Palm oil consumption increased 230% in almost 2 decades, yet India imports most of it

India has not been able to achieve self-sufficiency in palm oil production despite 40 years of efforts. Down To Earth travelled to some of the …

Chak-hao (black rice pudding or kheer)

Chak-hao rice kheer

Forest governance 2.0

Forest dwelling communities have created a new economy courtesy a decade of the Forest Rights Act. Will the bureaucracy support the empowered …

Droughts: misery in slow motion

Successive droughts and water scarcity are causing long-term harm in ways that are poorly understood and inadequately acknowledged

India simply does not acknowledge forest drought

Severe dry spells in Indian forests have hit the livelihood of more than 100 million people

खनन से बसा, खनन में फंसा

जिन खदानों की वजह से मोरवा फला-फूला वही खदानें इसे निगल ज…

अपने नीड़ में लौटते विस्थापित बैगा

कोयला खदानों के कारण सिंगरौली के सिधिखुर्ग, तिय्यरा, झा�…

Home is where mines are

Displaced Baiga tribals are returning to the forests taken over for mining by Reliance in Madhya Pradesh. They say they were short-changed by the …

Manipur: the bejewelled land shrouded in conflicts, resource scarcity

Sense of deprivation, lack of basic necessities and fear of falling out of government's favour perpetuate ethnic clashes

Goa: can it strike a balance between environment and development?

Promoting eco-friendly tourism and reviving mining without harming environment are major challenges

Rice for kings

Black rice is indigenous to the Northeast, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. In Manipur, it is considered food as well as part of traditional …

Effluent treatment plants must meet water quality norms by March 31: SC

Justice Kehar directs state governments to initiate criminal and civil proceedings against industrial units flouting norms

Death and resurgence of mother tongue

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, we present to you stories on dying dialects, language revival movements and their …

Won’t grant NOCs to uranium mining projects in Meghalaya: Khasi District Council

After the Centre reiterated its move to open up uranium mining in the state, the highest council of the Khasi community says it will not grant an NOC

‘नमामि गंगे’ पर 'स्‍वच्‍छ भारत' का बोझ

प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी के दो प्रमुख कार्यक्रम परस्�…

Does government favour land pooling over land acquisition?

Government decides to exempt Amravati residents from paying taxes for giving their land for the new capital

Budget 2017: corpus of Rs 1 lakh crore for railway safety

With increasing number of incidents recorded last year, finance ministry creates corpus to deal with accidents

Turtle turnaround

An initiative driven by fishing communities in Odisha has not only given the endangered Olive Ridley turtles a new lease of life, but has also …

Bhopal court issues direct summons to Dow Chemical in 1984 gas leak case

Following allegations of non-cooperation from US Department of Justice, a summon has been issued directly to Dow Chemical to appear in the court

Uttarakhand sits on forest right claims settlement for two years in a row

With the state assembly election around the corner, the model code of conduct is the favourite excuse for non implementation of FRA

Blind spot in Namami Gange

By 2019, when Swachh Bharat Mission comes to an end, some 30 million septic tanks and pits would have been dug along the Ganga. It's time the …

New forest policy for mining in limbo as Centre yet to act on important recommendations

Two institutions prepared the road map for the future of mining in forest areas, but the Ministry remains undecided

Much to farmers' dismay, Centre slashes prices of non-timber forest products

Modi government’s attempt at rationalising prices of forest products is likely to hit Adivasi farmers the most

Ten years of FRA: only 3 per cent of forest dwellers’ rights recognised

Collective rights to undo historic injustice meted out to indigenous people remain completely ignored by the states, says Citizens’ report

Enough is enough

For over a week after Diwali, Delhi breathed poison. Air pollution peaked to unprecedented levels. Public anger forced emergency measures. But …

Golden thread of misery

What's forcing the weaver community of Varanasi to abandon their profession, end their lives?

A phoenix of a tribe

A nomadic community in Odisha insisted on its right to live and farm even after forest officials burnt its houses

Himachal Pradesh launches eviction drive, ignores forest rights of tribal farmers

More than 10,000 plots across the state’s forest areas have been identified for eviction

Diwali celebrations foul Delhi’s air

Delhi government has advised people with heart or lung disease, older adults and children to remain indoors

Town today, gone tomorrow

Morwa town, built to serve mining companies, faces the ugly truth of its own displacement

From April, automakers will have to declare emission details, sound level

In a bid to curb vehicular pollution, the government has asked automakers to furnish details of emission levels of vehicles they manufacture

Two die during an eviction drive in Kaziranga National Park

Without making any arrangements to accommodate the displaced, police fire tear gas on people resisting eviction

NGT issues notice to Odisha government for hiding fact about forest in bauxite mine

Details related to forest cover were kept secret to secure environmental clearance from MoEF

Chandigarh terminates Jaypee’s contract for processing city’s waste

Tussle over payment of garbage processing fee led Municipal Corporation to sever ties with Jaypee Group, which ‘pioneered’ garbage …

Sikkim High Court issues notice to state government on landslide dam

Chief Justice serves notices to the Sikkim government on action taken as fears of flash floods from a landslide dam engulf the state

SC allows diesel SUVs back into the capital

Following a plea by car manufacturer to pay one per cent environment protection charge, the court allows big diesel cars in the NCR  

Fall of the poplar

In the backyard of Asia's largest poplar market, farmers are being forced to quit growing the soft wood as its price crashes because of overproduction

Indigenous people in India and the web of indifference

On the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, we bring together the stories of exclusion, oppression, and at times, recognition

Cabinet clears Road Safety Bill, proposes heavy penalties

It is a major step towards bringing down fatalities on roads by 50 per cent in next five years

Reality of floods

Rivers breached danger mark, lakhs of hectares of standing crops were destroyed and millions were displaced. It's time we stepped back and …

Chennai apart

From ignoring warnings to delays in taking actions, Tamil Nadu administration played its part in making the December floods more devastating

CAG picks holes in coal auctions

The report highlights that there are inaccuracies and inconsistencies in valuation of auctioned mines

NGT orders deregistration of 10-year-old diesel vehicles in NCR

Green tribunal revisits its own order asking Regional Transport Office to ban toxic vehicles on the NCR’s roads 

Enemies of the state?

As the Centre for the first time allows widespread culling of nilgais, it triggers a debate over whether culling is the only way to save crops …

New Mineral Policy gets Cabinet approval

Citing limited exploration of mineral reserves, Modi government opens up reconnaissance permits to private companies

Stops, too many

While bus aggregation services are on the rise, the country is yet to prepare a legal framework for them

Gas-based two wheelers launched to curb air pollution

As per the idle emission test, the hydrocarbon emissions from CNG retrofitted two-wheelers are 75 per cent lesser as compared to their petrol-…

10 highlights of the new draft national forest policy

On June 15, India's environment ministry placed the draft national forest policy in public domain for comments and suggestions. It is slated …

Remembering 2013 Uttarakhand Floods

In June 2013, flashfloods in Uttarakhand wiped out settlements and decimated lives. Here’s a throwback to our investigation into the …

Two years of Modi government: A civil society review

According to a report, government allocation in most social sectors do not address critical concerns in health, education and civic …

Experts and journalists urge climate action at the launch of ‘Why I should be tolerant’

Down To Earth Editor Sunita Narain’s new book chronicles the global development discourse from the 20th and 21st centuries

Environment ministry not to challenge green tribunal verdict on hydro project in Tawang

Arunachal Pradesh, which is considered a powerhouse for generation of hydroelectricity, is increasingly facing protests from local communities …

Rights overruled

States are making their own rules to reclaim the authority over forests from tribes, derailing community forest rights

Dousing flames

The Uttarakhand forest fires that lasted for over 100 days should come as a warning to the rest of India since half of its forests are vulnerable …

Bastar witnessed more forest fires than Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal

FSI’s satellite data show that while Pauri Garhwal recorded 471 instances of forest fires, the highest in Uttarakhand, Bastar recorded 555 …

SC puts an end to OMC's bid to mine Niyamgiri

Apex court rejects the OMC-Vedanta joint venture in what is being seen as a decisive victory for the indigenous tribal group, the Dongria Kondhs

Only four of 12 mineral-rich states collect funds for mining-impacted areas

It has been nearly a year since the Central government notified new mining rules mandating collection of funds for development of mining-impacted …

‘We know where earthquakes can strike, but never when’

Mike Searle, lecturer at the Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University and senior research fellow in Worcester College, Oxford, tells …

Supreme Court foils Odisha government’s bid to takeover the sacred Niyamgiri Hils

The apex court asked the state government to file a fresh plea with all the stakeholders including the Dongria Kondhs on board

Supreme Court extends big diesel vehicle ban

The court has asked Delhi Government’s EPCA to prepare a detailed plan for all the vehicle owners to pay compensation to minimise health risks

Fight for Khandadhar

Once rescued from Korean company POSCO, Odisha's ecologically rich Khandadhar hills have now been handed over to the state's mining body. Tribal …

MoEFCC revises fly ash notification

Fly ash to be given free of cost for agricultural and construction purposes says MoEFCC official at CSE conference

Power producers want government to relax norms for thermal power plants

The new norms announced late last year by the environment ministry have made domestic power producers anxious

China may reach permissible air pollution levels by 2020

Experts have highlighted the new norms that will soon be announced to reach ultra-low emission levels

Parliamentary panel gives more teeth to Compensatory Afforestation Fund

However the panel’s report tabled in this budget session misses the forests for the trees

Parliamentary panel gives more teeth to Compensatory Afforestation Fund 

However the panel’s report tabled in this budget session misses the forests for the trees  

Ban on diesel SUV to continue till March 31, SC reaffirms

The apex court has asked car manufacturers to prove that diesel SUVs are environment-friendly

Did backward castes and adivasis really benefit from the Budget?

As Jaitley announces Rs 500 crores for dalit and adivasi entrepreneurs, activists say that funds rarely reach targeted population and are used to …

Railway budget focuses on capacity creation

With no increase in fare, the rail budget calls for generating Rs 1.84 lakh crores with an operating ratio of 92 per cent

Economic Survey tells government to utilise public finance to combat climate change

Green finance from private sources is not available so the government must leverage public finance to stop global warming

Baigas get home

The vulnerable tribe in Madhya Pradesh is the first to get habitat rights in India. It is a landmark in the forests rights movement

Now, fishing communities join forest dwellers to demand forest rights in Sundarbans

At least one million fishers depend on the fish catch from the estuarine habitat

Sewage treatment plant failure leads to jaundice outbreak in Shimla

More than 1,000 people get jaundice as city’s sewage mixes with the drinking water supply

Baiga tribals become India’s first community to get habitat rights

The administration used a gazette notification passed by the colonial British government, which recognised these areas as home of the Baigas, to …

Transport ministry advances BS-VI implementation

Following the apex court's observations, the ministry announced that India would adopt BS-VI norms by 2020, while fuel meeting BS-VI norms would …

Manipur earthquake leaves trail of destruction

Lost lives, cracks in a dam, a damaged women’s market, and about 165 collapsed buildings tell the story of a devastating quake

6.7 earthquake hits Northeast, claims lives

The state government is yet to assess the status of the hydropower projects in Manipur

Black beauty

Black rice is drought resistant and has rich medicinal properties. Manipur and Assam are reviving this variety

Supreme Court bans registration of diesel vehicles beyond 2000cc for three months

The court asks the Centre and Delhi government to work together and fix norms to clean the city’s toxic air

India endorses outcome text of COP 21

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar said all the points raised by the Indian delegation had been included in the text

Dense forests lost; increase in net green cover: Forest Survey of India 2015

While northeastern states are the most hit, Andaman & Nicobar Islands gained maximum forests

Paddy burning: NGT orders fine imposition on erring farmers

According to the green tribunal, crop burning is a serious issue which contributes to global warming and causes air pollution

Government did not do enough to stop crop burning, say farmer representatives

Scientists urge that worsening air quality in Delhi may have a direct link with crop residue burning in neighbouring states

Diwali blues: Ministry issues health advisory for residents

Scientists have predicted that Noida and Delhi University will witness the highest pollution level this festive season

Centre announces Rs 940 crore, but Tamil Nadu yet to learn from disasters

As floods in Tamil Nadu cause a financial dent and Chennai is declared a disaster zone, a look at the rescue efforts and what’s missing in …

NGT asks Delhi Government to issue health advisories for polluted hotspots

The national green tribunal has asked the Delhi government to take strict steps against critically polluted hotspots in the city

India needs US$ 2 trillion to adapt to climate change

The country will experience 1-1.5°C increase in mean annual air temperature in the near term from 2016 to 2045 with ‘profound’ …

Climate Change: Fossil firms risk US $2.2 trillion as investment in non-viable projects

If companies across the world continue fuel production in a business-as-usual scenario, UN action to achieve the climate goal will stall …

Developing countries need carbon space, says Javadekar

Environment minister hopes that the new climate deal will be fair and just to underdeveloped and developing countries

World Bank unveils new business plan for Africa to battle climate change

Africa may be at the receiving end of adverse climate change even as World Bank launches a new plan to support the countries to adapt to these changes

The lull sets in

Scientists warn that conditions are favourable for another sal borer epidemic. State forest departments are unprepared

France backs India's solar alliance to fight climate change

'To embrace more renewable energy initiatives, India will need greater financial and technology support ' 

Three feared dead as dam bursts in Himachal Pradesh

Two securities guards were reportedly buried in the muck while a local resident was washed away

Shared ride

Mobile apps that help car owners to offer rides to strangers are a big hit

'37% of natural springs, which contribute directly to the Ganga, are drying up'

Increasing instances of extreme rainfall are slowly leading to the crumbling of the Ganga's catchment area, says P C Tiwari, professor of …

Metal meltdown

The global crash in aluminium prices, triggered by overproduction in China, is forcing Indian companies to shut down operations. The solution may …

Supreme Court upholds pollution levy on trucks entering Delhi

The apex court will give an order on Monday based on directions prepared by amicus curiae