Feature Article

The only way to save the bluefin tuna, one of the most marvelous and endangered fish in the ocean, may be to domesticate the species. March 2008

Do the math: affordable new technologies can prevent global warming while fostering growth. March 2008

A 50% rise in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, higher temperatures, with more droughts and storms harming people, crops and buildings; more animal and plant species becoming extinct under expanding farmland and urban sprawl; dwindling natural resources; a billion more people living in water-stressed areas by 2030, with more pollution, disease and premature deaths ahead.

Without limits on industrial scale catches, marine populations will continue to collapse. March 2008

In the long shadow of the now defunct Kolar Gold Fields, a small revolution is slowly sweeping the desolate countryside: a revolution to take world class science education to village schools and open

Developing economies, specifically India, are appearing on the world retail industry radar due to the size and potential of their markets. As organised retail presents enormous business opportunities, big names such as Reliance, Birlas and Tatas along with the foreign supermarket chains (in partnership with Indian companies), have been making an entry into this sector.

In Little League dugouts, community parks, professional athletic organizations, and international soccer leagues, on college campuses and neighborhood playgrounds, even in residential yards, the question being asked is "grass or plastic?' The debate is over synthetic turf, used to blanket lawns, park spaces, and athletic fields where children and adults relax and play; the questions are whether synthetic turf is safe for human and environmental health, and whether its advantages outweigh those of natural grass.

Emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) from electric power generation sources within the US Acid Rain Programme fell sharply in 2006, with reductions of 830,000 tonnes from 2005 levels and an overall reduction of 40 per cent from 1990 levels, reports the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA). March 2008

Heavy metals in the atmosphere may travel over large distances before being re-deposited on land. One effective way of monitoring how deposition changes with time is to measure concentrations in moss. A bio-monitoring network coordinated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) provides data on the concentration of 10 heavy metals in mosses from about 7,000 sites across Europe. March 2008

South Asia being an energy-deficit region, there is a strong case for developing regional cooperation in this sector. This may take different forms. India has surplus petroleum refining capacity while other countries in the region are importers of petroleum products. The real benefits will accrue from cooperation in power generation.