Prasanth at ‘The Daily Pheesh’ expresses skepticism (informed) at the eradication of diseases through GM (genetically modified) mosquitoes.
GM mosquitoes may be useful or harmful but one cannot deny that their introduction is nothing but a stopgap response to mistakes that were committed much earlier—failures in planning and managing cities, failures in taking health care to rural areas and [...]
Archive for the 'Environment' Category
GM mosquitoes and ‘their’ policy making
Published by May 2nd, 2008 in Development, Economy, Environment, Government, Health, India, Policy and Poverty. 0 CommentsBengaLooru huDuga Bikerdude gives little pointers to all those who complain about the weather in BengaLooru. Even when it is relatively pleasant than, Chennai, for example.
Don’t forget to drink as much water as you can. Try and get used to drinking room temperature water, to help acclimatize your body to the ambient temperature.
If you live on the top [...]
Amit asks:
Were you lucky enough to be living in one of the participating cities? Did you enjoy the outdoors and got a chance to see the stars that made an appearance due to dark skies? Of course, my question assumes that you are not a skeptic who thinks that the global warming issue is a [...]
Blogging from Antarctica
Published by April 3rd, 2008 in Blogging, Environment and Science & Technology. 0 CommentsI am a resident of Delhi, India, and a psychiatrist by profession (heal the mentally unwell). I’m also fond of the great outdoors, and cultures around the world. I’ll be spending 3.5 months in Antarctica winter of 2008, doing research at the Indian base station. Thru this blog, I hope to keep my friends and [...]
It might be too short a notice but Earth Hour is being celebrated today, the 29th of March between 8 PM and 9 PM. To those who want to observe this means that you have to shut down all electric appliances during this time period in a bid to increase awareness about Global Warming.
The Naive [...]
Three years on a beautiful island
Published by March 28th, 2008 in Environment and Personal. 0 CommentsEvery month or so, we would cross the Pulicat lake to get to the mainland for shopping, tuition classes, or just for a break from the monotony of the colony. The Pulicat lake, dry and lifeless during summer, would come to life after the rains in October. Thousands of migratory birds would fly in from [...]
Taking the “garden” out of the Garden City.
Published by March 14th, 2008 in Environment and Photoblog. 0 CommentsAnita has a heartfelt post about the dwindling greenery in Bangalore, with some magnificent pictures of trees. Go, have a look at those lovely trees. They might not be there tomorrow.
A central park for Panjim
Published by March 12th, 2008 in Activism, Community, Environment and public space. 0 CommentsMumbaiwallah draws attention to a campaign towards a park in Panjim.
Goans have long cherished their green heritage. But with the way things are going, it won’t be long before the hills are covered with buildings, open spaces turn into corporate parks, old houses are demolished to make way for a multi-storeyed car park. What will [...]
Ready to buy the new Tata Nano?
Published by March 5th, 2008 in Development, Economy, Energy, Environment, India and Spotlight Series. 4 Comments[ This is Essay # 23 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Ready to buy the new Tata Nano?
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Sharique Ahmed
Tata Nano is, without even a shadow of doubt, the most eagerly awaited car in India. The attention it drew in the recently concluded Auto Expo 2008, was tremendous by any standard. I reached [...]
Beyond the Open Road, Wandering and Wondering
Published by March 3rd, 2008 in Adivasi, Culture, Environment, History, Language, Personal, Spotlight Series and Travel. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 22 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Beyond the Open Road, Wandering and Wondering
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Anil P
Now when I look back I wonder if I’ve been lucky to not confront, even once, any introspective thought on the merits of travel. However, I’ve been asked just that by people. This [...]
Rural Poor- Human Rights, Inhuman State?
Published by February 22nd, 2008 in Adivasi, Business, Caste, Community, Culture, Dalit, Democracy, Development, Environment, Human Rights, India, Justice, Policy, Poverty and Spotlight Series. 7 Comments[ This is Essay # 18 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
Rural Poor- Human Rights, Inhuman State?
Theory and Practice in a Liberal Democracy
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Rahul Banerjee
Over the past two years or so the normally un-newsworthy rural poor in India have time and again made the headlines with their vehement opposition to the forced acquisition [...]
… Snuggling under the bed covers on a freezing winter morning and begging for two more minutes of sleep, waking up to find the dull greens and browns of the previous day swathed in a gleaming sea of white, the absolute silence characteristic of a morning-after-the-snowstorm winter morning, the pitter-patter of freezing rain and hail [...]
The disappearing sparrows
Published by February 20th, 2008 in Development and Environment. 0 CommentsNita spots a sparrow and wonders why we rarely see any sparrows in the cities these days:
India didn’t have this problem earlier, but now it’s becoming acute because of rapid industrialisation. China has an even more acute problem…I did not see a single bird in all the four cities of China that we visited last [...]
India and the Politics of Climate Change Negotiations
Published by February 20th, 2008 in Development, Economy, Energy, Environment, Geopolitics, India, Policy and Spotlight Series. 1 Comment[ This is Essay # 17 in our Spotlight Series. Click here for the archives.]
India and the Politics of Climate Change Negotiations
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Dweep
The Bali Conference on climate change concluded last December much as had been expected – with no real agreement on a post-Kyoto framework. Throughout the discussions India maintained its principled stance of a [...]
Meeting Baba Amte, on way from the Beatles to Bhils
Published by February 9th, 2008 in Activism, Development, Environment, Health, Human Rights, India and Poverty. 0 CommentsRahul Banerjee recalls his encounters with Baba Amte who passed away today:
The most poignant contradiction is that between my two fathers. While my biological father was dead against my decision to go into the wilds among the adivasis my sociological father Baba Amte not only lauded this decision, which as it happened duplicated his own [...]
Dam and Be Damned
Published by February 6th, 2008 in Activism, Development, Energy and Environment. 0 CommentsRama Iyer writes about the Kerala State Electricity Board’s proposed 163 MW Athirappilly Hydro Electric Project across the Chalakudy River in the Western Ghats in Kerala takes off on the 31st of March as decided by the KSEB. She also wonders why it has not gained much publicity like Sardar Sarovar project.
There is expert opinion [...]
Gandhian economics
Published by February 3rd, 2008 in Capitalism, Community, Development, Economy, Environment, History and Theory. 0 CommentsHow practicable an economic philosophy was Gandhian economics? Rob Staley offers his views:
The tagline that stuck was this: “Production by the masses instead of mass production.” This roughly summarized his opinion on the direction in which India’s young budding economy should take as they pulled away from the British in the 40s. The idea was [...]
Where will the animals go?
Published by February 3rd, 2008 in Environment, Policy and Politics. 0 CommentsSuvrat Kher has some advice for policy makers: their culture needs to change from ‘viewing forests and wildlife as a resource to be exploited, as some obstacle to development’.
Another big danger besides the increasing human wildlife conflict is climate change. Today’s conservation plans are drawn on the assumption that the current ecological boundaries will [...]
A victory for Indian environmentalists
Published by January 29th, 2008 in Activism, Development, Environment, Human Rights and Justice. 0 CommentsI was hoping to see some reactions on this important piece of news from Indian bloggers : ‘for the first time in its ten-year history, the National Environmental Appellate Authority* (NEAA) has overturned a decision by the Government of India, quashing an environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests‘. This is a [...]
More on the little car
Published by January 27th, 2008 in Business, Development, Economy and Environment. 0 CommentsMansi Desai thinks the Nano represents a ‘revolution’:
But a look at the side effects of this revolution is in order here. As everyone knows, India is densely-populated, and the current road conditions, narrow lanes, and lack of traffic control, and the dearth of parking structures may be on a rise if the streets get flooded [...]
The Nano would usher in world peace or..increase global warming?
Published by January 24th, 2008 in Business, Development, Economy, Energy and Environment. 0 CommentsSiddhartha Shome is happy with the Nano- he takes a comprehensive look at all the arguments for and against the ‘people’s car’:
Some have put forward the argument that instead of small cars, Indians should concentrate on mass transit. I agree that India should indeed invest heavily in mass transit. However, I do not think that [...]
Dreams die hard.
Published by January 21st, 2008 in Activism, Adivasi, Community, Development, Energy, Environment and Geopolitics. 0 CommentsRahul Banerjee writes about the struggle of an Adivasi boy fighting for his community on Anar-kali, his blog about the lives of tribal communities trudging along with Shining India.
Banerjee tries to make sense of rural development in tandem with the lifestyle of the Bhils of Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh. The blog is his means [...]
Shekhar Kapur approves of the Nano:
It’s caused a sensation all over the world, where car manufacturers looked forward to inundating the Indian consumer with their more expensive brands, only to see that an Indian co has completely stolen a march on them. Bravo Mr Tata ! But I really resent all the people that go [...]
Social Entrepreneurs– Silently Changing the World
Published by December 18th, 2007 in Activism, Community, Development, Education, Environment, Feminism, Human Rights, India, Justice, Poverty and Spotlight Series. 2 Comments[This is Essay #4 in our "Spotlight Series". Click here for archives]
Social Entrepreneurs - Silently changing the world
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Shantanu Dutta
When I had first heard of the Ashoka Foundation, I had imagined in my mind that it would be the social arm of a traditional Indian business house. With a name linked to the Emperor Ashoka, this [...]
Economics and Climate Change
Published by December 13th, 2007 in Development, Economy, Environment, Geopolitics, India and Politics. 0 Comments Shanta Devarajan has doubts about the developing countries’ positions on climate change.
if one country takes the lead in reducing GHG emissions, the resulting equilibrium leaves the other country worse off. Yet this is what India and other developing countries are asking for: that the developed countries first reduce their emissions and not expect the [...]
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