The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
Scientists became aware of acid rain more than a century ago A cid rain is not a recent phenomenon. The term was first coined in 1852 by a chemist, Robert Angus Smith. The 35-year-old chemist, while studying the quality of air in and around his home town Manchester, England, found …
Human activities have made the sky a sewer. Subhash J Rele, writing in The Hindustan Times , estimates that each year, the global atmosphere is on the receiving end of 20 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, 130 million tonnes (mt) of sulphur dioxide, 97 mt of hydrocarbons, 53 mt of …
The Supreme Court (SC) has criticised the Union government for delaying the release of Rs 27 crore sanctioned to better equip the two hospitals at Bhopal to provide medical assistance to over 500,000 gas victims. The court directed the government to file an affidavit within two weeks detailing reasons for …
there is good news for mango lovers. According to the Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture Research in Lucknow, this year's mango crop is set to break all records of the past 20 years. Favourable weather conditions have helped extensive flowering in the mango orchards in Uttar Pradesh. However, growers of …
To Anil Agarwal Editor Down To Earth New Delhi SUBJECT: l The law: the Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984. l Its aim: restrict felling of trees and reforest barren private lands. l Application and result: Discourages people from planting trees. Makes a larger area barren. Sir, …
Before bowing out of power, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre lifted a seven-year-old ban on the export of sandalwood from Tamil Nadu. The Centre's decision followed an appeal by Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on January 16. The Centre had …
fishing communities all over India will go on strike on May 10, 1999 to press for "protection of the sea and the coastal areas'. "On that day, there will be no fishing, no sale of fish and no consumption of fish,' said Thomas Kocherry, coordinator of the World Forum of …
A people's movement, like that in Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra and Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh (MP), is indispensable before ecological regeneration can be undertaken in Rajasthan. This was stated by Anil Agarwal, director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) in a presentation to Rajasthan chief minister …
A few years ago, at a public meeting organised by the Centre for Science and Environment on air pollution, T N Seshan - who retired in 1997 as the Chief Election Commissioner of India - had jokingly pointed out that there are more laws in India per square inch of …
This paper discusses the political circumstances which help explain why the insanitary living conditions of such a large section of India’s urban population have been ignored, and contrasts these with the circumstances which explain successful sanitary reform in Britain in the second half of the 19th century. In India, there …
If you want to improve this coun try, take my advice. Get rid of the government and take governance into your own hands. Sounds very radical but this is indeed the only paradigm which appears to be working. Less than a month ago, a public meeting was held in a …
Forest issues often concern large amounts of money, long time frames, huge areas of land and diverse livelihoods. This report draws the main findings from a series of six country studies from Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe and from a review of international policy initiatives. …
FINALLY waking up to health hazards from genetically manipulated drugs, the Union government is trying to monitor their production and marketing by setting up a new safety-test system. The ministry of industries has recently issued a list of such drugs and formulations. These are used on humans and animals as …
In India, recent micro-experiments clearly show that environmental regeneration is possible if native wisdom and local decision-making is respected. Towards Green Villages sets out an environmental improvement strategy that is based on real life experiences of grassroots work in which people have improved their environment together with their economy. Three …
The significance of Rio + 20 does not lie in any document but in the new direction provided to global governance, whose focus should be on patterns of natural resource use, and not just on natural capital, to ensure human well being. The sequel to the 1992 Earth Summit, once …
Author(s): Sunita Narain @sunitanar Whenever a general election to India’s Lok Sabha approaches, two questions tend to emerge: When will India get a green party? Are environmental issues important in our elections? Our parliamentary democracy borrows its structure from the Westminster system of first-past-the-post, which makes it difficult for any …
The Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of Pondicherry University, in association with the Indian-European Multi-level Climate Governance Research Network (IECGN), will be organizing the International Conference on Climate Change Resilience (CCR) on October 5-6, 2015 in Pondicherry.This two day conference aims to understand and manage the burning issues related …
COMMON CAUSE, a registered Society with membership all over the country and operating on All India basis, has earned reputation and credibility as an Organisation dedicated to public causes for seeking redress for problems of the people. Its initiative in public interest litigation, for solving the common and collective problems …
Problems of Redressal of Citizens Grievances is the subject on which the Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Late Shri. Morarji Desai, who later became the Prime Minister of India gave its first report. It is that report which recommended for the establishment of Lokpal and Lokayukta institutions at the Central …
