
Mongabay series: Environment And Health
A clean environment, and actions to protect the integrity of ecosystems matter to human health and well-being. Every time we mess around with the environment, we feel it. These negative impacts on human health are brought on by a suite of changes such as land-use change, unjust energy transitions, climate change and biodiversity loss that interfere with the benefits of natural ecosystems that make life possible for people (ecosystem services). For example, polluted air, a river in peril, local food systems in decline, rapacious mining and rampant deforestation, harm human health. Climate change through extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and heatwaves, worsens the impacts. The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the urgency to protect, conserve and restore wildlife habitats and disappearing ecosystems. In Environment and Health, we probe these linkages and go beyond examining the impacts of the environment on human health to understand how we can shore up our actions to shape a healthier India and a resilient ecosystem.


Brahmapuram fumes over waste

Transgender activists highlight the impacts of climate change and environmental issues on the community

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

Climate action, pollution control needed to keep sulphur dioxide in check

Unpacking the presence of microplastics in the Bay of Bengal

Dumped plastic containers lead to mosquito abundance on the Lakshadweep islands

Converging heat action plans, climate goals and environmental health for healthier communities

Industrial water pollution threatens residents in Haryana’s Kundli area

[Photos] Maharashtra’s female farm workforce struggles in the shadows of floods

Sewing their way to a sustainable menstruation

Continued fluoride contamination of groundwater is a glaring public health issue in central India

In a Himachal village, people accuse a waste management plant for contaminating water

[Commentary] Worsening water quality in Ganga’s lower stretches and what it means for us

Human disturbance alters parasite communities, increases infectious disease: study

Lower species richness in deforested landscapes tied to high Kyasanur forest disease risk: study

Soils from city parks are important hotspots of microbial diversity: study
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
- [Commentary] As India faces an egg shortage, can insects be a potential solution for protein and nutrition?
- Brahmapuram fumes over waste
- Transgender activists highlight the impacts of climate change and environmental issues on the community
- Stubble burning is back, smothering north India with concerns for the upcoming winter

Almost Famous Species
- Ibisbill, the poorly understood Himalayan waterbird faces threats, finds study
- India garners international support to save two endangered freshwater turtles
- What protecting the slender loris could mean for forest communities in Tamil Nadu
- [Video] Hangul, the shy Kashmiri deer, is facing the threat of extinction as its habitat shrinks

India's Iconic Landscapes
- Ain’t no mountain high enough: alien invasive plants increasing in higher elevations
- Unplanned, faulty buildings tremble under weather events in the fragile Himalayan regions
- Nourishing soils of Kashmir’s karewas crumble under infrastructure
- Shielding hijol, a floodplain tree, from climate impacts

Beyond Protected Areas
- [Interview] Conservationist MK Ranjitsinh Jhala on the need for a grassland policy in India
- Women take the wheel for safer tourism in Satpura Tiger Reserve
- Habitat preservation in the Western Ghats can help enhance biodiversity in the hotspot
- Climate change and catfight in the Himalayas: tigers, leopards venture into snow leopard land

Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Thirunelly’s seed festival celebrates traditional climate-resilient seeds and farm produce
- [Explainer] Why is 2023 the International Year of Millets? What do we achieve by celebrating such years?
- Nations adopt Global Biodiversity Framework amid concerns over watered-down targets
- [Commentary] A renewed CGIAR can better support South Asia to determine its food future

Just Transitions
- Incentives to boost demand, increase in e-buses in Tamil Nadu’s latest EV policy
- Electricity transition in India’s renewable-rich states needs to accelerate, says study
- [Interview] Ajay Kumar Rastogi on leading India’s first just transition task force
- Helping wildlife navigate road and railway infrastructure
