Diary of a political carnival

UNCED saw the largest ever gathering of heads of government in history. Ceremony, glitter and pomp were played out against a backdrop of …

A social force called water

The state is struggling to meet the rising water demand. It is time to learn from the days when people arranged their own water. In cities and in …

Sharing the air

The rich nations are trying to frame the rules for trading in emissions. However, the methods being used to allocate these are questionable. ANIL …

Achieve development

The market, simply, cannot be left alone

Hong Kong: a beginning?

In making TRIPS responsive to needs of poor countries?

We, the people

Industrialised countries uneasy at the prospect of a shift from traditional political rights for the individual to rights that link communities …

Helping slum-dwellers to help themselves

Involving the community in slum improvement has worked successfully in the Philippines and Mexico. Hidebound bureaucrats in the Third World, who …

Dying in stages

Thirty million HIV-infected people in the world live in developing nations. With no cures in sight, all they can do is wait for death. And lack …

Creative carbon accounting

The Kyoto protocol, agreed in December 1997, was the first step to curtail emissions of the industrialised world. It is now being used to set up …

Within the enemy

Humankind faces the most prolonged and worst exposure to pollution within the four walls of its homes - indoors - where biomass combustion spells …

Defence of science

The Indian Science Congress fails to address country's key concerns like health. Instead, it ends up becoming a forum for grousing about …

Dictating terms

The US forces its agenda upon other member states at the fifth review conference of the bioweapons convention

Heavy metal

Vaccines with mercury can cause autism, but removing the metal is uneconomical for developing countries such as India

The battle for knowledge

What are patents? Why have they become politically contentious and a major source of friction between rich nations and the developing world?

Blown out

A deadly cyclone causes large-scale devastation in Pakistan and despite early warnings the toll on the Indian side is as high

Banning science from meeting fiction

Is quite different from letting politics crassly dictate research

WHO OWNS OUR VEGGIES?

The patenting of a broccoli developed through conventional breeding in Europe is a disturbing trend since it violates the law on plant life

Spare change

Resources devoted to health care systems are neither divided equitably nor in proportion to the distribution of health problems

No consensus

The UN Forum on Forest's fourth meet ended half a day ahead of schedule, raising doubts on the convention's ability to frame an agenda. Clifford …

Patents Vs Patients

WTO's conundrum: cheap drugs for poor countries or protecting North's business interests

Tangible action: now!

The commitment to curb global warming must resurface

Not ready for Roundup Ready

Notwithstanding the resounding failure of its Bt cotton, Monsanto has begun to introduce another genetically modified crop into India, its …

Nuclear disarmament a distant goal

Kyoto in trouble

Russia may not ratify it. And even if it does, it's not going to do so anytime soon. That was the message, loud and clear, from the Russian …

Fat Chance

Reducing obesity -- the leading cause of non-communicable diseases in the world -- has become a political game. At stake are the interests of the …