[Explainer] What is Loss and Damage?
Ahead of the 27th United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) to be held in Cairo, Egypt, in November 2022, there are growing demands for a Loss and Damage (L&D) Finance…
Mongabay series: Environment Explained
All the what, why and how of the environment, explained. In this series, we break down complex concepts of the natural world into simple, easy-to-digest explainers. With our expertise in environment and conservation, we guide you through aspects of the topic that you are curious about and help you make sense of the news around you.
[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] Woody climbers, lianas, embody the inter-connectedness of a forest
Who can forget the image of Tarzan swinging from tree to tree, crossing streams hanging on woody vines? Tarzan's natural bridges and ladders in the forest are a category 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] What’s causing mass fish death in India’s ponds and lakes?
In April 2022, several images of dead fish floating in the Banganga tank, located in Mumbai’s Malabar hill area, circulated on news sites and social media platforms. Clean up efforts…
[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…
[Illustrations] Why are temperatures within a city’s neighbourhoods different?
The summer of 2022 has been particularly harsh all over India, with unrelenting heat spells signalling evolving climatic systems. With March being declared as the hottest in the India Meteorological…
[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…
[Explainer] How are fireflies affected by light pollution?
Insects act in coordination with natural light regimes and are sensitive to changes in light intensity, wavelengths, sources and other factors. Nocturnal insects perform various activities such as foraging, reacting…
[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] What are tropical cyclones? How are they formed?
Tropical cyclones are fairly common weather systems, clocking a global average of around 80 storms annually. However, with rising global temperatures and subsequent increase in sea surface temperatures, the…
[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…
[Explainer] What is glacial lake outburst flooding and how does it affect the Himalayas?
The Himalayas are witnessing an increasing threat of glacial lake outburst flooding (GLOF). Over the years, several GLOFs hit the Himalayas, causing massive destruction to the infrastructure, while also claiming…
[Explainer] How falling groundwater levels compact the land above
Beneath the vast, fertile northern plains of India, groundwater has been vanishing at a rampant rate. According to the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the groundwater in north…
[Explainer] How do we recycle plastic?
Plastics today are blighted, as their impact on the environment has now been exposed. But it was not always so. In 1869, the first synthetic polymer named celluloid - marked…
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
