CSD must become a forum for debate
New Zealand's minister for the environment Simon Upton is the chairperson of the seventh session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (…
Blending green concerns into market economy
GERMAN environment minister Klaus Topfer has come under fire for his tough green laws such as the one against packaging. Environmental ministries,…
Aid cuts will defeat objectives of Agenda 21
WITH HUGE reductions in aid already under way and further cuts to follow soon, transfer of resources remains the most contentious issue in …
Taking stock of biodiversity
The Convention on Biological Diversity, 20 years on, is still struggling to stem the precipitous decline in biodiversity. After missing the 2010 …
Future compromised
The Earth Summit was a historical opportunity to set the world on the correct development trajectory. Negotiators from 191 countries came …
BHP and Rio Tinto’s ‘mining messes’ must be held to account: Report
The two UK-based multinationals had mined in Brazil, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and then left the scene without compensating for their …
Kyoto's ghost will return
If predictions of global warming turn out to be true, the ludicrous decisions taken at the Kyoto conference will prove very costly to the world
WHO to discuss Zika impact on Rio Olympics next week
Concern over the spread of the disease is growing with athletes pulling out of the event and scientists writing to WHO to move or postpone the Games
Brazil drought may lead to water rationing by government
With more than four million people likely to be affected, this is believed to be the worst drought in Brazil
The Rio+20 challenge
Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication are the two themes of the summit, but consensus eludes on both …
The Paralympics is changing the way people perceive disabilities
People with disabilities are less restricted by their own impairments than by the barriers put on them by the society
Why Caster Semenya and Dutee Chand deserve to compete (and win) at Rio 2016
After much suspicion and derision, women with hyperandrogenism can compete in international events
Hot air?
Agenda 21, formulated during the Rio Summit in June 1992, was touted as an earth-saving measure by the leaders of more than 100 participatory …
Gene's-eye view of Olympics
Scientists are peering into the genomes of top athletes to find out which genes can spill their secrets of success. How much of athletic …
The road from Stockholm to Rio
It was the Stockholm conference, held exactly 20 years ago, which put environmental issues on the global agenda for the first time. But the …
The Olympics won’t spread Zika around the world
The chance that someone at the Rio games will import the virus to their home country is low
Human empathy is our politics
This year, Down To Earth turns 31 years old. We have promises to keep. And keep them we will
Consuming to sustain?
At UNCED, the North tried using the facile argument that their larger consumption actually provided trade and jobs for the poorer South. But …
New database shows how large rivers form the basis of global borders
Rivers have historically formed the bedrock of several civilisations, but have also been used to divide land and form borders
Why certain parts of India churn out the best sportspersons
Haryana, with just two per cent of India's population, accounts for 20 per cent of its Olympic contingent
Filthy water, toxic air don’t make Rio Games environment-friendly
Large amount of untreated sewage continues to flow into Guanabara Bay, where the Olympic sailing events will take place
Earth Matters
Will the North decide the path of sustainable development for the rest of the world? Will the interests of the South be protected?
Green funds dry up for developing countries
With the US halving its contribution to the Global Environment Facility, the oldest green fund sees first budget cut in 27 years, hurting the …
The politics of climate change: COP 21 and emerging economies
While top 10 emitters contribute 72 per cent of global greenhouse gases, the lowest 100 emitters contribute even less than 3 per cent
