Identifying individual mugger crocodiles using drone technology to minimise conflicts
At noon, on a hot March day, in the flat semi-arid plains of Kachchh, a lone figure stood on a slight rise, fiddling with the controller of a drone that…
Articles by Anusha Krishnan
Anusha Krishnan is a part-time science writer and editor and full-time mom from Bangalore, India. She loves writing about new scientic discoveries, and believes that the art of storytelling is crucial for successful science communication.
[Explainer] What is greenwashing?
Greenwashing refers to "the practice of making products, activities, or policies seem more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than they actually are," according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of…
[Explainer] What is biodiversity finance?
Biodiversity finance is the practice of raising capital and managing funds for biodiversity conservation. It comes under the umbrella topic of conservation finance, which aims to financially support the conservation…
[Explainer] Why do floods occur?
Floods occur when water overflows from water bodies – seas, oceans, ponds, lakes, canals, or rivers – and submerges land which is usually dry. Floods, especially in India, are some…
[Explainer] Are biofuels finally coming of age?
Fossil fuels kickstarted the industrial age for humanity. However, humans now face the possibility of running out of these fuels by the end of this century. So, where do industries that…
[Explainer] Can planting trees mitigate climate change?
As the world is struggling to combat climate change, one idea – planting trees – seems to be taking hold as a panacea for curing the ills of pollution, soaring…
[Explainer] The good, the bad, and the ugly side of forest fires
Forest fires, also called wildfires and bush or vegetation fires, are described as uncontrolled, often widespread burning of plants in forests, grasslands, brushland, and tundra. These fires can be of…
Plastic, glass and other waste materials found in elephant dung in Uttarakhand
A study published last month in The Journal for Nature Conservation reported the presence of plastic and other human-made materials in elephant dung in the forests of Uttarakhand. The study…
[Explainer] What are carbon sinks?
Carbon sinks are places and/or products that sequester and store carbon as organic or inorganic compounds for different periods of time. Essentially, anything that absorbs more carbon than it emits…
[Explainer] Why is India a major hub for wildlife trafficking?
Wildlife trafficking, which is the illegal trade of wild animals and plants, either as dead or live specimens, or their parts, has a huge negative effect on the world’s environments,…
[Explainer] How does the Indian monsoon develop?
Every year, around the first week of June, a vast expanse of roiling grey clouds advances from the Arabian sea and makes landfall in Kerala to the tune of rumbling…
[Explainer] What is carbon pricing?
In the 1920s, a British economist, Arthur Pigou, highlighted the social benefits of making industries pay for the costs of the pollution they caused. In time, this concept was taken…
[Explainer] What factors affect the Indian summer monsoon?
The Indian summer monsoon is a vast weather event that is crucial to the 1.39 billion people that live in India, as most of the rainfall (70-90%) that the country…
[Explainer] What are urban heat islands?
Urban heat islands or UHIs are metropolitan areas that are significantly warmer than the surrounding rural areas. The occurrence of a UHI was recorded as early as 1810 by Luke…
Fantastic beasts and why plastic is bad for them
Plastics, which are infinitely useful materials, are ever present in our lives today. A quick look around one’s house, whether in a city or in a village, will confirm this…
[Explainer] Where the plastic things are: unexpected plastic products in our lives
Plastics are the Anthropocene era’s ultimate convenience. The more mundane uses of plastics in our lives range from kitchenware, storage containers, and packaging materials to toys and small tools that…
COVID-19 and the changing nature of waste
As the COVID-19 pandemic brought sweeping changes to lifestyles, it also altered an important but seldom thought-of aspect of human existence – trash. The pandemic has drastically changed the types and…
[Explainer] The cost of plastic waste
Over the last decade, the waste industry has been quietly growing. Given the growing rates of trash generation, this is hardly a surprise. In 2012, the world generated 1.3 billion…
[Explainer] The life of plastic: born a hero, dying an outcast, resurrected a monster
Plastic is a boon to many industries as a versatile material that can be moulded into myriad products from simple packaging bags to life-saving medical devices. When a plastic product…
Tracking rivers, the highways of plastic waste
In an effort to identify plastic accumulation and leakage hotspots along the Ganges river, a recent project in three north Indian cities found that roughly 10–25% of all the plastic…
Special series
Wetland Champions
- [Commentary] India establishes the largest network of Ramsar Sites in South Asia
- [Commentary] Wetland champions: Promise from the grassroots
- The story of Jakkur lake sets an example for inclusive rejuvenation projects
- Welcome to Tsomgo lake: Please don’t litter
Environment And Health
- Stubble burning is back, smothering north India with concerns for the upcoming winter
- Humans are contaminating Earth’s waterways with medicines, pharmaceutical ingredients
- Inhaling particulate matter is increasing the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age
- Health effects of heat stress will intensify disproportionately without ambitious efforts
Almost Famous Species
- [Video] Hangul, the shy Kashmiri deer, is facing the threat of extinction as its habitat shrinks
- Identifying individual mugger crocodiles using drone technology to minimise conflicts
- How preserving forests could save the Indian giant squirrel
- Climate change threatens the habitat of the endangered white-winged wood duck, finds study
Eco Hope
- Urban farms offer a fresh perspective on managing kitchen waste and nurturing a community
- [Book Review] ‘First Steps’ tracks the beginnings of citizen science in India
- Clouds, droughts and other elements of nature recur in Rajasthan’s folk songs
- Longwood Shola forest is a water source for villages in the Nilgiris, maintains biodiversity
India's Iconic Landscapes
- [Video] Hangul, the shy Kashmiri deer, is facing the threat of extinction as its habitat shrinks
- Rajasthan is getting wetter and it’s not good news for the desert ecology
- [Commentary] Traditional water harvesting structures in the Thar desert are vanishing
- [Maps] Environmental path cleared for Great Nicobar mega project
Beyond Protected Areas
- Adivasi honey harvesters demand forest control and criticise ‘unfriendly’ conservation measures
- A newly described cave bat in Sri Lanka indicates presence of more species
- Concern over translocation of tigers in Maharashtra, as conditions in new areas ‘unfavourable’
- Top invasive species are blooming in India despite climate change
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Making sense of rainfall changes in Karnataka’s coffee estates through old records
- Adivasi honey harvesters demand forest control and criticise ‘unfriendly’ conservation measures
- [Commentary] Is agroecological farming a solution for rainfed degraded land?
- Farmers fear low fruit production as Kashmir records decline in precipitation
Just Transitions
- India needs to weigh options before partnership with G7 countries to accelerate a just energy transition
- Oil refinery sparks protests over livelihood concerns in Ratnagiri
- After little success in past, India revisits plan to repower its ageing wind turbines
- Land banks in Jharkhand may become a recipe for conflicts
