Science
Down To Earth
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
9 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
4 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
4 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
3 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
5 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
4 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
A LEGACY THAT STINKS
India faces several significant challenges in remediating its legacy waste, which could derail its goal of becoming garbage-free by 2025-26
4 min |
March 01, 2025
Down To Earth
TERMITE TRAP
A common tall grass variety provides a chemical-free option to control termites, highlights the need for mainstreaming local ecological knowledge
3 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
CLIMATE'S UNSOLICITED PAYOUT
Rising weather extremes is destabilising the insurance industry, driving up premium prices and pushing insurers out of high-risk markets. The crisis is also spurring re-invention of insurance sector.
10+ min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
NOTHING PSEUDO ABOUT IT
The fibre-rich banana pseudo-stem is a treasure trove of minerals and health benefits
3 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Organic move
After 10,000 farmers in Dantewada district secured Chhattisgarh's first organic certification, the entire district now gears up to transition fully to organic farming
4 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
No more a rarity
What has caused widespread outbreak of the rare Guillain-Barré syndrome cases from seven states of the country?
8 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
DeepSeek AI model is a sobering idea for India
The Chinese artificial intelligence breakthrough reveals how far behind India is in the race for technological prowess
4 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
'Fragile terrain not the cause of tunnel collapse but an excuse'
In November 2023, the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand collapsed, trapping 41 workers under the rubble. The rescue operation in the 4.5 km tunnel lasted 17 days and involved multiple teams. Australian geologist ARNOLD DIX, who is also the president of Switzerland-based International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, as well as an engineer, a barrister and a farmer, assisted in the mission at India's request. Dix has now written a book on the incident. In an interview with ADITYA MISRA, Dix says the mishap was a failure to adapt construction methods to the rock conditions encountered. Excerpts:
4 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
BUDGET SQUEEZE
Poised to woo the middle class and tame fiscal deficit, Union Budget 2025-26 cuts corners on key welfare schemes, offers little for climate adaptation and decarbonisation
4 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Decoded script
Genomelndia project creates genomic sequence database of 10,000 Indians, moving a step forward in disease detection and treatment
4 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Introduce layers in poverty measurement
This is with reference to the article \"Convenience of poverty lines\" (16-31 January, 2025). Poverty is not like atmospheric pressure, which can be scaled down with high-precision instruments. It is a matter of deprivation. Poverty is also highly misunderstood. At one extreme, poverty means no food, no clothes, bad health and inadequate shelters; in essence a dearth in common and customary amenities. One can recognise this poverty. But, even if a person's conditions are only a notch above this level, their situation slides through the slick fingers of all the measurement of figures and wielders of statistics.
1 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
On an equal footing
A mixed-gender cricket tournament in Madhya Pradesh boosts girls' participation in sports, empowers them to be changemakers
2 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Avian influenza strains find new hosts
THE UK in late January confirmed its first human case of H5N1 avian influenza in three years. The case involves a poultry worker who contracted the virus after prolonged contact with infected birds, marking a rare instance of bird-to-human transmission in the country, says a statement released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on January 27.
1 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Missed opportunity
The draft National Policy on Agricultural Marketing highlights challenges in markets but offers no long-term solutions beyond privatisation
3 min |
February 16, 2025
Down To Earth
THE CIRCULARITY ARGUMENT
A circular economy can help India achieve its developmental aspirations while following the low-carbon pathway. It will also help address the challenges of waste management, pollution and overexploitation of natural resources. Industries are already innovating to reuse high-volume wastes and have shown that the transition can usher in both environmental and financial windfalls
10+ min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Banking on flawed drug voluntary licences
The Medicines Patent Pool is pushing for more VLs, but its bad deal with Novartis on a cancer drug shows the pitfalls
4 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Lasting solutions
For the first time, the UN has recognised the role of indigenous communities in tackling aridity. A repository of traditional knowledge India has the wherewithal to lead the way
3 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
IMD at 150
India's journey into modern weather forecasting took a decisive turn 150 years ago with the establishment of India Meteorological Department during the British rule. The agency has come a long way since then, shaping the way the country predicts and responds to its diverse climate challenges
2 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Every drop counts
In drought-prone Marathwada region, 14 villages have managed to counter water shortage by budgeting the resource
5 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Threat to survival
Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam faces ecological challenges as railway electrification and hydrocarbon exploration endanger its fragile biodiversity
5 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
'Migration is going to be a battlefield'
AMITAV GHOSH is one of the foremost chroniclers of our times. His literary sojourn includes writings on topics that range from languages to climate change to human lives. His latest book, Wild Fictions, brings some of his works on these issues under one title. In a conversation with RAJAT GHAI, Ghosh shares his views on the future of human movement. Excerpts:
7 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Face of future
California wildfires confirm forest fires are intensifying in a hotter world, emitting substantial amounts of greenhouse gases and reinforcing global warming
6 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Friends of the forest
Residents of 30 villages in Uttarakhand establish a model for public participation in saving forests from wildfires
2 min |
February 01, 2025
Down To Earth
Climate-crazy playbook
Just hours after his second (and final) term began on January 20, US President Donald Trump unleashed 46 presidential actions. Several of these are centred on the US' climate commitments, energy transition, migration and trade policies, and are likely to have negative global implications
2 min |