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Outlet profile

Down To Earth

Indian progressive, environmental-left

Owned byPublished by the Society for Environmental Communications (SEC), a not-for-profit entity closely linked to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a public interest research and advocacy organization based in New Delhi, India
FundingSubscriptions (print and digital), foundation grants (including past support from the MacArthur Foundation), and institutional revenue from CSE; operates on a not-for-profit basis
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Down To Earth was founded in June 1992 by Anil Agarwal, a pioneering Indian environmental journalist who had also established CSE in 1980. The magazine was created explicitly to fill what Agarwal called a 'critical information gap' rather than to compete for mainstream advertising revenue. Its early issues were deeply influenced by CSE's research tradition of blending scientific data with social-justice advocacy, particularly around water, forests, and pollution affecting rural India. After Agarwal's death in January 2002, Sunita Narain—who had worked alongside him since 1982—became Director General of CSE and editor of the magazine, continuing and deepening its advocacy orientation. Under Narain's leadership, Down To Earth has argued consistently that wealthy industrialized nations bear primary responsibility for climate change and must allow developing countries greater carbon space; this 'climate equity' framework shapes nearly all of its international coverage. A Hindi-language edition launched in October 2016 extended the magazine's reach into non-English-speaking Indian audiences. The outlet has faced criticism from some agricultural scientists and technologists who contend that CSE's skepticism toward corporate-led agricultural innovation and its promotion of traditional farming practices reflects ideology as much as evidence. Internationally, its perspective is best understood as a Global South environmental-left voice: it frequently challenges U.S. and European policy, and its coverage of the Trump administration's second term—marked by large-scale environmental deregulation and U.S. withdrawal from multilateral climate frameworks—has been consistently and substantively critical.

Sources

  1. Down to Earth (magazine) — Wikipedia
  2. Centre for Science and Environment — Wikipedia
  3. About Sunita Narain — CSE India
  4. About us — Down To Earth
  5. Centre for Science and Environment — MacArthur Foundation
  6. Down to Earth: Uncompromisingly Presenting Exclusive & Credible Content — Silicon India
  7. Sunita Narain on Climate Change — Down To Earth

Profile compiled 2026-08-27; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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