Can coffee cause cancer?

Coffee is a hugely popular drink, but many people are concerned that it may cause cancer. Others claim that drinking coffee offers health benefits and may even prevent cancer. So, what does the evidence say? Cancer is a complex disease, and it is not always easy to determine its cause. Researchers have investigated many different […]

Bangladesh receives FAO support to fight Fall Armyworm

USDA warns against spread of the plant-eating caterpillar in China, the pest also spotted in many other countries in Asia Within five months of the detection of a plant-eating pest in Bangladesh, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO) has come up with an emergency project to contain possible spread of […]

Rare ‘Batagur Baska’ hatched in Sundarban’s Karamjal

Wildlife conservation efforts always involve immense patience and resilience and takes a long time to show any tangible progress. On the morning of May 16, conservationist and forest department officials at the wildlife breeding centre in Karamjal of East Sundarbans woke up to see some of the conservation efforts producing results. On March 11, critically endangered […]

WHO’s recognition of Chinese medicines threatens Indian wildlife

While fans and satisfied patients cheered last month when traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) won World Health Organization approval for treatment of 400 illnesses, the move could pose a significant threat to endangered species globally. Environmentalists and conservationists have decried the action as they believe that several wildlife species are particularly at risk in India. TCM includes […]

‘Bangabandhu Nodi Padak’ to be awarded for saving rivers

Any person, organization or institution can be considered for this award Bangladesh will award the "Bangabandhu Nodi Padak" to encourage people and organizations to come forward to save the country's rivers. The Shipping Ministry has formulated a draft of the award policy. Any person, organization or institution can be considered for this award for visible […]

Canada and Oregon have banned single-use plastics. Here’s how you can too

Eliminating single-use plastic is easier said than done. Plastic is creating problems all over the world. It's in our oceans much more than we thought, and there are even islands in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans created from the amount of plastics we throw away. Governments, like the European Parliament and Canada, have moved to ban single-use plastics or restrict plastic […]

A young clean sewer line in Paltan area

Environmental charter for the new government

The results of election 2019 are in and the old government is the new government. What should be its environment and development agenda? To answer this, we must understand the narrative and the results of these elections. In the 2019 elections, development was not an issue—even though there is distress in rural India, employment is […]

America’s renewable energy capacity is now greater than coal

America's coal industry has already been left in the dust by natural gas. Now it's under immense pressure from the renewable energy boom. The renewable energy sector had slightly more installed capacity than coal in April, according to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report. That means US power plants can produce more energy from clean sources than coal for […]

It is time to impose ban on single-use plastic

All eyes are on the government to see if it will keep its word on banning single use plastic items. The Cabinet on January 31 had taken a decision to ban single use plastic items including carrybags, plates, disposable cups, sheets, straw, expanded polystyrene foam (popularly known as thermocol) and water pouches in the Union […]