Climate change hits home as increasing heatwave days scorch India
The heat this summer has already become unbearable in many parts of India. “It’s become impossible to work after 10 o’clock in the morning,” said Sunil Das, a rickshaw puller…
Articles by Soumya Sarkar
Glasgow summit delivers discounted dreams, but action and money missing
After two weeks of closed-door bargaining, the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow came to an end on Saturday, reaching an agreement called the Glasgow Climate Pact that the organisers…
Climate negotiators must wake up to loss and damage as disasters multiply
As the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow nears its end and negotiators wrangle over the minutiae of the proposed consensus document, pressure is mounting on them to act on…
[Analysis] Will Glasgow be just another talk shop while climate crisis worsens?
Glasgow exploded in a riot of colourful posters, enthusiastic singing and sloganeering as tens of thousands of protestors marched peacefully on Friday and Saturday, urging politicians, business leaders and negotiators…
India can lead the fight for climate justice as global carbon budget shrinks
Global carbon dioxide emissions have resumed their relentless rise after a brief lull due to the disruption caused by COVID-19 in 2020, according to the 16th annual report prepared for…
Green grid initiative must overcome technical and political challenges to become a reality
The joint initiative by India and the United Kingdom to connect the world’s electricity power grids to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy has been hailed by activists and negotiators…
India breathes life into Glasgow climate summit by net-zero commitment
The 26th Conference of Parties (CoP-26) to the United Nations Climate Change Convention in Glasgow got off to a hopeful start when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised world leaders…
Empty pledges in Glasgow won’t cool down an overheated planet
When the United Nations chief says that we are on track for a climate catastrophe, the world needs to sit up and take notice. Whether it heeds the warning and…
Extreme weather becomes the new normal in India’s main monsoon season
Aggregate numbers sometimes hide more than they reveal. On September 30, the India Meteorological Department announced that the southwest monsoon was normal in 2021 since the country received 870 mm…
Pesticides to kill locusts harm ecosystems, signature fauna
The danger of locust swarms has passed for now. For five months from March 2020, hundreds of field teams were deployed in India and Pakistan to kill locusts that swarmed…
Nature in peril as biodiversity losses mount alarmingly, states the Living Planet Report
Global biodiversity is in steep decline, the WWF has warned in its flagship Living Planet Report 2020. The numbers of mammals, birds, fish, plants and insects have fallen an average…
Climate change favours locust swarms, India increasingly at risk
Even as India grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, the country has been hit by a new pestilence in the form of large locust swarms. In the biggest attack in close…
[Analysis] Cyclone Amphan puts focus back on millions displaced by climate disasters
Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm in the Bay of Bengal in over a decade, ripped through eastern India and Bangladesh on May 20, killing at least 86 people in…
[Commentary] Feni river agreement offers hope, but water sharing remains contentious
In the first transboundary river water sharing agreement in decades in South Asia, Bangladesh allowed India to withdraw 1.82 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water from the Feni river.…
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
- 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
- Climate action, pollution control needed to keep sulphur dioxide in check
Almost Famous Species
- [Interview] Researcher Amit Kumar Bal on studying carnivores in the thick of Mizoram forests
- [Commentary] India’s wildlife conservation journey has had great strides and many hurdles
- [Explainer] Woody climbers, lianas, embody the inter-connectedness of a forest
- Concerns over increased whale shark stranding along Andhra Pradesh’s coast
India's Iconic Landscapes
- [Commentary] India’s wildlife conservation journey has had great strides and many hurdles
- All eyes on the next chapter: India prepares to host cheetahs after 70 years
- Farming becomes tough in Himachal’s cold desert with changing climate and crop pattern
- Manipur landslide sparks ecological debate
Beyond Protected Areas
- [Interview] Researcher Amit Kumar Bal on studying carnivores in the thick of Mizoram forests
- Drones, thermal cameras track animal movement to reduce conflict with humans in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli
- [Commentary] India’s wildlife conservation journey has had great strides and many hurdles
- Demand for sand in Bangladesh escalates illegal activities, threatens environment
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- [Commentary] Is agroecological farming a solution for rainfed degraded land?
- Farmers fear low fruit production as Kashmir records decline in precipitation
- Scientists sequence chickpea genome which could inform crop improvement efforts
- [Video Explainer] What is the significance of the Biological Diversity Amendment Bill and why did it face opposition?
Just Transitions
- Land banks in Jharkhand may become a recipe for conflicts
- Unaccounted deaths lay bare the dark side of sand mining
- In the midst of coal shortage reports, a coal mine extension is approved in pristine Hasdeo forests
- As India looks to shift to renewables, Jharkhand’s coal mine workers fear loss of jobs and social security
