Environment & Ecology
Climate, biodiversity, pollution control and environmental legislation
Tree cover in Indian Himalayan region shrunk by 2.2% in two years: Govt
A government report presented in the Rajya Sabha on March 12, 2026, by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh...
Maharashtra’s downgrading of legal protection for leopards symbolic, aims to facilitate Vantara: experts
Maharashtra has approved a proposal to shift the leopard from Schedule I to Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — effectively reducing the lev...
As urea imports are poised to hit record high, Indian parliamentary panel moots adopting green ammonia for fertilisers
India's urea imports from China hit a three-year high — 21.24 lakh tonnes in April 2025–February 2026 alone — with total urea imports poised to reach a recor...
Rare thread-legged assassin bug ‘missing’ for 100 years rediscovered in limestone caves in the Andamans
Scientists have rediscovered Myiophanes kempi, a rare thread-legged assassin bug from the subfamily Emesinae (family Reduviidae), approximately 100 years aft...
Significant contamination detected along Ashtamudi, Vembanad lakes
Significant contamination was detected at a total of nine monitoring stations under national and state water monitoring programmes in Kollam, Kottayam, Alapp...
Indian sugar industry urges government to raise ethanol blending beyond 20%
The Indian Sugar and Bio-Energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) urged the Prime Minister's Office to fast-track a roadmap to raise the Ethanol Blended Petro...
Counting the glow: India’s first firefly checklist reveals 92 species
Scientists published India's first comprehensive checklist of fireflies in the journal Zootaxa, documenting 92 species across 27 genera from records spanning...
Second edition of Puducherry Bird Atlas records 33,000 birds, 174 species
The second edition of the Puducherry Bird Atlas has been released, recording 33,000 individual birds across 174 species in the Union Territory of Puducherry,...
Extreme heat severely limits daily activity for more people in India than anywhere else: Study
A major international study published in 2026 found that India experiences the most severe heat-induced limitations on daily human activity of any country in...
As told to Parliament (March 12, 2026): Over 350 sq km of tree cover lost in Indian Himalayan Region between 2021 and 2023
Parliament was informed on March 12, 2026 of multiple significant environmental and energy statistics from the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 and o...
EXPLAINER: Why kerosene and coal are making a temporary comeback in India
The Indian government has temporarily reintroduced kerosene for household cooking use and permitted coal, biomass, and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pellets as a...
South Asia bets on LNG demand surge as India leads 110 mtpa import expansion
South Asia has approximately 110.7 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG import capacity in development, representing about 17% of the global total in the p...
Govt rethinks plan to float tenders for 1 GW wind energy projects amid weakening interest
The Indian government has reconsidered its plan to float a fresh 1 GW offshore wind energy tender, citing rising global costs and persistently weak developer...
Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary
The Supreme Court, on a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, initiated suo motu proceedings over reports of illegal sand extraction in the Nation...
SC takes suo motu cognisance of illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta took suo motu cognisance of reports of rampant illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sa...
India calls for increased use of kerosene, coal, biomass amid gas supply squeeze
The Central Government increased kerosene allocation to states by 48,000 kilolitres per quarter to support low-income households hit by the LPG supply squeez...
Storage in 35% of India’s key reservoirs down below 50% of capacity
Storage in 35% of India's 166 key reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC) has fallen below 50% of their capacity, with overall storage acr...
Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (March 11, 2026)
The Supreme Court of India (bench: Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta) directed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to formulate a no-fault c...
International Solar Alliance Reflects Power of Global Partnership: Union Minister Shri Pralhad Joshi on ISA Foundation Day
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) celebrated its Foundation Day, with Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi highlighting the alliance...
Over 110 sensitive railway stretches identified across the country to curb elephant mortalities, says Centre
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in coordination with the Ministry of Railways, identified more than 110 railway stretc...