Himalayan pastoralists find they cannot access state welfare schemes, forest rights and even ration cards that they are entitled to. Some like Abdul Rashid Sheikh and Nazir Ahmed Dinda have become RTI activists in an attempt to seek accountability from the state Abdul Rashid Sheikh outside his house in Doodhpathri: ‘To build our kotha , we don’t… Read More Rights on paper, struggles on ground
Helen Sullivan What is it about the poem “Who killed Cock Robin?” It is so sad, and so coolly dark: a miniature drama played out in the shade of a single tree. The sparrow confesses right away, and nobody minds. The fly – “I, said the fly, with my little eye, I saw him die”… Read More A robin: inside her small dark eye, a quantum entanglement
The dodo, extinct for over three centuries, could return to Mauritius thanks to an audacious plan from biotech company Colossal Biosciences and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. If the partnership achieves its goal, the dodo would be following in the footsteps of other species once extinct in the wild but successfully returned to nature. Scroll through the… Read More ‘De-extinction’ plan to reintroduce the Dodo bird to Mauritius
Before the beginning of the 19th Century, when Paris became the first city in Europe to use gas lighting to illuminate its streets, the sight of the Milky Way was as commonplace as the sight of the Moon. But in recent decades, light pollution has become so intense that many people rarely get to admire… Read More Astrophysicist and photographer Jordi Busqué shares photos of the night’s sky that transcend the boundaries of science
First posted on June 07, 2014 Extracts from: War and the Environment Until recent times armies lived off the land; their logistical support systems were so rudimentary that nothing else was possible.10 This process provides the key to much of the damage caused by wars, from ancient times onwards. Classical Greece exemplified the process. The Mediterranean… Read More Richard P. Tucker on War and the Environment
With short amulet-covered spears made of blackened chonta palm, GIS mapping phones, walkie-talkies and wearing black and green uniforms, the A’i Cofán seem to merge into the jungle as they march silently down a path through their land. Calling themselves the Indigenous guard, the 27-strong group patrols a territory of 243 sq miles (630 sq… Read More ‘Leave the gold in the ground’: Ecuador’s forest guardians mobilise against illegal mining in Amazon
Jonathan Watts in Altamira Cows, dust and smoke. That was what greeted me on my return home to Altamira, after several weeks on the road. An unusually fierce dry season has taken a horrific toll on the Amazonian landscape, swathes of which are already denuded by cattle ranches. Together, they threaten the integrity of the world’s… Read More ‘Everything is parched’: Amazon struggles with drought amid deforestation
Birdwatchers from around the world have celebrated the arrival of a rare eastern osprey chick in South Australia. Fran Solly, secretary of the Friends of Osprey conservation group, says everyone in Tumby Island and Port Lincoln knows about the chick that hatched last Thursday. But the livestream has captivated bird watchers from as far away as… Read More Rare eastern osprey chick hatches in South Australia, captivating birdwatchers around the world
By Timothy Neal, UNSW Sydney Scientists say severe climate change is now the greatest threat to humanity. Extreme weather is expected to upend lives and livelihoods, intensifying wildfires and pushing ecosystems towards collapse as ocean heatwaves savage coral reefs. The threats are far-reaching and widespread. So what effect would you expect this to have on the economy… Read More Climate Crisis: Economists have severely underestimated the Financial Hit
Modi govt’s dogged pursuit of a plan to open forests for commercial plantation began shortly after taking office, documents show. Though it faced pushback for hurting tribal rights and forests, the plan reached a fruition through the recent Forest (Conservation)Act amendment. Tapasya & Nitin Sethi The Modi government persisted in finding ways to open up… Read More Modi govt unlocks forests for business, a pursuit that began in 2015
After the truth-shower 