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  Global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73 per cent over the past five decades, but India has recorded increases in several major species including tigers, Asiatic lions and rhinoceroses according to the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2026. Released on October 8, 2026, the report found that the average size of monitored wildlife populations fell by 73 per cent between 1970 and 2022. Prepared in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) the assessment analysed population trends across 5,790 vertebrate species. Habitat loss and degradation were identified as the most frequently reported threats to wildlife, followed by overexploitation, climate change, pollution invasive species and disease. The report linked these p...

Global ship recycling has entered its longest sustained downturn in more than 50 years, leaving a record number of ageing vessels in service as shipowners continue to benefit from strong freight rates and attractive secondhand sales, according to maritime industry data. Clarksons Research estimates that 273 ships, representing 5.5 million gross tonnes (gt) or around 8 million deadweight tonnes (dwt), were sold for demolition during the first nine months of 2026. This was 13 per cent lower than the already weak pace recorded in 2025 and 60 per cent below the average for the 2000s and 2010s. Less than 0.5 per cent of the global fleet’s tonnage has been scrapped annually for five consecutive years. The rate is lower than during the 2006–08 shipping supercycle and represents the longest ...

  A powerful El Niño combined with global warming to drive record breaking extreme rainfall in 2024 with a new study warning that similar conditions could lead to another record in 2027. Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), found that the frequency of global precipitation extremes in 2024 was 20% higher than the baseline surpassing levels recorded during strong El Niño events in 1983, 1998 and 2016. The study was published on October 9 in the journal Science Advances. According to the researchers, around 40% of the increase in extreme rainfall was linked to global warming, while El Niño accounted for approximately 20%. Other factors including unusually warm conditions across the tropical Atlantic and Indian oceans alongside warming in the Pacific...

The Delhi Cabinet is expected to discuss a proposal to establish a dedicated State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to strengthen emergency preparedness and improve rescue operations in the national capital officials familiar with the matter said. The proposed force aims to ensure a faster response to emergencies, including building collapses, fires, floods earthquakes and industrial accidents. Delhi currently depends on the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police and other agencies to conduct rescue and relief operations. The plan gained momentum in September following the building collapse in Satya Niketan that killed seven people. The incident prompted the government to intensify efforts to establish a specialised disaster response agency for the cap...

  Indonesia government has announced that it no longer needs to expand rice cultivation into forest areas after achieving rice self sufficiency three years ahead of schedule. However, uncertainty remains over the future of large scale food and energy projects already underway in Papua and Kalimantan. Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy Hashim Djojohadikusumo made the announcement on October 6, saying the government no longer required the previously planned 2 million hectares of land for food production in forest areas. “The government sees no further need for expanding rice cultivation areas in the so-called forest areas and forest zones that were announced a few years ago,” Hashim said in Jakarta. Mari Pangestu, the President’s Special Envoy for Multilateral...

A new assessment by the Basel Action Network warns that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence could generate between 395 million and 617 million tonnes of electronic waste from 2025 to 2050 raising concerns over hazardous waste data security and unsafe recycling practices. According to the assessment AI related electronic equipment could generate between 8.6 million and 13.1 million tonnes of waste annually by 2030. The estimate covers not only servers and graphics processing units (GPUs) but also the wider infrastructure of AI data centres, including networking equipment, power systems, cooling facilities and backup power infrastructure. The report highlights that servers and GPUs account for only around 13 per cent of AI data centre equipment by weight. The remaining share...

Jaipur, October 14: A Supreme Court appointed High Powered Committee (HPC) will visit Rajasthan Vagad region from October 11 to 13 to assess the ecological condition of the Aravalli mountain range, mining activities forest cover and the livelihoods of local communities particularly tribal populations. The committee will inspect the Paldeval Sarkan area in Dungarpur district and the Kevadiya Kothara area in Banswara district. The visit follows its ongoing tour of the Aravalli region in Gujarat from October 8 to 10. During the Rajasthan visit, the panel will conduct field inspections and consult villagers, farmers, labourers, environmentalists, mining leaseholders, subject experts and tribal communities. It will examine mining and quarrying operations, including stone crushing activiti...

  Security forces have recovered and safely neutralised 27 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted along an 8 km stretch in Manipur’s Kamjong district averting a potential major disaster. The explosives were detected along the Shangkhalok Pilong route a defence official said on Friday. The operation was carried out jointly by Assam Rifles personnel and Indian Army bomb disposal teams. The teams detected the explosives and safely defused all 27 IEDs along the route. “Assam Rifles and Indian Army Bomb disposal teams detected and safely neutralised 27 IEDs along the 8 km route in Kamjong district,” the defence official said. The recovery of the explosives highlights the security challenges in the region and the efforts of security personnel to identify and eliminate potentia...

Dhaka, October 13: A proposed waste to energy power plant near a landfill outside Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka is facing opposition from nearby communities over concerns about toxic air pollution and potential health risks. The $467 million project overseen by Dhaka North City Corporation and owned by China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), is designed to process up to 3,000 metric tonnes of municipal waste daily and generate up to 42.5 megawatts of electricity. The facility is scheduled for completion in December 2028. Residents are concerned about the plant’s proximity to densely populated neighbourhoods and several schools located less than a mile away. Local farmers say smoke and ash from existing waste fires at the landfill already affect their health and agricultural acti...

Five people in Heyuan Guangdong Province in southern China, developed rhabdomyolysis after eating wild red tailed carp with four meeting the clinical criteria for Haff disease, according to a report published by China CDC Weekly. The incident occurred in April and marks China’s second documented cluster of Haff disease associated with carp Science and Technology Daily reported. All five patients recovered following medical treatment. According to the report, a hospital in Longchuan county, Heyuan reported the cases on April 25. Five members of the same family, aged between 35 and 69, developed vomiting, abdominal pain and limb soreness after a family gathering the previous day. Medical tests revealed that all five patients had significantly elevated creatine kinase levels, ranging...