Down To Earth | Latest news, opinion, analysis on environment & science issues

This summer can be India’s hottest & most humid on record: Study shows 68% likelihood

TROPICAL FORECAST

Climate Change

This summer can be India’s hottest & most humid on record: Study shows 68% likelihood

‘Strong‐to‐very‐strong El Nino’ at the end of 2023 suggests the tropics could likely experience mean daily maximum wet‐bulb temperatures of around 26.2°C

NEWS AND VIEWS

Environment

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (April 24, 2024)

Down To Earth brings you top environmental cases heard in Supreme Court, high courts and …

Pollution

Climate change worsening air pollution: 131.2 million Americans breathing unhealthy air, warns report

People of colour are more than twice as likely to live in counties with failing air quality, despite comprising 41.6% of the US’s total population. Photo for representation: iStock

Nearly 90.7 million people in the US live in counties with failing grades for year-round …

Waste

CSE-DTE at Ottawa: Regulating types of plastic products in Indian market is crucial to improve recycling

If recycled plastic is to be used for food-grade applications, adherence to standards for secondary plastics is essential, alongside efforts to increase the low recycling rate. Photo: iStock

CPCB’s annual report for 2020-2021 had found India recycles only 13% of its plastic waste

Science & Technology

Aflatoon and the Avars: How modern science helped solve two historical mysteries

While modern imaging techniques helped point out Greek philosopher Plato’s exact …

Africa

Southern African drought primarily driven by El Nino, massive blow to food security, health: Study

Researchers recommend enhanced resilience to droughts that may occur twice as frequently in …

Waste

Up in smoke: Bandhwari dumpsite fire underscores need to overhaul waste management practices in Gurugram

Earlier this week, a fire had broken out in Delhi's Ghazipur landfill as well. Photo: Vikas Choudhary / CSE

The landfill caught fire around 8-8.30 pm on April 22, 2024

Governance

Punjab’s ‘Donkey Flights’ to the world’s conflict zones

Punjab's men and women migrated out of the state when agriculture turned non-viable. Photo: iStock

Widespread joblessness explains why Punjab’s migrants resort to desperate means to …

Economy

A job in a warzone or unemployment at home

Indian diplomatic missions need to closely monitor the security situation and assess the …

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CSE Online Training Courses

Clean-Build Pathways to Decarbonize the Built Environment

Integrated Online and Onsite Training Programme on Water Audit and Wastewater Management in Industries

Residential Training: Sustainable Solid Waste Management to Strengthen Implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0

Online Training on Understanding Environmental Laws for Better Environmental Management

Integrated Online and Onsite Training on Environmental Impact Assessment

Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) systems Design, Operations and Applications of Solar Mini-Grid Systems

Videos

Climate Change

General Elections 2024: Elections in the time of heatwaves

The Election Commission of India has made preparations to ensure voter safety and accessibility amid the prediction of blistering heatwaves

Waste

World Earth Day 2024: Urgent need to stop marine plastic pollution

Agriculture

Wheat worries: Standing guard over future pandemics

Environment

After 8 years, IMD forecasts above normal rainfall

Climate Change

Extreme weather events in Mumbai and Dubai

Health

Whooping cough outbreak reported around the world

Cartoons

Photo Gallery

Environment

Ghazipur landfill fire: Annual choking hazard for Delhi

Authorities have missed multiple deadlines to clear out the legacy waste from Ghazipur landfill

Africa

Sudan, a country displaced

One of Africa’s largest and most populous countries is on the brink of famine after a year of war between its Army and main paramilitary

Down To Earth video journalists, Prabhat Kumar and Dhruval Parekh, are at the ground zero of the ‘Farmers’ Protest 2.0’. Both were at the Shambhu border crossing between Patiala in Punjab and Ambala in Haryana as hundreds of farmers from Punjab attempted

Agriculture

Farmers’ Protests 2.0: DTE reports from ground zero Shambhu border

DTE video journalists, Prabhat Kumar & Dhruval Parekh, at Shambhu border as Haryana Police fired tear gas on farmers crossing from Punjab

It has been an ‘arid winter’ in the Union Territory of Ladakh. There has been a complete absence of snowfall since November 2023. And it has set alarm bells ringing in the fragile region. This photo shows the Sangam Point near Nimmo village of Leh distric

Climate Change

Ladakh: No snow in the cold desert

The arid winter in the region this time is raising concerns among the local population, as it forebodes a potentially alarming situation

डाउन टू अर्थ

प्लास्टिक

डाउन टू अर्थ खास: जहां-जहां हैं पेट्रोकेमिकल रिफाइनरी, वहां के लोग हैं ज्यादा बीमार

उत्पादन से लेकर इस्तेमाल और फिर ठिकाने लगाने तक प्लास्टिक उन लोगों के लिए खतरनाक है, जो लगातार इनके संपर्क में आते हैं

जलवायु संकट

बढ़ते तापमान से सावधान! जलवायु परिवर्तन से जुड़े हैं ब्रेन स्ट्रोक से होने वाली पांच लाख मौतों के तार

रिसर्च में यह भी सामने आया है कि जिन क्षेत्रों में तापमान ज्यादा है वहां ब्रेन स्ट्रोक से जुड़ी मौतें बढ़ रही हैं

यमुना

मैली होती यमुना: एनजीटी ने आगरा और मथुरा-वृंदावन नगर निगम पर लगाया भारी जुर्माना

आगरा में जहां साढ़े छह करोड़ लीटर दूषित सीवेज यमुना में छोड़ा जा रहा है। वहीं मथुरा में सीवेज ट्रीटमेंट प्लांट की स्थापित क्षमता और कुल सीवेज के बीच 12.5 लाख लीटर का अंतर है

Data Centre

Waste

Global stances on various facets of plastic pollution

As the fourth round of talks begin in Ottawa for a global plastic treaty, CSE analyses positions taken by various countries on plastics

Environment

The ground beneath our feet

Why soil health and biodiversity matters for the survival of the planet

Water

Parched Garden City

How Bengaluru’s water crisis is of its own making

Water

Counting India’s waterbodies

Down To Earth breaks down data from the country’s first census on waterbodies conducted by the Centre last year

Factsheet

Water

Scheduled for Day Zero

The cities with population above 1 million in 2016, which would face water scarcity in 2050

Sunita Narain's Desk

Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Editor of Down To Earth magazine. She is an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets