Edition Overview
Down to Earth’s March 2026 double edition covers South India’s renewable energy revolution, the green-vs-green conflict in Rajasthan’s Thar desert, coal mining threatening critical tiger corridors, environmental contaminants in breast milk, the SOE 2026 report findings, CAQM emission norms, pesticide toxicity data, the Aravalli mining controversy, community conservation in Ladakh, Khejri trees under threat from solar parks, regressive Van Panchayat amendments in Uttarakhand, the revival of the endangered Guggul tree in Madhya Pradesh, and tribal self-reliance in Chhattisgarh.
Key Terms
- SOE 2026 — State of India’s Environment report (CSE/DTE annual)
- Planetary Boundaries — 9 Earth system limits (Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2009); 7 now breached
- Pavagada Solar Park — 2,050 MW, Karnataka (Tumkur district)
- Orans — Traditional sacred groves in Rajasthan; grazing lands, water catchments, biodiversity hubs
- Khejri — Prosopis cineraria; sacred to Bishnoi community; roots up to 90m deep
- Guggul — Commiphora wightii; IUCN Critically Endangered; medicinal gum/resin
- Van Panchayats — Community forest management institutions unique to Uttarakhand
- CAQM — Commission for Air Quality Management (Delhi-NCR)
- Cha Tsogspa — Community conservation group protecting migratory birds in Mudh Valley, Ladakh
- IPBES — Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- Pax Silica — US-led coalition for critical minerals supply chain security
Sources: Down to Earth, CSE