Antibiotics could be contributing to rise of non-communicable diseases

Several NCDs are accompanied by increased susceptibility to infections, which are treated with antibiotics

Fast food MNCs indifferent towards eliminating antibiotic use in India; consumers unaware

None of the fast food companies that CSE surveyed has made any specific time-bound commitment to reduce or eliminate any kind of antibiotics

Himalayan glaciers are receding faster than before

To understand their changing behaviour in the wake of climate change, Indian scientists have for the first time set up a high-altitude glaciology research station in the lofty mountain range

Five things that should happen at the Bonn climate talks but probably won’t

Parties could agree on certain rules in order to help the first stocktake of progress in implementing the agreement

The green crusader

On the centenary of Indira Gandhi's birth, Down To Earth reveals her hitherto unknown role, that of an environmentalist

To meet 2017 target, one million rural households need to be connected with piped water supply every day

Community involvement is missing and so is the interest towards maintaining sustainability of drinking water projects. What else hinders progress of rural drinking water scheme?

Ice-free Arctic may happen much sooner than predicted so far: study

While Arctic sea ice volume and extent continue to dip each year, a new study has found out that salinity in snow cover affects accuracy of satellite readings on sea ice thickness

The last coal power plant in India can be closed by 2050

With an aim to connect 40 million households to the grid by 2018, India is investing heavily in coal mines. But our analysis shows India is chasing a dream far removed from reality

World Food Day: investing in food security for a better future

As the number of hungry people is on the rise again globally, we must invest in rural development to drive about a change

What makes 2017 Atlantic hurricane season unprecedented?

Tropical cyclones like hurricanes and typhoons are changing character due to global warming. Not only are they becoming more frequent, wind speeds are also intensifying much quickly, putting the lives of coastal communities at grave risk and causing widespread devastation.

The dark side of big data

Latest Facebook data breach episode is a reminder that rise of Big Data represents a massive engineering of society with ominous implications for notions of freedom, privacy and justice

As climate change makes hurricanes more intense, can US live in denial anymore?

Climate scientists agree on the probability that hurricane seasons like 2017 will be repeated more often as average annual temperature rises due to global warming

Farrukhabad children deaths show the rampant mismanagement in government hospitals

49 children have reportedly died in a month in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad district hospital due to lack of oxygen supply, but the case seems to be part of a larger pattern 

How to make Africa food self-sufficient, again?

Africa is the only continent that imports more food than it produces. With ground reports from 10 African countries, Down To Earth's editorial team speaks to experts and policymakers on how Africa can achieve food security

Raising superbugs

Poultry farms are reservoirs of multi-drug resistant bacteria and play a major role in their spread, shows the latest CSE study

Why does Mumbai sink almost every monsoon?

Mumbai comes to a standstill every time it receives heavy rainfall for consecutive days. Why is the city not prepared to deal with such extreme events?

Ujjwala scheme: Are cleaner cooking fuels affordable and accessible?

The Centre’s Ujjwala programme can be a game changer, but a few bottlenecks remain

Is scrub typhus the likely cause behind Gorakhpur tragedy?

Media reports suggest that the deaths could be due to scrub typhus, a disease cause by Orientia tsutsugamushi, a rickettsial group of bacteria

Unpredictable weather, unreliable insurance, unbelievable profit to companies

Farmers across India suffered heavy losses when the monsoon turned out to be a non-starter. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, the government's flagship crop insurance scheme, was expected to help them tide over the crisis. It turned out to be a non-starter too

Mission Madness

In their desperation, officials are adopting coercive ways to stop open defecation. Sushmita Sengupta, Snigdha Das and Rashmi Verma look into the ethical and practical challenges in achieving the Swachh Bharat Mission