Month: January 2026

    The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has urged the Union government to rationalise the goods and services tax on recycled materials, arguing that lower GST rates could significantly strengthen India’s green economy, support small businesses and bring millions of informal waste workers into the formal system. The recommendations were submitted to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman ahead of the Union Budget 2026. According to the Delhi-based think tank, tax reform in the waste sector is critical if India is to maintain momentum on green growth and move closer to its Net Zero by 2070 goal. While recent budgets have prioritised clean energy and industrial decarbonisation, CSE says the recycling economy remains constrained by a tax structure that treats recycled ...

    Tucked deep within the forested slopes of the Western Ghats in Kerala’s Thekkady, a quiet experiment in sustainable tourism is taking shape. At a time when unchecked construction is placing mounting pressure on fragile hill ecosystems, Niraamaya Retreats’ Cardamom Club offers a different vision one where hospitality adapts to the land instead of reshaping it. Spread across nearly eight acres in the Cardamom Hills of Idukki, the retreat has been designed to minimise ecological disturbance, conserve water and energy, and strengthen local livelihoods. In doing so, it presents a working model of how tourism can coexist with one of India’s most sensitive biodiversity hotspots. Letting the Landscape Decide the Design Unlike conventional hill resorts that level slopes...

    Despite offering higher yields and protection against climate shocks, climate-resilient rice varieties continue to see limited adoption across India. A recent analysis by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) shows that while farmers could earn significantly higher returns by switching to these varieties, structural gaps in seed systems and cautious farmer behaviour are slowing their spread. Rice remains central to India’s food security and rural economy, covering nearly a quarter of the country’s cropped area and forming the backbone of public procurement and household consumption. Yet rice cultivation is increasingly vulnerable to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts and floods. In this context, climate-resilient rice varieties were develope...

    Food trade is increasingly being shaped by geopolitical rivalries rather than market fundamentals, with serious consequences for food prices, availability and long-term food security, especially in import-dependent countries, new research has warned. As global food systems grow more interconnected, sanctions, tariffs and trade disruptions are no longer just diplomatic tools. They are directly influencing what people can afford to eat, how much they eat, and how vulnerable countries absorb economic shocks. Unlike industrial goods, food cannot be easily substituted or postponed, making disruptions uniquely destabilising for consumers and low-income populations. Global Conflicts Have Exposed Fragile Food Trade Links Recent geopolitical crises have highlighted how ...

    Japan is piloting a new kind of household water system that could fundamentally change how homes access and reuse water. In several rural and depopulated regions, residents are beginning to rely on compact machines that purify and recycle water inside the home, removing the need for connection to public pipelines. The shift comes as Japan faces mounting challenges in maintaining its aging water infrastructure. With fewer people living in remote areas, local governments are struggling to justify the rising cost of maintaining long stretches of pipelines. National authorities have increasingly described the current system as financially and logistically unsustainable, particularly outside major cities. Compact Systems Allow Homes to Operate Without Water Networks ...

    A new scientific study has found that airborne pathogens attached to desert dust plumes originating in western India are reaching the high-altitude regions of the Eastern Himalayas, potentially increasing the risk of respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal diseases in mountain populations. The research challenges the long-held perception that Himalayan hill-top air is inherently protective of human health. While cold temperatures and low oxygen levels already heighten health vulnerability in these regions, the study shows that long-range transport of microbial pollutants adds a previously underexplored layer of risk. Dust Storms Travel Hundreds of Kilometres to Himalayan Peaks Researchers from the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute under the Department of S...

    Even though it arrived later than usual, winter snowfall across Himachal Pradesh has brought much-needed relief to the state’s apple-growing regions, raising hopes of a healthier crop after months of unusual dry conditions. Experts say the snowfall has helped restore soil moisture, provided essential chilling hours, and reduced pest risks at a time when orchards were under visible stress. After a prolonged rain deficit and failed snowfall since November 2025, fruit belts across Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti had been experiencing warm winters and dry soils, conditions considered unfavourable for apple cultivation. Snowfall Restores Soil Moisture and Supports Bud Development The upper reaches of Shimla received two to three spells of snow...