Environment & Ecology
Climate, biodiversity, pollution control and environmental legislation
As forests shrink and herds grow, central India’s elephant crisis is primed to spiral
Human-elephant conflict (HEC) in central India is intensifying as elephant herds displaced from shrinking forests in Jharkhand and Odisha continue to migrate...
PM Surya Ghar scheme crosses 30 lakh rooftop solar installations
PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana has crossed 30 lakh rooftop solar installations since its launch in February 2024, generating an estimated 9-10 GW of power....
Supreme Court closes suo motu case on polluted rivers after five years of near inaction
A Supreme Court Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi closed the suo motu proceedings initiated in 2021 on the remed...
AI’s positives outweigh human and climate impact: NASSCOM
A NASSCOM report argued that artificial intelligence's economic and social benefits — productivity gains, healthcare improvements, job creation in AI-adjacen...
Dolphin City: Chennai’s dolphinarium that shaped national debate on marine mammal captivity over 25 years ago
A detailed account traces how Chennai's "Dolphin City" — an entertainment facility that kept captive dolphins — catalyzed a national debate in India on the e...
Union Environment Minister presides over signing of MoUs for implementation of Standard Framework and Road Asset Management System for Dust-free and Sustainable Urban Roads in Delhi-NCR
Four Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Public Works Departments (PWDs) and Urban Development Departments of NCR States (Delhi, Haryan...
Why does wildfire smoke swirl only one way in the air?
Scientists and atmospheric researchers have explained why smoke plumes from large wildfires tend to rotate in a consistent direction — counterclockwise in th...
The climate cost of our plates: Why India’s consumption trends should align with ecological limits
Climate change is progressively narrowing viable production windows for major Indian crops, increasing yield variability, and compressing growing seasons — m...
India among four nations driving most global pesticide toxicity: study
A study published in the journal *Science* in February 2026 ("Increasing applied pesticide toxicity trends counteract the global reduction target to safeguar...
Excise waiver for biogas blending, clear policy line can unlock ₹1 lakh crore investment: IBA
The Indian Biogas Association (IBA) has highlighted that the excise duty waiver on Compressed Biogas (CBG) blended with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) — announ...
Coal demand set for uptick on rising power needs
India's coal production crossed the historic one billion tonne (1 BT) milestone in FY 2024-25 — the first time India achieved this, crossing it by March 20, ...
Land survey in Idukki’s Mankulam runs into trouble as Forest dept. opposes survey in 'reserve forest'
The Kerala Forest Department has written to the Subcollector, Devikulam, seeking an immediate halt to a land survey being conducted in Mankulam, Idukki distr...
Hollowing out the hills: how real estate boom is impacting Nilgiris
Falling global tea prices and prolonged climate stress have rendered many Nilgiris tea estates economically unviable, triggering large-scale conversion of pl...
Why has NGT cleared the Nicobar project? | Explained
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruled on February 16, 2026, that there are "no good grounds to interfere" with the environmental clearance granted for the ...
CAQM Issues Statutory Direction for Stricter Particulate Matter (PM) Emission Norms in Industries across Delhi-NCR
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) issued Statutory Direction No. 98 on February 21, 2026, mandating a uniform parti...
How do you modernise mango farming?
India's mango farmers are under increasing pressure to modernise cultivation practices as climate change makes the crop's growth cycle "unpredictable," accor...
Green hydrogen vital for India’s energy security, net zero goals, says BEE DG
The Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) underscored the centrality of green hydrogen to India's energy security and net zero ambitions ...
1.32 million lives may be saved yearly by 2040 under ambitious climate action: Study
A landmark study published in *Nature Communications* (February 2026) by Cardiff University and the University of Colorado Boulder found that ambitious globa...
Maize now accounts for close to half of ethanol produced in India
Maize has become the single largest feedstock for India's ethanol production, accounting for approximately 48% of total ethanol output during the Ethanol Sup...
Concerns over South-West monsoon outlook as APEC Climate Centre issues El Nino watch
The APEC Climate Centre (APCC), the apex climate prediction body for the Asia-Pacific region, has issued an El Nino watch, warning that drought-bearing El Ni...