Copper production in India: The copper production in India is about 3.6 to 4 lakh TPA. The per capita consumption of copper is about 400 gms as against world average of 3 kgs and North America’s 15 kgs. Due to the increase in use of copper in different fields, the consumption of copper in India is increasing. Copper production too has risen considerably after 1996 with many smelting units increasing their capacity.

As you pledge to conserve fossil fuels and ban Styrofoam cups at home to help conserve our natural habitat, spare a thought for the refugees of the inhabited islands in the world that are being submerged by the rising seas - a result of global warming. Called climactic refugees, these families of engulfed Lohachara Island in the Sunderbans now live in makeshift homes on neighbouring islands.

The aluminium industry in India is gearing up to face new challenges with purpose and direction. The country’s rich bauxite mineral base has the potential to gain competitive advantage in the industry globally. The aluminium industry in India has grown over six decades since the establishment of the first manufacturing company i.e. Indian Aluminium Company (INDAL) in 1938. All business activities of INDAL have been merged into HINDALCO, with the exception of its foil unit at Kollur. National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO), a public sector enterprise of the Government of India, is the largest integrated aluminium complex in Asia.

We know it as the ubiquitous babul. Used extensively by the rural and urban poor for firewood, few can distinguish the non endemic vilayati variety from the native type. ...

With the ethanol industry pushing up crop prices, perhaps the day won’t be far away when the poor, world over, are unable to buy food. The food economy and an energy economy – two separate entities are beginning to merge.

New facets of the year old Ministry of Earth Sciences was revealed by Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences in conversation with the Editor, Geography and You.