Youth will suffer the fury of climate change. The time to change that is now— for today and for the future

If India’s laws do not adequately punish those who commit sexual assault on animals, they may move on to unleash their cruelty on humans too

Even after 71 years of independence, 1 in 11 children in India is a child labourer, 1 in every 3 is malnourished, only 3 in every 10 children complete education age-appropriately

The Tumakuru Forest Division has submitted a proposal to the Karnataka government for declaring the Bukkapatna State Forest as a Wildlife Sanctuary. If adopted, it will be a boon for the biodiversity and ecological health of the region

Instead of encouraging them on paper, the government has to create a few model FPOs in the country and provide institutional support to them

October 12 is when the United States celebrates Christopher Columbus making landfall in the Caribbean in his 3 caravels. A ‘cacique’ (chief) of the Taino, the first indigenous people of the Americas Columbus encountered, gives his take on why the observance of this day is unacceptable

How blackbuck have managed to survive and thrive in this Odisha district is a conservation success story

Now that the rich are also being hit by climate change & the “attribution” is clear, the targets for the world’s anger will be emerging rich in emerging countries like India

Dahanaput, a small hamlet in a remote corner of Odisha, is rewriting the story of child malnutrition as they commit to push their children towards a healthy future

That terrestrial species like the rhino and tiger are targeted for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine is well known. What is not is that this hocus-pocus system also claims millions of animal lives in our oceans every year

GCF, the primary vehicle for Paris pact finances, struggles as developed countries don’t seem too keen on donating

Several factors have led to slow progress in the country’s biodiesel development programme, nbotably, the Jatropha plant

The Green Revolution may have prevented the fate that was forecasted for a world bursting at the seams and unable to feed itself. But unlimited population growth means that doomsday could be well within sight

The UK’s divorce from Europe will reduce IP protection and may result in an increase in the cost of protection of IP rights on the continent

Though the monsoon is behaving erratically, drought-prone districts are still water rich

2018 is the year when the shrub is flowering again in the hills of South India. Here is its story

The well-intentioned verdict throws up various legal and ecological questions

Millions of people becoming stateless in their own land is totally unacceptable

Sex determination is an issue related to the degraded moral values of a few. Introducing six months of ultrasound training can't inculcate moral values

Day Zero has been postponed to next year for Capetonians. When is your turn? Are you ready?

Women in developing countries are more vulnerable to floods and storms owing to their socially constructed roles

21 of the 65 processed foods tested had genetically modified ingredients; most of these products do not mention anything about GM on their labels.

The allegations of collusion between the Andhra government and Singapore companies under the Swiss Challenge Method are not untrue

Cultivation of genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops relies heavily on glyphosate, a possible carcinogen

Through the years, Indian stamps have featured local flora and fauna in varying degrees. Here is an overview

CSE tested 64 processed food products bought from retail stores in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Gujarat and one sample of crude cottonseed oil. These products were tested for the presence of genetically modified (GM) ingredients using the advanced technology qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction). Results showed that 32 per cent of the products tested contained GM ingredients

People are concerned about the possibility of eating GM food.  Can we not expect the government to ensure that they have the right to choose?

FSSAI has so far dragged its feet on regulating GM foods. Its recent attempt to regulate the industry may do more harm than good as the draft regulations are too expensive and cumbersome to be implemented

The Gubbi Tree Park, inaugurated recently by the Tumakuru Forest Division in Karnataka, has shone a light on creating state-of-the-art green spaces meant for civic as well as forestry purposes

Climate change at the global and local levels is reducing water flow in the Mahanadi river, severely impacting agriculture. Tackling that together is far more important than fighting over the sharing of its waters

We cannot wish away air-conditioning in today’s world, but we can be reasonable in choosing where, when and how to resort to the energy guzzlers

River Kosi has been changing its course whimsically, damaging everything in its way, but villagers in North Bihar are rebuilding their lives by reusing the silt which damaged their land

What is needed is to actually alter behaviour, if not preferences

Ethanol blending in petrol is an effective way of increasing domestic petrol availability and for that, all-round efforts need to be made to increase ethanol production

WTO rules that Australian laws on tobacco packaging don't violate global obligations to protect intellectual property

Majority of the top 50 cities recognised as clean by the Swachh Survekshan-2018 dump waste in poorly managed landfills and dumpsites

The Green Mahanadi Mission would fiercely impact the livelihood of farmers and cattle herders

Conscious consumption and 'cheapness' needs to be disassociated

The National Board of Wildlife’s recommendation that state governments use Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code while dealing with wildlife emergencies may be useful but is not enough

Livelihood opportunities should take precedence in global trade talks as it is more about employment than anything else right now

There is an urgent need for people to focus on sustainable use of resources so that they are available in the long-term, for future generations

On the first-ever World Chimpanzee Day, we should consider the ways we can ensure that future human generations can enjoy sharing the earth with our closest living relatives

The hilly and forested district in southeast Karnataka is giving new lessons to the rest of India on responsible forestry

Two recent developments could precipitate a global debate on whether poverty triggers extremism

Industry has peddled straw man arguments about primary control technology being not competent enough to control power plant emissions

WIPO begins talks on controversial proposal to allow countries to outsource their patent examination processes to another country

This is the expectation of the National Building Code, which defines standards for ‘comfortable’ temperatures for buildings in India

While the restructuring of the earlier Mission is good news, there is much more that needs to be done

Forest lands, over which rights of adivasis have been recognised or are pending recognition, have been usurped for carrying out plantations under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act

The population of the Southern Flying Lizard of the Western Ghats is fast dwindling and needs conservation

The Heat, Ventilation and Air Conditioning industry has made sure that we get used to heating and cooling appliances by setting arbitrary standards 

Humans are built to get used to local environments but unfortunately industry interests have come to define what ‘comfortable’ room temperature is  

The private sector can help develop new products, services, and business models that minimise environmental impact while driving economic growth

If water efficiency is the agenda for agriculture, then water recycling has to be the agenda for cities and industries

Heat waves are likely to increase by up to 30 times by 2100; the government needs to focus on the most vulnerable population, including the poor, women, children, elderly and disabled

Imagine a scenario where packaging isn’t easy and cheap. The need would be, then, to create a self-sufficient neighbourhood 

What is a comfortable temperature? The question seems benign on the surface but the answer has far reaching ecological consequences

Why statehood is no answer to the city’s pollution mess

BJP leader Tarun Vijay recently tweeted that Havelock Island in the Andaman Archipelago should be renamed as “Rani Lakshmibai Island”. Internationally-acclaimed professor of Linguistics, Anvita Abbi had written a letter to similar effect but with a different suggestion late last year. Read on

Rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, depleting groundwater, unsustainable agriculture and deforestation are turning large parts of North India into a Dust Bowl. It is time we recognised this ecological disaster

That is what saved a part of Kanyakumari town’s coastal strip during my tenure about 8 years ago

Given the state government’s past record, one can’t but help feel skeptical

India's patent office has ignored the strict safeguards against evergreening and allowed a flood of secondary drug patents

Governments need to pay equal attention to the safety of abortions, sex education and counselling, and varied problems faced by new borns of single mothers and the mothers 

Being conceived is like being punished to a slow death owing to environmental pollution that needs a reality check

The fact is that storms of 2018 hold a mirror to our future

Do not dismiss dust fall event only as an act of god. Crack down on dust sources and push for green walling and vegetative barrier across the region

The recently released Draft Coastal Regulatory Zone, 2018, intends to replace the existing framework and further dilutes regulatory mechanisms and withdraws safeguards for the coastal ecosystem

Data on cervical cancer suggests we do not need HPV vaccine, especially when there is doubt about its efficacy

Ramdev's corporate behemoth Patanjali's claim that Indian firms do not have to share benefits for using bio resources is troubling

The people's movement in Tuticorin against Sterlite and for a clean environment reinforces the ideal of Swaraj and democracy as envisioned by the father of our nation

Fragments of plastic film have been shown to release potentially carcinogenic substances into soil

Until we reform environmental governance fundamentally, cases like Sterlite will keep happening and environmental conflicts will only grow

Not if the food industry has its way. They do not see a link between trans fats and ill health 

Women's participation should be considered while making policy on access to energy and management, says an expert

Political will is needed to address marine pollution and climate change in Africa

Fisherfolk blame big trawlers but they do not talk about the illegal trade they indulge in

Climate change is likely to increase the spread and incidence of tropical diseases in Africa

Currently, some two billion people are affected by desertification and land degradation; 41 per cent of the landmass worldwide is prone to desertification

Will the world’s anti-plastic movement succeed? Or will it once again succumb to a new set of technology “fixits”

In Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, thousands of hectares of land leased to private contractors is threatening wildlife in the region 

The mission to end the plastic menace must include ending single-use plastics, promoting alternatives to fossil fuel-based materials, promoting 100 per cent recycling of plastics, corporate and government accountability and changing human behaviour concerning plastics

Managing periods can be extermely challenging when you are a woman living in a flood-prone area

Irrespective of being left or right in orientation, the next elections will be about rural issues

Why the Jharkhand government is promoting illegal, parallel governance

Just building infrastructure to bridge inequality in basic services like education is not the answer

If biodiversity disappears, food will become impersonal. It will become a sterile package designed for universal size and taste

Waste segregation at source improves collection efficiency and leads to better processing of waste

Why the move to grant Constitutional protection to Nomadic, Semi-Nomadic and Denotified Tribes is a step in the right direction