Development Deathtraps
Bonded labour, environmental devastation, abject working conditions... the stone crushing units of Haryana are a shame
Fielding politics
Commitment of a donor organisation to bring about a shift in the agrarian set-up should be matched by political machinations as well
Utterly unbutterly
Politicians dip their greasy palms into a successful cooperative venture to corner the cream
The need to be sure
The insurance market can become an invaluable weapon to protect the environment against errant industrial units
Damnable indispensability
Disposal of plastics is difficult. This drawback weighs heavy against the numerous advantages of the material
Undermining existence
Extensive coal mining in Raniganj, Bihar, has not only displaced communities but has also affected the lifestyle of the locals
Woods for women
Poor rural women in India need easy access to and control over forests
Mean inheritance
Scavengery continues to remain one of society's ills in spite of laws created to abolish it
In solidarity
The cover story 'Facing a silent spring...', (Down To Earth, Vol 5, No 13), about its editor Anil Agarwal's personal tryst with the consequences …
Pathogen paradigms
Foresight and planning are necessary to counter the new outbreaks of infectious diseases
Give Peace A Chance
Only a campaign that aims to conserve "wants" with the support of age-old "religious beliefs" can lead to a less strifed and more "peaceful world"
Green illusios
Germany is swamped in a controversy about a study which says sustainable development can be achieved only when the consumption of resources is …
Put to the horn
Keep out the buffaloes and the cranes will also stay out of wetlands. There is more to controlled grazing and conservation of wetlands than the …
All in a day's work
For women in the hill area of Kumaon, Uttar Pradesh, life is not easy. They have to wear the skin off their knuckles to scrape together a living
Food for soil
The 'green revolution' has boosted agricultural production and transformed semi-arid land, but its long-term effects on soil quality in India …
Clean and profitable
Pollution control methods are an investment that ensure long-term profits for the corporate sector
Every drop counts
Better management systems hold the key to overcoming water scarcity
Banking on carbon
World Bank's proposed role in the global carbon market is good news for the US, but it may spell doom for developing countries
Patenting life
It's time to take a moral and ethical look at the human genome project initiated in India
Look what our neighbour is up to!
Myanmar has not sqandered its natural resources in an attempt to ape the West
ABC of environment education
The North's experiences in environment education are not useful for the South
The guinea pig debate
Is there an alternative to guinea pigs in laboratory testing? Two members of the scientific community give their views
Pseudo science
- S K HANDA Former head, division of agricultural chemistry, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, writes in Agriculture Today (…
World Bank in a new avatar
While the World Bank launches its 'development gateway', critics gear up to counter the 'caring sharing knowledge bank' that it strives to portray
We, the consumers
Modern society is little concerned with how goods we use are produced and disposed of