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.
Emissions in Indo Gangetic Plain linked to nearly half of untimely deaths due to outdoor air pollution
Mildly cold weather as deadly as extremely hot temperatures, finds study
Revive indigenous knowledge, reorient transport to deal with climate change, obesity and undernutrition
[Commentary] Blanketing the Himalayan valleys, smog knows no national boundaries
Dietary diversity, behaviour change in Indians key to better health and environment
Light pollution on the rise in India: Study
Delhi smog: Entrepreneurs offer hope with technologies to reuse crop biomass
Human falciparum malaria parasite detected in Indian monkeys
Time-bound plan needed to address contaminated water
Air pollution major, underappreciated contributor to ill health in India
Mining devours Saranda, the largest sal forest in Asia
Waiting to exhale: Workers affected by lung disease await justice in Rajasthan
Kerala first state to act on antibiotic immunity, a public health crisis
Water access and sanitation shape birth outcomes and earning potential
Quest for black diamond leaves Korba breathless
[Commentary] Climate ambition can combat India’s air crisis
Air pollution soars during Diwali in rural Haryana
Death of the Ganj: Pollution impacts health and environment in McCluskieganj
Greening with pollution-gobbling trees doubles benefits
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
- New rules spell giant troubles for jumbos
- Climate litigation has entered the room. But could great Indian bustards be inched out?
- The dietary habits of endangered vultures
- Waterbirds adapt to nest and roost in the urban oases of Udaipur
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