As Indian companies look to resources in other countries, some of the issues that have become familiar at home are surfacing elsewhere too. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

The Delhi High Court has fined an environment regulator, and ordered the Ministry of Environment and Forests to act within weeks on directives that it has ignored for over three years. Kanchi Kohli reports.

From its promising beginning and grand proclamations at international fora, the nation's Biodiversity Plan has undergone a massive erosion, as MoEF has consistently put economic values above environmental ones. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Impact assessment studies to understand the consequences of large dam projects have been de-linked from the actual implementation of the projects, thus diluting their value, writes Shripad Dharmadhikary.

Over 170 organisations and individuals came together to highlight Vedanta's history of environmental irregularities to the Golden Peacock jury members, prompting a second look. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Many of the institutions or departments who have sent in applications for IPR consideration to the NBA are also represented on the committee which evaluates the applications, reports Kanchi Kohli.

The NGT Bill, 2009 includes a number of flawed passages, which would need to be corrected before it is deemed fit for passage from Parliament, writes Gopal Krishna.

Kerala's biodiversity board has asked Chief Minister V S Achutanandan to reject single window clearance for the 'High Tech City' project at the exhilarating Valanthakad island in the backwaters outside Kochi. P N Venugopal reports.

Are glaciers in the Himalayas retreating? India depends greatly on these water sources, and we should therefore be more cautious in assessing this risk, writes Darryl D'Monte.

The spirit of a public hearing must be respected, says a recent verdict from the Delhi High Court, refusing to accept the literal interpretations of the rules which the environment appellate authority used. Kanchi Kohli reports.

It is plain for all to see that untreated mining waste is being discharged into the river around Khamaria, but it is equally plain that the government is doing nothing about it. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The contrast between the stand taken by India at Copenhagen and at the earlier UN Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 couldn't have been starker, writes Darryl D'Monte.

Notwithstanding the IPCC's error about glacier melting, there is consensus among scientists that the earth is warming. Those who deny it should offer proof, to the same standard that they demand of others, writes Darryl D'Monte.

Want to build a power plant in an ecologically sensitive area? No problem. Just ask the ministry. Its permissions have become routine, and processes are merely paperwork to facilitate the outcome. Kanchi Kohli reports.

One of the great biodiversity hotspots of the country comes under threat from a proposed power plant, and environment regulators can't seem to make up their mind whether the area should be protected or not. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Many of the conditions under which the Narmada dams were erected remain unfulfilled, but this does not deter the government from pushing for further construction. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

In North Sikkim, a familiar tale of subverting environment regulation is playing out, as plans to dam the Teesta river push past local opposition and ecological considerations. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Can Jairam Ramesh, who was the Minister of State for Power during his last tenure, suffer a change of heart suddenly and come down heavily on non-compliance by those power projects he once presided over? Himanshu Upadhyaya has more.

The Chair of the EAC should necessarily have an overarching environmental perspective, as s/he is supposed to ensure the environmental sustainability of projects that come to the committee. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

Eco-pioneer Mohammed Dilawar’s nest boxes, specially designed to bring back sparrows and other birds into urban areas, are a hit among bird-lovers in many Indian metros and of course, the target group – the birds – themselves, writes Savita Hiremath.

It is one thing to decide in a court of law that the floodplain of the Yamuna does not extend to the site of the Commonwealth Games village. It is quite another thing to keep the river out. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The transformation from consumerism to sustainability depends critically on how we change our culture, scientists and philosophers at an annual forum meeting in Italy agreed. Darryl D'Monte reports.

With the formation of the Green Tribunal, its predecessor, the NEAA has ceased to exist. But the NGT is not fully ready to hear cases, and this has put the regulatory environment off-course. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The National Environment Appellate Authority finds everything that ECPEL did in the Naupada swamp is ecologically harmful, but the project must go ahead anyway. Kanchi Kohli reports.

What happens if you decide to expand your industrial project without getting fresh environment clearances? In Jindal Steel's case, it appears, you get to go on scot free. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Man-animal conflict in India is taking a heavy toll on habitat and thereby the survival of wildlife. Malini Shankar writes that there is no option but to relocate forest-dwellers out of protected areas.

The OPG group's plans to build a massive thermal power plant on the ecologically sensitive coast have been dealt a setback by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. But a final decision is still to be made. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The government ignored many chances to protect people's lvelihoods in an ecologically sensitive area. But a hail of police firing on protestors forces a rethink. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The replacement of CFCs by more benign HCFCs and HFCs has removed the risks linked to ozone depletion, but these gases continue to contribute to global warming. Darryl D'Monte reports.

The people of Mundra coast face a constant struggle to protect their commons, rights and the very socio ecological character of the region from the massive land use changes around them. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The first set of hearings winds its way through the newly established environment tribunal, against the backdrop of a government push to speed up industrialisation in forest areas. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Despite the number of times a court, tribunal or the Ministry has acted to stop construction of OPG's power plant in Bhadreswar, the project goes on uninterrupted. Kanchi Kohli reports.

A new study stirs up an old debate - whether the melting of the Himalayan glaciers is only evident at lower reaches, and the higher altitudes are in fact adding snow. Darryl D'Monte reports.

An innovative new approach to Mumbai's open spaces is an extensive mapping survey. The same approach can be used in other cities too. Darryl D'Monte reports.

The National Green Tribunal's judgement in the POSCO case has implications for many other industrial development projects in the country. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.

The UNDP is correct to observe that despite the different histories of developed and developing countries, we cannot ignore the fact that it is still one planet. Darryl D'Monte reports.

The sometimes nebulous connection between green and saffron, or Hindu chauvinism is the topic of a new book, with a major part covering Anna Hazare's work in Ralegan Siddhi. Darryl D'Monte connects the dots.

As the Mundra project of the Adani group moves ahead relentlessly in Gujarat, a new front opens up in the company's troubles with environmental regulations, in faraway Australia. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Were mobile towers primarily responsible for the dwindling number of house sparrows across India? Deepa Mohan studies the findings of a recent survey to explore the more likely reasons behind this wane of the species.

The BRAI Bill 2013 purports to uphold the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety but completely overlooks a critical sub-protocol that provides for liability and redress in case of damage to biodiversity. Shalini Bhutani explains why that defeats the very purpose of the Bill.

A group of committed individuals in Alappuzha, Kerala are battling odds to revive cultivation of the unique Pokkali variety of paddy that had given way to the more lucrative business of shrimp farming. P N Venugopal reports.

The Justice M B Shah Commission set up by the Ministry of Mines may have been prematurely discontinued, but its substantial impact in the early stages and interim findings clearly point to what its final report may hold. Kanchi Kohli reports.

While there is certainly a difference in the methods by which waste is disposed of in the global North and South, there are new European technologies in this field which deserve to be looked at, albeit at some future date. Darryl D'Monte reports from a recent event in Naples.

The SC orders the government to constitute an independent environmental regulatory authority. While the flaws in the current arrangement are plain, it is not clear if independence of the regulator alone can address these, writes Kanchi Kohli.

Initiatives that do not factor in climate resilience and related gender concerns cannot address development challenges, but the manner in which state-level climate action plans are being implemented shows these are yet to become electoral planks. Aditi Kapoor reports.

Iron ore from the proposed Rowghat mines in Chhattisgarh is crucial for the sustenance of the Bhilai steel plants. This, however, not only poses a grave threat to the forest ecology of the area, but is also itself vulnerable. Kanchi Kohli details the complexities.

Indian cities have been identified as among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Shrimoyee Bhattacharya and Sujaya Rathi explore how the envisioned plan for Bangalore can build in increased resilience to climatic variations and impact.

The sweeping mandate in favour of the BJP under Narendra Modi was largely an outcome of the articulation of his idea of development, popularised as the “Gujarat Model.” But what could the defining features of such a model be?  Leo F Saldanha elaborates.

Could India’s inflexible and rather aggressive attitude in global climate negotiations jeopardise its domestic mitigation of the real threats from climate change? Darryl D’Monte summarises the key take-aways from a TISS conference that dwelled upon this and related issues.

Per Supreme Court's order without environment clearance mining of sand is prohibited across the country but as Kanchi Kohli reports reality is different. Illegal sand mining is on rise to meet the increasing demand of the construction industry and impacting the ecosystem of our rivers and communities depending on the river.