An environmental skirt to hide behind
In a dark time reason takes a backseat, and propaganda can get rash. To convince 'nose-in-the-air' liberals that Saddam is really a bad boy, he …
Debate: Has economic liberalisation threatened India’s environment and natural resources?
The inaugural issue of Down To Earth (May 31, 1992) coincided with India opening up its economy. We carried a debate on how economic …
Desperately seeking experts
The environmental situation in India is grave -- our natural resources are getting depleted at an alarming rate and there is an acute paucity of …
"We don't intend to threaten India"
The Environmental Investigation Agency ( eia) is one of the leading international environment organisations in London. Recently, it has …
India will soon play a major role
SIRPA Pietikainen, Finland's environment minister, says the world has quite a few things to learn from India, especially when it comes to …
‘EIAs of mining projects have become a farce’
Christopher Albin-Lackey, senior researcher with New York-based non-profit Human Rights Watch (HRW), has documented the large-scale environmental …
On paper
The Green Rating Project (GRP) of the Centre for Science and Environment was conceived as a means to track the environmental performance of India'…
Enter -The green rating project
Indian industry is huge. But most environmentalists believe it has done little to reduce pollution, which will only rise as the economy grows. …
Short circuit
On the face of it, the ambitious Sethusamudram project to bridge the east coast with the west coast of the country seems a great idea. The …
SEZ, how special?
Despite having burned its fingers with export processing zones, which mainly involved a number of substantial fiscal benefits, the government has …
Tipaimukh Dam in Manipur driving a wedge?
Imphal, Manipur's capital, came to a grinding halt on August 28, with a strike being called. Imphal's people are habituated to bandhs, and most …
Mining firms set up shop in Orissa
Lanjigarh block, Kalahandi, Orissa, May 17: At its summit, the northeastern ridge of the Niyamgiri hill range has a bald patch, typical of …
Deep waters
Puducherry's plans for a new port have prompted unprecedented protests. Allegations of a huge land grab facilitated by procedural violations and …
Tribunal on trial
It has been four years since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act was passed by Parliament for effective and expeditious disposal of cases …
United Colours of Industry
Of all dyes produced across the world, 11 per cent goes out as effluents. 2 per cent from manufacturing and as much as 9 per cent from colouring. …
Sand slips
Where there is a river, there is sand. Called a minor mineral, it fulfils a major requirement of the booming construction industry. No wonder, …
Lavasa exposed
By its looks, the place could be mistaken for Portofino, a fishing village-cum-resort in Italy—multi-coloured buildings crowd a waterfront …
EIA 2020 to give straight clearances for 239 dams
Some 900 hectares of forest will be submerged with the dams, claim experts
Miner liable to pay ‘dead rent’ when unable to extract minerals due to lack of clearance: Andhra HC
Petitioner approached the court against the state government insisting on a dead rent for 2013-2020
Environment (Protection) Act: 39 changes made to rules in 2 years of pandemic, shows report
Most relaxations & exemptions made for development projects through gazette notifications, office memorandums, orders
Draft EIA 2020 undercuts India’s biodiversity and climate goals
The proposal to weaken policies for environmental protection with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) draft, 2020, has resulted in …
Draft EIA: SC rejects Centre challenge to Delhi HC translation order
The high court heard a petition asking the Centre to print the draft EIA notification in 22 languages mentioned in the Eight Schedule of the …
Draft EIA notification institutionalises 1 season data for baseline
Such data is needed for assessing impact of a project on the environment; experts fear Environment Impact Assessment studies will become …
Draft EIA 2020 notification: Moving beyond technical jargon
It is crucial to envision the EIA as anticipatory, participatory and systematic in nature and a process that relies on multidisciplinary input, …
Whose EIA draft is it anyway — people or project proponents?
The draft Environmental Impact Assessment reflects technocratic language, as it makes public consultation a tertiary issue and focuses on …