Of the 10 persons defecating in the open globally, six are Indians. By 2019, six will be from African countries, and none from India, as the country is inching towards meeting total sanitation targets. Though some African countries have shown marginal improvement, they are likely to miss the Sustainable Development Goal on sanitation in 2030. But that is just the beginning of the continent's problems. Lack of safe sanitation will lead to more water-borne diseases resulting in higher healthcare expenses and productivity loss. Poverty-stricken African nations can ill afford to ignore this basic developmental right. What will it take for Africa to overcome the various hurdles to achieve …

On the first-ever World Chimpanzee Day, we should consider the ways we can ensure that future human generations can enjoy sharing the earth with our closest living relatives

The lake inflow hydrology has already changed, which means that nutrient inflows and their distribution through the lake have also been affected

The UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to half the world’s mountain gorillas

Communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are facing fresh bouts of flooding besides facing hardships due to earlier bouts

Poor soil fertility is a major constraint to improving farm productivity and farmer livelihoods in Africa

They suspect climate change to be the cause of the death of baobab trees that live for thousands of years

Government and corporations have started working on different programmes aimed at reducing plastic pollution

The Zambian government has selected two projects— agriculture and electricity generation development—for receiving financial boost from the Green Climate Fund

Since Sub-Saharan Africa is largely off grid, it has great opportunity to skip installing fossil fuel-based power generation infrastructure and jump to renewables

A UN-backed mechanism to curb carbon sequestration and ensure biodiversity conservation, REDD+, is compromising community rights. Is there a better way?

Almost 70 per cent of the funds committed by developed countries to finance climate action in Africa are tied to conditional loans and credit lines

Africa has only 1,152 weather stations; most of which are in dilapidated condition. Adequate infrastructure and quality data is needed to help provide seasonal forecasts 

With extreme weather events becoming the new normal, forecasting has become more important than ever. It's time African nations invest in observation networks 

While 43 African countries plan to raise 20 per cent of adaptation funds, the remaining needs to be funded by the international community, which has in the past defaulted on aid commitments

Amidst crop losses, researchers call for using genetically modified maize

Cyclone Sagar, one of the rare ones to penetrate into western Gulf of Aden, was also the strongest tropical storm ever recorded in Somalia

85 juvenile sharks visited various spots of the island nation’s coast in a single season, says study

The impacts of climate change are making the continent even more vulnerable

Torrential rains have wreaked havoc in the last few weeks, destroying thousands of homes and displacing more than half a million people across East Africa

IUCN report cites pollution, over-harvesting of resources and land clearance among primary threats

The colour bar in African conservation has come to occupy the centre of public perception, driven mostly by the social media

About three-fourths of 60,000 tonnes of used electronic equipment shipped to Nigeria in both 2015 and 2016 originated from EU ports

Two reports reveal that the African powerhouse’s productivity could decline by 11 per cent due to climate change’s impact on its small farmers

Although the average farm income per month saw a rise in the last four years, it is still not enough to help farmers cope with the current agrarian crisis

The ban is delayed and addresses only a part of the problem of toxic pesticides in India

Instead of encouraging them on paper, the government has to create a few model FPOs in the country and provide institutional support to them

It's a reason to worry because this caterpillar can also destroy crops like rice, cotton and sugarcane

2011 से 2013 के बीच आंध्र प्रदेश, कर्नाटक और तेलंगाना में इन राज्यों के कुल भौगोलिक क्षेत्र का क्रमशः 14.35, 36.24 और 31.40 प्रतिशत भूभाग धरती को बंजर बनाने वाली प्रक्रियाओं से प्रभावित हुआ है

From seed banks to rainwater harvesting, one village on the Brahmaputra has spread innovative agriculture through the region – as farmers battle against worsening floods and droughts

A Parliamentary Standing Committee report says the potential of the fisheries sector in India needs more exploring

The Green Revolution may have prevented the fate that was forecasted for a world bursting at the seams and unable to feed itself. But unlimited population growth means that doomsday could be well within sight

Rashtriya Kisan Mahashangha demands farmers's involvement in deliberations over use of MGNREGA in farm sector

A transformation in the food system is underway with 100 consumers funding traditional millet farmers

Poor policy measures, rising input costs and limited market are affecting growth of organic farming in the country

The price of the totapuri mango has crashed due to low demand for its pulp, leaving farmers to dump produce on roads

The most expensive farmer welfare scheme in Telangana is providing land-owning farmers monetary assistance even before they plant the first seed but is excluding most beneficiaries

A slew of measures like horticulture, beekeeping, polycropping and creation of water harvesting structures guarantee income augmentation among rural poor

जाफना में जन्मे के. रत्नराज सिंघम ने हजारों तमिल शरणार्थियों की आर्थिक मजबूती के प्रयास किए हैं। स्पीरूलिना की खेती के जरिए वह तमिल शरणार्थियों के बीच उम्मीदों की फसल उगा रहे हैं। 

In Uttarakhand, farmers are slowly shifting away from hybrid seeds to traditional varieties.  They find the traditional seeds better resilient to climatic conditions of the region and well suited to organic cultivation. These seeds produce better fodder as well.

Maharashtra’s dairy farmers are on an indefinite strike to seek Rs5/litre subsidy to make up for crashing prices

A vicious cycle of debt and loan waivers is worsening the plight of the marginal and tenant farmer

The WHO says it causes cancer and studies link it to many diseases. Countries have been struggling to ban or restrict its use. But a new movement to ban this chemical is gaining ground

Processing is difficult and rural women often feel the burden of this onerous task. To help them, both states have set up processing units

10 million farmers have dropped out of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in just a year

मैं आपके पूर्वजों के घुमंतू से सभ्य समाज का हिस्सा बनने तक की यात्रा का गवाह रहा हूं। सभ्य समाज का प्राणी बनने के आपके संघर्ष को मैंने आंखों से देखा है।

Application of Nitrogen Phosporus Potassium with farmyard manure increases the minerals' availability in the soil as compared to other treatments

They say that Kalahandi district’s divisional forest officer issued a transit permit to take bamboo out of forest land when he has no right to do so

Last year, herbicide tolerant cotton was blamed for the deaths of farmers due to inhalation in Vidharbha region

राज्यों में इस साल और लोकसभा के अगले साल होने वाले चुनाव में किसानों के मुद्दे अहम भूमिका निभाएंगे। 

Indian scientists have identified biomarkers to reflect the impact of heat stress on meat characteristics and productivity in goats

Conflict is one of the main driving factors of hunger; strengthening sustaianble agriculture can promote peace, says the UN Food and Agricultural Organization

Cotton, oilseeds, pulses and coarse cereals are among the worst-hit crops

If procurement of farm produce increases with the announcement of a new MSP, farmers’ post-harvest losses may increase manifold

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 oil growing states to understand why

Declining demand for transport fuel will lead to reduced demand for ethanol in the US and EU—main markets for ethanol

While the Modi cabinet claims that land rent is included, calculations suggest otherwise

Thanks to a high yield sugarcane variety, India witnessed bumper harvests in the last 3 seasons, but sugar prices have fallen and sugarcane farmers have been incurring heavy losses

While the restructuring of the earlier Mission is good news, there is much more that needs to be done

Per capita meat consumption will grow most strongly in the developed world

Although production has grown strongly across commodities, demand growth is decelerating

Apart from not factoring in increasing input costs, the renewed emphasis on revised MSP is taking away the focus from key interventions that Indian agriculture needs

A pest that feeds on sorghum, millet and maize will cause severe destruction to crops if left unchecked, warns the Food and Agriculture Organization

Emissions from crop stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh are increasingly spreading towards central, southern states & eastern fringes of the Indo-Gangetic Basin 

With a projected 5-25% rise in input prices of fuel, agricultural rentals and agrochemicals, the new MSPs for kharif crops will not lead to any gains

Much of the groundwater in Malwa, Punjab has chemicals exceeding permissible limits, putting children at risk of a blood disorder

Harendra Singh Lodhiyal is a farmer who promotes sustainable and eco-friendly farming in Ramgarh block of Nainital district, Uttarakhand. He makes this biopesticide with locally available leaves and wild grass.

The interactive voice response system has been introduced in Anantapur district to cover groundnut farmers

As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, rice plants produce fewer vitamins and other key nutrients

As the continent feels the heat of climate change, it is time it adopts measures to better manage its water and land to build greater resilience to droughts

US retail giant Walmart is desperate to take-over the Indian market in retail and online segments. But will it go the extra mile to fill a critical gap in storage capacity for agricultural produce?

According to experts, farmers should be paid for the ecosystem services they provide

Poor soil fertility is a major constraint to improving farm productivity and farmer livelihoods in Africa

Farmers are in distress owing to low farm prices, poor logistics for transport and government-assured purchases

State taxes are affecting inter-state supply for ethanol, which could, otherwise, generate additional income for farmers

India can achieve this if it replaces 1 per cent of the area under food grains with horticulture

The biggest hurdle is finding uniform production processes across diverse geographies and climatic conditions

Union minister for science and technology said this step is towards expansion and upgradation of weather services

This is important since oilseed crop requires cold days and the number of cold days required for full plant cycle has shrunk owing to climate change

Thousands of villages in Maharashtra are water stressed but will not receive help from the Centre because they fall short of the new definition of drought

Bihar State Crop Assistance Scheme will ensure that farmers have enough money for next crop cycle if their current crop is destroyed by natural calamities

Besides loan waiver and MSP+50 per cent as remuneration, the farmers are now demanding fixed income

While sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh owe about Rs 12,500 crore to farmers, the government’s measures were directed mostly towards tackling current price crash

Farmer protests continue to be at the centre stage with farmers in at least 15 states taking to the streets. There are three broad reasons for this growing discontent: government's failure to safeguard farmers against crop loss, fair price for their produce and forceful farmland acquisitions for developmental projects

The Zambian government has selected two projects— agriculture and electricity generation development—for receiving financial boost from the Green Climate Fund

A farmer’s plea to register a traditional rice variety has once again raised concerns about loopholes in the Protection of Plant Variety Act

Currently, some two billion people are affected by desertification and land degradation; 41 per cent of the landmass worldwide is prone to desertification

Amidst crop losses, researchers call for using genetically modified maize

Farmers need to be better informed where they can sell their crops for good prices so that they’re confident they can recoup the cost of investing in water harvesting

A new survey finds that one-third of this area is subject to pressure from human developments, potentially putting wildlife at risk

Designed to resist the bollworm pest, Monsanto's Bollgard II is seen as useless as the pink bollworm ravages cotton fields across the country

देश के कुल कृषि श्रमिकों में करीब 37 प्रतिशत महिलाएं हैं लेकिन, खेतीबाड़ी में उपयोग होने वाले ज्यादातर औजार, उपकरण और मशीनें पुरुषों के लिए ही बनाए जाते हैं। 

इस अध्ययन से पता चला है कि देश के कई जिले ऐसे हैं, जहां उत्पादन क्षेत्र अधिक होने के बावजूद प्रति हेक्टेयर उत्पादकता बेहद कम है। 

Soybean farmers in a country that imports soybean have to switch to other crops on a land where there is leftover nitrogen after crop harvest

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

Popular welfare schemes will be the focus of upcoming elections, but the unilateral focus to provide benefits to individual voter leads to less and less investment in public capital

An FAO report highlights that livestock manure is one of the top sources of soil contamination

Government report terms this as the 'often overlooked' aspect of the agrarian crisis in the country

A six-year study conducted by UK researchers showed that these steps can help increase milk yield and fertility parameters and drop clinical mastitis rates

Banaras Hindu University scientists found that most wheat cultivars developed after 2000 are more sensitive to damage due to ozone, a byproduct of air pollution

Indian and American researchers have developed a weed removal device for precise application of herbicide that can reduce crop damage and contamination

Despite a ban on sale of pepper under Rs 500 per kg, its price has dipped to Rs 335 per kg owing to imports from Vietnam, Sri Lanka

Dietary shift from rice to coarse cereals, pulses, and leafy vegetables can not only overcome nutritional deficiencies, but also reduce India’s agricultural greenhouse gas  emissions

Previous attempts to ensure a sustainable food security project have failed in Nigeria. Will this one too?

Women produce more than half of all the food grown globally and yet they lack access to resources, knowledge and market, all of which can affect health and food security

State government uses force to take possession of land it had acquired in 1997; farmers call it unlawful

A changing climate is likely to have a drastic impact on crop yields in Africa.

At a discussion held in Chennai, experts and scientists gave a number of suggestions for policy-level changes to promote millets

Japan reveals that its major car makers conducted improper fuel economy and emissions tests on their vehicles

While the SC expends its energy on shouting at the authorities to save the Taj Mahal, let’s look at the 17th century mausoleum’s sad state of affairs

Bawana was created to shift polluting industrial units operating in Delhi's residential areas, but the initiative has benefitted factory owners at the cost of workers

Industry has peddled straw man arguments about primary control technology being not competent enough to control power plant emissions

Thermal power plants will not be able to meet emission norms by 2019 and brick kilns’ conversion to a cleaner technology will not lead to real reductions in emissions

Notification mandates use of only cleaner fuels and bars all toxic and polluting fuels from being used in the city

In a city like Delhi, where air pollution is a round-the-year phenomenon, rains can provide only temporary respite

Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, depleting groundwater, unsustainable agriculture and deforestation are turning large parts of North India into a Dust Bowl. It is time we recognised this ecological disaster

Anumita Roychowdhury, head of air pollution and clean transportation programme at CSE, explains why Delhi and North India is besieged by dust, what are the repercussions on health, and what should the governments do under such a situation.

The forecast for the next three days says PM10 levels will be in the “Very Poor” category

Dust coverage across Haryana-Delhi area has shown slight improvement owing to a dip in maximum temperature and increased moisture content in air

Do not dismiss dust fall event only as an act of god. Crack down on dust sources and push for green walling and vegetative barrier across the region

While ICAO has proposed that biofuel use in passenger planes be increased rapidly to cut carbon emissions, environmentalists disagree

Air pollution levels alarmingly high a day after dust storms from Rajasthan hit the city

After a deadly smog episode in winter, the city witnessed severe ozone pollution this summer, followed by a spike in PM10 level due to pre-monsoon storm season

Increased emission from vehicles and growing heat stress has accelerated formation of ozone

The study contests car manufacturers' claim that newest diesel cars are far cleaner

प्रदूषण से सिर्फ इंसान प्रभावित नहीं होते, बल्कि इसका असर पेड़ों की सेहत पर भी पड़ रहा है। भारतीय वैज्ञानिकों द्वारा किए गए एक ताजा अध्ययन में यह बात सामने आई है।

Here's an overview of recently released reports and studies on air pollution and e-vehicles

A study conducted 11 north Indian cities says that annual premature mortality rate linked to air pollution ranges from 150-300 people per 1 lakh population

The government has stalled standards that could have made heavy-duty vehicles guzzle and pollute less. Is it hand-in-glove with the industry or under pressure from it?

According to EPCA, the government has not done sufficient work to detail out the proposal for induction of 1,000 e-buses and their necessary infrastructure

India needs smarter and effective policing of emissions on road to reduce public health risk

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

These vehicles play a significant role in enhancing last-mile connectivity and improving the city’s air quality. However, several initiatives need to be taken to plug loopholes in this sector

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

A comparative study between an internal combustion engine and an electric powertrain shows why electric vehicles are the future

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

A group of scientists and students are braving heat and dust this summer in the national capital to map all possible sources of air pollution

There is no denying the fact that wind–blown dust contributes significantly to the pollution problem, but this should not divert our attention and efforts from devising solutions to curb anthropogenic emissions

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

Of the 5,000 odd cities and towns in India, monitoring is being done in only 307 cities

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and developments on pollution

Fourteen of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India, says the new WHO database

Tackling air pollution could help bring down crime rate in London, say researchers from London School of Economics

Poor air quality is linked to decreased productivity, school attendance and even lifetime earnings

The generation of hydropower from the top seven hydropower projects in India has suffered due to climate variability in the past six decades

Youth will suffer the fury of climate change. The time to change that is now— for today and for the future

Marine heawaves have already become longer-lasting and more frequent, extensive and intense and this trend is likely to accelerate under further global warming, says a new study

Melting of Arctic ice might be altering the paths of certain high speed winds in the region called jet streams, also associated with tornadoes in the summer season in the US

Scientists say that by 2050, the capital of Indonesia will be entirely submerged

Global warming does not cause wildfires. Rather, global warming exacerbates the conditions and raises the risk of wildfire

In 2017, carbon dioxide concentration at Earth’s surface was 405 ppm—greater than the 2016 level

Now that the rich are also being hit by climate change & the “attribution” is clear, the targets for the world’s anger will be emerging rich in emerging countries like India

GCF, the primary vehicle for Paris pact finances, struggles as developed countries don’t seem too keen on donating

By 2080, deaths from heat waves could increase by up to 2,000 percent in some areas of the world, say Australian researchers

Unusual heat wave, floods, wildfire, extreme rain and drought hit everyone worldwide

Monsoon ditched them so bad that they stare at lowest rain deficit in 13 years

Women in developing countries are more vulnerable to floods and storms owing to their socially constructed roles

The Ladakhi engineer, environmentalist and innovator has been awarded ‘Asia’s Nobel’ for ‘harnessing nature, culture and education for community progress’

Climate change could be linked to a total of 14,020 excess suicides in the US and 7,460 excess suicides in Mexico by 2050, says a new study

Climate change at the global and local levels is reducing water flow in the Mahanadi river, severely impacting agriculture. Tackling that together is far more important than fighting over the sharing of its waters

River Kosi has been changing its course whimsically, damaging everything in its way, but villagers in North Bihar are rebuilding their lives by reusing the silt which damaged their land

In the past 10 years, extreme weather events cost developing countries over $62 billion in higher external interest payments

It says 6,500 km of fibre-optic cables are under threat of being submerged by water by 2033

“गोबर टाइम्स” हमारे नन्हे पाठकों के लिए पर्यावरण पर आधारित पत्रिका है जो डाउन टू अर्थ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण के साथ उपलब्ध है। 

K S Gopi Sundar, a well-known expert on cranes, recently conducted a study on how climate change and cropping patterns affect the nesting cycles of the Sarus Crane 

2018 में भारत के 16 राज्यों में 50 धूलभरी आंधी की घटनाएं हुई हैं, जिसके कारण 500 से अधिक मौतें हुईं। जानमाल को बड़ा नुकसान पहुंचाने वाली इस घटना पर दस सवाल...…

It also recorded a deficit of 9% between June 28 and July 4. What explains the anomaly?

The Church plans to withdraw investment from companies that don’t follow the terms of the Paris Agreement

भारत में पर्यावरण पर चल रही बहस को अमीरों और गरीबों के चश्मे से देखने की जरूरत है

The pace of loss of forests has slowed in recent years even though the world’s forest area decreased from 31% to 30% between 1990 and 2015

Discussions on funding proposals could not happen due to process-related disagreements among Board members

Two recent developments could precipitate a global debate on whether poverty triggers extremism

Howard Bamsey resigned abruptly after a 'disappointing' meeting on expansion of GCF-funded projects

Be it Europe, Asia or the Middle East, all are setting heat milestones

One Tiger Reserve and three wildlife sanctuaries will become unsuitable for the wild mountain ungulate in the future due to climate change

This is the expectation of the National Building Code, which defines standards for ‘comfortable’ temperatures for buildings in India

To bring scientists working in both the poles together, the International Polar Year was observed during 2007-2008 and it was decided to have such an event once in every ten years

Temperature and population density could facilitate transmission and thus increase in antibiotic resistance, say scientists 

While more than a century-old data projects a warmer world, India still needs a proper regional data on climate vulnerability

Most affected states will be Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh

Even if global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century, rapid polar warming may release additional greenhouse gases, and sea-levels will rise by several metres

Heat waves are likely to increase by up to 30 times by 2100; the government needs to focus on the most vulnerable population, including the poor, women, children, elderly and disabled

IIT-Delhi researchers have developed models which are being used by many Indian Ocean rim countries, besides Indian Meteorological Department, for operational purpose

Weak legislation, corruption, lack of data are compunding environmental problems in a country which has over 10% of its area covered by national parks

What is a comfortable temperature? The question seems benign at surface but the answer has far reaching ecological consequences

4 people die as the southwest monsoon brings torrential rain to the city

Communities in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda are facing fresh bouts of flooding besides facing hardships due to earlier bouts

Rising sea temperatures will reduce the availability of prey for the predator seabird and their population growth rate will decline by 5.3%

New research reveals number of cities and citizens threatened by direct and indirect climate hazards if global greenhouse gas emissions continue unchecked

Climate change is making sea levels rise, which is putting 2.5 million properties along the coast at a risk of chronic flooding

Almost half the world’s population and 20% of its economy depend on Himalayan rivers. China and India’s competition for their headwaters increases this threat

Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the UK are no longer at the forefront of the fight against climate change

Nipah virus is part of a clutch of emerging pandemics threatening the world due to global warming and environmental pressure

It’s time researchers and policy makers think about managing the water when even the more resilient of the two poles has given in to climate change

The fact is that storms of 2018 hold a mirror to our future

A confluence of global, regional and local variables is leading to the development of massive storms

They suspect climate change to be the cause of the death of baobab trees that live for thousands of years

The magnitude of floods is likely to increase by 25 per cent in Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, parts of Meghalaya and Nagaland

This is important since oilseed crop requires cold days and the number of cold days required for full plant cycle has shrunk owing to climate change

Researchers took Gehyra variegate, a gecko, as the sample species and found that it does not shy away from heat and can maintain its population during drougt

By 2018 end, the Paris Agreement rule book has to be finalised. But efforts to finalise these set of rules at Bonn was marred by tardy pace and no concrete text

The country has not followed the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures

मई के आखिरी हफ्ते में उत्तर भारत लगातार लू यानी हीटवेव की चपेट में रहा और इससे अब भी राहत मिलती नजर नहीं आ रही है। 

An unprecedented storm season challenges India's scientific community

Crop losses, caused by extreme weather events, steered small-scale farmers towards new farming techniques

Since Sub-Saharan Africa is largely off grid, it has great opportunity to skip installing fossil fuel-based power generation infrastructure and jump to renewables

A UN-backed mechanism to curb carbon sequestration and ensure biodiversity conservation, REDD+, is compromising community rights. Is there a better way?

Almost 70 per cent of the funds committed by developed countries to finance climate action in Africa are tied to conditional loans and credit lines

These ‘climate victims’, who live near the coast or in the mountains, are witnesses to melting glaciers and affected by permafrost melting

Lominda Afedraru visits farmers in various parts of Uganda and assesses how the government is mitigating climate change impacts

Political will is needed to address marine pollution and climate change in Africa

Fisherfolk blame big trawlers but they do not talk about the illegal trade they indulge in

Africa has only 1,152 weather stations; most of which are in dilapidated condition. Adequate infrastructure and quality data is needed to help provide seasonal forecasts 

आर्थिक हित व एजेंसी की प्राथमिकताएं यह तय करती हैं कि देश उपग्रह के आंकड़ों का इस्तेमाल किस तरह करें। 

With extreme weather events becoming the new normal, forecasting has become more important than ever. It's time African nations invest in observation networks 

Rising temperatures coupled with misuse and overuse of water resources has had a catastrophic impact on the nation

Large-scale changes in rainfall can happen based on how tropical forests respond to excess CO2 in the atmosphere

While 43 African countries plan to raise 20 per cent of adaptation funds, the remaining needs to be funded by the international community, which has in the past defaulted on aid commitments

While droughts and floods have wreaked havoc on the sector, change in farming practices can bring about a better tomorrow

More than 2,000 natural disasters have hit Africa since 1970 affecting 500 million people and killing 0.9 million

Grace Manda from Malawi never thought a climate-resilient method of farming could help her build a fixed roof, send her kids to school, that too from cultivating a hectare of unfertile land

Unlikely since nobody knows where and how it has spent environmental cessess, such as the coal cess, meant to mitigate climate change 

Africa is the only continent that imports more food than it produces. Down To Earth brings ground report from 10 African countries to assess steps taken to become self-sufficient in food

भारत में हीटवेव तीसरी सबसे बड़ी “हत्यारन” के रूप में उभरी है। इसका दायरा बढ़ रहा है और यह नए-नए क्षेत्रों को चपेट में ले रही है। क्या इसके लिए जलवायु परिवर्तन जिम्मेदार है?

The corals in the Gulf of Mannar suffered severe losses during the global coral bleaching event that occurred between March and October 2016, says a new study

Even as West Africa struggles to plug rampant illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, rising sea surface temperature poses new challenges

They stress on the need for a comprehensive and party-driven negotiating text by Bangkok intersession in September 2018

Support smallholders, family farmers to reduce poverty, says FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva at a regional conference in Russia

The impact of climate change on the spread of diseases in Africa is well established but there is little data available for action

The West Bengal State Climate Action Plan expressed concern over reduced productivity of Darjeeling tea due to increase in extended drought periods

A recent study says that land-use change interacts with climate to determine species redistribution

While some Parties are emphasisng the need to focus on existing features of NDCs, others are calling for new features

The impacts of climate change are making the continent even more vulnerable

Indian scientists have confirmed and tracked the retreat—over 3kms—of an important Himalayan glacier, attributing it to climate change, and giving a shape to the changes to come

Global warming is manifesting itself over parts of India in the maximum temperatures observed during the warm pre-monsoon period

NASA's Carbon Monitoring System provides data on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon stocks to help countries evaluate their progress towards reducing atmospheric CO2

Prem Shankar Jha makes a case for solar energy while tracing the history of global warming

While extended range forecast shows some signs of an early onset, other meteorological conditions have shrouded the forecast in uncertainty

With Parties differing on their fundamental stances, creation of a robust and fair Paris climate rule book looks like a tough task

While the Bonn meet was packed with hundreds of parallel meetings, progress on readying a text for COP 24 has been slow

Four out of five glaciers could disappear entirely within the next twenty years, it warns

Over the next two and half years, the negotiating group will meet five times to discuss and prepare reports on the work required for each of the six agenda items

Unusually high temperature has aided such intense storms across the country, indicating more turbulent days ahead

International shipping produces as much CO2 as aircraft. Here’s what we can do about that

The two-day dialogue on loss and damage could not move beyond stating the obvious and raising concerns over roadblocks

Developed countries, including US, were seen obstructing an attempt by the Africa group to submit a draft decision on climate financing

From cloudburst in Himachal, dust storms in Rajasthan and UP to lightning in Andhra Pradesh and devastating rainfall in Haryana and Punjab, freak weather is making its presence felt

Local authorities say that the death toll due to the dust storm is expected to rise

Scientists reason why the beneficial weather phenomenon has become increasingly disastrous

Nawabshah, in Sindh, registered a sweltering 50.2 degree Celsius on April 30

It is misguided to blame armed conflict and violence on climate change alone

Did a change in climate caused or contributed to a mass extinction around 260 million years ago?

Interestingly, Himalayan states such as Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim have seen the highest increase in annual mean minimum and maximum temperature over the last few decades

Rapidly rising sea level might force a climate-sceptic regime to rethink its policies and safeguard lives and security assets

Two reports reveal that the African powerhouse’s productivity could decline by 11 per cent due to climate change’s impact on its small farmers

For the first time ever, an international coalition of leading researchers, scientists and policymakers has come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change.

From Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former head of the Sierra Club Carl Pope comes a manifesto on how the benefits of taking action on climate change are concrete, immediate, and immense.

Moving out of nature's timing can mess up the food chain

Climate change is rapidly warming the Earth and altering ecosystems on land and at sea that produce our food

A host of climate change-related problems bedevil the district’s women and girls, unlike men and boys

These holes could not only hasten glacial melt but also host unique ecosystems

Even the outstanding liabilities of states have been growing at double digits

Trade and climate policy experts give a detailed roadmap for a carbon-based response to US tariffs

Livelihood opportunities should take precedence in global trade talks as it is more about employment than anything else right now

उत्तराखंड भारत का पहला राज्य होगा जो अर्थव्यवस्था को सकल घरेलू उत्पा द की बजाय सकल पर्यावरण उत्पा द के आधार पर गणना करेगा। 

रेत की कमी और अवैध उत्खनन के दोहरे खतरे से लड़ने के लिए आयातित रेत की क्षमता को महसूस किया जा रहा है। 

The 15th Finance Commission has recommended the use of Census 2011 instead of the norm of considering Census 1971, and this change has led to political protests and accusations of bias as many states that have done well in controlling population will end up receiving less money from the Central tax pool

The history of the working class and how working people gained and lost privileges through the ages

Countries are now getting into bilateral or regional trade deals as opposed to global agreements

International trade rules are unfair, but even Trump’s tariff-centric trade policies won’t fix what’s broken about the global trading system

With the US halving its contribution to the Global Environment Facility, the oldest green fund sees first budget cut in 27 years, hurting the Least Developed Countries the most

The absence of concrete measures gives the government space to shrug off all responsibilities

WIPO begins talks on controversial proposal to allow countries to outsource their patent examination processes to another country

The revised price will push more sugar mills to produce ethanol and increase their revenue

Being an EU member state, the UK had been insulated from WTO rules that dictate the size of subsidies and how they are paid

The countries say that talks on further discipline on domestic support can only happen after harmful subsidies are reduced

1.6 people should escape poverty every second but currently just 1.1 are doing so. Worryingly, by 2020, the rate of poverty reduction would further slow down

India's patent office has ignored the strict safeguards against evergreening and allowed a flood of secondary drug patents

Centre is urging Finance Commission to finalise tax-devolution formula keeping in mind the national development programme

As people hunt animals from zoos to feed themselves, the President, accused of extrajudicial executions, is busy blaming the US and the opposition party

As opposed to the promise of creating 2 crore jobs, the government now stands witness to a steady decline in job growth

उत्तराखंड में पलायन रोकने और पशुपालन को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए बकरी स्वयंवर की अनूठी पहल की गई है। स्वयंवर को सफल बनाने के लिए निमंत्रण पत्र भी छपवाए गए हैं। 

An important but contested roles of journalism is the act of putting political violence into words. If they sound neutral, it’s likely you’ve avoided layin responsibility 

सोयाबीन अमेरिका-चीन के बीच व्यापार युद्ध का मुख्य केन्द्र बन गया है। क्या भारत इसका उत्पादन और प्रसंस्करण क्षमता बढ़ाकर लाभ ले सकता है?

Spatial distribution of rainfall is one of the factors ensuring healthy agriculutral production that keeps food inflation under control

An abridged selection of his memorable statements on the environment

If the world spends even a fraction of the predicted loss, it can reverse land degradation, which affects the poorest the most

The Arab Spring may not have put an end to re-colonisation of the Middle East and North Africa, but the fall of long-time dictators shows signs that democratisation is possible 

The reason socialist awareness is not possible in the 21st century is that the middle class in India in the 60s was primarily dominated by the established middle, says Ashis Nandy  

In the 21st century, counter reactions to globalisation have been taking radically different forms

Social media could be just the start of a slippery slope leading to an Orwellian world controlled by Big Data Brother

To address the growing unrest across the world, we need to effectively utilise the demographic dividend

Their frustrations in an unjust world can take various expressions—a fidayeen in Iraq, a stone pelter in Kashmir, a mercenary in Saudi Arabia, a rabid gaurakshak (cow protector) in India or a hedonist in Shanghai

The WTO mini-ministerial held in March in New Delhi showed a poverty of ideas on how to protect the multilateral trade bloc from US assaults

The state’s scheme, aimed at creating environmentally sustainable villages, saw only up to 6% funds being used for green projects

Several factors have led to slow progress in the country’s biodiesel development programme, nbotably, the Jatropha plant

No clarity on LPG use for the rest of the beneficiaries

The scheme, which attempts to increase solar installations while consequently providing relief to Delhi’s agricultural sector, offers very little for any of the stakeholders involved other than well-off, large landowning farmers

Urgent global intervention is needed to stop the unregulated dumping and reduce health and climate risks

Ethanol blending in petrol is an effective way of increasing domestic petrol availability and for that, all-round efforts need to be made to increase ethanol production

Fracking is a controversial method used to extract shale gas by breaking rock and is considered to be very harmful for the environment

Sale of incandescent bulbs, which consume four times more power than a CFL, accounted for half the total sale of bulbs and tubelights in India last year

NPCIL has missed 2018 deadline for building AFR facility to store spent nuclear fuel, which is currently kept within the power plant

While automation can drastically bring down the maintenance cost of solar plants, ensuing job losses cannot be discounted

New report notes that renewable energy is mostly being used in the power sector

Coal’s contribution to global electricity generation will shrink from 38 per cent to just 11 per cent by 2050 as comparative costs shift in favour of wind, solar and batteries 

Shifting reliance from one fossil fuel to a relatively lesser polluting fossil fuel will not lead to de-carbonization

NTPC’s power plant in Dadri is the first in the country to decide on adopting DSI that is expected to lower SO2 emission and eliminate high operational costs

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

सौर ऊर्जा से चलने वाले इस नए कोल्ड-स्टोरेज से बिजली की समस्या से जूझ रहे किसानों को सबसे अधिक राहत मिल सकती है। 

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

The city’s peak demand has been consistently higher than that of Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai combined during this time of the year

Women's participation should be considered while making policy on access to energy and management, says an expert

Distributing LPG connection is a job half done as ensuring its sustained usage is a bigger challenge that the government is currently facing

While the state says the order was based on the pollution control board’s findings, the opposition and activists doubt its legal strength

Activists say the government plans to cremate the protestors who died in police firing on its own

Despite a court order, ban on internet has not been lifted and activists claim police are harassing people

Several businessmen, investors and experts are of the opinion that energy transition is the key to keeping the world peaceful and stable

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

India has only met 9.5 per cent of the target for roof-top solar power, which has the maximum job potential

As many as 34 private power plants with a combined capacity of slightly over 40,000 MW have become stressed assets

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on energy

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and developments on energy

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and developments on energy

How solar could spark a clean-energy transition through transformative innovation—creative financing, revolutionary technologies, and flexible energy systems.

Uttarakhand should use inflammable chirpines to generate power. This would contain forest fires that are threatening native oak trees and provide employment

Once a closure decision of power station is made, the land remains unutilised for six to 10 years

Two old timers recall the contributions that Vajpayee made to the field of environmental governance in India

A national survey of India’s coastline from 1990 to 2016 shows West Bengal saw the biggest coastal erosion followed by Puducherry, Kerala & Tamil Nadu

Making your own personal hygiene products are easier than you think. Kirti Negi Bajoria, a professional who is on a sabbatical makes a lot of household and personal care products on her own. In this video, she demonstrates a simple recipe to make floor cleaners and dish-wash which is free of harmful chemicals

Refineries of Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil have seen a string of fire incidents in the past two years

The magazine had reported on how UPL's chemcial and pesticide units were worsening pollution scenario in Vapi

A new study says warm and humid climate led to formation of Himalayas

50 years after he first visited North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archipelago, veteran anthropologist, T N Pandit talks to Down To Earth about the Sentinelese people, other tribal groups in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and his legacy

Early warning systems and better weather forecasting have become a matter of life and death for communities facing more frequent and intense flash floods

While IMD says the climatic phenomenon will be ineffective, other forecasters disagree

Although Earth Overshoot Day is a compelling concept, the methodology used to calculate it and the ecological footprint on which it is based is conceptually flawed

2018 is the year when the shrub is flowering again in the hills of South India. Here is its story

Making your own floor cleaner and dish wash liquid is easier than you think. Kirti Negi Bajoria, a professional who is on a sabbatical, makes a lot of household and personal care products on her own. In this video, she demonstrates a simple recipe to make floor and cleaners that are free of harmful chemicals.

Earth dwellers have used a year’s worth of resources in seven months

A biosphere reserve is a site destined to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity and human activity through the sustainable use of natural resources

While 22 districts in Odisha see 200 per cent more rainfall than normal, Bihar’s 22 districts get less than 50 per cent

Emissions from this sector are to rise by more than 60 per cent by 2030

Making your own toothpaste is easier than you think. Kirti Negi Bajoria, a professional who is on a sabbatical makes different household and personal care products on her own. In this video, she demonstrates a simple recipe for toothpaste.

Jonathan Drori, author of Around the World in 80 Trees tells S S Jeevan about the phylogeny, ecological services, and the sociological importance of trees

Lack of standards means there is no benchmark from which to calculate the Sustainable Development Goals

The latest study argues that uranium leaching from the Himalayan granite rocks has possibly contaminated Punjab's groundwater

There is an urgent need for people to focus on sustainable use of resources so that they are available in the long-term, for future generations

So far, rainfall in the Indo-Gangetic plain has remained deficient, with last week recording largely deficient rain

आसमान छूती ये इमारतें ही अब हीट आईलैंड बन गई हैं। एक अध्ययन में इन स्थानों का तापमान सामान्य से 4 से 5 डिग्री सेल्सियस अधिक मापा गया है।

High variability of rainfall has created increased occurrence of droughts and floods

प्रदूषकों से भरे बादल मौसम में बड़ा बदलाव ला सकते हैं। मौसम को प्रभावित करता करने वाला कारक एरोसॉल है।

Some places have even seen about 337 per cent week-over-week increase in rainfall 

After Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, now Himachal Pradesh and Odisha have reined in on thermocol and plastic

The court blasts the Centre and UP government on their ‘lethargy’ to protect the monument

Kirti Negi Bajoria took a sabbatical when her child was born. Ever since then she has been making her toiletries and hygiene products at home. She does this to protect her family, particularly her child, from harmful chemicals. She makes more than a dozen of different products from natural substances.

These states and UTs, mostly in north and east India, reported a deficit between 27 per cent and 74 per cent till July 10

झील और उसकी फूमदियों में कई ऐसे जीवाणु मिले हैं, जो बहु-एंजाइम उत्पादक माने जाते हैं और पौधों की वृद्धि के लिए उत्तरदायी उत्प्रेरक रसायनों का भी उत्पादन करते हैं।

The Environmental Investigative Agency has found that CFC-11, a gas banned under the Montreal Protocol, is being used extensively in East Asia, mainly China

The increase in consumption along with wastage of fish, overfishing is likely to have huge impacts on global food security

There is a huge decline in the number of Monpa and Sema speakers

With major GEF grant countries set aside political differences and try to restore the mangroves and coral reefs of the world’s largest bay

FabIndia School Bali, Pali is a shining example of resource efficiency. It draws 90 per cent of its electricity from solar, harvests rainwater, segregates and composts its waste, has banned packaged food in its campus. It also has its own organic farm.

Amounts received would be used for planting and nurturing trees as well as cleaning water bodies

Activists are calling for setting up of a multi-member judicial commission to do a comprehensive enquiry into the process of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement

Imagine a scenario where packaging isn’t easy and cheap. The need would be, then, to create a self-sufficient neighbourhood 

Between 2014 and 2017, the government planted 28,12,000 trees against the target of 36, 57,000, leaving a shortfall of 845,000 trees

With at least 290 districts receiving deficient and largely deficient rainfall, about 1.2 million fewer hectares have been planted this month than last year

That is what saved a part of Kanyakumari town’s coastal strip during my tenure about 8 years ago

Managing our cooling and heating demands is critical to environmental sustainability. Are we doing it right? Sunita Narain explains why we need to rethink comfort and push for better standards both in the way we build our buildings and the efficiency of devices we use.

There is a probability of El Niño developing between July and September, which are the peak monsoon months in India

Since the author was involved in the protests against endosulfan, he has been able to seamlessly integrate the story with the real movement

India is importing river sand to satiate the growing demand of its construction industry and to keep soaring sand prices in check. But imports alone will not suffice without effective implementation of regulations and promotion of alternative construction materials

Strong westerly winds are flowing in from north India in the absence of monsoon current, thus, increasing both minimum and maximum teperatures

Currently, policy instruments and investments to promote the spread of sustainable land management technologies are non-existent

The sterlite plant used to sell about 600,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid

Withering of Aravallis, mainly due to erosion of forests along the northern and central tracts, is making dust storms more intense

Every year, we make New Year resolutions about change. Why not include as one of those resolutions, a change of habit leading that will lead to a smart sustainable consumer lifestyle?

Experts at the 3rd National Dialogue on Himalayan Ecology called for assessing the value of ecosystem services in monetary terms

A recent study attributes increasing surface air temperature over India between 1956 and 2005 to anthropogenic factor

Cheap electricity, rising incomes, and badly designed buildings that trap heat are encouraging energy intensive practices, shows a CSE analysis of Delhi’s electricity demand this summer

The governing body of world football updates its sustainability policy for the world cup by including changing certain norms for green stadiums, waste management and recycling

More than 90 per cent of IMD’s forecast for the next two days is about strong advancement of monsoon; in the coming week, it has predicted the same

Storm water drains are being cleaned; Mithi river has been widened, but flood sensors are yet to be installed in five rivers and two lakes

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

Government and corporations have started working on different programmes aimed at reducing plastic pollution

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

The research is meant to help develop measures to correct the harmful effects of the organic compounds on the environment

The people's movement in Tuticorin against Sterlite and for a clean environment reinforces the ideal of Swaraj and democracy as envisioned by the father of our nation

Fragments of plastic film have been shown to release potentially carcinogenic substances into soil

UNEP chief Erik Solheim, during his visit to India, the global host for World Environment Day, says unlike climate change, plastic waste can be tackled without treaties and targets

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

On the World Environment Day, Sunita Narain puts focus on the pollution caused by plastics and why we need to put an end to this toxic addiction.

The new 10-day probabilistic forecasts will be able to provide rainfall forecasts with probabilities according to rainfall intensities

577 conservation projects raised $4 million since 2009 for projects ranging from protection of wilderness areas in remote Tasmania to research informing the conservation of California's coast

During the first stage long-range forecast issued, IMD had predicted 44% probability of below-normal monsoon

Given the serious threat that such fire incidents cause to human health, the Delhi administration has to answer why it has not yet taken action against illegal factories clustered in residential areas

उत्तराखंड में बांधों का निर्माण, सड़क चौड़ीकरण, ऑल वेदर रोड, भव्य भवन निर्माण और अब रेल लाइन निर्माण आदि कार्यों से विनाश के दरवाजे खोले जा रहे हैं।

Will the world’s anti-plastic movement succeed? Or will it once again succumb to a new set of technology “fixits”

Thunderstorms and negative Indian Ocean Dipole indices could affect its distribution and progress

The mission to end the plastic menace must include ending single-use plastics, promoting alternatives to fossil fuel-based materials, promoting 100 per cent recycling of plastics, corporate and government accountability and changing human behaviour concerning plastics

Here's an overview of recently released reports and studies on renewable energy 

The current rate is just nine cases a day

The research organization’s efforts to ensure that pollution was not directly attributed to the copper smelting plant led to the SC not ordering the plant to be shut down earlier

Protests against the expansion of the smelter have been going on for three months

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on pollution

Guardians of the Amazon, a tribe in the forests sent this message to the Brazilian government to help them protect an uncontacted tribe and their forests from illegal loggers

At least 30 others were injured when police opened fire to quell the protest

K J Ramesh explains how this season’s thunderstorms is due to a peculiar condition wherein heating in north and northwestern India has coincided with the movement of western disturbances

Kendriya Vidyalaya Pangode is one of greenest schools in the country. It has put in place a host of sustainable practices including good waste management, rainwater harvesting, energy efficiency measures, and a good food programme.

Conservationists across the world have to warm up to the idea of communicating problems in local parlance and interpreting global challenges in local context

Did you know testing of nuclear weapons and remnants of war have polluted our soil for centuries? Find out here

The IFC-funded power project is destroying livelihood of fishermen in Gujarat, but the funding agency is hiding behind an immunity law

The carbon footprint of tourism is about four times larger than previously thought, according to a world-first study published in Nature Climate Change

Specialised environmental courts are now operating on every continent except Antarctica. What’s behind the boom?

पाकिस्तानी शहर नवाबशाह में मार्च में भी भीषण गर्मी थी। मार्च के आखिर में यहां का तापमान 45.5 डिग्री सेल्सियस पहुंच गया था जो राष्ट्रीय रिकॉर्ड था।  

They are the first humans to have genetically adapted to have larger spleens which help them dive deeper and for longer periods

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and developments on pollution

Results show that 50 per cent of the face wash products and 67 per cent of the facial scrubs contain microplastics

Madhya Pradesh recorded most forest fires than any other state in 2017

The book that sparked the modern environmental movement, with an unprecedented collection of letters, speeches, and other writings that reveal the extraordinary courage and vision of its author

The Japanese method of mimicking nature, and growing forests in the heart of the city, is being picked up in Pakistan, India and elsewhere as a way to combat the rising heat that is strangling

We will have to change our attitude and act responsible

Here are some non-nutritional components of grams and vegetables that don’t interact well with vitamins and minerals

People belonging to the Baiga tribe mostly depend on forests and its plants for their livelihood. They possess the ability to recognise hundreds of species around them and know their usage in myriad ways

The food regulator refuses to take those food products off the shelf, ignoring possible risks

Despite having immense nutritive and medicinal properties, the rice bean is a lesser-known pulse

Sikiya (Digitaria Sanguilanis) is a variety of wild millet harvested by the Baiga tribals of Dindori district in Madhya Pradesh. Its grains are even smaller than those of little millets and has a yellowish colour. The Baiga tribals prepare rice and kheer out of it.Currently, the Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) based in Hyderabad is researching on Sikiya for nutritional analysis. This crabgrass finger millet, which has always been a part of tribal culture, has 12 per cent protein.

Scientists and manufacturers are looking for ways to keep synthetic microfibers from getting into the environment in the first place

Food manufacturers have been issuing warnings that they’ve nearly run out of carbon dioxide. So why we can’t just capture the excess CO2 from the atmosphere and use that?

Farmers seek MSP since surplus skimmed milk powder is lowering demand and prices

A recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found genetically modified ingredients in processed foods sold in India. Sunita Narain, director general of CSE and editor of Down To Earth raises questions on legality of these products in the Indian market and asks why Indian consumers are deprived of their right to make an informed choice about food they eat?

21 of the 65 processed foods tested had genetically modified ingredients; most of these products do not mention anything about GM on their labels.

Rajarshi Banerjee, who heads CSE's laboratory, explains the method adopted to detect GM ingredients in packaged foods

Amit Khurana, Programme Director, Food Safety & Toxins, Centre for Science and Environment, talks about the findings of the study on GM ingredients in foods. 

मंच के राष्ट्रीय प्रवक्ता दीपक शर्मा ने बताया कि सीएसई की रिपोर्ट बेहद गंभीर है। खाद्य उत्पादों में जीएम को लेकर कोई समझौता नहीं किया जा सकता।

FSSAI says it will frame a law to regulate GM food, but fails to talk about the prevalent illegal trade and mislabeling

According to the Coalition for a GM-free India, CSE's findings point to adoption of an anti-citizen policy by the government

समाजवादी पार्टी के राज्यसभा सांसद सुखराम सिंह यादव ने कहा, सरकार को ऐसा करने वाली कंपनियों के खिलाफ सख्त कार्रवाई करनी चाहिए।

भारत में जीएम खाद्य उत्पादों का आयात, निर्यात, उत्पादन और वितरण स्वीकृत नहीं है। 

जीएम भोजन का स्वास्थ्य के प्रति एक चिंताजनक पहलू यह भी है कि इससे एलर्जिक रिएक्शन हो सकता है। 

In a first-of-its-kind study in India, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) tested 65 food products available in the market for genetically modified (GM) ingredients. To its horror, CSE found GM genes in 32% of the products; almost 80% of them imported

दिल्ली स्थित सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) के अध्ययन में 32 प्रतिशत खाद्य उत्पादों में जीएम के अंश मिले हैं। सीएसई ने कुल 65 प्रसंस्कृत खाद्य उत्पादों में जीएम अंश पता लगाने के लिए जांच की। ये उत्पाद दिल्ली, पंजाब ओर गुजरात से लिए गए। जीएम पॉजिटिव पाए गए करीब …

Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General of Delhi-based Centre For Science and Environment talks about their new study on GM ingredients in packaged foods

From endosulfan poisoning in Kerala to the presence of a carcinogen in bread, CSE has conducted many studies of imminent concern to human beings

Cultivation of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops relies heavily on glyphosate, a possible carcinogen

CSE tested 64 processed food products bought from retail stores in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Gujarat and one sample of crude cottonseed oil. These products were tested for the presence of genetically modified (GM) ingredients using the advanced technology qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction). Results showed that 32 per cent of the products tested contained GM ingredients

In the absence of long-term studies to ascertain health impacts, countries are following precautionary principle to regulate genetically modified foods

People are concerned about the possibility of eating GM food.  Can we not expect the government to ensure that they have the right to choose?

FSSAI has so far dragged its feet on regulating GM foods. Its recent attempt to regulate the industry may do more harm than good as the draft regulations are too expensive and cumbersome to be implemented

The country-wide truck operators’ strike continued for the fourth day and it was the farmers who lost the most

Worse, the government's latest move to regulate the domestic organic market can also push tens of thousands of organic farmers out of business

Tree spinach, or chayamansa, is nothing less than a superfood for humans as well as livestock

लीची परिवार का यह फल स्वादिष्ट होने के साथ स्वास्थ्यवर्धक है। मुजफ्फरपुर स्थित राष्ट्रीय लीची अनुसंधान केंद्र में इसकी वाणिज्यिक प्रजाति विकसित करने के लिए शोध हो रहा है

The objective is to combat negative nutritional trends and fight lifestyle diseases

FSSAI has rolled out new standards for used cooking oil and it is exploring possibility of using it as feedstock for biodiesel production

Nutrify India Now allows search in 17 languages and six food groups. Users can also search foods by nutrients in the National Institute of Nutrition's app 

The Sikiya millet grows on its own in the bewar plots managed by the Baigas. Currently, IIMR is working towards establishing its nutritional qualities

The criteria for exemption from labelling of food containing GM ingredients need to be much stricter

Elandha vada is a traditional nutritional snack that is fast disappearing from our food basket

An FAO report says Cabo Verde and Senegal have been added to a list of 39 countries that need external food assistance owing to poor cropping season and pastoral conditions

A book by a former rural development professional guides parents how to prepare tasty and healthy food for school-going kids

Not if the food industry has its way. They do not see a link between trans fats and ill health 

ड्रैगन फ्रूट तनाव कम करता है व मधुमेह नियंत्रित रखता है। इसमें मोटापा दूर करने वाले तत्व भी पाए जाते हैं तथा यह कई प्रकार के हृदय रोगों को भी ठीक कर सकता है।

Sattu is a powder made by grinding a mixture of roasted pulses, mainly chickpeas and cereals.  Rich in protein, it leaves one satiated for a long time. It also helps fight diabetes.

If biodiversity disappears, food will become impersonal. It will become a sterile package designed for universal size and taste

The All India Poultry Development and Services Private Limited has been asked to withdraw or modify the ad by May 23

Country’s premier food watchdog also plans to evaluate organisations based on systems put in place to promote health and wellness

The UN body has released a step by step guide for the industry to eliminate trans fats from food

Banana flower is called Mocha in Bengali language. This flower has been a part of various cuisines in india which includes Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra and West Bengal. The flower has a sour taste and needs to be cooked properly. It has been scientifically proven to treat diseases such as dysentery, ulcers and bronchitis. Research studies have shown that the flower has properties to reduce blood glucose levels. It also contains nutrients such as antioxidants, fibre, proteins, vitamin E and flavonoids.

A few e-shops are changing the way wet markets operate by offering fresh, chemical-free fish, poultry and meat at the doorstep. Will they be able to stand by their claims and cater to masses at an affordable price?

A study finds that coal pollution in China is leading to people getting significant levels of mercury poisoning from rice

From 2000 to 2014, quinoa production increased by 72% in Peru, Bolivia and Eucador, the world's biggest quinoa producers, says a new report

J Suresh is an Engineering graduate, and had been working for six years as a techie before he left his job to start a millet restaurant. After much struggle, he started Thirukkural Unavagam in Karayanchavadi, Chennai. The restaurant has one more branch in Adyar, Chennai, which Suresh runs along with another former professional, E Karthikeyan. Suresh spoke to Down To Earth on what all went into starting the venture. Excerpts…

Sulphur compounds in garlic, believed to have medicinal properties, alter the levels of gaseous signaling molecules, which can reduce disease symptoms or severity

The same should not be done without consulting a physician

The rich hue of butterfly pea flower comes packed with therapeutic values

The degree of deforestation was greater in Assam compared to Arunachal Pradesh, say researchers from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun

The ex-environment minister writes to the current one saying the new rules make for a fit case to move a privilege motion against Vardhan

Kendu pluckers union is batting for state collection of Kendu while the activists oppose it

The first Hothouse state last occurred 125,000 years ago, and the risk of a new one was raised by a study recently 

A preliminary report by the Sikkim government suggests the green state is carbon-negative, but emissions are on the rise

The rules of the Compensatory (Afforestation) Fund Act 2016 are better than the draft but not impactful

A new study shows that species richness of birds was higher in agricultural lands than in the protected area, except for specialised species such as hornbills and large woodpeckers

The Gubbi Tree Park, inaugurated recently by the Tumakuru Forest Division in Karnataka, has shone a light on creating state-of-the-art green spaces meant for civic as well as forestry purposes

The GST rate on these products was brought down from 5% to nil by the GST Council in its 28th meeting held on July 21

In a letter dated June 27, Leena Nair, the then secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs had written to the chief secretaries of states raising violations under FRA, especially in Kerala

Activsts took to Twitter raising issues about misuse of tribal lands, displacement of communities under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act 

The hilly and forested district in southeast Karnataka is giving new lessons to the rest of India on responsible forestry

Kaluwala, Sodhinagar and Bhagwatpur were given the revenue status, which means that the inhabitants, Tongia tribals, will now have access to civic amenities 

A contradictory policy towards export of red sanders is fuelling illegality and hurting farmers

According to a recent study, indigenous people and local communities are able to conserve forests by investing only 16–23 per cent of the amount spent by governments and NGOs

Forest lands, over which rights of adivasis have been recognised or are pending recognition, have been usurped for carrying out plantations under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act

It's hard to measure the value of a tree, but scientists equipped with lasers have come one step closer

With most of the global export market for bamboo products yet to be tapped and potential to generate 516.33 million man days of work every year, India’s restructured bamboo mission needs serious thought and effective implementation

The Kasturirangan Committee has been set up to suggest measures to conserve the ecology of the hill range

Sustainable timber sourcing can protect over 5 million hectares of tropical forest, says a new report on sustainability of Europe’s timber imports 

Venezuela opened up a large swath of the country to mining to prop up its economy. But a huge part of the area is a fragile ecosystem that can be severly affected by the project

BJP leader Tarun Vijay recently tweeted that Havelock Island in the Andaman Archipelago should be renamed as “Rani Lakshmibai Island”. Internationally-acclaimed professor of Linguistics, Anvita Abbi had written a letter to similar effect but with a different suggestion late last year. Read on

Given the state government’s past record, one can’t but help feel skeptical

उत्तराखंड के पहाड़ों में आग लगने की घटनाएं हर साल सुर्खियां बटोरती हैं। इससे बड़ी संख्या में पेड़ों, जीव जंतुओं और पर्यावरण को नुकसान पहुंचता है। 

Infectious diseases that were once confined to animals in forests are now attacking human beings, at a faster pace

Forest officials admit that they are facing resource crunch when it comes to tackling forest fires

Reflections from the Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 

In the forests of Kanyakumari, an invasive species has been proliferating since the 1960s. It is time to remove it altogether

The forest department has been misusing the transit permit, which is essential to sell kendu leaf, a lucrative Minor Forest Produce

Forest department in India needs to reverse its role from being the owner and regulator of forests to becoming a facilitator in community-managed forests

A blueprint for scientific research in forestry, the plan is made every 20 years and was formulated last in 2000

The effect of deforestation is felt more during deficit years than monsoon surplus years

As environmentalists raise concerns over this free-for-all, all eyes are now on the High Court, which has stayed the permissions, and will hold its next hearing in May

Most comments in the draft policy concern with the dilution of the Forest Rights Act and opening up forest land for private players 

All of them launch a protest today to make their demands heard

The DMK patriarch was a pioneer in reforming governance in Tamil Nadu. Here are three of his most notable schemes

Down to Earth travels across north India to speak with farmers and animal rearers to find out how cow vigilantism has affected the rural economy

कोयला और खान मंत्रालय ने ट्राइबल सबप्लान की धनराशि आदिवासियों के सामाजिक-आर्थिक कल्याण के बजाय उन्हें नुकसान पहुंचाने वाली योजनाओं पर खर्च की

Almost 90,000 people and more than 7,500 hectares of land under water as NEEPCO dam releases water from the Doyang river that flows through Nagaland and Assam

Villagers were protesting the lack of notice and the lack of information in the local language

खनन प्रभावित क्षेत्रों और लोगों के लिए जिस मकसद से डीएमएफ गठित किया गया था, वह पूरा होता नहीं दिख रहा

The UK’s divorce from Europe will reduce IP protection and may result in an increase in the cost of protection of IP rights on the continent

Millions of people becoming stateless in their own land is totally unacceptable

Excluson of four million people from Assam's draft National Citizen Registry has created panic among the inhabitants

The allegations of collusion between the Andhra government and Singapore companies under the Swiss Challenge Method are not untrue

Through the years, Indian stamps have featured local flora and fauna in varying degrees. Here is an overview

The five are among a total 16 projects approved by the Indian Government as part of ‘a Scheme of National Projects’ for water resource development and irrigation

छह योजनाओं की मूल लागत 3,530 करोड़ रुपए थी लेकिन अब इसकी लागत बढ़कर 86172.23 करोड़ रुपए हो गई है। यह निष्कर्ष कैग ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में निकाले हैं। 

Here’s a round-up of today’s debates and reports on environmental and developmental issues

Heavy rains bring threats of landslides and deadly disease to refugee camps

Uttar Pradesh, which generates over 130,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, needs to take early measures to facilitate the transition

Here’s a round-up of today’s debates and reports on environmental and developmental issues

Child marriages are not illegal yet but they could be if the WCD ministry’s proposal is accepted

While the Bill has a provision of punishing those who leak information, it does not guarantee that DNA data won't be breached

जम्मू एवं कश्मीर में आतंकवाद की समस्या के समाधान के लिए फौजी ताकत का इस्तेमाल समझदारी भरा कदम नहीं है

The apex court asks the Parliament to draft a new legislation against lynching

India has been dragging its feet over abating odour pollution. Does it lack in infrastructure, or will?

A slew of crucial Bills are likely to be tabled in the session, which will have only 18 working days

जल्द ही इस नाम-बदलाव के सु-परिणाम आने लगे। इस नाम-बदलाव ने देश की कई समस्याओं को समाप्त रातों-रात ख़त्म कर दिया था। 

In a huge victory for those who advocate free and fair internet access, the Indian government has approved net neutrality, but the road to victory was far from smooth

The apex court was told by the Centre that it won’t contest the petitions seeking to decriminalise homosexuality 

इस लीग में किसी टीम को रन नहीं बल्कि सीटें बटोरनी पड़ती हैं। खेल शुरू हो चुका है। 

Progressive provisions like social impact assessment and consent of the affected people are being ignored

Protests are against the amendments in the land acquisition act, which dilute social impact assessments and consent of the landowners  

The Kerala state body tried to change the status of the land it acquired for a marine park near Kozhikode as it was 50 metres away from the seashore

Draft guidelines on Social, Environmental and Economical Responsibilities of Business water down specific recommendations on accountability of businesses 

Why statehood is no answer to the city’s pollution mess

The conglomerate blames the government for the sulphuric acid leak and demands that power supply be restored in the plant

Discrimination against the Dalits is still pervasive in our society, and this is seriously marring the potential of the Mid Day meal scheme

Sterlite Copper's survival despite being shutdown five times in the past two decades owes much to India's malleable regulatory authorities

Can an alien worldview like western science be taught in the vernacular or is it best conveyed in the languages of the culture that created it?

Until we reform environmental governance fundamentally, cases like Sterlite will keep happening and environmental conflicts will only grow

With just nine months to go, Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, a scheme that is low on priority of the Lok Sabha and Rajya MPs, is way off the target and calls for a regular and strict monitoring 

पंचायती राज व्यवस्था अपने 25वें साल में है। विकास का महत्वपूर्ण यंत्र बनने के कारण ये सभी दलों को आकर्षित कर रही है। 

दुनिया को ऐसे विचारों की जरूरत है जो तय कर पाएं कि जनसंख्या श्राप है या संसाधन क्योंकि जनसंख्या को श्राप बताते वाले कई अनुमान औंधे मुंह गिरे हैं। 

On Monday evening, the state government passed a government order to shut down Vedanta group's Serlite copper smelting plant permanently

This record, if kept, would have helped the pollution control board plan a better, cleaner tomorrow

Now, government has promised ‘world’s largest health scheme’ whose implementation is not possible, at least in 2018.

Irrespective of being left or right in orientation, the next elections will be about rural issues

Why the Jharkhand government is promoting illegal, parallel governance

Just building infrastructure to bridge inequality in basic services like education is not the answer

जम्मू एवं कश्मीर में गडरिया खानाबदोशों के सामने चुनौतियों महज राजनीतिक नहीं हैं। सालों से उनके अस्तित्व के साधनों पर संकट मंडरा रहा है।

Why the move to grant Constitutional protection to Nomadic, Semi-Nomadic and Denotified Tribes is a step in the right direction

On April 28, when Leisang, a tiny hamlet in Manipur, was connected to the grid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that it would be "remembered as a historic day in the development journey of India" as India has achieved 100 per cent electrification. What he forgot to mention is the fact that there are more than 32 million households in the country that are yet to be electrified. They are still in the dark. We have certainly not achieved universal access to energy, but how far are we from it? As per data available on the official website of Saubhagya Yojna, on an average 22,300 households are electrified per day. It means, between May 2018 and December 2019, the …

The gruesome Kathua rape was a reminder of the institutional denial of forest and land rights of Jammu and Kashmir's nomadic communities

In the last few years, several governments, which were relying on social welfare schemes for electoral win, were defeated. Ashok Gehlot’s government in Rajasthan is one such example.

As a means of bringing long-term change in public attitudes, education at present is too weak and demands radical improvement

The bullshitter may do even more damage than the liar in politics

Fleeing brutality, the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been settled along elephant corridors, sparking conflict with the gentle giants of forests, who have been, in turn, displaced

In Jharkhand, movement for self-rule is about seeking better governance and community rights over natural resources

Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on restlessness among dalit youth

Studying the cognitive impact of discrimination suffered by minorities can provide inputs in policymaking to help minorities process their environments better

The challenge facing India today is in many ways the biggest challenge facing the entire world

A group of experts give their verdict on whether the long fought over policy will help tackle the country’s water crisis

The audit report highlights that no NOC from panchayat or approval for diversion of forestland was obtained for the 195-MW project

Historian Romila Thapar speaks to Rajat Ghai

Younger, meaner, more self-indulgent, angry and insecure in a climate risked world. We don’t deserve this

What started as a campaign to make India open defecation free, has now taken shape of a cocercive policy of shaming people for not using toilets, denying poor people ration under public distribution system and other welfare schemes

Kiran Bedi's order, suspending free rice distribution scheme for Puducherry's poorest families from end of May unless they produce a certificate that their village is open defecation free, is dictatorial to say the least

Several citizen groups in the state, which is going to polls this year, have drafted manifestos and asked political parties to include them in theirs

This new development will benefit the scheduled tribes residing in Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh

42 per cent of India’s population lives in these states and nearly one in every 4 person is poor

Panchayats have become a kind of systematic investment plan for political parties to deepen their influence

NITI Aayog CEO got it right, almost. Just five states are increasing the global challenge of meeting sustainable development goals

To achieve the target under Saubhagya scheme, the government has to electrify 130, 802 houses each day till December 31, 2018

Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat says government is trying to put systems in place which can help in spending money effectively

Of the 613 districts considered, nearly half the districts are unlikely to achieve the target of reducing deaths in newborns and under 5-year-old children by 2030

There are chances that the scheme will just see a formal launch on September 25 and won’t be rolled out across the country

Even after 71 years of independence, 1 in 11 children in India is a child labourer, 1 in every 3 is malnourished, only 3 in every 10 children complete education age-appropriately

A California court awarded a compensation of $289 million to him as he got cancer from using Monsanto's herbicide 

36 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo less than two weeks after the WHO declared an end to the outbreak

वर्ष 2015 में भारत का स्कोर 100 में से सिर्फ 44 था, जो नाममात्र की बढ़ोत्तरी के साथ अब 45 हुआ है। 

From 2006 to 2010, the cost of setting up an AIIMS shot by 147% under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, shows a report by the Comptroller Auditor General of India

This is happening when 80 per cent of deliveries are taking place in health facilities, says a report

Dahanaput, a small hamlet in a remote corner of Odisha, is rewriting the story of child malnutrition as they commit to push their children towards a healthy future

Doctor-patient ratio in India is much less than the WHO-prescribed limit of 1:1000  

Indian researchers have shown that antibiotic resistant genes are present in micro-organisms of mangrove regions in Kerala

The government is dragging its feet over controlling dog population, vaccinating them or even making enough shots available for victims

A new Bill will amend all laws that discriminate against leprosy patients, but the list is long

Arsenic Trioxide - a naturally occurring metalloid – may be helpful in inducing cell death and also halt growth of liver cancer cells

The questionnaire-based tool, Chandigarh Autism Screening Instrument, has been developed specifically for autism screening in North India

A certain protein of zika virus affects proliferation rates of human neural stem cells and promotes faulty neuron formation

Sex determination is an issue related to the degraded moral values of a few. Introducing six months of ultrasound training can't inculcate moral values

Besides its application in finding a breakthrough against TB, the new work is expected to be of importance in terms of the further development of the biopharmaceuticals sector

Mark Dybul, an American AIDS researcher and diplomat warned of a situation where the AIDs epidemic could spiral out of control, at the ongoing International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam

The US’ FDA has approved a drug that can flush out a recurring parasite that causes 34 per cent malaria cases in India

The level of pesticide is much higher among 11-15-year-old girls as compared to boys in the same age group

A survey by FAO, OIE and WHO has found wide discrepancies in countries’ efforts toward tackling AMR

The fibre-rich fenugreek seeds and sulfur compound-rich onion are now understood to possess significant sugar-lowering as well as lipid-lowering action

WTO rules that Australian laws on tobacco packaging don't violate global obligations to protect intellectual property

In a guidance note, the food regulatory authority has advised consumers, traders and lab technicians to use the preliminary test kits, developed by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology

Justice DY Chandrachud told lawyers that same sex couples living in denial with no access to medical care were more prone to contracting and spreading sexually-transmitted diseases

The objective is to curb the illegal use of herbicide-tolerant BT cotton

Yatan Pal Singh Balhara, associate professor of psychiatry at AIIMS, says WHO’s move to call gaming disorder a mental health condition a big step forward

The WHO's decision to list gaming disorder as a mental health condition has several gamers and experts debating on its acceptance and validity 

तमाम प्रगति और विकास सूचकांकों की चकाचौंध में आज भी टीबी को लेकर स्टिग्मा कायम है। चिंताजनक तथ्य यह है कि एक बड़ा आंकड़ा देश में छिपे हुए टीबी रोगियों का है। 

Look no further than the plate you are served in 

The girl from Sheopur district was admitted in a centre for malnutrition treatment; in the past hundreds of children have died in several districts due to malnutrition 

Many LDCs will not be able to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating all forms of malnutrition by 2030

The Union government is trying to centralise food procurement in the Mid Day Meal Scheme. Instead, it should decentralise purchasing

As tiny fibers shed from synthetic textiles invade our bodies, researchers scramble to identify potential threats

Ayahuasca, a psychedelic brew made from two plants, has been used in Amazonia for centuries

Data from one of the largest state-funded health insurance scheme in India shows gender disparity continued even where free hospital care was provided

Decision comes after various states said oxytocin is very important to prevent human maternal mortality

HIV rate among gay men in Indonesia has increased five-fold from 5% in 2007 to 25% in 2015

Scientists from the Indian Council of Medicl Research reportedly confirmed the source of Nipah virus to be fruit bats

There has been a more than 300 per cent hike in dengue cases since 2009, and even the total number of deaths in 2017 was the highest in the last one decade

Total fertility rate falls below two children per woman in 12 states, reaches replacement levels in 9 others

Southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Telangana are not doing any better, finds National Health Profile 2018

According to the latest National Health Profile, India is one of the countries with the lowest public health spending

Haryana saw an almost 100% spike in chikungunya cases from 2013 to 2017, according to the National Health Profile 2017

Latest data from the National Health Profile 2017 confirms a previous study which said that hypertension is a bigger concern than diabetes in India

Infant mortality, neo-natal mortality and maternal mortality are much higher in these states as compared to national average

States that are wealthier and more urban on an average have a higher risk of heart disease incident within a decade, shows a new study

Women with the most common type of early stage breast cancer can be spared chemo as researchers identified patients who will best benefit from it based on a test called, OncotypeDx

The World Health Organization classified traditional medicine in International Classification of Diseases (ICD -11), a system that allows health professionals to share information globally

Governments need to pay equal attention to the safety of abortions, sex education and counselling, and varied problems faced by new borns of single mothers and the mothers 

Being conceived is like being punished to a slow death owing to environmental pollution that needs a reality check

A survey of 9,641 houses in Thiruvananthapuram underlined the fact that dengue control should start right from one’s own home

GreenDispo will incinerate the sanitary napkins completely with minimal flue gas emission

The country has worked on eliminating the disease for more than five decades and finally found success

Data on cervical cancer suggests we do not need HPV vaccine, especially when there is doubt about its efficacy

Here's a round-up of today's news reports and debates in health

Here's a round-up of today's news and debate on health

60 school children have died due to an anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, provided by a government-run immunisation program in spite of the admittance by the manufacturer of its dangerous side effects

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on health

The convergence of multiple factors have ensured that almost four decades since the epidemic broke in the US there are now several ways of treating AIDS and containing HIV

The World Health Organization launched a global action plan to reduce physical activity in adults, a major risk factor in lifestyle diseases

ताजा सर्वेक्षण से पता चला है कि न केवल अशिक्षित, बल्कि शिक्षित लोगों को भी एंटीबायोटिक दवाओं के सही उपयोग और एंटीबायोटिक प्रतिरोध के खतरों के बारे में पता नहीं है।

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and debates on health

In a survey of 504 persons, scientists at the National Chemical Laboratory found that 47% of people were unaware of the difference between over-the-counter drugs and antibiotics

With time, cancer has increasingly come to be understood as a lifestyle and an environmental disease with several causal pathways

Globally, only 24 countries seem to be achieving WHO's 2025 target of reducing global prevalence of tobacco use by 30 per cent

Climate change is likely to increase the spread and incidence of tropical diseases in Africa

Flies can keep the bacteria in their gut for a week and since their flight can last up to 10kms they can act as vectors to disseminate it

The five-day assembly also agreed upon other resolutions concerning topics like digital health and assistive technology

Indian Institute of Chemical Biology researchers say a protein that comes into the picture early in an aggregation pathway could be responsible for development of Parkinson’s

Dietary changes are better than vitamin supplements in prevention of cardiovascular disease, says a recent study

The swine flu and PRRS outbreak, which killed over 2,900 pigs in Mizoram since March, could mean an increased risk of transmission of swine infections to humans

The continent, home to around 16% of the world’s population, produces less than 1% of the world's research output

Women adopt sustainable menstruation after govt stops funding their pad-making units

Managing periods can be extermely challenging when you are a woman living in a flood-prone area

A tête-à-tête with Dr Meenakshi Bharath, a gynaecologist for the last 35 years and a green campaigner

Let’s debunk a myth that keeps women from using menstrual cups

Non-communicable diseases kill 41 million people each year, low and middle-class countries account for 80 per cent of these deaths

India was among 20 countries who abstained during a vote on a draft decision on 23 May, proposing support to Palestine to provide health services in lieu of the May 14 massacre

A district-level analysis of data shows that 19 per cent of the time low BMI is the factor contributing to difference in stunting prevalence between very high and low-burden districts

This three-point strategy aims at ensuring that 1 billion people get health coverage, are better protected from emergencies and enjoy wellbeing by 2023

At the 71st World Health Assembly, the Union minister spoke about India’s efforts to provide more people with access to health services

Chemical pollution in oceans, release of radiation into the atmosphere are some of the human activities that are causing animals to suffer

The six-day World Health Assembly kicked off in Geneva on Monday

मोदी की बातों में सच्चाई है। यह बात कई बार साबित हो चुकी है कि डॉक्टर अनैतिक कार्यों में लिप्त रहे हैं। क्लिनिकल ट्रायल में डॉक्टरों के लिप्त होने की बातें उजागर होती रहती है। 

Early detection and management of hypertension is necessary to prevent complications, but shortfall of trained health workforce, particularly in rural areas, is a challenge

For every $1 invested in policies to control lifestyle diseases, the financial returns can ensure millions of lives are saved, says WHO. But is the investment enough?

Agricultural antibiotics, those fed to animals, were detected in many people who claimed they hadn’t taken antibiotics in the year prior to their sample collections

Why is breastfeeding in the first hour after birth so important?

Why is breastfeeding in the first hour after birth so important?

Food regulation should be such that that healthy food is protected, not just food in general, says a new report 

Married women in both rural and urban India spend more on treating non-communicable diseases than other diseases, shows a study

A round-up of what's new in health

Sugar industry sees red over FSSAI's draft regulations, HC slams government hospital for discrimination of HIV patient

In a recent event, BJP MLA Gopal Parmar said that child marriage is the solution to many problems like ‘love jihad’, elopement and divorce

Amount to be used as financial aid to reduce stunting among children

Soil pollution poses a major risk to human health by impairing plant metabolism and making crops unsafe for consumption

After the introduction of cash incentives under Janani Suraksha Yojana in 2005, institutional deliveries increased from 39 per cent in 2005 to 78 per cent in 2015

नई तकनीक के उपयोग से किडनी रोगों का समय रहते पता लगाना आसान हो सकता है और मरीजों को किडनी की बीमारियों से होने वाले दुष्प्रभावों से बचाया जा सकेगा।

A new study has found that using wastewater from dairy farms for soil irrigation significantly increased the presence of antibiotic resistant genes in the soil

If detected early, mere modifications in diet and intake of ACE inhibitors may prevent the progression to end stage renal disease

A round-up of what's new in health

Almost 95 per cent of funds allocated for nutrition intervention for pregnant women in Bihar’s Purnea district were utilised for institutional delivery

A round-up of what's new in health 

In Brazil, patients are thought of as having the “right to beauty.” In public hospitals, plastic surgeries are free or low-cost

IIT Madras researchers found that by aligning drug administration with the internal rhythms of reactive molecules production, the efficiency of drugs could be increased

They are good for human and environmental health but have been ignored due to a lack of awareness, research, policy support and market oppurtunities

A round-up of what's new in health sector

90 per cent of childhood asthma and 50 per cent of adult asthma is caused due to environmental allergens

Stunting, which causes irreversible damage, is highest among children in Bihar, where the share of state budget assigned for social welfare is on decline

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and developments around health

India experiences the world’s largest burden of at least 11 major non-communicable diseases

Scientists have found that the fungus is a source of novel antibiotics which inhibit the growth of bacteria

Breast milk contains hydrogen peroxide, which works like an antibiotic, and degrades if not fed to the infant immediately, says a study

Each year, 500000 people die of malaria annually, a preventable disease. Most of them children in Africa, where many anti-malarial drugs are fake  

The global fight against malaria is stalled, especially in Africa, because of a decline in health aid, says a new report

A new study in India has found bacteria resistant to the most powerful antibiotic in fresh food samples such as chicken, fish and vegetables

They demand thorough probe into unethical trial in Jaipur’s Malpani Hospital and similar such trials in other hospitals across the country

The newly identified enzyme helps to increase bioavailability of iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium

Fly ash, a harmful byproduct of coal-based power generation, has found a new use - mosquito control

Notwithstanding lack of government support, the medical associations are strangely absent whenever the needy suffers due to unethical practices, poor or costly treatment, illegal drug trials

Scientists captured and compared infrared images of iris, the region that corresponds to the health of pancreas (causal gland for diabetes) and analysed the features for diagnosis

After they were drug-tested, they became sick and reported symptoms like dizziness, loss of consciousness, nausea and inability to urinate

The generation of hydropower from the top seven hydropower projects in India has suffered due to climate variability in the past six decades

The heavy spell cannot be seen in isolation from the seasonal distribution, rainfall abnormalities over the rest of the country or abnormal weather trends around the world

Deep-rooted mistakes unearthed when a CAG audit report on flood control and forecasting was analysed

If India’s laws do not adequately punish those who commit sexual assault on animals, they may move on to unleash their cruelty on humans too

Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat says government is trying to put systems in place which can help in spending money effectively

A young group of environmental engineers has begun a startup to manage municipal solid waste in Mumbai. The company called Sanjeevani S3 is helping residential societies, school, eateries and hotels manage their waste in a sustainable and affordable manner.

The recently-concluded 'Gaj Mahotsav’ in Delhi celebrated the Indian Elephant, an animal that is fast losing its habitat in India

Here are some non-nutritional components of grams and vegetables that don’t interact well with vitamins and minerals

Although the average farm income per month saw a rise in the last four years, it is still not enough to help farmers cope with the current agrarian crisis

Of the 613 districts considered, nearly half the districts are unlikely to achieve the target of reducing deaths in newborns and under 5-year-old children by 2030

The degree of deforestation was greater in Assam compared to Arunachal Pradesh, say researchers from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun

Two old timers recall the contributions that Vajpayee made to the field of environmental governance in India

It was in Machilipatnam that the world caught the first glimpse of light from a new material - helium

The ban is delayed and addresses only a part of the problem of toxic pesticides in India

The IMD says the rainfall density is expected to reduce majorly in the next 2-3 days

The ex-environment minister writes to the current one saying the new rules make for a fit case to move a privilege motion against Vardhan

Marine heawaves have already become longer-lasting and more frequent, extensive and intense and this trend is likely to accelerate under further global warming, says a new study

Experts from the fields of history and conservation tell Down To Earth about why, despite featuring so frequently in Indian history and culture, the elephant is struggling to find a home for itself in India

There are chances that the scheme will just see a formal launch on September 25 and won’t be rolled out across the country

Even after 71 years of independence, 1 in 11 children in India is a child labourer, 1 in every 3 is malnourished, only 3 in every 10 children complete education age-appropriately

Kendu pluckers union is batting for state collection of Kendu while the activists oppose it

Melting of Arctic ice might be altering the paths of certain high speed winds in the region called jet streams, also associated with tornadoes in the summer season in the US

The Tumakuru Forest Division has submitted a proposal to the Karnataka government for declaring the Bukkapatna State Forest as a Wildlife Sanctuary. If adopted, it will be a boon for the biodiversity and ecological health of the region

A national survey of India’s coastline from 1990 to 2016 shows West Bengal saw the biggest coastal erosion followed by Puducherry, Kerala & Tamil Nadu

The first Hothouse state last occurred 125,000 years ago, and the risk of a new one was raised by a study recently 

Making your own personal hygiene products are easier than you think. Kirti Negi Bajoria, a professional who is on a sabbatical makes a lot of household and personal care products on her own. In this video, she demonstrates a simple recipe to make floor cleaners and dish-wash which is free of harmful chemicals

A preliminary report by the Sikkim government suggests the green state is carbon-negative, but emissions are on the rise

The whole Himachal Pradesh got 500% more average rainfall within a day than it normally does

Thought to be a game changer for India's mining affected people, the District Mineral Foundation is yet to identify its beneficiaries

Instead of encouraging them on paper, the government has to create a few model FPOs in the country and provide institutional support to them

The rules of the Compensatory (Afforestation) Fund Act 2016 are better than the draft but not impactful

A new study says that it will be challenging to reconcile oil palm expansion and African primate conservation as most areas suitable for growing palm oil are primate habitats

The last most powerful quake in the North Slope was in 1995 at 5.2, and the jump to 6.4 is significant because earthquakes rapidly grow in strength as magnitude rises

It's a reason to worry because this caterpillar can also destroy crops like rice, cotton and sugarcane

Floods triggered by the southwest monsoon is being likened to the 2009 typhoon Ketsana, which killed hundreds in Metro Manila

People belonging to the Baiga tribe mostly depend on forests and its plants for their livelihood. They possess the ability to recognise hundreds of species around them and know their usage in myriad ways

Global warming does not cause wildfires. Rather, global warming exacerbates the conditions and raises the risk of wildfire

Despite excellent information from across the border from Nepal, and much preparation Bihar remains flood prone, with problems of communication with officers in the field and an embankment approach to flood management

The floods in this monsoon season have caused the state a loss of Rs 8,316 crore

Flash flood has ruptured the main pipeline that supplies drinking water to the town

This last-minute decision came after the Jain community protested against livestock export to the Middle-East

36 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo less than two weeks after the WHO declared an end to the outbreak

Hardly one-third of the fire is under control and it is unlikely to be extinguished before early September

The resorts have been built in the major elephant corridor in the area, something that the court was especially displeased about

Since the beginning of the monsoon season, 14 districts in the state have been affected by floods comprising over 2,000 villages, says the National Disaster Management Authority

IIT-Gandhinagar researchers found that average fire load energy density was three times the average found during a study done conducted 20 years ago in Kanpur

शोधकर्ताओं का मानना है कि ये निशान लुप्त हो चुकी सारदा नदी के हो सकते हैं, जिसका उल्लेख ऐतिहासिक ग्रंथों में मिलता है  

वर्ष 2015 में भारत का स्कोर 100 में से सिर्फ 44 था, जो नाममात्र की बढ़ोत्तरी के साथ अब 45 हुआ है। 

The state’s scheme, aimed at creating environmentally sustainable villages, saw only up to 6% funds being used for green projects

Refineries of Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil have seen a string of fire incidents in the past two years

All of them launch a protest today to make their demands heard

आजादी का मतलब किसी को बेड़ियों से मुक्त करना नहीं बल्कि एक सम्मानजनक जिंदगी जीना और दूसरों की स्वतंत्रता को महत्व देना है

Developed by scientists at the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology & School of Engineering at Vels University, the sensor can be deployed on drifting buoys on the sea

A new study shows that species richness of birds was higher in agricultural lands than in the protected area, except for specialised species such as hornbills and large woodpeckers

How blackbuck have managed to survive and thrive in this Odisha district is a conservation success story

सूखे के निपटने के लिए 150 वर्षों के अनुभव के बाद भी भारत इस दिशा में कारगर कदम क्यों नहीं उठा पाया है?

From 2006 to 2010, the cost of setting up an AIIMS shot by 147% under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, shows a report by the Comptroller Auditor General of India

This is happening when 80 per cent of deliveries are taking place in health facilities, says a report

The latest CAG report says the country might not meet the SDG goal as well with its current schemes

The DMK patriarch was a pioneer in reforming governance in Tamil Nadu. Here are three of his most notable schemes

Now that the rich are also being hit by climate change & the “attribution” is clear, the targets for the world’s anger will be emerging rich in emerging countries like India

2011 से 2013 के बीच आंध्र प्रदेश, कर्नाटक और तेलंगाना में इन राज्यों के कुल भौगोलिक क्षेत्र का क्रमशः 14.35, 36.24 और 31.40 प्रतिशत भूभाग धरती को बंजर बनाने वाली प्रक्रियाओं से प्रभावित हुआ है

Looking at raw materials, manufacturing, transport, and eventual disposal, researchers calculate greenhouse gas emissions, waste disposal, water and energy consumption and other impacts

From seed banks to rainwater harvesting, one village on the Brahmaputra has spread innovative agriculture through the region – as farmers battle against worsening floods and droughts

A Parliamentary Standing Committee report says the potential of the fisheries sector in India needs more exploring

Down to Earth travels across north India to speak with farmers and animal rearers to find out how cow vigilantism has affected the rural economy

Dahanaput, a small hamlet in a remote corner of Odisha, is rewriting the story of child malnutrition as they commit to push their children towards a healthy future

The presence of the lumps of solid crude mean there has been an oil spill in the area

The food regulator refuses to take those food products off the shelf, ignoring possible risks

कोयला और खान मंत्रालय ने ट्राइबल सबप्लान की धनराशि आदिवासियों के सामाजिक-आर्थिक कल्याण के बजाय उन्हें नुकसान पहुंचाने वाली योजनाओं पर खर्च की

Almost 90,000 people and more than 7,500 hectares of land under water as NEEPCO dam releases water from the Doyang river that flows through Nagaland and Assam

The magazine had reported on how UPL's chemcial and pesticide units were worsening pollution scenario in Vapi

Villagers were protesting the lack of notice and the lack of information in the local language

Doctor-patient ratio in India is much less than the WHO-prescribed limit of 1:1000  

Several factors have led to slow progress in the country’s biodiesel development programme, nbotably, the Jatropha plant

A new study says warm and humid climate led to formation of Himalayas

Wildlife Conservation Trust recommends measures to achieve a win-win solution for development and wildlife

50 years after he first visited North Sentinel Island in the Andaman archipelago, veteran anthropologist, T N Pandit talks to Down To Earth about the Sentinelese people, other tribal groups in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and his legacy

खनन प्रभावित क्षेत्रों और लोगों के लिए जिस मकसद से डीएमएफ गठित किया गया था, वह पूरा होता नहीं दिख रहा

Early warning systems and better weather forecasting have become a matter of life and death for communities facing more frequent and intense flash floods

Rashtriya Kisan Mahashangha demands farmers's involvement in deliberations over use of MGNREGA in farm sector