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Are we missing the 2010 target? The Convention on Biological Diversity set out to significantly reduce, by 2010, the rate of biodiversity loss, and simultaneously contribute to poverty alleviation. Fifteen years on, the only significant achievement may be the setting up of many new protected areas which, by restricting access to community resources, could end up further impoverishing communities, says Ashish Kothari More... Poised for stagflationIdeas, knowledge, art and travel are things which should be international, but let goods be homespun whenever possible, said John Keynes in 1933. Are we realising the wisdom of Keynes’ statement now, with India facing rising inflation with economic slowdown? Is this the result of the blanket opening up of the Indian economy? Are there lessons to be learnt about the benefits of a more selective opening up, asks economist Aseem Shrivastava More... India silent on biosafety negotiationsIndia has lost out on the opportunity to build a strong liability regime for developing countries which would enable them to protect their farmers and consumers from any damage caused by genetically engineered crops and products, reports Suman Sahai after the recent international convention in Bonn More... Swept off the mapA new book, based on a study of 2,577 households from Yamuna Pushta two years after they had been moved to Bawana in the outskirts of Delhi, documents the devastating impact of urban displacement. The study found that displacement significantly raised both unemployment and dropout rates from schools More... Green reasons for red rageAn expert group of the Planning Commission establishes a strong correlation between social unrest and the spread of Naxalism and poverty, landlessness and inequitable management of natural resources More... Green or greenwashing?At one stage, Bajaj Auto was using captive wind power to generate 90% of its electricity from its own turbines and “banking” the rest. There are indeed businesses that are going green, but the majority of these claims are still greenwash, says Darryl D’Monte More... Knowledge documentation: Kiss of death, or new lease of life?The Indian government is planning a major initiative to document all traditional knowledge on biodiversity and natural resources in order to safeguard against biopiracy. Notwithstanding its many potential benefits, without inbuilt safeguards this move could prove to be the undoing of traditional knowledge, says Ashish Kothari More... Localisation is about bringing the economy back to a human scaleHelena Norberg Hodge has documented the effect of globalisation and conventional development on Ladakh over 30 years and come to the conclusion that there is a middle ground between staying in the past and embracing globalisation to the total annihilation of the local culture More... The economics of violence: Growth with inequalityThe World Bank claims that poverty in Asia has been halved between 1990 and 2003. But, says John Samuel, the story looks good only until you see the underbelly of this economic growth – growing inequality, violence and pollution More... India-Africa Summit: Use and Abuse of Africa in IndiaThe task of mainstreaming Africa in India presents both a risk and a challenge, says Mukul Sharma More... Police reform: We need it, but do we want it?Despite several laws and Supreme Court directives on how the police must conduct investigations and what the rights of citizens are, human rights abuses, corruption and misconduct persist in the Indian police force, says Navaz Kotwal More... 'The days of cheap food are over': M S SwaminathanM S Swaminathan analyses the global food crisis More... No rights for the mentally disabledAt a Kolkata mental hospital recently female patients were found left stark naked in the ward. Mental illness is included in the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995, but the mentally disabled are denied even the rights and reservations available to the physically disabled More... Green capitalismCan the collateral damage of a growth-at-all-costs economic model be addressed by a “regenerative” economy as opposed to a “degenerative” one based on fossil fuels and outmoded notions of industrialisation?Veteran social activist K R Datye believes it can More... Nature has rights tooThe fundamental human rights on which human survival depends are nature’s rights, and it is time we safeguarded them More... |
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