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Environment and Ecology
Browse 79 articles in this category. Choose a title below, or explore the related categories for more reading.
How the United Nations is Struggling to Stay Relevant in a Fragmented World
The UN, built to prevent global conflict, is struggling to stay relevant in a world where great-power consensus no longer exists.
14 min read →How Windmills Make Energy: The Science, Engineering, and Hidden Complexity Behind Wind Power
Wind turbines can generate enough electricity to power over 1 million homes, but what makes them tick?
11 min read →The Hidden Physics of Everyday Objects: The Science You Never Noticed
You walk without falling because you're constantly adjusting your centre of gravity to stay balanced, thanks to a fundamental physics principle.
9 min read →How Do Hurricanes Form and Gain Strength?
Hurricanes are born in warm ocean waters, where temperatures must be at least 26.5°C and extend 50 meters below the surface to fuel their development.
8 min read →The Star in a Jar: How Nuclear Fusion Promises Infinite Energy
Scientists have successfully created a mini-star in a jar, replicating the sun's fusion reaction in a controlled environment.
11 min read →River Linking Projects: Solution to Floods and Droughts or Ecological Gamble?
India's largest proposed water management program could involve the construction of over 14,000 km of new canals and 3,000 reservoirs.
9 min read →Geopolitics of Food Security
Grains are the foundation of human diets worldwide, making them uniquely powerful in geopolitics.
8 min read →Climate Migration: How Rising Seas Redraw Borders
Climate migration is already happening, with rising seas submerging coastal cities and redraw the map of human civilization, threatening demographics.
9 min read →Deglobalization or Reglobalization? The World After Supply Chain Shocks
Globalization is only as strong as its weakest link, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of global supply chains.
7 min read →Climate Economics: Can Growth and Green Goals Coexist?
The world has less than a decade to sharply cut emissions to avoid catastrophic consequences, but economic growth is still adding to emissions.
8 min read →Green Energy Colonialism: How the West Is Exploiting the Global South Again
The West is exploiting the Global South for critical raw materials to fuel its green energy revolution, perpetuating a new form of colonialism.
8 min read →Climate Nationalism is the Global Climate Fight Falling Apart
Climate Nationalism is the global climate fight falling apart as countries prioritise domestic economic interests over international cooperation.
14 min read →Is Fire a Solid, Liquid, or Gas?
Fire defies traditional classification as a solid, liquid, or gas, existing in a unique state of matter that's both and neither.
8 min read →How Did We Go from Hunter Gatherers to Instagram Influencers
We went from surviving by tracking deer to curating our lives online in just 12,000 years.
14 min read →Global Warming Is Not a Hoax: Here's the Cold, Hard Science
Decades of data show global warming is not a hoax, but a scientifically established reality supported by measurable consequences.
8 min read →Glaciers and Ice Ages: How Ice Sculpted the Modern World
Glaciers can carve out valleys at a rate of just 1-2 cm per year, reshaping entire continents over millennia.
7 min read →The Formation of Earth’s Core, Mantle, and Crust Explained
Earth formed over 4.5 billion years ago from a chaotic mix of collisions, heat, and chemical transformations, eventually separating into a core, mantle.
7 min read →The Green Revolution: Saving India from Famine or Creating Long-Term Problems?
India's Green Revolution turned a nation on the brink of famine into a self-sufficient food producer, but at what long-term cost?
6 min read →Why Earth Breathes: The Planet’s Subtle Seasonal Movements
Earth breathes by inhaling CO2 in spring and summer, then exhaling it in autumn and winter, in a seasonal cycle visible in atmospheric data since 1958.
8 min read →The Green Economy: Is Sustainability Profitable?
The green economy is a multi-trillion dollar reality, but can sustainability be profitable?
5 min read →How Microplastics Are Entering Our Bloodstream
Recent studies have found microplastics in human bloodstreams, marking a disturbing milestone in environmental and public health research.
7 min read →How Rare Earth Metals Are the New Oil
Rare earth metals are now the linchpin of global economic and technological dominance.
9 min read →Island Nations and Rising Seas: The Case of Maldives and Kiribati
Maldives and Kiribati are on the front lines of a climate emergency, with entire countries at risk of vanishing beneath the waves due to rising sea
5 min read →Himalayas in Peril: How Melting Glaciers Threaten Billions
Himalayan glaciers are melting at a rate 65% faster than the previous decade, threatening water for 1.5 billion people.
7 min read →The Unseen Architects: How Pandemics Have Reshaped Human Societies
The Antonine Plague killed an estimated 5 million people over two decades, exposing vulnerabilities in a seemingly invincible empire.
6 min read →The World's Longest Rivers and Their Role in Civilization
The Nile is the world's longest river, stretching over 6,695km, and has played a pivotal role in shaping human civilization since ancient times.
13 min read →Why Do Natural Disasters Occur More in Some Regions?
Natural disasters strike more frequently in regions where tectonic plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
6 min read →The Geopolitics of Water: The Coming Resource Wars
India and Pakistan's fragile Indus Waters Treaty is on the brink of collapse due to climate stress, dam construction, and rising nationalism.
7 min read →The Arctic Gold Rush WHO Really Owns the North Pole
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) sets the rules for who controls the Arctic waters and ocean floor.
12 min read →The Dawn of Domestication How Humans and Animals First Became Partners
Humans and animals formed partnerships that changed history when humans selected calmest, most cooperative animals for breeding over centuries.
14 min read →State of Forest Report of India
India's forest cover has declined by 22,000 sq km since 2019, according to the latest State of Forest Report.
4 min read →Flood Governance in India
India is quietly rewriting the rules of flood governance, thanks to a new approach that turns crisis into opportunity.
13 min read →Stockholm Declaration
The world came together in 1972 to sign the Stockholm Declaration, a historic pact that declared the health of the planet comes first.
14 min read →What is CITES
CITES is the global rulebook that regulates wildlife trade, protecting endangered species from extinction and balancing human needs with their survival.
14 min read →What is Ecology 3
Ecology 3 reveals how human activities impact the environment, from Delhi's smog to Chennai's river health, and what we can do to mitigate these effects.
13 min read →Green Federalism
India's Goods and Services Tax is a prime example of green federalism in action, unifying national climate goals with state-level action.
14 min read →Graded Response Action Plan
India's Graded Response Action Plan tackles severe air pollution episodes with a framework for authorities to take proactive measures.
15 min read →Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture is a farming approach that actively improves soil, water, and biodiversity, aiming to heal the earth while feeding the world.
16 min read →Urban Heat Islands
Cities are measurably hotter than surrounding rural areas due to human construction and activity altering the natural landscape.
12 min read →Floating Treatment Wetlands Bioremediation
Floating Treatment Wetlands can remove up to 99% of pollutants from water, mimicking natural wetlands to restore ecosystems.
15 min read →Net Zero Climate Change
Net Zero means balancing greenhouse gas emissions with removals, avert catastrophic climate change by keeping the planet's energy ledger even.
16 min read →Ozone Hole over Tropics
The ozone layer over the tropics is under attack, with 98% of UV rays absorbed by ozone molecules.
15 min read →Cold Water Corals
Deep-sea corals, often unknown and underappreciated, are now being studied using advanced submersible and underwater sensing technology.
3 min read →Zero Budget Natural Farming
Millions of Indian farmers are ditching loans and chemicals with Zero Budget Natural Farming.
14 min read →Tropical Cyclone
Tropical cyclones can reshape coastlines and destroy livelihoods in a matter of hours, making understanding them a survival skill.
14 min read →River Water Interlinking
India's audacious plan to turn its patchwork of watersheds into a single connected system, moving water from abundant to scarce areas.
15 min read →Stubble Burning
Every November, India's cities choke on smoke from millions of acres of stubble burning.
13 min read →Mining Industry
Mining is an ancient practice that extracts valuable minerals, metals, and geological materials from the Earth's crust to power modern civilization.
13 min read →Sustainable, Green and Smart Cities
By 2050, 66% of the global population will live in cities, with 2.4 billion added, highlighting the need for sustainable, green and smart urban planning.
10 min read →Deserts
Deserts are defined by their aridity, not their temperature, with regions receiving less than 250mm of rainfall per year considered deserts.
14 min read →Dead Zones
Dead zones are growing right in our backyards, threatening food chains and livelihoods, as silent killers lurk beneath calm and peaceful ocean surfaces.
14 min read →Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped zone around the Pacific Ocean where several plates intersect.
14 min read →Ethanol Blending
Ethanol blending reduces crude oil demand by up to 20% in transport energy planning, a crucial step towards a more sustainable future.
3 min read →What is Lead Poisoning
Millions of people are silently poisoned by lead, a metal found in everyday objects, with no symptoms appearing until weeks or months of exposure have
13 min read →Sagarmala
India's maritime logistics costs are set to plummet under the Sagarmala Programme, aiming to transform the country's ports and shipping industry.
15 min read →Biogas
Your school canteen's waste can light up classrooms and cook meals with biogas, a renewable energy source made from kitchen scraps and cow dung.
13 min read →Monkeypox
Monkeypox, a zoonotic disease caused by the Monkeypox virus, has spread to over 100 countries, sparking global health concerns.
13 min read →Ozone Layer Depletion
The ozone layer has thinned by up to 30% since the 1980s, mainly due to human-made chemicals.
4 min read →Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules 2022
India has banned single-use plastic items, including bags, straws, and cutlery, under the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules 2022.
13 min read →Feminization of Agriculture
Women are increasingly taking on more roles in agriculture, leading to a phenomenon known as the feminization of agriculture.
12 min read →Organic Farming
Organic farming avoids synthetic chemicals, using natural cycles to promote healthier soil, cleaner water, and stronger communities.
13 min read →Types of Rocks
A rock is a naturally occurring solid made up of one or more minerals or mineraloids, like granite, which is a blend of three main minerals: quartz.
18 min read →Agriculture Diversification Crop Diversification
Millions of farmers worldwide risk everything on a handful of staple crops, but crop diversification offers a farmer's shield against climate chaos and
16 min read →What is Sustainable Development?
Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
7 min read →Biodiversity
India is home to over 100,000 identified species, but the country's forests are home to many more, including the endangered Asiatic lion.
14 min read →Types of Forests in India
India's forests are as diverse as the country itself, with 11 main types, including rainforests, deciduous forests, and coniferous forests.
15 min read →Environmental Movements
Human progress has often come at a steep ecological cost, prompting citizens worldwide to mobilize in defense of the natural world.
14 min read →Evergreen Revolution
The Green Revolution's success came at a hidden cost: soil exhaustion, water scarcity, and chemical-dependent crops.
13 min read →Wetlands and Ramsar Convention
India is home to the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, protected under the Ramsar Convention.
15 min read →Earthquake
The Earth's outer shell is made of massive, slow-moving plates that push, pull and grind against each other.
13 min read →Volcanoes
Volcanoes erupt because Earth's internal heat and shifting crust conspire to push molten rock towards the surface.
12 min read →Wildfires
Wildfires can spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds, dry vegetation, and other environmental factors, destroying homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
13 min read →Human Rights and Environment
Human rights are not just about freedom of speech, but also about the right to a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment.
15 min read →Vertical Farming
Vertical farming uses up to 95% less land and up to 70% less water than conventional farming.
13 min read →Permaculture
Permaculture is a holistic design science that treats land, water, energy, and people as one connected whole.
20 min read →National Green Tribunal (NGT)
India's National Green Tribunal (NGT) fast-tracks ecological justice, tackling environmental cases with scientific complexity and time lags that
13 min read →What is Environment
The air you breathe carries the scent of rain on hot concrete, a tangible reminder that our environment is our home, not just a backdrop.
13 min read →Biosphere
The biosphere is the thin, vibrant 'living skin' that wraps our planet, supporting life from deepest ocean trenches to highest mountain peaks.
13 min read →What is Ecology
Ecology is all around us, influencing every choice we make, from the food we eat to the way we travel, and even the devices we use.
17 min read →World 101
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