India’s population question

Population per se is not the determinant of environmental problems; it is their consumption pattern that leads to environmental degradation

Human empathy is our politics

This year, Down To Earth turns 31 years old. We have promises to keep. And keep them we will

Turn around India’s water story

Give local communities greater control over water structures for a secure future  

Reinvent tiger conservation

The new conservation agenda should not revolve around tigers versus tribals. It has to be about tigers and people

An idea that lasted

CSE and DTE have continued the tradition of bringing out an annual report card on the environment for four decades; the latest edition has …

Getting out of fossils

Quickly ramping up cheaper finance should be JET-P’s focus so that the new energy future is clean

Do not just single out coal

Why should countries of the western world, which have already appropriated the giant share of the carbon budget, be given a free pass on the …

Budget 2023-24: Marks of a circular economy

Budget 2023-24 provides clear shifts in programme direction that need to be applauded. The real test will be our ability to operationalise those …

Joshimath, a well-engineered calamity

Sinking of the Himalayan town shows we have completely lost the ability to plan keeping in mind the ecological uniqueness of fragile areas

2023: Cheer for dissent and dialogue  

We have to recognise that an alternative exists  

COP27 was a mirage in the deserts of the Sinai

COP27 was a grand spectacle; it created a sense of hyper-action, when it actually was about reversing the little gains made till now to combat …

Delhi dilemma: End this routine air pollution crisis

The bottom line is that air pollution knows no boundaries. So this politics of finger-pointing and scoring points will not lead to cooperation or …

COP27: Only together can we win

At COP27, loss and damage must not to be pushed away with another puny promise of a fund that never materialises but be accepted as a legitimate …

Make steel future-ready

We can emit even less than what we do today; it needs planning, technology & funds

Ripe for a green economy

Forests are home, say women of Kodalpali, Sinduria and neighbouring villages in Odisha’s Nayagarh; they can build the economy of the future

Value your local water system

Bengaluru floods should draw our attention to how the same tragic story of loss of waterbodies in almost all Indian cities. But will it?&…

New energy conundrum

As countries reconcile their energy supply options with climate change, will they reinvent the fossil fuel-based system or reinvest in it?

Need of the hour: Reinvent economic growth model

Future actions must accept the reality of climate equity and use it to drive economic growth

Water-wisdom for climate change: We must become much more efficient with every drop

The country has learnt critical water lessons through the years — now is the time to put it to practice

Are we inured to weather crises?

Not the number of natural disasters; we now need to keep an account of losses and damages

A prickly poser

There are inconvenient truths about rich countries and global greenhouse gas emissions; and the world is not listening 

Reset to restore

As the world meets to discuss the next decade of biodiversity conservation, lessons from the past will be critical

Of shaping opinions: Down To Earth at 30

Global non-cooperative movement

Insecurity in the supply of basic materials, from energy to food, is making countries shun global interdependence and shut doors

Take waste out of water

We cannot manage our rivers sustainably unless we fix our waste management system