Don't let the carbon go

Be careful how land-use and land-cover changes

Rhododendrons losing ground

14 species native to Himalayas are critically endangered

Himalayan plunder: Why Sikkim geologists fear Joshimath-like disasters

Sikkim, also in eastern Himalayas, is plagued by unchecked development & lacks strong civil society to voice concerns

In carbon negative Sikkim, emissions are on the rise

A preliminary report by the Sikkim government suggests the green state is carbon-negative, but emissions are on the rise

Dam safety can no longer be ignored if we are to avoid a repeat of Himachal and South Lhonak Lake

Dam authorities have to be more transparent and vigilant; Flood plain zoning of rivers needs to be done on war footing if we are to manage floods …

‘Universal Basic Income won’t make people lazy, but afford them more choice’

SDP leader and MP Prem Das Rai speaks to Down To Earth about his party’s plan to role out UBI in Sikkim and how it will help create a …

Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (December 11, 2023)

Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal  

India has 718 snow leopards; most of them live in unprotected areas: Centre

Government report emphasises need for a dedicated Snow Leopard Cell at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun

Sikkim High Court issues notice to state government on landslide dam

Chief Justice serves notices to the Sikkim government on action taken as fears of flash floods from a landslide dam engulf the state

Junk stops here

Meet bureaucrat Yishey D Yongda, determined to turn Sikkim into a zero-waste zone

Deluge of dams without any impact assessment

Hopes in bloom

Sikkim’s tryst with floriculture marks a new beginning for small growers, but poor market access and a flush of imported breeds may mar its …

Payment for Ecosystem Services: Himalayan states should demand more

Their demand for “green bonus” triggers the payment for ecosystems debate

Teesta dams: A recipe for disaster?

The Gujarat 2001 earthquake drove home the point that cities built on river alluvium and sand are likely to suffer maximum damage from an …

In Short

Sikkim tribesfolk oppose proposed hydel projects

Fertility rate down in most states, NFHS-5 finds

Kerala only state to record increase in fertility rate, phase 1 of survey finds; urban women had lower fertility rate than women in rural areas …

All you need is an eye

New monitoring index gives better understanding of a river’s health

Expect Assam floods to worsen in the next few days

Possibility of fresh floods in Meghalaya, Arunachal, Sikkim, north Bengal too

Mission possible

The Centre gives India just about eight years to free its villages of open defecation. This seems unlikely. But the states of Sikkim, Haryana and …

Environment ministry in clean-up mode

Bioprates in the dragnet

Illegal smuggling of insects from the Himalaya comes into focus with the arrest of two Russians in Sikkim

Update

Joshimath crisis: Tourist influx in Himalayan states adding to ecological burden

Tourism infrastructure in Hindu Kush Himalayan region poorly planned, 2019 ICIMOD report found

ISRO data shows Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag and Tehri Gharwal most prone to landslides in India

Mizoram saw 12,385 landslides from 1988-2022, the highest; followed by 11,219 in Uttarakhand and 8,070 in Tripura