-The Hindu ‘Her experience includes a South Asian perspective with its many challenges’ Noted environmentalist Sunita Narain has been appointed to an international advisory group for climate action by Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Per Olsson Fridh. The international group consists of experts who provide a “deep commitment and knowledge in the field”, said a statement issued after the announcement. “I am happy that Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and...

-GaonConnection.com Last month, 53% of new cases and 52% of deaths due to the coronavirus were from rural districts of India, finds the ‘State of India’s Environment 2021’ report. What makes the situation more worrisome is the acute shortage of healthcare staff in rural India — a 76.1% shortfall of specialists at the CHC level. Rural India, where two-thirds of Indians live, did not escape the fury of the second wave of...

-The Hindu The National Biodiversity Mission can help mend the dysfunctional relationship between humanity and nature On this World Environment Day (June 5), with the novel coronavirus pandemic raging across our vast country, we must reflect on the ways to rebuild our relationship with nature. India’s vast and rich biodiversity gives the nation a unique identity, of which we can be proud. The varied ecosystems across land, rivers, and oceans, feed our...

-The Financial Express According to a study, by 2025, agricultural productivity is likely to fall by 68 percent in more than one-third of India's districts that are currently under water stress. The covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the country’s economy has been colossal. Nevertheless, Indian agriculture to date has resisted the onslaught. Though in the FY 2020-21, India’s GDP contracted by 7.7 percent, including negative growth in industry and services agriculture delivered a...

-Down to Earth Around 88% respondents want to switch to less-polluting alternatives but report they are not easily available Around 12.3 billion sanitary napkins, amounting to 113,000 tonnes of waste, reached India’s landfills every year, according to a new study. Improper disposal and non-segregation from household waste leads to unhygienic working condition for waste workers, the report said. Commonly available sanitary napkins constitute 90 per cent plastic, the report claimed. India generates 3.3...