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Maize Matters
09 Sep 2011
Backed by government support, maize cultivation has spread to a large area of India to cater to increased demand from the industry. The shift towards maize will not only upset the delicate nutritional balance in dry regions but it will also pave way for agri-corps to push GM maize into India. |
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Pushing adivasis to the brink
09 Aug 2011
On the occasion of the 'International Day of the World's Indigenous People', the policy makers should realize that unless corrective and protective measures are put in place, the adivasis would soon lose their livelihoods, culture and faith to the mad rush to exploit the natural resources. |
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Oceans under threat
30 Jul 2011
There are heavy pressures on coastal areas and oceans due to the unregulated developmental activity. To save the oceans, we need to put a check on marine pollution, ocean acidification and over-exploitation of marine life. |
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Increasing prosperity, disappearing girls
30 Jun 2011
Contrary to popularly held opinion, the female to male ratio is on decline despite continuous economic growth in India. Curiously, the backward regions with poor education seem to be doing better on child sex ratio in comparison to the better-off areas. |
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When the will is weak
04 Jun 2011
Celebrating the World Environment Day is meaningless if political leadership does not back their words with actions. To save our precious natural resources, we need leaders with broader vision and commitment required to protect the environment. Unfortunately, the current lot lacks the vision and strength necessary to act decisively for the cause of Nature. |
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Green projects with red results
23 May 2011
Mini hydel projects, initially considered by environmentalists as green alternatives for power generation, have become threat to fragile ecosystems. The lure of high returns on investment, in addition to various incentives, created a mad rush among private players leading to destruction of natural forests. |
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Not willing to learn
06 Apr 2011
Are our nuclear power obsessed politicians, industrialists and scientists willing to learn from the crisis in Japan? Or they need more disasters like Fukushima to realize their folly? |
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Forests for People
21 Mar 2011
To bring back the dwindling forest cover, we need active participation of the people, especially forest communities, while ensuring food and water security for them. |
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Changing air in Arabia
21 Feb 2011
The overthrow of authoritarian regimes in the Arab world by non-violent people's struggle gives new hope to the humanity. But will these upheavals change the fundamentals of society towards more humane, secular, tolerant of the diversity in ideologies and ecologically responsible behavior? |
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Nuclear bulldozer from Kaiga to Jaitapur
15 Dec 2010
By agreeing to set up nuclear plant at Jaitapur, the government has shown its indifference towards massive public opposition and environmentalists' concerns for threat to rich bio-diversity of Western Ghats |
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Squeeze poor, extract profits
26 Oct 2010
The microfinance companies in India have finally come under scanner for charging exorbitant rates of interest from poor villagers and using exploitative methods to recover small loans, forcing many poor to commit suicides. |
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Vulnerable wildlife
07 Oct 2010
The current policies to protect wildlife have failed to achieve intended goals. Can we think beyond borrowed concepts of Protected Areas and empower local communities to take initiatives for wildlife protection? |
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Bamboo for sustainability and growth
18 Sep 2010
While we celebrate the International Bamboo Day, it is essential to recognize and propagate the multiple uses of Bamboo in providing livelihood security to poor, protecting land from degradation as well as in mitigating climate change. |
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Food storage or wastage?
25 Aug 2010
To tackle food storage crisis in India, government should adopt two-pronged approach of encouraging large size foodgrain silos in states with surplus production and de-centralised foodgrain procurement and storage in other regions. |
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Clouds under attack
02 Aug 2010
As part of cloud seeding technology, rockets and airplanes are being used to target the clouds as if nature can be forced to yield through precipitation. But should we allow these private profit motives to get priority over well-tested methods of drought proofing? |
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Bhopal re-enacted in Punjab unabated
15 Jun 2010
Bhopal has many lessons for us. The most crucial one is de addict our farms from chemical agriculture and put hold to corporate control over our lives and farms. |
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Seeds of hope
05 Jun 2010
Environment protection is more than symbolic celebration once or twice a year. In an individualized and consumption driven society, local communities and grassroot movements are the real champions of environment conservation. |
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Preserve biodiversity through community initiatives
22 May 2010
The year 2010 has been declared by the United Nations as 'The International Year of Biodiversity'. But the governments in most countries remain indifferent to the massive loss of species of trees, plants, insects, fish, birds and animals that balance the life-cycle on earth. |
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Seeds under siege
26 Apr 2010
International Seeds Day (April 26) reminds us of concerted attempts by the large seed corporations to destroy seed diversity of the world to expand their markets and profits. |
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Reduced to a ritual
21 Apr 2010
The true spirit of Earth Day is to live in harmony with nature as older civilizations have lived for thousands of years. |
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GM forests or fuel mines?
20 Mar 2010
Enough harm has already been done to the environment under the garb of development. Now, novel ideas like GM forests are being proposed as a new alternative fuel for the automobile industry. It's time for the world to learn from its cyclical mistakes, and fast! |
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Losing our language
15 Feb 2010
Every language represents the repository of accumulated knowledge over the generations and defines our relationship within the society and its link to nature. Unfortunately, we have begun to judge a language by only its commercial value in the existing market. |
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Historic decision awaited on BT Brinjal
30 Jan 2010
The public consultations on Bt Brinjal have brought to the fore strong resentment among people against increasing corporate influence over government policy making. |
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Bio fuel or Bio foul policy?
27 Jan 2010
The government has spelt out its intention to encourage bio-fuels but a deeper understanding of energy issues and people’s livelihood concerns is missing. |
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Climate inaction plan
24 Oct 2009
On the occasion of the Climate Action Day (October 24, 2009), it would be appropriate to evaluate the National Action Plan on Climate Change. |
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Small farmers can cool the Earth
16 Oct 2009
Industrial farming in the rich countries has led to massive increase in green house gas emissions but the small farmers of developing world can mitigate the global warming through their traditional farming practices. |
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It is safe to blame climate for calamities
12 Oct 2009
As expected the drumbeaters of climate change have begun to blame every natural calamity in India on global warming, but the fact remains that most disasters including recent floods in south India could have been avoided or minimized with some foresight backed by effective and timely actions. |
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Is Manmohan turning Green?
24 Aug 2009
Recent speeches of Prime Minister indicate a policy shift in favour of ecological approach towards development but the emphasis on importing green technologies exposes his preference for market-driven growth model. |
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Economy first, Ecology last?
30 Jul 2009
Riding high on its return to power, UPA government is in a hurry to accelerate India's GDP. But the economist Prime Minister will have to ensure that his overambitious economic policies do not further erode the nation's environment but perform in tandem with it. |
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