Month: February 2026

    A sweeping international study led by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests that deforestation does more than shrink tree cover it fundamentally alters how watersheds store and release water, potentially undermining long-term water security. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analyzed hydrological data from 657 watersheds across six continents. The findings show that forest loss along with changes in how forests are spatially arranged increases the proportion of “young water” flowing out of watersheds. Forest Loss Speeds Up Water Movement “Young water” refers to rain and snowmelt that moves through a watershed within roughly two to three months of falling. A higher proportion of young wate...

    Southern Africa: As Africa’s vulture populations continue to decline under mounting threats, conservationists are expanding “vulture safe zones” across the continent. Yet experts warn that protecting these wide-ranging scavengers across millions of hectares remains one of the most complex conservation challenges in the region. The concept of vulture safe zones was first developed in Asia after catastrophic declines linked to the veterinary drug diclofenac, which proved lethal to vultures feeding on treated livestock carcasses. In Africa, however, the threats are broader and often more difficult to control from accidental and deliberate poisoning to habitat loss, power line collisions and the use of lead ammunition. South Africa’s oldest vulture safe zone was estab...

    Lakshadweep: At a time when coral reefs across the world are reeling under the impact of rising sea temperatures and mass bleaching, scientists have discovered a vibrant and healthy coral reef stretching nearly 1.8 kilometres off the northeast coast of Kalpeni island in the Lakshadweep archipelago. The discovery comes amid the ongoing fourth global mass coral bleaching event, which has severely affected reefs worldwide. Between January 2023 and September 2025, bleaching-level heat stress impacted nearly 84.4 per cent of the world’s coral reef areas, with mass bleaching recorded in at least 83 countries and territories. Scientists have warned that with the Earth already at 1.4 degrees Celsius of long-term warming, warm-water coral reefs are approaching their thermal t...

New Delhi: India’s highways are powered by millions of trucks that move food, fuel, cement, steel and consumer goods across the country every day. But a new report has revealed a troubling reality although trucks account for only 3 per cent of vehicles on Indian roads, they are responsible for more than 50 per cent of the country’s road transport pollution. The findings, published by the Smart Freight Centre India, The Energy and Resources Institute and Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, show that heavy-duty trucks contribute nearly 53 per cent of particulate matter emissions. They also account for over 60 per cent of black carbon and more than 70 per cent of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the road transport sector. India transports billions of tonnes of freight annually,...

    India’s vision of turning agricultural waste into economic wealth is bold, ambitious and long overdue. A recent government note titled Circular Economy in Agriculture: Waste to Wealth projected that the sector could generate a $2 trillion market by 2050 and create up to 10 million jobs. The message was clear: crop residue, livestock waste and post-harvest losses should no longer be treated as disposal challenges but as engines of rural growth, climate mitigation and energy security. Yet beyond headline projections and sanctioned funds, the real test lies in implementation. While investments have been substantial and policy frameworks wide-ranging, ground-level outcomes particularly in biomass co-firing and crop residue management reveal uneven progress. 350 Millio...

    The discovery of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in river systems around Oxford has renewed calls for routine, year-round monitoring of waterways, as scientists warn that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the world’s most pressing public health threats. A recent study found widespread traces of drug-resistant bacteria in Oxford’s rivers, adding to earlier evidence from 2015 that detected similar contamination in the River Thames, particularly near sewage treatment outfalls. While researchers say the presence of such bacteria is not unexpected, the level of risk posed to people using rivers for recreation remains unclear a concern for anti-pollution campaigners. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolve over time a...

    An extreme drought and prolonged heatwave in 2023 pushed parts of the Amazon rainforest from being a crucial carbon sink to becoming a temporary carbon source, releasing between 10 and 170 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over three months, according to a new study. The research, published in American Geophysical Union’s journal AGU Advances, warns that ocean-driven warming and persistent dryness may be undermining the Amazon’s ability to absorb carbon faster than previously expected a shift with serious implications for global climate stability. Between September and November 2023, the rainforest emitted more carbon than it absorbed, contributing up to 30 per cent of the total net carbon loss across tropical land that year. Scientists say unus...

    Sixteen years after it first received environmental clearance, the 1,750 MW Demwe Lower hydroelectric project on the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh has been granted an 11-year extension, keeping its green nod valid until 2037. The decision, taken in January 2026 by an expert panel of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), cites prolonged litigation as the primary reason for extending the project’s environmental clearance (EC). The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on river valley and hydroelectric projects relied on a series of government notifications and a key October 2025 office memorandum that treats time lost in courts and tribunals as a “zero period.” In effect, the years spent in legal disputes before the National Company Law T...

    The global rush for critical minerals essential to the clean energy transition is exposing deep governance gaps in mineral-rich nations. In Ghana, emerging lithium mining projects are facing increasing risks as local communities raise concerns over weak consultation, exclusion from decision-making and inadequate compensation. Experts warn that unless governments and companies prioritise meaningful community engagement, supply chains critical to renewable energy technologies could face serious disruption. The demand for minerals such as lithium, cobalt and manganese has surged as countries accelerate their transition away from fossil fuels. More than 65 per cent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while nearly 40 per cent of global mang...

    In a city better known for smog alerts and shrinking green cover, seven biodiversity parks across Delhi are quietly reshaping the urban landscape. Built on degraded floodplains and abandoned mining pits, these restored habitats now shelter hornbills, leopard geckos, jackals, and hundreds of butterfly species drawing up to 1,70,000 visitors annually while sparking debate over land use and long-term funding. The initiative began in 2002 under the vision of ecologist Professor C.R. Babu and former Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor. Implemented by the Delhi Development Authority in collaboration with the University of Delhi’s Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, the network now spans around 820 hectares. The parks include Yamuna, Aravalli, Neela Hau...