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.
Pollution watchdog releases guidelines to handle COVID-19 biomedical waste
Caught between virus outbreaks, Kerala’s model for public healthcare lauded
[Interview] Taking One Health approach to tackle zoonoses crucial for India
COVID-19 may be the watershed to spur action on wildlife trafficking
Shrouded in secrecy, a new bill for pesticide management coming to parliament soon
Forests that heal: Medicinal plants as an ecosystem service
Cities taking longer to shed heat despite surrounding greenery: Study
Dust storms could spread microbes, finds study
Nature’s fury 2019: A year of extremes for India
Preparing health systems to deal with disasters
Can Kolkata clean its air by 2030? Step up on advanced technology, clean fuels, study suggests
Spillover: Bats, bat hunters in Nagaland may be exposed to Ebola-family of viruses
Delayed Indian monsoon, Cyclone Fani ‘high impact’ events of 2019
Delhi’s air pollution paves the exit route for urban families
31st birthday gift: a world with net-zero emissions?
Unmeasured burden: Drug-resistance in farm animals threatens human health in India
Making children resilient to droughts
When smog travels from South Asia to the United States
Tribal way of life hits rock bottom even as mining hits new highs in Odisha
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
- Marine plastic pollution is not just a waste problem; reducing production is needed too
- Stitching sustainability amidst climate change challenges
- Gujarat bans exotic Conocarpus tree amid health and environment hazard
- Malaria-carrying mosquitoes shift homes from forests to rice fields
India's Iconic Landscapes
- Majuli’s shrinking wetlands and their fight for survival
- Saving India’s wild ‘unicorns’
- Indrella ampulla’s genetic tapestry unveils colour morphs isolated across the Palghat Gap
- [Commentary] Up close and personal with the fragility of the Himalayas
Beyond Protected Areas
- Wildlife rescue operations in Kashmir face an uphill battle with rising human-wildife conflict
- Pathogens find new pathways as agriculture, deforestation intensify
- Measuring the scavenging value of vultures
- New rules spell giant troubles for jumbos
Conserving Agro-biodiversity
- Pricey guests: Urban invasive species cost the world billions every year
- [Commentary] GROW with agroforestry, a step towards sustainable land management
- Millet tradition loses flavour among Madhya Pradesh’s tribals
- A village nurtures traditional food systems in response to climate change
Just Transitions
- How unplanned coal mine closures in India are affecting dependent communities, especially women
- Green Credit Scheme’s ‘methodology’ doesn’t inspire confidence among experts
- Conflict over critical mineral prospecting in Odisha signals need for better community involvement
- Fuel leak in Manipur raises concerns over water contamination