Chaos in the iron age

Also Cover Story:  Bellary to bleed again Goa next Bellary case file Infographics: function minesgraph() { var popurl="http://www.downtoearth.org.in/themes/DTE/htm/mines_20130515.htm" winpops=window.open(popurl,"","width=500,height=775,scrollbars=yes") } Mines produce more than permitted Photo Gallery: Burdened by mines Goa after mining ban  

Himalayan destruction

THE Himalayas are virtually under bombardment—of dams. They would have the highest dam density in the world, with over a thousand water reservoirs dotting the mountain range in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan, over the next few years. These projects would have serious ecological and social impacts and would spell disaster for the biodiversity of the region. All this for the much-sought-after hydroelectricity, officially dubbed cleaner and cheaper.

Toxic punch: heavy use of pesticides depleting local fish and bird populations

An average Bengali meal is incomplete without fish, many of which are local varieties not found or grown outside West Bengal.

Irongate opened

Missing the grass for the trees

I looked out from the observation hut and took in the soothing vision of lush green grasslands in the autumnal light of an October evening. A male great Indian bustard (GIB) had been displaying in a bare patch, puffing out his neck feathers and bobbing his neck in synchrony with his impressive booming call. Just then, I saw two wolves trotting through the grass about 300 metres from the bustard.

A promising pathway

Now that the Rio+20 summit is over, experts and the public at large have got busy analysing its outcome document. The media has already declared the conclave on sustainable development, held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro between June 20 and 22, a failure.

On elephant’s trail

The great biodiversity vanishing trick

Since government cannot be trusted to protect Western Ghats, people should control it

Science and Technology - Briefs

CLIMATE SCIENCES Blooming like never before

Two decades of hope

When planning Down To Earth as a news magazine, we had two concerns: One, are we fully aware of the rapid changes that are taking place in the world’s technological systems, the kinds of opportunities and problems that these changes are likely to generate, and are we debating enough which of these we want to adopt or letting ourselves through inertia be swept