ON THE THIRD anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 200 global figures including former UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz wrote an open letter calling on policy makers to "never again" allow the pharmaceutical industry to choose profits over saving lives. Their concerns stem from the fact that even though all the vaccines against SARS-COV-2 were developed using public funds, companies chose to sell "the people's vaccines, the people's tests, and the people's treatments" first to the highest bidders-to the richest countries with the deepest pockets. As a result, only 28.5 per cent people in low-income countries have so far received a single dose of the vaccine-instead of a minimum of two shots, prescribed to protect against serious illnesses and deaths from COVID-19. "Had governments listened to the science and shared vaccines equitably with the world, it is estimated that at least 1.3 million lives could have been saved in the first year of the vaccine rollout alone, or one preventable death every 24 seconds," stated the letter.
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THE CIRCULARITY ARGUMENT
A circular economy can help India achieve its developmental aspirations while following the low-carbon pathway. It will also help address the challenges of waste management, pollution and overexploitation of natural resources. Industries are already innovating to reuse high-volume wastes and have shown that the transition can usher in both environmental and financial windfalls
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The Medicines Patent Pool is pushing for more VLs, but its bad deal with Novartis on a cancer drug shows the pitfalls
Lasting solutions
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IMD at 150
India's journey into modern weather forecasting took a decisive turn 150 years ago with the establishment of India Meteorological Department during the British rule. The agency has come a long way since then, shaping the way the country predicts and responds to its diverse climate challenges
Every drop counts
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Threat to survival
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Face of future
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Friends of the forest
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Climate-crazy playbook
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