Common concerns

On a cold January night in Hyderabad, a fortnight ago, Jairam Ramesh, Minister for Environment and Forests, was led to an open-air dinner by folk drummers and body-painted tiger dancers as an appreciative audience of international academics and grassroots workers cheered and milled around him. Ramesh had become the toast of the evening after he asked the world’s top scholars working on issues related to the commons to help shape his ministry’s thinking.

Science and Technology - Briefs

GEOLOGY Earth’s magnetic powers

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Drought leaves amazon thirsty The Negro river, a major tributary of the Amazon in Brazil, dropped to a depth of about 14 metres, which is the lowest since record-keeping began in 1902. About 60,000 people have gone hungry as falling river levels hit transport, farming and fishing. Scientists blamed El Niño, a cyclical warming of tropical waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, for it.

An unsteady first step

It is increasingly becoming evident that the world may not be ready for a binding international climate treaty at the ongoing climate summit in Cancun, Mexico. Global attention is now shifting towards domestic policies in the major economies.

High growth, few jobs

Cause for worry for India

Look what’s swelling the sea

GROUNDWATER is becoming important to sustain agriculture, industry and drinking water. But as we exploit aquifers, more water becomes part of the hydrological cycle. A recent study shows evaporation and precipitation of groundwater is responsible for a fourth of the annual sea level rise of 3.1 mm.

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Now toxic sludge spill

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Pea-sized frog in pitcher plant

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Life support for trapped miners

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