Environment

Today, human beings have become relatively preoccupied in the drudgery of the daily grind. This leaves little time to connect with nature and in turn with ourselves. The 43rd World Environment Day presents people with an opportunity to connect with nature. Let's explore how far we have reached as a global society, in our...

Pick the odd one out: carbon fiber, steel, bamboo. The answer, of course, is none of them. You’ve probably sat on it, built with it, and maybe even eaten it, but did you know that your car could be next to benefit from bamboo – one of the world’s strongest natural materials? While big investment in research has led...

India has cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations – about the same as the total amount in the UK – with the price for solar electricity “free falling” to levels once considered impossible. Analyst Tim Buckley said the shift away from the dirtiest fossil fuel and towards solar in India...

Part of the city's coastal flora and fauna, the Versova beach in Mumbai's western suburbs, is one of the dirtiest beaches. Starting in October 2015, the world's biggest beach cleaning initiative took 85 weeks to get completed. Afroz Shah, a lawyer at Bombay High Court, started off with his 84-year-old neighbour Harbansh Mathur. "The...

Sustainability reporting encapsulates any company’s economic, environmental and social impact through the running of its business.

India is home to more than a billion people and this is expected rise to 1.6 billion by 2050. More than 70% Indians live in rural areas today but it is expected that 60% of a much larger population will live in urban areas in 2050. Both these trends support the projection that 70%...

Effective governance and improved fiscal management are essential to sustaining robust economic growth and improving its quality, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said in its annual flagship report launched on Monday. The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2017 highlights that despite a...

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) played a major role in channelising global attention towards fundamental development issues. As the MDGs transitioned into Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it has given way to a set of 17 integrated and indivisible goals which are broader and more ambitious in scope. The Indian economy boasts of a vibrant growth...

Sweden is keen to collaborate with Maharashtra on waste management, smart cities, and renewable energy. "I exchanged views with both the governments at the centre and in the state on global climate change efforts, ongoing international negotiations and the potential for bilateral cooperation," visiting Swedish deputy minister on climate Eva Svedling said here today. The minister...

Indian agriculture can overcome problems of climate change and take the path of sustainable and climate-smart agriculture (CSA) by using mitigation techniques and adapting technology and new crop patterns, according to Shyam Khadka. Khadka, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative in India, was speaking at a conference organised by the Confederation of Indian...

India recently signed a $175 million loan pact with the World Bank for National Hydrology Project that aims to improve management of water resources.  The project will strengthen the capacity of institutions to assess the water situation in their regions and reduce their vulnerability to recurring flood and droughts, saving hundreds of lives and livelihoods. According...

“When an old person dies, a whole library burns.” The age-old African proverb is apt to explain the significance of ancestral wisdom. Since time immemorial, we all have been hearing and have also witnessed how rural communities across geographies have built an invaluable pool of indigenous practices based on traditional knowledge and wisdom. Farmers predict rainfall...