to rescue community forest governance
4 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Healing ravines
A social worker in Morena revives economically and environmentally beneficial guggul plants to restore biodiversity and improve livelihoods in barren ravine lands
2 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
FIRST FOOD UNDER THREAT
Mother's milk is the safest and most complete nourishment for infants. Scientists and public health authorities, including the World Health Organization, have long described it as a newborn's first vaccine and primary defence against disease. But what if that very first food begins to mirror the mounting burden of environmental contaminants?
10+ min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
CHARGED WITH ECO-RAGE
Awareness of climate change, and the stress it induces, may be linked to rising aggressive behaviour among young people
4 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Shared stakes
A landmark assessment quantifies how businesses destroy the very natural systems they depend on, and must therefore play a central role in halting and reversing biodiversity decline
3 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Sustainable foodware should be safe too
As \"eco-friendly\" disposable foodware becomes more mainstream, consumers make safety decisions based largely on what is \"natural,\" \"chemical-free,\" or \"biodegradable.\"
1 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
India headed for an early summer
ALTHOUGH IT is considered a winter month, February remained warmer than usual for most of India in 2026.
1 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
Unwanted barter
Pursuit of renewable solar power in Rajasthan sees indiscriminate felling of khejri trees vital to the Thar landscape.
5 min |
March 01, 2026
Down To Earth
THINK TWICE BEFORE FELLING SAL TREES
Many trees considered to be affected by sal borer in the 1990s are still alive today
1 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
EDGE OF SURVIVAL
Caste divides deny marginalised communities land, resources and essential aid, leaving them more vulnerable to climate disasters
6 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
A WISH LIST?
Union Budget for 2026-27 conveys the impression of a roll-call of intentions and ambitious proposals, with little detail on their formulation
6 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Break down the gender wall
THE RULING National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has been heavily invested in the goal to make India a developed economy by 2047.
2 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
MENSTRUAL HEALTH, NOW A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT
In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court has recognised menstrual health and hygiene as a fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees the right to life and dignity.
8 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Of devolution and new disasters
The 16th Finance Commission pushes for changes in view of new fiscal and climatic conditions
10+ min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Rising risks of plastics
NEGATIVE IMPACTS on human health due to emissions linked to the plastic lifecycle could double by 2040, according to a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in January.
1 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
GAP BETWEEN EPIDEMICS NARROWING
A watershed-based and landscape-level approach is needed to address forest degradation
2 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
WAITING TO STRIKE
Sal heartwood borer is considered the biggest threat to forestry in India, especially to the sal tree, where it lives and breeds.
10+ min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
A SPRING DELIGHT
Mustard flowers are not meant only for the eyes. Invite them to your plate once in a while
3 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Cold January for West
ON JANUARY 23-27, parts of the Western Hemisphere—Colombia, Mexico, US and Canada—were hit by a winter storm bringing a mix of rain, sleet, freezing rain and snow across the region.
1 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
Is India forever a generics-only player?
While India is content to be a global generics pharmacy, China has become a powerhouse of new drug development
4 min |
February 16, 2026
Down To Earth
AN OUTBREAK IS FEARED IN 2026-27
Since sal borer is nocturnal, it gathers near lights around houses. This initial sign was not visible five years ago, but is being seen now
1 min |