Childhood stunting affects future success in life, say experts

According to a study, stunting causes physical and neurocognitive damage that is irreversible in most cases

Need for coherence inside and outside of the UNFCCC: Figueres

The UNFCCC Executive Secretary was speaking at the stocktake event held half-way through the Bonn climate talks to assess progress

Dousing flames

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

A bite of cancer?

A CSE study has found residues of potassium bromate and/or iodate in many types of bread. The additives have been banned by many countries for their potentially adverse health effects

Solving India’s garbage problem

Segregation at source should be at the heart of municipalities’ solid waste management system

A year after the quake we look at the physical changes

While the earthquake pushed some of the country’s areas higher in elevation, Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world, has decreased in height by a few millimeters

Should ivory trade be legalised?

International ban on ivory trade has neither reduced elephant poaching nor the volume of the illegal trade. Is it time the trade is legalised? Rajeshwari Ganesan in India, Alok Gupta in Hong Kong, Sifelani Tsiko in Zimbabwe and Mandi Smallhorne in South Africa, analyse how such a decision will prevent elephant killings and financially empower communities in Africa

6.6 magnitude quake strikes Afghanistan

Temblor a 'deep' one in seismic parlance; tremors felt in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Delhi

World Health Day: Diabetes, the modern killer

The prevalence of diabetes in adult population has nearly doubled since 1980 rising from 4.7 per cent to 8.5 per cent

Urban shit: where does it all go?

India is staring at a big sanitation crisis and needs to reinvent its excreta disposal mechanism

Parliamentary panel gives more teeth to Compensatory Afforestation Fund 

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

Going backward

As the Maratha community in Maharashtra finally gets 16 per cent reservation in government jobs and education, Down To Earth profiles other traditionally well-off farming communities who are demanding similar reservations, an offshoot of a deepening agrarian crisis that if ignored can snowball into an explosive situation

Fisheries: an answer to food security and nutrition

For several countries fish exports are essential to national economies, FAO experts say

World Wildlife Day: India’s conflict with elephants

Elephants stand at the focal point on the occasion of World Wildlife Day. In India, human-elephant conflict is increasing due to shrinking habitats

Agricultural biotechnolgies a boon for family farmers, say experts

A range of biotechnologies can help bring about high yields, improve nutrition quality and add value to the productivity of crops, livestock, fish and trees

Zika-the new global pandemic

After dengue and chikungunya, the Aedes mosquito is delivering a new emergency— Zika. Down To Earth looks into the reasons behind the spread and the threat the virus holds

Tax rebate to promote rainwater harvesting

Various municipal corporations in the country are offering concession of property tax in exchange of a rainwater harvesting system. Is the scheme working?

World Cancer Day: 'Toxins in the environment are a major problem'

With the rise in the number of cancer cases reported in India every year, prevention and affordable treatment will become critical in battling the disease

How is fodder crisis rendering livestock vulnerable?

Today, India faces an acute fodder shortage that has left drought-hit farmers and livestock vulnerable. Jitendra finds out how fodder crisis has the potential to cripple India's rural economy

World ocean assessment warns of excessive pressures on ocean resources

The report has compiled environmental impacts of all human activities on oceans and warned that a failure to act quickly would pose the greatest threat to oceans

Save and Grow: a guide to sustainable cereal production

The technique focuses on conservation agriculture, maintaining soil health, selecting crops with higher yield potential and greater resistance to climate change and efficient water management