When the then Indian railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav introduced kulhads, or traditional earthen cups, as a substitute to phase out the nonbiodegradable plastic cups, some environmentalists were quick to point out that given the scale of demand, production of disposable kulhads would lead to consumption of the fertile topsoil, taking over a…

At first glance, the COVID-19 pandemic seems pervasive, unsparing, and indiscriminate