Toxic Alert
In large doses, cadmium is carcinogenic. A study now shows that even chronic exposure to the heavy metal in low doses causes breast cancer. …
A decentralised system will lead to sustainable water use
S Vishwanath, a Bangalore-based engineer and planner, started the Rainwater Club to help people manage rainwater efficiently. He spoke to Binayak …
Health care should be cheaper and more accessible
N H ANTIA Director of the Foundation for Research in Community Health, Pune, Maharashtra is striving to promote the concept of better health care …
Alternative fuels can reduce air and noise pollution levels
Vialle, a company based in the Netherlands, manufactures customised cars using alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied …
Restore ecosystems or suffer a lower standard of living
Andre F Clewell , a US-based botanist and plant taxonomist, has for the past 15 years been working on ecological restoration. This relatively new …
Time to act
The Madhya Pradesh government has recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister seeking changes in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. The …
Sunil Shaunak on ethical medicine, patent laws
Sunil Shaunak of Imperial College, London, is pioneering 'ethical pharmaceuticals'. He talks to Subhra Priyadarshini about his work, evergreening …
Turn on the tap
Why do Americans buy expensive bottled water when they have high quality tap water? That’s been an abiding enquiry for PETER GLEICK. …
Energy transition is now a must
Marie-Hélène Aubert, adviser to the French president for international negotiations on climate and environment, was recently in New …
'CBD has lost its track'
Bolivia is one of the few countries that has consistently been opposing treating biodiversity as a commodity at the ongoing Conference of Parties …
Affected people can even approach the criminal court
JUSTICE N VENKATACHALA former judge of the Supreme Court, is currently chairperson of the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA). Set …
'Clean environment has to be a fundamental right'
For more than four years now, Narayan Belbase, an environmental public interest lawyer, has been working towards facilitating and mainstreaming …
‘Let farmers decide the price’
Mani Chinnaswamy’s contract farming model has prompted IIM graduates to study his Appachi formula. After all, it gives farmers the right to …
'Regional climate models must for managing water'
Subimal Ghosh, faculty member of IIT-Bombay, has been working on localised climate change models. He speaks to Dinsa Sachan about extreme …
‘Energy conservation is a moving target’
A decade has passed since the Energy Conservation Act was enacted in 2001. Most provisions of the law are yet to be implemented properly. Ajay …
Vehicular emissions are a cause for concern
Praful B Desai, professor emeritus and former director of the Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute, Mumbai, spoke to Leena Chakrabarti on …
The rich are enjoying themselves at the expense of poor people's health
Karen E Smoyer of the University of Alberta, Canada, has been working on the impact of poor environment on the weaker sections of society. …
"We have to reduce the exposure of people to diesel exhaust"
Daniel Greenbaum , president and the chief executive officer of the US-based Health Effects Institute, has done pioneering work on the health …
"Psychosocial care should be a component of overall health care"
K SEKAR, assistant professor, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, talks to NEELAM SINGH about …
Meinhard Von Gerkan on GMP's entry into India
Meinhard Von Gerkan, a partner in the German architectural firm GMP, was in Delhi recently to prospect for ventures in India, particularly in …
Historian Heather Goodall on indigenous people, water in Australia
Heather Goodall, a historian at the University of Technology, Sydney, has a special interest in Australia's indigenous people--especially their …
'Village level forecast will take time'
What prevents Indian scientists from making weather forecasts for farmers? Sailesh Naik, secretary to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, tells …
Unorganized players give e-bike a bad name
For a growing section of riders, e-bikes are a cool way out of increasing fuel costs. Naveen Munjal’s firm Hero Electric leads India’…
'They asked me to withdraw my court case'
P PARDHA SARADHI is tenacious. This mild-mannered professor at the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Delhi (DU) has …
Rift valley