Book Reviews
Climate change 2007: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability
This report provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date scientific assessment of the impacts of climate change, the vulnerability of natural and human environments, and the potential for response through adaptation. It evaluates evidence that recent observed changes in climate have already affected a variety of physical and biological systems and …
Climate change 2007: mitigation of climate change
This volume provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art and worldwide overview of scientific knowledge related to the mitigation of climate change. It includes a detailed assessment of costs and potentials of mitigation technologies and practices, implementation barriers, and policy options for the sectors: energy supply, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste …
Climate change 2007: the physical science basis
"Climate Change 2007 - The Physical Science Basis" is the most comprehensive and up-to-date scientific assessment of past, present and future climate change. The report provides: the most complete and quantitative assessment of how human activities are affecting the radiative energy balance in the atmosphere; a more extensive assessment of …
Human development report 2007/2008: fighting climate change - human solidarity in a divided world
The Human Development Report 2007/2008 shows that climate change is not just a future scenario. Increased exposure to droughts, floods and storms is already destroying opportunity and reinforcing inequality. Meanwhile, there is now overwhelming scientific evidence that the world is moving towards the point at which irreversible ecological catastrophe becomes …
State of the world 2008: innovations for a sustainable economy
State of the world 2008 suggests that something huge and even revolutionary is struggling to be born as policymakers, business leaders and others around the globe create the architecture of sustainable economies. Featuring chapters on renewable energy, innovations in clean production, common resources, trade policy, finance for sustainability, new economic …
Impact of climate change on himalayan galciers and glacial lakes:case studies on GLOF and associated hazards in Nepal and Bhutan
This study investigates the impact of climate change on glaciers and glacial lakes in two major glacial hotspots in the Himalayas: the Dudh Koshi sub-basin in the Khumbu-Everest region in Nepal, and the Pho Chu sub-basin in Bhutan. The focus was on changes in the number and size of glacial …
Wind power development in India
This book is the first-ever comprehensive attempt to place wind power in Indian context and to deliberate on issues and actions needed to sustain this growth in the future. What makes the book truly comprehensive is the breadth of its coverage, which ranges from the history of wind power development …
International trade and climate change: economic, legal, and institutional perspectives
This book is one of the first comprehensive attempts to look at the synergies between climate change and trade objectives from economic, legal, and institutional perspectives. It addresses an important policy question - how changes in trade policies and international cooperation on trade policies can help address global environmental spillovers, …
Beyond Kyoto: a new global climate certificate system
This balanced analysis presents news from the 'climate-protection front'. On the down-side, neither the current 'Kyoto-Protocol' Climate Protection System with (legally binding) commitments by major countries to reduce or limit their greenhouse gas emissions nor various proposals for improving the commitment system are capable of meeting the ultimate objective 'to …
Climate change as a security risk
This report summarizes the state-of-the-art of science on the subject of 'Climate Change as a Security Risk'. It is based on the findings of research into environmental conflicts, the causes of war, and of climate impact research. It appraises past experience but also ventures to cast a glance far into …
Climate action
Climate action is produced by Sustainable Development International in partnership with the UNEP to encourage and assist governments and business to lower greenhouse gas emissions. This book and supporting website feature a range of articles that encourage the sharing of best practice and the development of new technologies and initiatives …
Poverty and water: exploration of the reciprocal relationship
This book provides global spread of case studies to illustrate that water is not simply an issue of physical scarcity, but rather a complex and politically-driven issue with profound future implications, both in the developing world and outside it. The book argues that for the international community to achieve the …
Reclaiming nature: environmental justice and ecological restoration
In Reclaiming Nature, leading environmental thinkers from across the globe explore the relationship between human activities and the natural world. The authors draw inspiration and lessons from diverse experiences ranging from community-based fishery and forestry management to innovative strategies for combating global warming.They advance a compelling new vision of environmentalism, …
Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change: Volume 2
The Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change includes more than 750 articles that explore major topics related to global warming and climate change-ranging geographically from the North Pole to the South Pole, and thematically from social effects to scientific causes. It contains a 4-color, 16-page insert that is a …
Encyclopedia of global warming and climate change
The Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change includes more than 750 articles that explore major topics related to global warming and climate change-ranging geographically from the North Pole to the South Pole, and thematically from social effects to scientific causes. It contains a 4-color, 16-page insert that is a …
Resource book of environmental education
Human success stories are marked by struggle to control and thereby interfere with the environment since time immemorial. Due to indiscriminate exploitation of environment, the survival of human being is at stake. There is a need to transform the prevailing mindset to recognise long term limits that nurtures rather than …
Doubt is their product: how industry's assault on science threatens your health
In Doubt Is Their Product, author David Michaels explains how many of the scientists who spun science for tobacco have become practitioners in the lucrative world of product defense. Whatever the story- global warming, toxic chemicals, sugar and obesity, secondhand smoke- these scientists generate studies designed to make dangerous exposures …
Agriculture in developing countries: technology issues
Agriculture in Developing Countries : Technology Issues presents an experimental approach of testing new possibilities and combinations to match the changes taking place in the agricultural production environment of developing countries. While emphasizing the importance of combining scientific and indigenous knowledge, this book argues that sustained agricultural development can be …
Environmental sustainability: a consumption approach
With globalization fast becoming an irreversible process, it is necessary to pay increased attention to the implications for environmental sustainability. However, the so-called environmental Kuznets curve argument implies that rapid economic growth in many developing countries should be environmentally unsustainable. Environmental Sustainability addresses this dichotomy and articulates a notion of …
World disasters report 2007: focus on discrimination
This World Disasters Report focuses on how women, the elderly, minorities and people with disabilities are discriminated against in disasters. It says aid agencies and governments should make more effort to avoid discrimination in their relief and recovery programmes.
The leapfrog factor: clearing the air in Asian cities
Captures 10 years of action, impacts and learning to address the complex air pollution challenge in Asia. This book is a survival guide for Asian cities trying to steer their way out of the pollution haze.
Body burden: health and environment in India
A degraded environment brings with it a set of health problems - some new and some, which have posed a challenge over the years. Presenting Body Burden, a compilation of reports from Down to Earth on the health impacts of environment pollution in India.
Agenda unlimited
Across India, people have taken their destinies into their hands - improving their future. A compendium of such stories, reported over 12 years.
Concrete facts: the life cycle of the Indian cement industry
Concrete Facts is the result of an exhaustive two year effort to rate the cement industry. It details the industry's ecological challenges and rates how well Indian companies address them. Companies are benchmarked against global best practices at each stage of the life cycle - from mining to use of …
All about paper: the life cycle of the Indian pulp and paper industry
A comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach for assessing the environmental performance of pulp and paper industry in various phases of the life cycle ranging from raw material sourcing to pollution generation and control.
Green schools programme: a manual to assess the green performance of your school
This manual is designed as a self-learning and assessment tool so that teachers can work with students to audit their use of natural resources and to experiment with environment friendly practices.
A wastewater recycling manual for urban areas with case studies
This manual is a comprehensive documentation of localised community-level approaches in urban wastewater management. Besides providing an overview of eco-sanitation and decentralised wastewater treatment technologies, it also captures the emerging trends in this sector.
Poison vs nutrition: a briefing paper on pesticide contamination and food safety
A briefing paper on "pesticide contamination and food safety" - The CSE studies on pesticides in water and soft drinks, pesticides contamination and its health impacts, regulatory apparatus and processes, right to clean water and the industrial use of water.
Nectar to poison: a briefing paper on arsenic contamination of groundwater
A briefing paper on "Arsenic Contamination of Ground Water - an exhaustive set of FAQs on key issues, it's causes, spread and technology available to mitigate the effects. Contains an exhaustive database of resource person and institution working in the area.
Making water everybody's business: practice and policy of water harvesting
This publication documents traditions, practices technologies and policies of water harvesting in the country. It also assesses state government efforts to deal with drought. The book has a clear message for the thirsty times ahead: Water must be made everybody's business.
Dying wisdom: the state of India's environment fourth citizen's report
Dying Wisdom: Rise, Fall and Potential of India's Traditional Water Harvesting System provides a comprehensive overview of India's millennia-old traditions of water harvesting. This book triggered a nationwide interest in community-based water management.
Tanks of South India
This book analyses the variations between and within tanks - in the distribution of water to different segments of the command and in productivity.
A water harvesting manual for urban areas: case studies from Delhi
This manual is built out of CSE's experience in providing technical advice to implement rainwater harvesting in the urban context.
A water harvesting manual for urban areas: case studies from Nairobi
This manual is built out of CSE's experience in providing technical advice to implement rainwater harvesting in the urban context.
Homicide by pesticides: what pollution does to our bodies
A series of articles discuss the effects of environmental pollution on public health.
Mileage: environmental rating of Indian automobile sector
In-depth Life Cycle Analysis of the environmental performance of major players in the Indian automobile sector. Also analyses technological issues, comaprative analysis of best practices with global players and recommends future outlook.
Environmental rating of Indian caustic-chlorine sector
An exhaustive life cycle analysis of players in the Indian caustic chlorine sector and its impact on environment. Deals extensively with the alarming issue of mercy pollution, its deadly effects. A comparative study with the global scenario.
Global Environmental Negotiations 1: green politics
Green Politics , the first in a series of publications on global environmental negotiations (GEN) provides a close analysis of important environment-related conventions and institutions from their origins, and demystifies the global politics behind 'saving the environment'. The book presents a first-ever comprehensive Southern perspective of the impact of global …
Global Environmental Negotiations 2: poles apart
The Global Environmental Negotiations (GEN) series provide information on environment-related treaties, negotiations and institutions. Poles Apart, the second in the series of books on the politics of global environmental governance (GEN). This book contains updates on the issues dealt within the first report, Green Politics . It contains new chapters …
The state of India's environment: the sixth citizens' report - rich lands poor people: is 'sustainable' mining possible?
This book is an attempt to document all the complexities of mining. While, it is true that mining is essential, it is not a simple 'dig and sell' proposition for a country like India. Its challenges are immense. The book gives an overview of these challenges - protection and preservation …
Sewage canal: how to clean the yamuna
Several crore rupess have been sunk into plans to clean up the Yamuna. The authorities have been busy chasing targets to fulfill these plans. But the river remains dirty. This book analyses the strategies adopted to clean up the Yamuna, one of India's holiest and dirtiest rivers.
How green is my School?: a do-it-yourself manual
This is the second edition of the manual and is designed as a self-learning and assessment tool so that teachers can work with students to audit their use of natural resources and to experiment with environment friendly practices. It is a learning programme for building a new generation of people …
Do-it-yourself: recycle and reuse wastewater
This is the second edition of the wastewater recycling manual. The manual presents real-life case studies of wastewater treatment methods adopted in various parts of India.
The Anil Agarwal reader (1)
The Anil Agarwal Reader collects in three volumes some of his writings on the environment. They range from the 1990s to the early years of this decade. The volumes showcase the intensity and acuity with which he engaged with the dominant concerns of the times. They are an essential introduction …
The Anil Agarwal reader (2)
The Anil Agarwal Reader collects in three volumes some of his writings on the environment. They range from the 1990s to the early years of this decade. The volumes showcase the intensity and acuity with which he engaged with the dominant concerns of the times. They are an essential introduction …
The Anil Agarwal reader (3)
The Anil Agarwal Reader collects in three volumes some of his writings on the environment. They range from the 1990s to the early years of this decade. The volumes showcase the intensity and acuity with which he engaged with the dominant concerns of the times. They are an essential introduction …
The state of India's environment: the first citizen's report
This report analyses the little understood relationship between development and environment, the impact of environmental degradation on individual, social groups, tribals and nomads. In many ways, this voluntary report on the state of the environment in India is a unique document. It is the product of an enormous participatory effort. …
The state of India's environment: the second citizen's report
This book describes major environmental changes in India. It's a balance sheet of India's resources and focuses attention on the effect of ecological degradation on the poor. The interesting thing in the second report is the information that is provides on the linkages that operate on what can be called …
The state of India's environment - floods, flood plains and environmental myths
This report remains one of the few chronicles of the ecological change taking place in the Indo-Gangetic plains - India's most densely populated area. Focussing on the recurrent problem of floods in this region and describes the nature of challenge posed by ecologically sound development and suggests new ways of …
The state of India's environment: the fifth citizens' report - part I: national overview
This book presents a national overview of the startling array of challenges faced by India - including pollution and waste generation. The book demonstrates how all natural resources, from land and forests to water and biodiversity, are under immense pressure and in turn, compounded poverty. Rapid industrial, agricultural and urban …
The state of India's environment: the fifth citizens' report - part II: statistical database
A comprehensive two-volume dossier on environmental issues, events, policies, practices and challenges in India, along with statistics on environment-related facts.
Global warming in an unequal world: a case of environmental colonialism
The idea that developing countries like India and China must share the blame for heating up the earth and destablising its climate, as espoused in a recent study published in the United States by the WRI in collaboration with the UN, is an excellent example of environmental colonialism. The report …
Slow murder: the deadly story of vehicular pollution in India
This report discusses the issue of smog and smog makers with shocking revelations on vehicular pollution.
Survival primer: Down to Earth special issue
This publication contains prominent articles collated from 200 issues of science and environment fortnightly, Down to Earth, from 1992 onwards.
The price of forests: proceedings of a seminar on the economics of the sustainable use of forest resources
This book constitutes the proceedings of a seminar on the economics of the sustainable use of forests resources was held in New Delhi in 1990. To deal with the various aspects of forest use and management, the seminar was divided into five sessions. The first session dealt with natural resource …
The fight for survival: people's action for environment
The main purpose of this book is to bring to the reader an idea of the nature of the struggles being waged to individuals and voluntary groups across the world, and especially in India, to protect the environment.
Towards green villages: a strategy for environmentally sound and participatory rural development
In India, recent micro-experiments clearly show that environmental regeneration is possible if native wisdom and local decision-making is respected. Towards Green Villages sets out an environmental improvement strategy that is based on real life experiences of grassroots work in which people have improved their environment together with their economy. Three …
The challenge of the balance: environmental economics in India - proceedings of the national environment and economic meeting
The number of institutions trying to integrate environmental concerns with economics is still small in India, especially given the size of the country and the diversity of its environmental problems and challenges, but a small beginning has already been made. This volume presents the proceedings of the national environment and …
Health links: a directory of experts on environmental health
This directory is divided into two sections - India and International. The first section contains information on environmental health specialists from India, whose names are listed in alphabetical order of the Indian States and Union territories in which their organisations belong. Similar information on international experts, indexed countrywise, is given …
Natural resource links: a directory of government institutions dealing with natural resources
This directory provides the addresses and names of concerned officers in government departments dealing with India's natural resources.
Water links: a directory of individuals and organisations involved in water harvesting in India and overseas
This is a directory which presents information about water harvesters and the work they are doing in different parts of India and abroad. It keeps people informed about water harvesting activities and experiences in different regions. It is a platform in print that helps experts and activists to get in …
Water links-2: a directory of individuals and organisations involved in water harvesting in India and overseas
This is a directory which presents information about water harvesters and the work they are doing in different parts of India and abroad. It keeps people informed about water harvesting activities and experiences in different regions. It is a platform in print that helps experts and activists to get in …
Drought? try capturing the rain
This paper presents the potential of rainwater harvesting for drought-proofing India's villages. It urges members of parliament and state legislative assemblies to ensure that the governments take up rainwater harvesting on a large scale to improve local food security. There is enough rainwater in every village of India to meet …
Our ecological footprint - think of your city as an ecosystem
Our Ecological Footprint: think of your city as an ecosystem - a book that aims to bring an environmental focus to mainstream education to make it more relevant. It helps teachers to: relook at the relationship between subjects in the curriculum and environment education; adopt methods of knitting its concepts …
The raindrop
"The Raindrop" is about a village near Chandigarh in Haryana. The book tells the story how this village was able to transform itself from a drought prone one to a food exporting one through community efforts and scientific watershed management.
Chipko
This book is about a people's movement to save their forests and trees. Chipko movement started in 1970s in the Chamoli district of Uttar Pradesh and saw active participation of women in the forefront.
The Chilika lake adventure
The book narrates the adventure of twelve-year-old twins Ishita and Sujai at the Chilika lake in Orissa. The book tells about the experiences of Ishita and Sujai with local fisher folk and their problems. It also talks degradation of the lake due silt and sewage and how the twins get …
Status of implementation of CNG as a fuel for urban buses in Delhi: findings, conclusions, recommendations
The first in the series of independent technical assessments by three CNG experts, this report provides a clear roadmap to help the government design appropriate policies, chart new action plans and re-orient strategies to implement the CNG programme in India's capital. Its release coincided with the introduction of CNG buses …
Safety of CNG buses in Delhi: findings and recommendations
This report examines new problems that have croppped up as a result of the unprecedented expansion in the scale of the CNG programme in Delhi. It pays special attention to inspection and safety norms, and includes various compliance procedures, institutional changes and training requirements to mitigate current and future safety …
The smokescreen of lies: myths and facts about CNG
The Supreme of India ruled on July 28, 1998 that all eight-year-old-buses and pre-1990 three-wheelers and taxis would have to be converted to CNG by March 31,2000. For the rest of the buses, three-wheelers and taxis, the deadline was fixed as March 31, 3001. This order, however, is getting to …
Engines of the devil: why dieselisation of private automobile fleet should be banned - the case of Delhi
This Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) monograph busted the myth that diesel is the fuel of the future and shows how harmful it is for the health. To understand the problem posed by diesel, it is necessary to understand the new information that has emerged over the last decade …
Joining the dots: the report of the tiger task force
The Tiger Task Force was set up because of a crisis
The state of forest report 2003
SFR 2003 comprises of seven chapters and a number of annexures. The introductory chapter gives historical information, highlights important features of the report, describes various concepts and explains several important terms used in this report. The chapter on forest cover describes methodology and results of forest cover assessment. The chapter …
Forests and wildlife statistics India 2004
The Ministry of of Environment and Forests had been bringing out forest statistics based on the data received from the States/UTs. Efforts have been made in the Ministry in obtaining and compiling the data from the States/UTs on important parameters relating to forestry and wildlife and bringing it out in …
Village voices, forest choices - joint forest management in India
This book offers the first comprehensive examination of revolutionary changes occurring in the management of India's forests. It also explores the historical roots of deforestat-ion, the alienation of tribal peoples, and their reentry into resource management. The institutional, economic, ecological, and political implications of this historic transition in forest control …
Root to canopy: regenerating forests through community-state partnerships
Root to Canopy: regenerating forests though community-state partnerships provides comprehensive coverage of the changes made in the Indian forestry sector during the last decade with respect to Joint Forest Management. The book covers the evolution of JFM in India, the experience of each state, and emerging issues.
Forgotten villages: the story of resettlement of villages from the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, Chikmagalur
Thirty kilometres from Chikmagalur in the southern Indian state of Karnataka lies the Bhadra tiger reserve. Here, the towering ridges of the western ghats wrap around a gently undulating landscape dissected by scores of streams and draped in the finest moist deciduous forests anywhere. These forests harbour on impressive assemblage …
Tigers in the wild
The tiger is threatened almost exclusively by human action. It can only be saved from early extinction if effective measures are taken to combat the threats listed in this document. The immediate threat to its survival is the growing demand for its part for use in oriental medicine. Thus, urgent …
A report on international summit on climate change: we cause global warming
In view of the far-reaching consequences of climate change in India, the festival, held by the Centre for Media Studies, has declared the theme for this year's festival as 'Climate Change' and will hold a one-day "International Summit on Climate Change" on 13 September. The summit will particularly focus on …
Multiple dimensions of global environmental change
Global environmental change (GEC) is among the most severe challenges facing mankind today. It is a suite of environmental change problems, climate change being the most studied of all. Global environment includes physical, chemical, and biological processes that are necessary for life-supporting services on the earth. No studies on a …
Do trees grow on money? the implications of deforestation research for policies to promote REDD
This report summarizes the key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, and the key policy options available to reduce the resulting carbon emissions. It reviews current deforestation rates and the associated issues related to monitoring forest-based carbon emissions and establishing baselines. The findings of research into the direct and underlying …
Reducing carbon emissions through community-managed forests in the himalaya
This book reports on the work carried out by the research project 'Kyoto: think global act local", which aims to bring local sustainable forest management projects under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The book draws on work carried since 2003 at three sites in India and Nepal. In India, …
Environmental laws: implementation problems and perspectives - policy and process, role of courts, role of people and NGOs
This book endeavours to provide a relatively complete, comprehensive and valid account and analysis of problems of implementation of environmental laws in India. The approach of the book is to look into the problems with the comprehensiveness of both substantive and procedural aspects of environmental laws. The book contains all …
Climate change and its implications: which way now?
The impact of climate change on the world of today and the future is undeniable. Stipulated emission reduction targets for developed countries are still too modest under the Kyoto Protocol and the US, the world's largest polluter remains outside the agreement. The scientific community warns that a global coordinated response …
Drought-management considerations for climate-change adaptation: focus on the Mekong Region
This study considers some aspects of the recent droughts in the Mekong region and tries to discover what could be the reasons behind them and how best they could be mitigated. The study has yielded valuable information about how communities perceive drought and climate change, and how local governments and …
Biofuels and implications for agricultural water use: blue impacts of green energy
Rising energy prices, geopolitics and concerns over the impacts of green house gas emissions on climate change are increasing the demand for biofuel production. This paper explores the land and water implications of increased biofuel production globally and with special focus on these two important countries, using the WATERSIM model. …
Negotiating the transfer and acquisition of project-based carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol
This book concentrates on transactions involving forward carbon credits, in other words transactions where the parties to a contract agree to buy or sell carbon credits to be generated and delivered in the future. As a result, it does not deal either with transactions involving carbon credits already issued for …
A climate of injustice: global inequality, north-south politics, and climate policy
The global debate over who should take action to address climate change is extremely precarious, as diametrically opposed perceptions of climate justice threaten the prospects for any long-term agreement. Poor nations fear limits on their efforts to grow economically and meet the needs of their own people, while powerful industrial …
The economics of biodiversity conservation: valuation in tropical forest ecosystems
Economic valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services is possibly the most powerful tool for halting the loss of biodiversity while maintaining incomes and livelihoods. Yet rarely have such approaches been applied to tropical forest "hotspots", which house the vast majority of the planet's plant and animal species. This groundbreaking work …
Rainwater harvesting: a new concept to utilize rainwater and secure the future
The present book on rainwater harvesting, is the perfect guide where detailed plans for adopting very economical rain water harvesting schemes for houses of different types is given.
Mangroves and their environment: with emphasis on mangroves in Gujarat
Gujarat state has the longest coastline and stands second in mangrove area coverage among all the states of the country. Moreover, recent incidents of tsunami has strengthened the importance of mangroves as a shelterbelt which reduce the impact. This publication provides the insight into the history of mangrove forests, their …
The food processing industry in India: challenges and opportunities for investment and trade
India Development Foundation funded by the British High Commission, carried out this study on challenges to investments and trade in five sectors of agri-business in India - dairy, horticulture, oilseeds, wheat milling, and poultry. This report attempts at answering some questions and showcases some successful cases where players in select …
Hindon river: gasping for breath - a paper on river pollution
This study evaluates the presence and extent of toxic pollutants within surface and groundwater resources of the Hindon river catchment. The devastating impacts of this contamination of water resources of the health of those living within the catchment is highlighted.
Groundwater in Karnataka
This book gives a brief outline of the general principles governing the occurrence of groundwater in a predominantly hard-rock terrain of Karnataka and indicates the extent of this resource. It is intended to serve as an introduction to groundwater hydrology of the State and be of assistance to all those …
The way of the tiger: natural history and conservation of the endangered big cat
"The way of the Tiger" is an outstanding primer; it is a scientist's explanation - to a popular audience - of the natural history and conservation of one of the planet's most charismatic animals.Tigers have inspired human cultures through the ages with their power and beauty. The author-whose path breaking …
Democratizing nature: politics, conservation, and development in India
This book explores two principal contradictions in environmental politics in India--between conservation and large-scale development projects, and between short-term electoral politics and long-term imperatives of environmental conservation. The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh, north-western India, is home to the western Tragopan--an endangered pheasant. It shares its habitat …
Carbon trading: a critical conversation on climate change, privatisation and power
This publication takes a broad look at several dimensions of carbon trading. It analyses the problems arising from the emerging global carbon market pertaining to the environment, social justice and human rights, and investigates climate mitigation alternatives. It provides a short history of carbon trading and discusses a number of …
Shifting agriculture and sustainable development in North-Eastern India: tradition in transition
This research initiative in Arunachal Pradesh is a build-up on the first phase of studies in the north-east that led to the publication of an earlier UNESO-sponsored MAB book series, entitled "shifting agriculture and sustainable development: an interdisciplinary study from North-East India". Emphasising upon linking knowledge systems, this volume expands …
Water under threat
This richly documented book asks the major questions about the enormously important political and geo-strategic issue of water. Does water have a price? Is it a right or a need? Is there a water crisis? Will wars be fought over water? Should we be worried about water pollution? Can the …
Strengthening institutions for sustainable growth: country environment analysis for India
The study highlights the importance of strengthening institutions for environment management in sustaining and accelerating India's strong growth performance. Specifically, it analyzes and identifies opportunities in institutional development and capacity building measures to strengthen monitoring and enforcement of environmental compliance and enhances environmental performance in the three major sectors: power, …
Restoring Daurala: mitigating industrial pollution
This report highlights the environmental degradation at Daurala town in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, as a result of heavy metals contamination within agricultural soils. The report focused n the resulting serious adverse impacts on the health and well being of the local residents due to the leaching of these heavy …
Compilation of papers for preparation of national status report on forests and forestry in India
The forestry sector in India is being re-defined with a growing emphasis on poverty alleviation and livelihood opportunities, while at the same time ensuring sustainable management and use of forest resources. The current trend in forest management is towards greater people's participation and involvement of the multi-stakeholders dependent on the …
Water: private, limited - issues in privatisation, corporatisation and commercialisation of water sector in India
This booklet attempts to present: key issues in privatisation and commercialisation of water; global experiences of the promises and practices of privatisation, an overview of privatisation projects in the country, a broad picture of the commercialisation of the water sector under the reforms program, impacts of privatisation and commercialisation and …
Rocks and hard places: the globalization of mining
This book by an experienced activist and researcher depicts the changing world of international mining. Mineral consumption is outstripping the capacities of both communities and fragile ecosystems to cope with bigger and bigger mines. This book identifies mining's key players. It shows where the key minerals are mined, who processes …
Sustainable forestry development through community participation in India: criteria andindicators approach
The Indian Institute of Forest Management has taken up a ITTO sponsored project on operationalisation of sustainable forestry development with community participation (following the C&I approach) in eight forest divisions in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. This document is a pioneer attempt to workout sustainability index based on …
Report of sub-committee on more crop and income per drop of water
Irrigation water security is vital both for livelihood and food security. While the country has made large investments in the augmentation of water supply, there have been no commensurate efforts in the management of demand and in the promotion of efficient and economic water use. This report draws attention to …
Stories from the Asia water wire
The book is a compilation of articles written in 2005 and 2006 as part of a series about water and development. Most of the stories in the Asia Water Wire are the product of reporting on the ground by local journalists, many of whom attended a series of water workshops …
The impact of sea level rise on developing countries: a comparative analysis
Sea level rise (SLR) due to climate change is a serious global threat. The scientific evidence is now overwhelming. Continued growth of greenhouse gas emissions and associated global warming could well promote SLR of 1m-3m in this century, and unexpectedly rapid breakup of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets …
India's water resources: contemporary issues on irrigation
Based on extensive empirical and analytical research, this collection brings together A. Vaidyanathan's recent work on water resources management in India in a multidisciplinary perspective. The volume discusses the agro-climatic context, irrigation and agricultural technology, legal-institutional arrangements, and the economic environment. Rejecting the proposal of river interlinking, Vaidyanathan builds a …
Global environmental governance: a reform agenda
Global Environmental Governance (GEG) is the sum of organizations, policy instruments, financing mechanisms, rules, procedures and norms that regulate the processes of global environmental protection. Since environmental issues entered the international agenda in the early 1970s, global environmental politics and policies have been developing rapidly. This book identifies a number …
India: unlocking opportunities for forest-dependent people - Volume I: main report
Forestry is the second largest land-use in India after agriculture, and an estimated 275 million people in rural areas depend on forests for at least part of their livelihoods. This study focusing mainly on community-based forestry outside protected areas, indicates that forests offer vast potential for poverty reduction and rural …
India: unlocking opportunities for forest-dependent people - Volume II: Appendixes
Forestry is the second largest land-use in India after agriculture, and an estimated 275 million people in rural areas depend on forests for at least part of their livelihoods. This study focusing mainly on community-based forestry outside protected areas, indicates that forests offer vast potential for poverty reduction and rural …
Meeting the MDG drinking water and sanitation target : the urban and rural challenge of the decade
This report provides estimates of drinking water and sanitation coverage in 2004, by country and MDG region. It shows how many people have gained access since the MDG baseline year (1990) and identifies the challenges to meet the MDG drinking water and sanitation target over the coming decade. It compares …
Climate change, competitiveness and trade
This report considers the implications of the Kyoto Protocol on competitiveness and addresses the WTO-compatibility of measures to offset competitive losses. From the outset the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have had to contend with perceived tension between effective action to slow climate change …
Restoring nature's capital: an action agenda to sustain ecosystem services
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is a ground-breaking study on how humans have altered ecosystems, and how changes in ecosystem services affect human well-being, both now and in the future. Integrating findings at the local, regional, global scales and from alternative intellectual traditions, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment presents a stark …
The climate of poverty: facts, fears and hope
This report offers the vision of a different future - a revolution in development thinking that could see poor regions using renewable energy to power a new and clean era of prosperity. The report analysis focuses on sub-Saharan Africa - which has the highest concentration of the world's poorest people. …
Remaining drops: freshwater resources - a global issue
Water resources are vital to all human activities from basic survival to the most complex industrial production. In recent years, a broad set of national and international water issues has begun to receive significant attention. This paper provides a snapshot of current global water issues, assesses the water-related risks and …
Water quality for ecosystem and human health
This document is intended to provide an overview of the major components of surface and ground water quality and how these relate to ecosystem and human health. Local, regional, and global assessments of water quality monitoring data are used to illustrate key features of aquatic environments, and to demonstrate how …
The political wilderness: India's tiger crisis
Three sub-species of tigers have become extinct this century - without a whisper - and only five remain. As India is home to two thirds of the world population of tigers, this report stands as a plea to act to reverse the rapid loss of India's wildlife and forests.
The tiger call
In this century alone, three sub-species of tiger were driven into extinction, the Bali, Javan and Caspian. Tragically, the other five sub-species are at risk of meeting the same fate. The tiger faces on onslaught of illegal killing throughout its range, and its forest habitat is disappearing at an alarming …
The big cat cover up: the truth behind the Indian tiger crisis
This report has clearly shown that a tiger crisis exists today, and that unless drastic action is taken, India will lose its tigers.
The state of the tiger
There have been hundreds of statements made about the future of the tiger over the last few years in India and around the world. Millions of dollars have been spent on conferences, expert meetings and the bureaucracies that support them. Presidents, Prime Ministers and politicians in many parts of the …
Eliciting public support for wildlife conservation: report of the task force
The Task Force was set up in pursuance of the recommendations of the Indian Board for Wildlife and its standing committee at their meetings held on 9th February 1981 and 1st July 1982, respectively. The term 'wildlife' as globally understood, denotes all uncultivated forms of flora and fauna and has …
A review of project tiger, 1993
All in all project tiger faces a new set of serious problems. Project tiger saved the tiger from extinction in the nick of time but over 20 years it is clear that expanding human populations, a new way of life based on alien models, and the resultant effect on natural …
Project Tiger: status report
Project Tiger has been the first major conservation scheme in India. It has gone through phases of vex and vane. All eyes are set on the fate of charismatic tiger. Every possible effort is being made to save the tiger in spite of various odds. Ironically, demand for tiger parts …
Report of the committee on prevention of illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products
Ministry of Environment and Forests constituted on May 24, 1994, a committee to look into the issues relating to illegal trade in wildlife species. The committee was requested to look into the issues related to the illegal trade in wildlife and suggest ways and means to improve the existing control …
Protection of nature parks: whose business?
This publication presents the proceedings of a debate on the state of the national parks and sanctuaries, and whether the people living in and around these protected areas should be involved in their management or not.
The curse of the white gold: the Aral sea crisis
This publication focusses on the Aral Sea crisis - the result of economic processes set in motion by the planners of the erstwhile Soviet Union in the 1950s. It is one of the biggest ecological disasters, second only to Chernobyl, leading to a total collapse of the socio-economic life of …
The impact of policies to control motor vehicle emissions in Mumbai, India
This paper examines the impacts of measures to reduce emissions from passenger transport; specifically, buses, cars and two-wheelers. These include the possibility of converting diesel buses to compressed natural gas (CNG), as the Indian Supreme Court required in Delhi, which would necessitate an increase in bus fares to cover the …
The emissions game: how markets can help save the planet
This report gives a detailed account of emissions trading schemes and their potential for environmental mitigation and profit generation. The authors cover the U.S. acid rain program, the Kyoto protocol and its clean development mechanism, the European Union emissions trading scheme, climate exchanges, China's pilot programs, and the possibility of …
Fostering sustainable forest management in India through criteria and indicators: the country report
Sustainable forest management has become the necessity for any country to mitigate the environmental consequences and address the local concern. It has been an established fact that the sustainable development can be achieved through sustainable forest management. This country report is an attempt to compile and analyse the relevant data …
Bringing sustainability to drinking water systems in rural India
A number of dimensions and resources need to be converged for preparing a roadmap to sustainability. The most critical among these are technical know-how, human capital and financial resources. This document is an effort towards presenting a basic framework for the mobilization of these resources and dimensions. The document has …
Climate change and foreign policy: an exploration of options for greater integration
This report explores ways in which an integrated climate change-foreign policy approach might improve prospects for a more effective global climate change regime. Such a regime would cover actions to mitigate or adapt to climate change in the near and long term and be characterized by an international agreement that …
Energy revolution: a sustainable world energy outlook
This publication provides stimulating analysis on future scenarios of energy use, which focus on a range of technologies that are expected to emerge in the coming years and decades. There is now universal recognition of the fact that new technologies and much greater use of some that already exist provide …
Manual on artificial recharge of ground water
This manual deals with various aspects of artificial recharge of ground water including planning of artificial recharge schemes, artificial recharge techniques and design of structures, monitoring of augmented water levels and water quality, economic evaluation of recharge projects and issues related to operation and maintenance of artificial recharge structures. Roof …
Waternama: a collection of traditional practices for water conservation and management in Karnataka
This book is a unique compilation of different water conservation and management practices that have traditionally been used in the state of Karnataka. Each practice is simple, low-cost and in harmony with the local conditions. Based on the knowledge drawn from within the community, each article not only documents the …
Energy and climate change
This study looks at trends in GHG emissions in different regions across the world, and analyses the major drivers. It provides an overview of the policies, strategies and measures being adopted and planned worldwide to combat climate change. It compares the different approaches adopted in different regions and the reasons …
Air pollution control in the transportation sector
This report first introduces the background and objectives of the third phase research of the urban environment project on the transportation sector. It provides an overview of transport and environment in Asian cities. It illustrates the rationale of the scoping of focus policy areas and selection of case studies. It …
Adapting to climate change in urban areas: the possibilities and constraints in low- and middle-income nations
This paper discusses the possibilities and constraints for adaptation to climate change in urban areas in low and middle-income nations. These contain a third of the world's population and a large proportion of the people and economic activities most at risk from sea-level rise and from the heatwaves, storms and …
Decentralisation and state-sponsored community forestry in Asia
This study examines two major transitions in forest governance - decentralisation and state-sponsored (formal) community forestry - with respect to whether they are opening spaces for communities to contribute to sustainable forest management. The study consists of an introductory chapter and seven individual country studies - India, Nepal, Cambodia, the …
Climate policy uncertainty and investment risk
This book identifies how climate change policy uncertainty may affect investment behaviour in the power sector. For power companies, where capital stock is intensive and long-lived, those risks rank among the biggest and can create an incentive to delay investment. The analysis results show that the risk premiums of climate …
On the brink? a report on climate change and its impact in Kashmir
On the Brink? A Report on Climate Change and Its Impact in Kashmir documents the disappearance of many small glaciers from the region's mountains, the western Himalayas. The report warns that receding Himalayan glaciers could jeopardize water supplies for hundreds of millions of people. Other climate-related changes include rising sea …
Groundwater irrigation in North India: institutions and markets
This paper analyzes the institutions and markets that govern groundwater allocation in the sugarcane belt of Uttar Pradesh, India, using primary plot-level data from a village which shares the typical features of this region. Electricity powers tubewell pumps, and its erratic supply translates into randomness in irrigation volumes. The paper …
Pesticide use in the rice bowl of Kerala: health costs and policy options
This study examines pesticide use in Kuttanad, India an ecologically sensitive area often referred to as the rice bowl of Kerala. Using primary data collected from pesticide applicators and farm labor, the study assesses short-term health costs associated with pesticide exposure. The study finds that the toxicity level and dose …
Valuation of urban air pollution: a case study of Kanpur city in India
This study estimates the monetary benefits to individuals from health damages avoided as a result on reductions in air pollution in the urban industrial city of Kanpur in India. A notable feature of this study is that it uses data from weekly health-diaries collected from three seasons. For measuring monetary …
Managing water resources: policies, institutions, and technologies
Conflicts over water are a grim reality today, and this volume traces the reasons for these conflicts from the micro to the global level. The essays look at how the cumulative effect of gross negligence and mismanagement of water resources over the years have created water scarcity. They point out …
Stolen forests
Stolen forests is a book of images and critical text about the state of the forests of Bangladesh. Author Philip Gain has been through the forests in hills, coast and plains at different times for about two decades. This book reflects his predilection for images of forests; and to him …
Water and free trade: a social vision of water
Very few water experts are aware that water resources and water services can be subject to the terms of investment and trade agreements. In fact, free trade agreements can blur the boundaries of national jurisdiction and the control of water resources and public utilities, often producing negative social and economic …
Forests, people and power: the political ecology of reform in South Asia
In recent decades 'participatory' approaches to forest management have been introduced around the world. This book assesses their implementation in the highly politicized environments of India and Nepal. The authors critically examine the policy, implementation processes and causal factors affecting livelihood impacts. Considering narratives and field practice, using data from …
The economics of climate change: the Stern review
There is now clear scientific evidence that emissions from economic activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels for energy, are causing changes to the Earth's climate. A sound understanding of the economics of climate change is needed in order to underpin an effective global response to this challenge. The Stern …
Water conflicts in India: a million revolts in the making
Water conflicts in India have now percolated to every level. They are aggravated by the relative paucity of frameworks, policies and mechanisms to govern the use of water resources. This book brings together an impressive sixty-three case studies summarized status of the conflicts, the issues involved and their current position …
Managing South Asia's waters
This study examines the problems of water resource management in South Asia, including policy approaches, resource sharing, and water quality issues.
Ground water
This book introduces to the reader all aspects of ground water i.e., its assessment, development, utilisation and management. Practical application of different formulate for field conditions, data collection and processing, test procedures and principles of design are worked out to illustrate the theory and design procedure. It includes case studies …
Groundwater hydrology
This book represents an effort to make available a unified presentation of groundwater hydrology. It presupposes only a background of mathematics through calculus and an elementary knowledge of geology.
Hydrology: principles, analysis, design
In this book, there is a departure from empiricism and the emphasis is on the collection of data and analysis of the hydrological factors involved and promote hydrological design on sound principles and understanding of the science, for conservation and utilisation of water resources. Hydrological designs may be made by …
Towards a sustainable automotive industry: experiences from the development of emission control systems
From the mid-1970s and on, the contribution to air pollution of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from gasoline passenger cars in the developed world has been reduced through co-evolution of regulation and commercial introduction of catalytic emission control technology, now part of hundreds of millions of cars, trucks and …
Action tiger: tiger action plans of 12 tiger range countries
As an animal high on popularity charts, the tiger has fascinated and awed generations for centuries. However, with its range confined to 14 Asian countries today, its distribution has more than halved and so have its numbers. With the tiger facing a serious challenge in its entire distribution range, the …
Local approaches for a global water revolution: a case study of communal water management in Ladakh, India
The mismanagement of water is one of the most pressing development problems of the day. This research argues that, in some circumstances, an often-neglected form of water management, communal property management, can offer a viable solution to this problem. India has a rich history of traditional water management. Within India, …
Participatory forest management in South Asia: a comparative analysis of policies, institutions and approaches
Several participatory forest management approaches have emerged in different countries in South Asia in the effort to develop an effective institutional framework and mechanisms for the management of forest resources. These different approaches have different features, characteristics, and degrees of participation by local forest users, and thus different implications for …
Evaluating tiger habitat at the tehsil level
This report describes the current and recent past geographical range of the tiger. It provides spatial data on tiger distribution at the tehsil level and its associated landscape characterization; a precursor for land use planning incorporating conservation concerns and priorities.
Illegal logging: law enforcement, livelihoods and the timber trade
Illegal logging is massively widespread - more than 50 per cent of all timber in some countries - and hugely damaging, yet how can it be tackled without causing poverty in local communities? Written by the world's foremost experts, this book examines the key issues including law and enforcement, supply …
India's dam shame: why polavaram dam must not be built
Polavaram dam is an extravagant waste of public money that will provide little benefit to few people. It will set the state of Andhra Pradesh back for decades and may prevent Andhra Pradesh sharing in the economic prosperity experienced by the rest of India. This booklet argues that the Polavaram …
Energy cooperation in South Asia
Energy cooperation in South Asia presents tremendous potential for the development of regional resources in an integrated manner by exploiting the complementarities and optimal utilisation of available resources. Much will depend on how South Asia benefits from its proximity to south western and central Asia to meet its gas and …
Lessons from forest decentralization: money, justice and the quest for good governance in Asia-Pacific
The decentralization of control over the vast forests of the world is moving at a rapid pace with both positive and negative ramifications for people and forests themselves. Fresh research from a host of Asia-Pacific countries presents rich and varied experience with decentralization and provides important lessons for other regions. …
Governance of water: institutional alternatives and political economy
Governance of Water: Institutional Alternatives and Political Economy is a timely, relevant book that makes a case for reforming water governance in India through not only re-orientating policy priorities and approaches, but also restructuring the institutional framework away from the state and village dichotomy. The book argues that a possible …
State of the rivers in India: a seminar report
Indian rivers account for major source of freshwater supplies in the country. They are revered around the country. The competing demand for freshwater due to development pressure and population growth coupled with encroachments over river beds, indiscriminate pollution, general neglect and people-river disconnect are taking its toll on these lifelines. …
The politics of water resource development in India: the narmada dams controversy
This book is about the politics of water resource development management in India, with special reference to the Narmada river water dispute. The author draws on a wealth of studies on Narmada as also his own research to analyse the controversy from the perspective of a political scientists. Given the …
Participatory monitoring in tropical forest management: a review of tools, concepts and lessons learned
This book reviews recent experiences in participatory monitoring in tropical forest management and summarizes the concepts and lessons learned. It discusses impacts, challenges, and shortcomings of participatory monitoring and presents a matrix of case studies, methods and tools as a quick reference guide. Finally it provides recommendations for future directions …
Jalyatra: exploring India's traditional water management systems
Water shortage and the poor quality of water available for human consumption and agricultural purposes are problems that plague urban as well as rural India. This book examines traditional structures and systems of water use.
International trade and climate change: Economic, legal, and institutional perspectives
This book is one of the first comprehensive attempts to look at the synergies between climate change and trade objectives from economic, legal, and institutional perspectives. It addresses an important policy question - how changes in trade policies and international cooperation on trade policies can help address global environmental spillovers, …
Climate change as a security risk
This publication summarizes the state-of-the-art of science on the subject of 'Climate Change as a Security Risk'. It is based on the findings of research into environmental conflicts, the causes of war, and of climate impact research. It appraises past experience but also ventures to cast a glance far into …
Traffic and transportation policies and strategies in urban areas in India: final report
The transportation modes in Indian cities are multifarious with varying capacity and widely varying sizes and speeds. The objectives of this study are: to evolve alternative urban transport development policies and strategies at national, sate and city levels covering infrastructure development, traffic management, control and enforcement, public transport development and …
Impact of climate change on himalayan galciers and glacial lakes:case studies on GLOF and associated hazards in Nepal and Bhutan
This study investigates the impact of climate change on glaciers and glacial lakes in two major glacial hotspots in the Himalayas: the Dudh Koshi sub-basin in the Khumbu-Everest region in Nepal, and the Pho Chu sub-basin in Bhutan. The focus was on changes in the number and size of glacial …
India's dam shame: why polavaram dam must not be built
Polavaram dam is an extravagant waste of public money that will provide little benefit to few people. It will set the state of Andhra Pradesh back for decades and may prevent Andhra Pradesh sharing in the economic prosperity experienced by the rest of India. This booklet argues that the Polavaram …
Impact of special economic zones on employment, poverty and human development
This study aims at examining the impact of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) on human development and poverty reduction in India. It identifies three channels through which SEZs address these issues: employment generation, skill formation (human capital development), and technology and knowledge upgradation. It examines how the impact of SEZs is …
Deliberative ecological economics
This volume is part of the series Ecological Economics and Human Well-being that offers the best and most recent work in the transdisciplinary field of ecological economics, whose focus is the study of the relationship between economic activity and environmental sustainability. Founded on the idea that democracy and value diversity …
Shades of green
This book contains case studies of selected Natural Resource Management projects implemented by the partners of Caritas India. Promotion of natural resource management is a proactive and long-term strategy of Caritas India. Caritas India evolved an environment policy that focuses on protection, preservation and conservation of natural resources like land, …
Reforming Indian agriculture: towards employment generation and poverty reduction
This book discusses the past performance and present status of the agricultural sector in India and delineates the challenges faced by it in the era of economic reforms. The effectiveness of some of the existing schemes for agricultural development (price support, credit, marketing, rural/agricultural development experiences) in devising appropriate intervention …
Understanding environmental issues
This book explains, clearly and concisely, the science and social science necessary to understand environmental issues, using learning outcomes, text boxes, tables and figures throughout to make complex ideas accessible and relevant. It describes in section one the philosophies, values, politics, and technologies which contribute to the production of environmental …
Hydrology of small watersheds
Planning and development of small watersheds calls for rigorous understanding about the occurrence and movement of water in the surface and sub-surface systems along with soil and nutrient losses in a small watershed. Realizing the importance of the problem and gaps in understanding small watershed hydrology in Indian catchments due …
India - rich agriculture: poor farmers
This book proposes to present design of income policy for farmers suiting India's over populated rural sector. The profile of the farms and the farmers is presented to understand the structure of the farm economy and type of farmers for whom the income policy is designed. It also looks into …
Brick by brick: the Herculean task of cleaning up the Asian brick industry
The Asian brick industry is a huge economic sector employing many millions of people and consuming sizeable amounts of energy, mostly in the form of coal and firewood. It is a very conservative and change-resistant industry, especially in South Asia, but has a very interesting potential for change. If it …
Corporate accountability and sustainable development
This volume is part of the series Ecological Economics and Human Well-being that offers outstanding recent work in the transdisciplinary field of ecological economics, whose focus is the study of the relationship between economic activity and environmental sustainability. Recent decades have witnessed a profound transformation in regulatory regimes that shape …
Water to the people: drinking water and water for livelihoods
Access to water and control over it is not only a matter of survival but an issue of democratic participation of all citizens in the management of their country's natural resources, particularly as conflicts over water increase. This collection of case studies offers insights into promising attempts and successful models …
Irrigation management transfer: strategies and best practices
This book is a synthesis of strategies and best practices adopted by various countries in irrigation management transfer. It identifies key concerns such as water user associations' structure and functions, financial mobilization and constraints, repair and maintenance of physical structures, operation of canal systems, capacity building and monitoring mechanisms. It …
Reducing air pollution from urban transport: companion
This book intends to assist in the design of appropriate strategies for controlling the impacts of urban air pollution, from mobile sources. It considers only the direct air impacts of surface transport, excluding aviation, marine transport, non-road vehicles (such as bulldozers and mining equipment), noise pollution, habitat fragmentation, and waste …
Disaster preparedness for natural hazards: current status in India
This book is one of four reports intended to provide a quick overview of the current status of disaster preparedness planning in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan including the documents, plans, and legal instruments in place and the institutions governing their implementation. It includes a summary of the conclusions of …
Disaster preparedness for natural hazards: current status in Bangladesh
This book is one of four reports intended to provide a quick overview of the current status of disaster preparedness planning in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan including the documents, plans, and legal instruments in place and the institutions governing their implementation. It includes a summary of the conclusions of …
Human development index Rajasthan
This book presents the spatio-temporal and gender appraisal Human Development Index (HDI) of all the 237 Panchayat Samitis of Rajasthan. Interpreting spatial distribution pattern of HD at Panchayat Samiti Level, it provides temporal appraisal of HDI in two points of time: 1991 and 2001. It also presents gender appraisal of …
Human health and forests: a global overview of issues, practice and policy
Hundreds of millions of people live and work in forests across the world. One vital aspect of their lives, yet largely unexamined, is the challenge of protecting and enhancing the unique relationship between the health of forests and the health of people. This book is the first comprehensive introduction to …
Poverty alleviation and pro-poor growth in India
This book seeks to evaluate India's poverty reduction strategy by analysing the pro-poorness of policies and programmes in terms of resources allocation, governance and implementation. Equally importantly, it also tries to assess the pro-poorness of economic growth in terms of the conventional indicators and examines if there has been a …
Environment and agriculture
Agriculture plays a significant role in the Indian economy. Food production in India has increased from 51 MT in 1950-51 to 204.6 MT in 2004. While Green Revolution has been one of the greatest success stories of India with its dramatic impact on food security, environmental concerns have been growing …
Concepts in wildlife management
This book is first of its kind to embody subjects like wildlife conservation and management, ethical, ecological and recreational importance of wildlife, endangered flora and fauna of India, wildlife zones, special conservation schemes on tiger, elephant, lion, musk deer, brow antler, crocodile, great Indian bustard etc., protection of orchid and …
Pesticide residues in food and drinking water: human exposure and risks
This book describes the issues surrounding pesticide residues in food and drinking water and, in particular, the issues associated with human exposure and consumer risk assessment. In broad terms, consumer risk assessment encompasses three areas of scientific disciplines
The pesticide detox: towards a more sustainable agriculture
Since the 1960s, the world's population has more than doubled and agricultural production per person has increased by a third. Yet this growth in production has masked enormous hidden costs arising from widespread pesticide use - massive ecological damage and high incidences of farmer poisoning and chronic health effects. Whereas …
India: an illustrated atlas of tribal world
This atlas provides a comprehensive picture on the distribution of 418 tribal communities all over India. In addition, a brief account of major tribes of the states or union territories has been discussed highlighting their major concentration, language spoken them, social organisation, traditional primary occupation, religion and education.
Green architecture: design for a sustainable future
This book provides a balanced international overview of the way forward, showing how choice of materials and construction processes, response to landscape and climate, and - not to be forgotten - the involvement of users, can together solve environmental problems and produce a diverse architecture to suit human and regional …
Climate responsive architecture: a design handbook for energy efficient buildings
This book envisages to re-create the process by way of which buildings and entire habitats can be designed to respond to nature with climate as the basic parameter of design. It discusses the methodology of design, design tools, latest developments in energy efficient architecture and materials, and is suitably aided …
Fish curry and rice: a source book on Goa, its ecology and life-style
Fish curry and rice is designed to teach, to provoke and to stimulate people--young and old--not just to discover the astonishing beautives of Goa's diverse ecosystems, but to delight in its life-style as well. This volume tells all: Goa's natural history, agriculture, eco-traditions, biodiversity, sand dune and mangrove ecosystems, wildlife …
Punjab human development report 2004
Punjab is at a more advanced stage of development than most other Indian states. However, the remarkable achievements of the state have not been equitable. Amidst prosperity, pockets of deprivation remain among sections and areas. This report is an important research-cum-policy document, which focuses on the current levels of achievement, …
Joint management of protected areas in India (report of a workshop)
The Workshop on Exploring the Possibilities of Joint Management of Protected Areas in India was held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, on 1-3 September 1994. This report is based on notes taken by the organisers and rapporteurs at the workshop, as also on the taped proceedings.
Community forest management in protected areas: van gujjars proposal for the Rajaji area
This book outlines the first alternative management plan proposed for the protecte areas of India. It provides both a general mode of community forest management in protected areas, and specific proposals for implementation in the proposed Rajaji national park. It is based on the expertise of the Van Gujjars and …
A report for an ecodevelopment project at eight sites under project tiger
The present framework for NGO involvement and environment education is based on a background of visits to a large number of PAs over the last tow decades and recent visits to TRs with a more specific purpose of focusing atentionon these issues. Talking to local people, field staff of the …
Report of the committee for recommending legislative measures and administrative machinery for ensuring environmental protection
This report examines the adequacy of the existing administrative, legal and institutional arrangements for protecting the environmental aspects.
The state of forest report 1989
This report presents forest cover situation in the country based on the visual interpretation of landsat imagery pertaining to the period 1985-87.
Fencing the forests: conservation and ecological change in India's central provinces 1860-1914
Fencing the Forest: Conservation and Ecological Change in India's Central Provinces 1860-1914 draws on archival and printed sources to shed new light on the ecological dimensions of the colonial impact on South Asia. The changing responses of rural forest users and the fortunes of the land they lived on are …
Who will save the wild tiger?
This paper argues that tiger conservation is, ultimately, an issue of incentives. Command-and-control prescriptions for saving the tiger have largely failed because the people who actually determine the destiny of wild tigers have few incentives to save them. If environmentalists are to succeed in saving the wild tiger from extinction, …
India-ecodevelopment project preappraisal mission
This project would conserve biodiversity by implementing the ecodevelopment stratey in and around eight protected areas (PAs) and would also include support for preparing future biodiversity projects.
Tiger conservation through ecodevelopment: a conceptual framework
Protection of the tiger has become an international slogan, especially with the initiation of the Global Tiger Forum, in New Delhi, in 1993. However, the apathy of most governments towards nature and natural resources, and the machinations of various commercial and industrial interest groups are major obstacles to the protection …
Brief note on Pench tiger reserve, Seoni
The Pench tiger reserve is named after the Pench river which flows from north to south through the park. This river constitutes the district boundary of Seoni and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh in the upper region and state boundry with Maharashtra state in the lower region. This area became …
Biodiversity conservation through ecodevelopment
This indicative plan has based on the work of field/park directors and their colleagues in the eight protected areas, and of various non-governmental organisations involved in carrying out PRA in the proposed project area. The final output has benefit greatly from the inputs of the various national consultants and consulting …
17th Indian livestock census: all India summary report
This report provides detailed data of the seventeenth livestock census. It consists of twenty-nine sub reoirts i.e. one all India, twenty eight state reports and one report covering all UTs. Each report provides corresponding data of livestock, poultry, fishery and agricultural implements further divided into rural/urban and total.
Devolution as a threat to democractic decision-making in forestry? findings from three states in India
This paper looks at two interfacing trends shaping devolution of forest management in India: appropriation of space for forest management by diverse self-initiated community formations at the grass roots level despite state seizure of forests; and state-driven devolution where government policies define the scope of local authority in forest management. …
Mammals of India
This collection of illustrations is the first of that dream series. It contains 125 scientifically accurate and artistically appealing drawings, comparable with the best in the world, of the mammals of India.
The future of Indian forest management: into the twenty-first century
It is increasingly evident that without the commitment and cooperation of forest-dependent communities, the forests of India will remain in jeopardy. A conerted effort must now be made to regenerate forest ecosystems. Forest departments, communities, NGOs, research and academic institutions, and other government agencies must come together and mobilize resources …
Ensuring `collective action' in `participatory' forest management
This paper is based on three case studies, each belonging to one of the three types of institutional structures: self-initiated, NGO-promoted, and government sponsored JFM. The basic objectives of three instutitional structures have been strengthening ecological security and meeting the subsistence biomass needs of the local people.
Status of forest villages relocated from Kanha national park - a case study
Kanha national park falls in the Balaghat and Mandla districts of Madhya Pradesh. Located in the Maikal ranges of the Satpuras, the park is internationally renowned forits rich floral and faunal attributes. The national park has distinguished itself in saving the endangered hard ground barasingha from extinction and has the …
A conservation strategy for Maharashtra's biodiversity based on ecodevelopment, with special reference to Melghat tiger reserve
This book contains a conservation strategy for Maharashtra's biodiversity based on ecodevelopment, with special reference to Melghat tiger reserve.
Final report: Pench tiger reserve - intensive project performance review - India eco-development project (Phase - II)
Human survival-biodiversity conservation interdependence is globally recognized and scientifically established. The inadequacy of the current national and international policy and legal framework to contain and limit the forces triggering disequilibria in human survival-biodiversity conservation linkages has prompted national and international policy makers to search for innovative and workable solutions for …
Management of national parks and sanctuaries in India: a status report
For the development and maintenance of a viable wildlife protected area network in the country, various steps are needed. Identification of the areas to be declared as national parks or sanctuaries, on the basis of their ecological value and their administrative viability. Formulation and implementation of management plans, based on …
Impoverishment risks and reconstruction: a model for population displacement and resettlement
During the last two decades of the previous century, the magnitude of forced population displacements caused by development programs was on the order of 10 million people each year, or some 200 million people globally during that period. Thus, by their frequency, size, ad the dire consequences, development-cased displacements have …
Village forest: gateway to sustainable and participatory community forest management
In India, majority of the tribals live in the predominantly forest areas. Incidence of poverty is also quite high there. The tribals, as well as other people living inside or around the forests are dependent on the forests for their livelihood to a great extent. On the other hand, appropriate …
Joint protected area management: a simple guide - how it will benefit wildlife and people
This booklet is about a collaborative system of protecting natural environments, known as joint protected area management (JPAM). JPAM attempts to conserve protected areas in a way whereby local communities, wildlife and wildlife habitats can co-exist by mutually benefitting each other, and in which government officials, local people and others …
India ecodevelopment project: project document
India's biodiversity is rich, often unique and increasingly endangered. India is one of the twelve megadiversity countries in the world, that collectively account for 60-70 percent of the world's biodiversity. Its ten biogeographic zones represent a broad range of ecosystems.
Where communities care: community-based wildlife and ecosystem management in South Asia
This report is the outcome of the South Asian Regional Review of Community Involvement in Wildlife Management. This was conducted as part of a global series of regional reviews for the IIED's project "Evaluation Eden: Assessing the Impacts of Community Wildlife Management". This report provides an ecological and socio-economic profile …
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level in Western Ghats India using satellite remote sensing and GIS
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level has been carried out using Indian remote sensing satellite data in Western Ghats of India. This study presents the results of the project undertaken to build national database on biodiversity at landscape level.
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level in Andaman & Nicobar islands using satellite remote sensing and GIS
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are one of the most diverse but fragile Island landscapes where developmental activities have caused serious implications, resulting in loss of habitat and subsequent extinction of species. This study seeks to identify areas with various levels of biological richness using appropriate satellite remote sensing data, human …
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level in Western himalayas India using satellite remote sensing and GIS
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level has been carried out using Indian remote sensing satellite data in Western himalayas of India. This study presents the results of the project undertaken to build national database on biodiversity at landscape level.
Biodiversity characterisation at landscape level in North-East India using satellite remote sensing and G
Biodiversity characterisation at landcape level was carried out using Indian remote sensing satellite data in North Eastern region of India. This study presents the results of the project undertaken to build a national database on biodiversity at landscape level. This is important in order to check the alarming biodiversity loss …
Orange areas: examining the origin and status
What happens when it is discovered that two departments of the government, namely the Forest Department and the Revenue Department,have committed grave errors in discharging their duties, especially when the error has led to the denial of certain sonstitutional rights to lakhs of people? The Orange Area land dispute is …
The wild life (protection) act, 1972
An act to provide for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto with a view to ensuring the ecological and environmental security of the country. This act may be called the Wildlife Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Conserving India's natural heritage
This book is essential to all those concerned with nature conservation and contain knowledge valuable in those involved in this field in their own countries.
People and protected areas: towards participatory conservation in India
Though conservation policies have to some extent succeeded in stemming the environmental destruction being caused by rampant industrial and urban growth, in India, these efforts have also had the unintended consequence of creating enemies of the very people who have historically been the strongest conservationists. This volume explores possible ways …
Manual for operationalising criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management at forest management unit level in India
Forest management in India has undergone a sea change as regards the focus of mandate for managing the forests is concerned. This manual is a pioneer attempt in India as regards training of C&I for SFM is concerned.
Proceedings of regional workshop on criteria and indicators system for sustainable forest management
Sustainable forest management has been recognized as an important aspect of sustainable development during Earth Summit in 1992 at Rio because a large proportion of human population is directly/indirectly dependent on forests and the forests also provide a number of goods and services that are essential for human society. This …
Proceedings of the fourth national workshop on environment statistics - 22-23 April, 2003, Shillong
This report contains the proceedings of the fourth national workshop on environment statistics held on 22-23 April 2003 at Shillong. The workshop focused on harmonization of the framework for environmental accounting in India based on the system of integrated environment and economic accounting and identification of data requirement for environmental …
The Oxford anthology of Indian wildlife: volume II - watching and conserving
The last century has witnessed a remarkable change in attitudes to wildlife, with the focus shifting from conquest for slaughter towards conservation. The new class of naturalists gives equal attention to smaller animals and trees, as evident in the pieces on the blackbuck, the wild dog, the turtle, the cobra, …
The state of forest report 1991
The state of forest report 1991 is the third assessment of the forest cover of the country based on visual interpretation of landsat imagery pertaining to the period 1987-89. The new feature of this report is the districtwise estimation of forest cover of the country.
The state of forest report 1999
This report is the seventh assessment of the forest cover of the country. It provides analytical information on forest plantations, protected area, joint forest management, forest cover in mining areas of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, shifting cultivation in the North Eastern region. It also provides an overview of the …
The Oxford anthology of Indian wildlife: volume I - hunting and shooting
The jungles of the Indian subcontinent, home to an amazing array of wildlife, attracted many hunters and naturalists, several of whom have recounted their encounters with animals in the wild. This anthology brings together a wide-ranging selection of writings, covering mainly the period of the British Raj, about the hunt …
Collaborative management of protected areas in the Asian region
This book contains the proceedings of the workshop on collaborative management of protected rreas in the Asian region, held at Royal Chitwan National Park, Sauraha, Nepal, May 25-28, 1998.
Strategy for operationalising criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management in India
Sustainable forest management was underscroed as an important aspect of sustainable development at UNCED, Rio in 1992. Following, various international, regional and national processes developed sets of criteria and indicators to monitor and assess the progress towards sustainability of forest resources. Sustainable forest management in India is significant not only …
The return of the unicorns: the natural history and conservation of the greater one horned rhinoceros
The return of the unicorns is an account of what it takes to save endangered large mammals. The author outlines the multifaceted recovery program--structured around targeted fieldwork and scientific research, effective protective measures, habitat planning and management, public-awareness campaigns, economic incentives to promote local guardianship, and bold, uncompromising leadership--that brought …
Risking change: experimenting with local forest management committees in Jamaica
As forestry in many countries becomes less about timber production and more about watershed protection, biodiversity conervation and tourism, the range of stakeholders grows larger and more diverse, while regulation and enforcement become more difficult. This paper presents the results of research by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and the …
The state of forest report 1995
The state of forest report 1995 is the fifth assessment of the forest cover of the country pertaining to the period 1991-93. It is for the first time that the data obtained from the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite has been used by the Forest Survey of India for this assessment. …
Policy that works for forests and people
Forest issues often concern large amounts of money, long time frames, huge areas of land and diverse livelihoods. This report draws the main findings from a series of six country studies from Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Zimbabwe and from a review of international policy initiatives. …
National seminar on forestry sector administration development
The national seminar on forestry sector administration development was held at New delhi on 24-25 February 1992. The seminar was organised by the Indian Institute of Foest Management, Bhopal and sponsored by Swedish International Development Agency - ISO/Swedforest. Taking note of the emerging trends and the rapid changes taking place …
The development of international principles and practices of wildlife research and managment: Asian and American approaches
This comprehensive manual presents a package of proven field techniques in wildlife management and research. Arising from a workshop in which wildlife ecologists, managers, and other scientists from South Asia interacted with selected specialists from the USA, the volume reviews developments in technical approaches towards wildlife research and management, and …
Trapped! between the devil and deep waters: the story of Bihar's kosi river
The Story of Bihar
Environmental impact assessment of the proposed Angamali - Azhutha railway line
This EIA is for the new rail line from Angamali to Azhutha (though the line terminates at Kanamala, on the banks of the Azhutha river, the station here is called the Azhutha station) via Erumeli. The Environment Department, Government of Kerala has approached Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) along with …
Adaptive approaches to groundwater governance: lessons from the Saurashtra recharging movement
This paper examines the Saurashtra recharging movement as a response to growing water scarcity conditions and increasing agrarian-based livelihood challenges. A variety of socio-technical actions have been carried out by the movement participants, which have resulted in increased agrarian-based livelihood incomes, primarily through increased groundwater availability and with it an …
Interlinking of rivers in India: overview and ken-betwa link
The programme of Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) in India has been one of the most ambitious ideas ever, of any government till date. It is an idea that has conjured up visions for the common Indian
Solar radiation hand book
The radiation from the Sun travels in the space as electromagnetic wave. Above the earth
Water first: issues and challenges for nations and communities in South Asia
This book brings together current knowledge and cutting edge interdisciplinary perspectives from renowned scholars on the histories, politics, ecologies and cultures of water in South Asia. It explores the complexities of the issues and challenges thrown up by contemporary water management practices in the South Asian region. It also attempts …
Climate change: politics and facts
Climate change is definitely the biggest story of the 21st century. But its sheer complexity and urgency is defeating us For the past 19 years
Bhopal: The inside story
On the night of December 2, 1984, forty tons of deadly methyl isocyanate leaked out of a Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, killing thousands and injuring many more. In Bhopal: The Inside Story, T.R. Chouhan, a former worker in the plant, tells for the first time what it …
Bhopal: Industrial genocide?
The deaths in Bhopal caused by Union Carbide's noxious fumes should not have happened at all. Equally unnecessary and unwarranted is the continuing suffering of those who managed to survive. Situations that caused a tragedy of such magnitude could and should have been averted.
Environmental status report of Jaipur city
Today environmental pollution has assumed serious proportions and become a big problem because the built-in balance has been disturbed by the industrialization and the philosophy of conquest of nature through exploration and exploitation of natural resources by man to the advantage of mankind. This report contains the Environmental status of …
Mobility crisis: agenda for action 2010
We have more roads and flyovers than ever before to address our transportation worries. But, unfortunately, roads in cities like Delhi are chock-a-block with bumper-to-bumper traffic, due to the huge ratio of cars as compared to buses. It is time to set new terms of action. Make the city more …
Status of NREGA in Chattisgarh: Key issues & hard options
Report on 'NREGA Tribunal' held in Raipur, Chattisgarh on 7th November, 2006. The Tribunal deliberated that NREGA, though a path-breaking programme, has failed to break off the ground, impacting the life of people very minimally.
Poverty & water
A global spread of case studies is used to illustrate that water is not simply an issue of physical scarcity, but rather a complex and politically driven issue with profound future implications, both in the developing world and outside it. The book argues that for the international community to achieve …
Challenge of the new balance
The new CSE study of the six most emissions intensive sectors to determine India
Food Safety Contaminants and Toxins
Food safety is a concern for scientists, policy-makers and consumers especially as food poisoning outbreaks are becoming more common and as particular concerns arise over genetically modified foods. This book covers recent developments in the chemistry, biochemistry and physiological effects of toxicants that might have an impact on human health …
"Pesticides: Status, Latest WHO ranking, Regulation and Label Claims in India"
The book throws light on classification of pesticide active ingredients on the basis of their toxicity to non-target organism by latest WHO covering information on all the 230 pesticides registered in India as on May, 2011. It includes trade name, registered formulations, target pests and crops which they are applied …
A Book of Activities for Environmental Education: Climate Change & Natural Resources
This is CSE's latest book on Climate Change for educating school children, provides an easy-to-understand reading material. This new publication on this subject is an attempt to lend teachers a helping hand. It unfolds in two sections: Climate Change: how to make sense of it all, & Natural Resources: how …
Global Health Watch 3
Anyone who has ever been sick—which I suppose includes everyone in the world—would have had firsthand experience of the callous ways of healthcare establishments. For the poor, healthcare is not available at most times. The rich pay through their nose and yet do not find succor. In 2003 public health …
Non technical guide to Petroleum Exploration
In attempting to get quickly up to speed on the oil business for the purpose of participating in a few wells as a (very) small investor, I bought about ten books of various sorts. This is one of them, and has turned out to be the one I refer to …
Integrated Power Policy
The recommendations of Integrated Energy Policy (IEP) under the Planning Commission and subsequent media reports that a large number of power projects are being proposed (exceeding a capacity of more than 800,000 MW, which is about 4 times more than the present capacity) will pose many serious concerns to our …
Green building: a professional's guide to concepts, codes and innovation
This book is designed for those seeking a better understanding of current design and building performance issues. Coverage includes straightforward explanations of how buildings and ecosystems can work together, as well as the sustainability concerns inspiring current regulations.
Green home: a decision making guide for owners and builders
What does a "green" home look like? What are its characteristics, and how can you ensure that you meet the highest green standards within a given budget? The answers to these questions and more are found in The Green Home, a book dedicated to teaching builders and homeowners alike about …
Case Studies in Food Safety and Environmental Health
This book presents food safety concepts and issues in a practical and applied framework for use in the classroom. It is divided into three main sections: 1. microbial food safety 2. chemical residues and contaminants 3. risk assessment and food legislation These sections can be used individually or together as …
Microbial Food Safety
• Provides a thorough review of the most prevalent food hazards in the most common food categories • Summarizes the current scientific understanding of the most common biological hazards by food commodity • Provides an overview of the current regulations related to food safety in the USA In this book, …
Integrated Food Safety and Veterinary Public Health
The importance of food safety within human health has been widely recognized. The safety of foods of animal origin is particularly relevant because the large majority of foodborne diseases derive from poultry, eggs, meat, dairy products and fish. This textbook covers an integrated approach to this type of food production, …
The wrath of nature: the impact of environmental destruction floods and droughts
This report was published by CSE for a presentation to the Parliament of India on the impact of environmental destruction on floods and droughts.
See Also
CSE Video The Wrath of nature
CSE Report ( a chapter) Havoc in the Himalaya
Feeding India: livelihoods, entitlements and capabilities
This book focuses on the food security in India, arguing that the challenges India faces have particular significance worldwide. It says that India’s chronic food security problem is a function of a distinctive interaction of economic, political and environmental processes. It says that a well-rounded appreciation of the problem is …
Urbanization, biodiversity and ecosystem services: challenges and opportunities - a global assessment
This new Springer publication describes and analyses multiple dimensions of urbanization, focusing on how the processes affect patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem services within as well as outside city boundaries. It is therefore an assessment of the process of urbanization, rather than an assessment of cities per se . Further, …
The road to good nutrition: a global perspective
In recent years, many governments, civil society organizations, research groups, and intergovernmental agencies have sought ways to scale up effective actions for better nutrition. Research suggests that such efforts are successful if all the different groups …
Four degrees of global warming: Australia in a hot world
At Copenhagen in December 2009, the international community agreed to limit global warming to below two degrees Celsius to avoid the worst impacts of human-induced climate change. However climate scientists agree that current national emissions targets collectively will still not achieve this goal. Instead, the ‘ambition gap’ between climate science …
Contesting the Indian City: Global Visions and the Politics of the Local
Contesting the Indian City features a collection of cutting-edge empirical studies that offer insights into issues of politics, equity, and space relating to urban development in modern India. Features studies that serve to deepen our theoretical understandings of the changes that Indian cities are experiencing. Examines how urban redevelopment policy …
Junk food busted
As we all know, junk food is defined as food with empty calories — it provides fat, sugar and salt, without nutrition. But how bad is it? This is what CSE's laboratory checked recently. The results were both predictable and alarming. Source: http://csestore.cse.org.in/books/schoolsandenvironment/junk-food-busted.html
The climate casino: risk, uncertainty, and economics for a warming world
Climate change is profoundly altering our world in ways that pose major risks to human societies and natural systems. We have entered the Climate Casino and are rolling the global-warming dice, warns economist William Nordhaus. But there is still time to turn around and walk back out of the casino, …
Framing news on environment
In June 2014, the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) of the Government of India approved the Gujarat Government’s application to increase the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam by 17.6 metres to 138.6 metres. The news was reported in the media, and there were a few scattered stories. There was also …
Heat on power
Coal plays a critical role in our energy mix, providing over 70 per cent of India’s electricity supply. It is likely to remain a mainstay for several more years, given India’s immense power needs and domestic availability of coal. But coal is also the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. It …
Rethinking Infrastructure Design for Multi-Use Water Services
For the first time in history, more than half the world’s population will be living in urban areas. Cities offer enormous opportunities, but they also create problems that degrade the environment, thus the quality of life in the city, surrounding suburban areas and downstream settlements. By 2030, it is projected …
Floral biodiversity: economic and environmental benefits
This book deals with the economic and environmental benefits of plants already growing in Delhi and also the plants, which can be grown in Delhi for economic, medicinal, aesthetic or environmental benefits.
Environmental policy a way forward 2015: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd
Construction of Delhi Metro's rapidly expanding network, which has breached the 200 km milestone recently, has resulted in the felling of over 40,000 trees till date while nearly 4 lakh saplings have been planted to compensate the loss. The figures assume significance in the light of Delhi High Court's observation …
Dams built on rivers of blood: a fact finding report on the state represssion at Kanhar dam in Sonbhadra, U.P
Dams built on rivers of blood: a fact finding report on the state repression at Kanhar dam in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh published by Delhi Solidarity Group.
India state of forest report 2013
The India State of Forest Report 2013 contains information on forest cover, tree cover mangroves cover and growing stock inside and outside the forest areas. Special thematic information on forest cover such as hill districts, tribal districts, and north eastern region had also been given separately in the report. The …
Body Burden 2015 - State of India's Health
CSE’s first Health Annual explores the connect between health and environment, in a way everybody can understand. It will be on the lines of our highly popular SOE (State of Environment) series. The annual publication examines a specific theme related to health every year. The theme for Body Burden 2015 …
Handbook on CSR for Corporates and NPOs
This book is a comprehensive guide on: Corporate Social Responsibility Laws, Formulation of Corporate Foundations & NPOs, Implementing CSR through NPOs , Governance & Legal Regulations for NPOs, FCRA implications on CSR, Income tax implications on CSR , CSR implications on foreign Companies, FEMA implications on foreign NPOs.
Farm Structure Reform: Structural Changes on Farm Size Needed for further successes in Rural Fron
Finding an “alarming picture” on the farm front with over 2/3 of landholdings of households in the country are of one or less than that hectare extent and the government credit not penetrating to them and bearing a high level of indebtedness with little access to good farming practices, an …
Hanbook: septage treatment and disposal
The principal purpose of the handbook is to present an up-to-date review of available design, performance, operation and maintenance, cost, and energy information pertaining to the receiving, treatment, and disposal of septage. Septage is the liquid and solid material pumped from a septic tank or cesspool when it is cleaned. …
Hanbook: septage treatment and disposal
The principal purpose of the handbook is to present an up-to-date review of available design, performance, operation and maintenance, cost, and energy information pertaining to the receiving, treatment, and disposal of septage. Septage is the liquid and solid material pumped from a septic tank or cesspool when it is cleaned. …
Domestic septage regulatory guide: a guide to the EPA 503 rule
The EPA's struggle to protect health and the environment is seen through each of its official publications. These publications outline new policies, detail problems with enforcing laws, document the need for new legislation, and describe new tactics to use to solve these issues. This collection of publications ranges from historic …
Clean Up Your Act: The State of Sanitation in India
Of the 1 billion people globally who have no toilet, India accounts for nearly 600 million. Fifty per cent of India’s population defecates in the open. Community-centric programmes under strong leadership can usher in a clean India says this …
Annual State Of India’s Environment - SOE 2017
This is the fourth Annual report from Down To Earth. Each chapter has relevant articles that deal with current developments and related archival material from CSE’s more than 30 years of research. This makes each article/analysis wholesome as it gives one a true sense of history of the development, and …
Not in my backyard: Solid waste management in Indian cities
The book is an attempt to highlight the present status of solid waste management in the country and what should be the way ahead. It is clear that cities are producing more and more waste and solid waste generation in our country is increasing. In such a scenario, we need …
Bioscope of Piu & Pom
This is CSE’s first collection of 14 topical stories in comic strips format to help you understand serious environmental issues in a fun and easy way. Recommended equally for students and adults. It is not every day that you meet superheroes like Piu and Pom. Piu has the gift of …
The Crow, Honey Hunter and the Kitchen Garden
An exciting collection of 20 short stories to attract today’s young generation and help them understand environment in their own language. A mango tree in love with a little girl, a huge pit which swallows cows, a goddess who steals honey, a weeping snowman, a talking mobile phone and many …
Rainwater havesting in GSP Gold Schools
CSE's Green Schools Programme (GSP) is a learning programme for schools that seeks to foster environmental education by moving beyond textbooks and concentrating on ‘doing’ activities. It helps schools audit their resource consumption and provides them with the methodology to carry out activities as environmental managers and plug gaps that …
Satyagraha in Champaran
On reading this book it will be clear to the reader that a glimpse of what Mahatma Gandhi had been doing between 1920 and 1922 regarding the Satyagraha and Non-co-operation Movement had been seen in the Champaran Movement. I need hardly add that what happened in Champaran has been repeated, …
Poultry Farm Manual (2014-15)
Poultry rearing has always been an integral component of livestock production system in India. Poultry production in India has taken a quantum leap in the last four decades, emerging from an entirely unorganized and unscientific farming practice to a commercial production system with state-of-the-art technological interventions. Indian commercial poultry sector …
Environment Reader for Universities
The book is totally based on the UGC syllabus for environmental studies for undergraduates; and it comes to you from CSE, an NGO whose primary task is environment oriented research, since 1980. Hence you can expect the very best book available for College students to understand the environment issues in …
State of India's Environment 2017 in Figures
State of India's Environment 2017 In Figures is India's first and only e-book that not only communicates environmental issues through facts and figures, but arms readers with insights and perspectives to help you form an informed opinion on issues that matter.
How Green Is Your School?
This is the latest book from our Environment Education Unit. To coincide with the Swachh Bharat Mission, the 2015 GSP audit will focus on solid waste management. GSP (Green Schools Programme) seeks to foster environmental literacy by moving beyond theories and text books and concentrates on “doing”. The programme helps …
Why I Should be Tolerant
Written by noted environmentalist and Down To Earth Editor Sunita Narain, "Why I Should Be Tolerant" is a quasi-autobiographical book which chronicles the global development discourse from the 20th and 21st centuries. Narain, listed by Time magazine as one of the world's 100 Most Influential People, has captured the origin …
Drought But Why? How India can fight the scourge by abandoning drought relief
During 2014-2017 India was shaken by severe spells of drought that hit over 500 million people across geographical regions. Unlike in the past, these droughts did not spare the urban areas; metropolitan cities like Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru declared water emergency and several towns resorted to water rationing. “Drought But …
Body Burden: Lifestyle Diseases
Lifestyle diseases or non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for more than 61 per cent of all deaths in India.
Whether it is heart diseases, respiratory illnesses, cancer, obesity or food allergies, emerging research reveals that the rise in their incidences is due to environmental factors—rapid urbanisation, air pollution and changes …
The future of Indian Universities
This volume emphasizes the need for fundamental reforms into the existing institutional structure of higher education and their governance so as to infuse much needed dynamism and renewed sense of purpose in the higher education sector in India. The contributors to the volume argue that universities ought to be dynamic …
State of India's Environment 2017 In Figures
State of India's Environment 2017 In Figures is India's first and only e-book that not only communicates environmental issues through facts and figures, but arms readers with insights and perspectives to help you form an informed opinion on issues that matter.
Mapping Power: The Political Economy of Electricity in India’s States
Despite several decades of reform, India's electricity sector remains marked by the twin problems of financial indebtedness and inability to provide universal, high quality electricity for all. Although political obstacles to reform are frequently invoked in electricity policy debates, Mapping Power provides the first thorough analysis of the political economy …
State of renewable energy in India 2019: a citizen’s report
In the five years since the publication of the first Citizen’s Report on the State of Renewable Energy, the renewable energy sector has made tremendous strides in the country. Riding on a favourable policy environment and dipping prices, capacity and generation have grown. But this success has thrown newer challenges. …
Climate change reader for Universities
Climate change is dictating the fate of our planet. Record temperatures, melting ice sheets and glaciers, sea level rise, emergence of new diseases and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events like cyclones, floods and droughts have become the new normal. Climate Change Reader for Universities breaks down the science, …
Charting the future of city compost
To promote the market for city compost in India, the Government of India came out with a fixed subsidy under its policy on promotion for city compost. But this failed due to lack of implementation and has seen very dispersed stakeholder participation. There is clearly a demand for city compost …
Charting the future of city compost
To promote the market for city compost in India, the Government of India came out with a fixed subsidy under its policy on promotion for city compost. But this failed due to lack of implementation and has seen very dispersed stakeholder participation. There is clearly a demand for city compost …
Paving the path: a selection of best environmental practices in schools across India
A school faces closure due to water logging. Another is “built over a sand dune”, water scarce and dusty. The compost pit of yet another one has become a pest and ant haven. What do these schools do? Nothing? Call for “expert” help? Make it someone else’s problem? Or utilise …
Paving the path: a selection of best environmental practices in schools across India
A school faces closure due to water logging. Another is “built over a sand dune”, water scarce and dusty. The compost pit of yet another one has become a pest and ant haven. What do these schools do? Nothing? Call for “expert” help? Make it someone else’s problem? Or utilise …
How Much Do We Know About Climate Change?
We hear about climate change in news every day. But what exactly is this phenomenon that causes floods, storms and heat waves across the globe, and what can we do to counter its impact? “How much do we know about climate change?” will tell you all that, and more. The …
To Burn or Not to Burn: Feasibility of Waste-to-Energy Plants in India
The aim of waste management is to promote waste minimization, recycling and recovery. The book examines the applicability of waste to energy in the Indian context.
A Teachers' Handbook for GSP Audit
The Teachers' Handbook for GSP Audit is an essential guide to the GSP Audit. Teachers teaching different subjects can use the GSP activities in the classroom teaching-learning process and assess the learning indicators in the students. The Lesson Plans given in the handbook has been built around the GSP Audit …
Frames of change: Heartening tales that define new India
The challenge before India is immense. We need to maximise the productivity of our environment in a sustainable manner. This calls for extremely disciplined systems of resource use and management. This type of management will never emerge unless we improve our policy and decision-making systems. The book retrieves some classic …
State of India's Environment 2019
This is the latest edition in popular SOE Annual Issue series. India’s most credible annual survey of environment, backed by more than 30 years of research and reportage, equips you with incisive news and views, all in one place.
Ways to Achieve Green Asia
This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the environment and climate change in Asia. It first gives an overview of the environmental challenges facing the region and summarizes the economic impacts of climate change. It also offers in-depth discussions of environmental regulations, environmental governance, environmental evaluation, and the growth of …
Sustainable Investment – Impact in Asia
This book looks at the principal routes taken for sustainable investing, while providing guidance to investors. It traces the evolution of sustainable investment in its many forms from philanthropic causes through more targeted forms such as ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing to Impact Investing. The book examines the United …
My Hero is You: how kids can fight COVID-19!
“My Hero is You” is a book written for children around the world affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The book was shared through storytelling to children in several countries affected by COVID-19. Over 1,700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from around the world took the time to share with us …
Economics in the Time of COVID-19 (eBook)
COVID-19 may be as contagious economically as it is medically. This eBook addresses some key questions: How, and how far and fast, will the economic damage spread? How bad will it get? How long will the damage last? What are the mechanisms of economic contagion? And, above all, what can …
The Pandemic Notebook: A handy guide from The Hindu on understanding the coronavirus pandemic and staying protected against COVID-19
As COVID-19 spreads across the world, information about the disease, messages on preventive measures, news of cures in the process of development, all these are of prime importance. The Hindu has published an e-book on essential COVID-19 information.
"One year of Modi 2.0" Towards a self-reliant India
Several important reforms have already been enacted to realize this goal in the first year of Modi 2.0 Government. A massive cut in corporate taxes making India one of the most competitive economies in the world, big disinvestment announcements, Labour Code reforms, Public Sector Banks consolidation and continued success of …
Assessment of Climate Change over the Indian Region
The average temperature in the country is projected to rise by 4.4 degrees Celsius and the intensity of heat waves increase by three to four times by the end of the century warns this report to be released officially …
Water Farming: Managing Agricultural Lands For Clean & Safe Water
This booklet examines both the challenges and opportunities agriculture offers for improving water quality and, in turn, human and environmental health. It also explores why implementing sustainable farming practices—like planting cover crops, rotationally grazing livestock, and maintaining riparian buffers—is one of the most straightforward and cost-effective solutions available for alleviating …
Global Productivity: Trends, Drivers, and Policies
The COVID-19 pandemic struck the global economy after a decade that featured a broad-based slowdown in productivity growth. Global Productivity: Trends, Drivers, and Policies presents the first comprehensive analysis of the evolution and drivers of productivity growth, examines the effects of COVID-19 on productivity, and discusses a wide-range of policies …
The Eat Right India Handbook
‘The Eat Right India Handbook’ has been created as a guide for various stakeholders to implement Eat Right initiatives at the ground level and scale up the Eat Right India movement. This book not only outlines the background and inspiration for Eat Right India but also provides all the required …
First food: future of taste
This is the 4th book in our much awaited “First Food” series. It will continue to delight you with 100+ more healthy and nutritious recipes this time, all sourced meticulously from local biodiversity. If you really care about your health (and that of your loved ones), then this book is …
First food: culture of taste
This brings you a unique collection of nearly 50 recipes from various states that use local produce such as leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds and roots to cook tasty recipes that are also nutritious.
First food: a taste of India’s biodiversity
This collection of around 100 recipes from different parts of the country brings to life the magic that takes place once biodiversity is combined with culinary dexterity.
First food: business of taste
Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
State of India's environment 2024
The 11th edition of Down To Earth magazine’s annual report on the State of India’s Environment series is the country's most trusted and latest update on environment-related events and developments. Backed by four decades of research and publishing history, this annual publication of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), …
State of India’s environment 2023 in figures
With a comprehensive, one-of-its-kind ranking of the state of States in India, on multiple parameters of environment and development, this is a data-based assessment of a host of other issues like agriculture, climate change, waste and air pollution. It’s all there - the truth, as it is - Because numbers …
State of India’s environment 2023
The annual SOE series is completing its 10th year! The most awaited SOE has been the country's most trusted publication on environment-related events and developments over the last decade. Backed by four decades of research and publishing history, this annual publication of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), and …
One loss too many
The ascendency of humans has unleashed the sixth mass extinction. Every species lost will only hasten the processes of annihilation.
India's agricide
India is an agrarian country. This is perhaps the first thing anyone studying the country learns about it. But is India still agrarian? Of late, the issue has been seriously debated. Agriculture still employs half of India’s population. Ensuring self-sufficiency in food is still a national goal. But the country …
Big change is possible
This compendium comprises success stories of managing water supply, grey water and faecal sludge in rural India under different government programmes. Sixty-four case studies illustrate the substantial on-ground impact-including reduced expenditure on health and improved quality of life, especially for women and the girl child-of implementation of on-ground structures for …
Debates that matter
As a country grappling with political and infrastructural problems, there are very few issues that do not evoke extreme, often diametrically opposite, reactions in India. Population control Bills, vaccination policy, farmer income initiatives, river water sharing mechanisms or surrogacy laws—there is no dearth of topics that have triggered controversy, and …
State of India’s environment 2022: in figures
This annual e-book in Figures analyses complex issues pertaining to the country’s environment and development. In today's world where information is available from so many sources that we end up not making any sense of the happenings, this report gives you compelling data stories that are credible and easy to …
State of India’s environment 2022
The State of India's Environment 2022 is the 9th annual edition in this series, and is the country's most authoritative statement on the developments in the environment and related sectors. Backed by four decades of research and publishing history, this annual publication of the Centre for Science and Environment, and …
Good news & bad news: clearing the air in Indian cities
This presents the evidence of change in Indian cities – however small they may seem today. This captures actual policy decision and action in cities for clean air, public transport, walking and cycling, intermediate public transport, and car restraint initiatives like parking and fiscal measures. The challenge now is to …