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Anju Sharma
Anju Sharma
Head of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme which seeks to lay emphasis on the people
Articles by the Author
2002-9-30
The needs of many were once again compromised to accommodate the demands of a powerful few. Given the alarming tilt towards self-interest and unilateralism by the rich, will the concerns of poor countries ever be addressed in global negotiations?
Battle of the brackets
World's biggest trade fair
"Let's put our cards on the table"
2001-12-15
It was neither a victory for the North nor a defeat for the South. Environment took centrestage as the main bargaining chip, but the discussions remained inconclusive. The World Trade Organisation meeting in Doha set the tone for the future of global trade without clear victors
1999-12-31
The World Trade Organization's recent ministerial meet in Seattle, USA, will be remembered more for the protestors who turned the venue into a battlefield than for the controversial trade issues that were discussed. As the protestors grabbed the media's attention, the ministerial talks produced nothing significant. But the 'demonstrations' were poorly masked. Despite their diatribe against capitalism and the sundry other causes they supported, it soon became apparent that most of the 'protests' would only beef up the cause of the powerful North. And the noise they created almost managed to subvert the genuine concerns of developing countries. Had it not been for a rift between the US and the European Union, the interests of the South would have faded into insignificance. Ultimately, everybody was a loser in Seattle.
1998-12-15
The just-concluded international conference on climate change in Buenos Aires saw the developing countries ranged against the US which was trying to impose greenhouse gas reduction targets on them. The US also managed to win over developing countries such Argentina. Developing countries managed to get approval on a few issues like financial mechanisms. They won over countries such as Germany and France to support them on major issues confronting the conference
1998-12-15
The just-concluded international conference on climate change in Buenos Aires saw the developing countries ranged against the US which was trying to impose greenhouse gas reduction targets on them. The US also managed to win over developing countries such Argentina. Developing countries managed to get approval on a few issues like financial mechanisms. They won over countries such as Germany and France to support them on major issues confronting the conference
1996-4-30
This is a story of justice denied.
On February 13, 1996, the Supreme Court, the highest seat of justice in the country, ruled that five units of a particular company, producing toxic chemicals in Bichhri village in Rajasthan's Udaipur district, be shut down. In reality, the main errant units had already been closed for the last five years...people's protests and NGO action had forced them to scoot. But not before they had completely poisoned the aquifer. Today, there is no drinking water from natural sources for either the humans or the animals of Bichhri. Agriculture has touched rock bottom. Every monsoon, rainwater rushes over the sludge, and more toxic chemicals seep into the aquifer. The water has become carcinogenic. The villagers had been waiting for the last seven years for compensation. But none is coming forth...the Court has told them that they will have to file writs once again in local courts. There is confusion. There is also anger. And there seems to be no one, anywhere, to turn to. Meanwhile, the same company has shifted base and is merrily doing an encore in Vapi, Gujarat, arrogantly confident that no one can touch it
2003-5-31
Providing energy to the poor does not make good business. Take electricity. Connecting the 2 billion in the world who do not have access to large fossil fuel-powered stations requires large investments in setting up grids. Moreover, the poor are not attractive clients -- many don't even have the ability to pay for the service. In India, expanding access has become low priority since the liberalisation process started in 1991
2002-2-15
THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST Bjørn Lomborg · Cambridge University Press · Cambridge · 2001 · Pages: pp 515 · Price: US$ 25.71
2001-9-15
Alpine pastures are thriving despite policies to encourage grazing. But Himalayan pastures languish despite strong conservationist policies
2000-10-15
Should Northern groups campaign to stop fossil fuel funding in the South?
2000-3-31
Most Northern groups that dominate the civil society opinion-making process within the climate convention have consistently ignored Southern demands for equity
1999-12-15
The Kyoto agenda shuffled along at the recent climate change meeting in Bonn, but climate change mitigation was still not in sight
1999-1-31
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is a non-starter. Administrative and financial matters get the better of any serious attempts to deal with global desertification. Though the desert is expanding, the North is not interested
1997-7-31
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has failed to curb illegal trade in Indian wildlife and wildlife products. But India's stand at CITES, at variance with its position in other environmental fora, was repugnant and hollow
1996-6-15
Reducing vehicular pollution and promoting the automobile industry: the twain shall probably never meet. A UK government survey too, does not green signal any major changes
1996-4-15
Reduced to being a receptacle of household and industrial wastes and victimised by lopsided development, the Yamuna, Delhi's lifeline, is crying out for attention
1996-3-15
Some US-based environmental wisemen started out to
debate Bihar's problems, sans field knowledge, and went
back home foot-in-mouth
1995-2-28
Writer Gerald Malcom Durrell's death leaves a void in both the animal and the human world
1995-1-31
The anti-people attitude that environmental NGOs had vehemently opposed in the '80s has resurfaced in the recent draft Forest Policy Bill. The author examines why the NGOs failed to influence brain dead government policies
1994-12-15
Indian scientists are resorting to tissue culture to salvage plants facing extinction
1994-11-30
INDIA'S EUCALYPTUS CRAZE- THE GOD THAT FAILED by N C Saxena Publisher: Sage Publications Price: Rs 275 (hardback)
1994-10-15
Certain plant and animal species are being used as "early warning systems" for pollution
1994-9-30
Elephant Days and Nights - 10 Years with the Asian Elephant Raman Sukumar Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: Rs 375
1994-8-15
A study explains why peaceful pachyderms go on rampages that leave crops and humans devastated
1994-7-31
Conservation strategy stands on a fork in the road: one leads to animal protection in their natural habitats, or sanctuaries; the other to rearing them in zoos, for eventual release into the wild when conditions permit. Naturalists contend that any other method would induce environmental laggardliness. But the advocates of captive breeding counter: 'What's a sanctuary without animals?'
1994-6-15
The closure of the Idgah abattoir gets under the skins of meat eaters in the Capital, who have turned into unwilling vegetarians
1994-6-15
The Central Public Works Department has banned the use of wood in its construction projects, ignoring the fact that the substitutes are more ecologically harmful and mainly depend on non-renewable sources of raw materials
1994-5-15
STATE OF THE WORLD 1994 Publisher: Worldwatch Institute Price: $11.95
1994-5-15
A programme to provide education to the nomadic Gujjars is showing encouraging results and also checking their exploitation
Dear Saxena ji,
Thank you for inquiry.
West facing windows can be a big source of heat, first measure which you...
Why all these are not applicable to Tuticorin port or the one planned in AP or WB ?
What an eye opener! As an environmental engineer,disposal of sanitary napkins has always been a concern during waste...