Down To Earth
Inspiring initiative for revival of native seeds
Apropos the article \"Return of Rambhog\" (16-31 December, 2024), which focuses on the revival of Rambhog paddy in Kanpur Dehat and Kanpur Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh.
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 |
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
'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
REPORT CARD 2024
Coal is still the king in terms of electricity generation. But new renewables, mainly solar power, have shown an impressive growth
2 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
MANIFESTING 500 GW
Ensure that renewable energy is available round the clock.Establish a viable market and reward those who take lead
10+ min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
'India a laboratory for seismologists'
India is no stranger to earthquakes. In recent memory, Latur and Bhuj districts in Maharashtra and Gujarat witnessed devastating tremors in 2003 and 2001 respectively. Such quakes leave clues that can aid preparations for future events, say seismologists KUSALA RAJENDRAN, professor, Indian Institute of Science, and CP RAJENDRAN, adjunct professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies. The Rumbling Earth-The Story of Indian Earthquakes, captures their work on historical as well as recent quakes. In an interview with ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY, they discuss the science of earthquakes, why the Himalayas are due for a huge event and why prediction remains a challenge. Excerpts:
9 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
Rupee slide impacts agricultural trade
THE UNION Cabinet on January 1, 2025, approved the extension of a subsidy package of ₹3,500 per tonne on di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) for companies.
1 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
On shaky ground
Despite reporting net gains in green cover, the latest forest survey shows degradation of natural forests, particularly in ecologically sensitive hotspots
6 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
Lifting a curse
How Gangabai Rajput helped her water-scarce village in Madhya Pradesh let go of superstition and revive an ancient waterbody
2 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
MAKE OR BREAK MOMENT
Much has been done to improve regulatory environment for scaling up clean energy. But hiccups remain
9 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
Capturing Siang
As India pushes for a mega-dam on the Siang river to counter China's upstream projects, the Adi tribal community of Arunachal Pradesh fears losing ancestral land
4 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
Lifting a curse
How Gangabai Rajput helped her water-scarce village in Madhya Pradesh let go of superstition and revive an ancient waterbody
2 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
THE 500 GW SWITCH OVER
Coal is the king of energy at present. India needs to dislodge it with clean energy for an equitable green transition
3 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
HOLD THEM SACRED
The Supreme Court has recommended that the Union government create a comprehensive policy for the governance and management of sacred groves across the country
6 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
An extraordinary crusade against neglected diseases
Former US President Jimmy Carter's decades-long campaign to rid Africa of a painful parasitic disease is unmatched
4 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
Burden of proof
The government's drive for e-KYC verification to ensure rightful targeting of beneficiaries has proved exclusionary for many
6 min |
January 31, 2025
Down To Earth
BISHNOIS V DELHIITES: TWO DIFFERENT MINDSETS
FILM STAR Salman Khan's arrest in Jodhpur for killing a chinkara, an endangered animal, and Sahib Singh Verma's resignation as chief minister of Delhi are both developments that hold a message for environmentalists and all those engaged in environmental management.
3 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
A MAKE OR BREAK YEAR
Expect some stiff targets, radical policy measures and rapid innovations as polycrisis reaches a crescendo this year
10+ min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Distorted picture
India's groundwater recovery may be misleading, as new assessment methods inflate annual recharge figures and discontinue on-ground verification
2 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Scope for redemption
Two recent reports underline the need for different strategies for a more sustainable world
4 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
CLIMATE SHAPES SPECIES
Gradual changes in a population that lives ina region with environmental shifts give rise to new species
4 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Europe faces Russian natural gas supply cuts
UKRAINE'S PRIME Minister Denys Shmyhal said on December 16, 2024, that its gas transit agreement with Russia will expire on January 1, 2025, and will not be renewed. The agreement was to allow transit of natural gas to Europe amid the RussiaUkraine conflict.
1 min |
January 16, 2025
Down To Earth
Commons in crisis
A landmark 2011 Supreme Court ruling to protect shared resources deepens struggles for India's marginalised communities
5 min |