NFHS-5: Child mortality drops, prevalence of malnutrition remains high

Despite the decline, India’s infant mortality rate worst among developing countries 

Cold waves to locust attack: How climate crisis impacted India in 2020

Delhi recorded its highest rainfall in 10 years for January 2020; There were 354 heavy rainfall events across India in March, April

Wildlife parts, live chameleon seized in Odisha’s Jajpur

Forest officials trying to find whether two arrested persons are poachers or couriers  

Work with nature, not against it in Anthropocene: Human Development Report

New social norms, improved incentives could usher in a new era for humanity, without human-generated pressures on Earth

Plant diversity rapidly declining in Germany

Plant diversity decreased by over 15% in over 70% of the 2,000 species examined in last 60 years

Bihar may introduce licences for borewells

The state is planning to introduce several measures, including making prior permission mandatory to fetch groundwater from borewells 

CO2 emissions from building sector highest in 2019: UNEP

The sector’s decarbonisation progress also slowing down, notes report

Air pollution factor in girl’s death: UK court ruling can set precedent for India

United Kingdom court December 16 concluded air pollution exposure, along with asthma and acute respiratory failure, was the major cause of death of a 9-year-old girl

COVID-19 Vaccine Watch: India tops number of COVID-19 vaccine doses arranged from manufacturers

However, in terms of the proportion of the population that can be vaccinated with these doses, Canada leads the charts

Twenty20: Can Kerala’s experiment in corporate-led panchayats be trusted

Twenty20, which established a corporate panchayat in Kerala in 2015, has expanded its reach during the local body polls this year. How sustainable is the option?

Shift towards sustainable fisheries in Mediterranean, Black Sea region: Report

While 75% of fish stocks was subjected to overfishing, this percentage fell by more than 10% between 2014 and 2018

Looking back in 2020: The world in grip of extreme weather events

Cyclones, rainfall, floods and droughts, climate-induced migration: The world witnessed it all in 2020

Bustard conservation: No agreement on underground power lines, ban on new projects 

Putting power lines underground not feasible; too late for new projects in Bustard habitat to be stopped, stakeholders said

COVID-19 Vaccine Watch: Appeals made for support on proposal regarding intellectual property

If it is adopted on December 16, IP rights on production and supply of COVID-19 tools will be waived off

Bihar cracks down on errant farmers for stubble burning

Farmers who burnt stubble will not get subsidies even as many blame mechanisation and dwindling cattle

Red List Assessment of Indian grasshoppers to kickstart

The assessment will include a recently-discovered grasshopper in Eravikulam National Park in Kerala  

Looking back: How did climate change alter the world this year?

2020 is on course to become the third-warmest year on record; the development put in motion several catastrophic events 

Kerala’s ‘pink phenomenon’ can choke water bodies and drains, warn scientists

The species, Cabomba Furcata, can lead to biodiversity loss and are a threat to ecosystem health

No integration in India’s disease data collection systems: Niti Aayog

White paper highlights several lacunae including shortage of human resources, occupational health, surveillance; suggests series of measures under ‘Vision 2035’

Coal here to stay, but measures can cut down emissions by 22%: CSE

Coal to contribute around 50% of electricity generation mix even in 2030, according to CSE analysis

Fungal scab attack can spell doom for Kashmir’s apple growers this year

Early, intense snowfall in November 2019 & a wet monsoon produced conditions for outbreak; lockdown abated it; farmers blame spurious fungicides too