We know surprisingly little about where our stuff comes from and even less about where it goes after we are done using it. And that's making climate change worse.
A study in northern West Bengal found elephants are selective with their diet, feeding on less than half the species of plants around them. This is contradictory to the prevalent view that elephants are generalist feeders. Nabarun Guha reports.
The Indian Giant Squirrel is an indicator species. Its declining numbers tell us that conservation needs a holistic approach where the focus is as much on the habitat as on the animals themselves.
Scientists examining satellite images find that cyclone-induced damage slows the recovery of mangroves and changes the forest composition in comparison to other regions that didn't witness many cyclones.
Global commitments and domestsic laws are driving afforestation. But conservationists argue that large scale tree plantations can do more harm than good if we overlook the nuances, and that all that is green is not forest.
The numerous wind farms in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu have clearly changed the rhythms of life here. The benefits and drawbacks are inter-twined, and people have mixed feelings about them.
A camera trap sighting of a tiger suggests that ecosystem restoration in Buxa reserve is working. With it comes fresh concerns about the relocation of forest villages.
Women are disproportionately impacted by India's climate crisis, but effectively excluded from decision-making in response to it. Ambika Vishwanath speaks with Omair Ahmad.
The so-called 'carbon neutrality' pledges many countries are making should include details and be given tight accounting norms. Additionally, high emitters should face stricter norms and earlier timelines.
With its potential to supplement incomes of fishermen and other communities along the nation's long coastline, seaweed cultivation is gaining momentum. Goa's first pilot farm is about to be launched.
We need to unclog the channels for big- and small-sized finance to reach sustainable destinations. Neha Kumar points to the challenges, and the opportunities India must capitalise on.
Habitats and corridors for wild elephants are shrinking due to other development priorities, and local communities are unwilling to tolerate the growing number of human-animal conflicts.
Apart from the loss of their habitat, migratory birds face a new threat from the growing number of renewable energy projects. The Great Indian Bustard has seen its numbers drop precipitously.
Many landowners around forests would set aside some lands in exchange for payments. Some see this as a promising conservation strategy, but others believe more nuance is needed.
Repeated lockdowns and curfews have been a golden opportunity for wildlife traffickers targeting termite-eating pangolins in Simlipal National Park and adjacent districts.
Erratic monsoon patterns and other disruptions by climate change are reducing the number of fishing days in coastal Kerala. Small-scale fishers are looking for other livelihood options instead.
Power connections are now available across rural India. However, there is still a lot to be done before villagers reliably get uninterrupted electricity that can help them live and work better.
Poor governance of natural resources is undermining progress in curbing emissions. It is also weakening the resilience of vulnerable people who are affected by climate change.
Waste collection and recycling management of flexible and multilayer packaging are particularly challenging. At different stages of the recycling chain, solutions must be found.
Urban waste continues to grow, and governments at different levels are responding with a range of approaches. There are several reasons to choose decentralisation.
Extended Producer Responsibility-based interventions can be designed to ensure that wastepickers and informal workers remain an integral part of the new regime too.
Faced with a multiplicity of values, mainstream conservation has tended to retreat to biocentrism, pragmatism or scientism. A broad-based, democratic environmentalism would be more tenable.
Heat waves have not received as much attention as other climate risks, but more cities now confront their toll. New mechanisms for governance and financing will also be needed.
ENVIRONMENT OPINIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
India Together is published with support from Oorvani Foundation.
