What's in store for US climate agenda after Obama?

The success of Paris Climate deal depends largely on the political willingness of one of the largest emitters in the world

Seeds of decline

Frequent pest attacks, rising seed costs and declining returns are forcing farmers to abandon India's first genetically modified (GM) crop, Bt cotton. The trend is catching up worldwide with GM crops. Darshan Desai accesses an exclusive government evaluation and reports from Gujarat; Jitendra explores the fate of farmers in northern India's cotton belt; Mukund Kulkarni tracks rising debt …

Through the thick air

This Diwali, PM 10 and PM 2.5 reached eight times the safe limit. Its not the first time and it won't be the last. Burning of crop stubble, road dust and vehicular emissions are main culprits

Transformation in agriculture needed to cope with climate change

A FAO report points out that a “business as usual” scenario can increase the number of poor by between 35 and 122 million by 2030 relative to a future without climate change

Bleached to death

The current mass bleaching of corals across the world appears to be the most severe ever. It threatens the very existence of coral reefs. Shreeshan Venkatesh finds out what's driving the event and why the world should care

Dying too soon or living long with disability

The Lancet report on state of the world's health identifies key drivers of ill health, disability and death in countries to help governments identify national health challenges

World Food Day: our agriculture must keep pace with changing climate

To feed the world, agriculture, along with forestry, fisheries and livestock, needs to become more resilient and productive

Cities free their roads of cars to fight air pollution

Bikers and pedestrians are slowly reclaiming their space in metropolises as well as other urban centres to reduce vehicle emission and toxicity of the air

Safeguarding Ozone and Earth

As we celebrate the 22nd International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, Down To Earth takes a look at what should be done to protect Earth's shield without heating up the planet  

Sweet ’n’ sour

Moringa and tamarind are popularly known as the trees of life for Indians. Moringa is in fashion as the world eyes India to feed its frenzy for the new superfood. Hardy tamarind shares the same versatility but struggles to find its way out of the wood. Karnika Bahuguna and Shreeshan Venkatesh travel to the hinterland of eastern and southern India to make sense of this dichotomy

Are we losing the war on dengue, chikungunya and mystery fever?

Be it heavy breeding, unplanned construction or possible virus mutation, the dengue and chikungunya cases have spiraled out of control this year. Emergence of mystery fever makes the situation worse

A fishy business

The fish you eat possibly contains a cocktail of antibiotics, fed to it for reasons other than disease treatment, shows an investigation by Rajeshwari Sinha and Amit Khurana. They visit 22 fish farms in West Bengal to find out how rampant is the use of antibiotics and why it goes unnoticed

Deluge despite deficit

This year, floods have occurred even in areas that are arid or have received less than normal rainfall. As erratic weather events become more common with climate change, India urgently needs to formulate a national flood management policy

Stung by Aedes

Incidence of dengue and chikungunya has grown dramatically in recent years. Let’s understand the impact of climate change on virus transmission and expansion of geographical areas at risk

When superstition gets under the skin

In Africa, people living with albinism are perceived as ghosts and live with constant fear of being killed. Down To Earth talks to those who sensitise the world about this medical condition

The cloud

Beyond the romance, clouds are an enduring scientific mystery that must be unravelled

Indigenous people in India and the web of indifference

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

Current distress

Six states, 30 villages, 13,000 kilometres. Down To Earth travelled to some of the most remote villages of the country to assess India's progress on rural electrification. And the results were far from encouraging. Was the government too hasty in promising 24x7 electricity for all by 2019?

How has India’s caste system lasted for so many centuries?

Caste system continues even after losing its raison d’etre, but the scramble for development has destroyed the ancient sustainable and shared patterns of resource-use it had taught for centuries

Reality of floods

Rivers breached danger mark, lakhs of hectares of standing crops were destroyed and millions were displaced. It's time we stepped back and understood why urban floods have become a new normal