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Global efforts to secure the world first treaty on plastic pollution have collapsed for the second time in eight months, after 10 days of intense negotiations in Geneva ended without consensus. Talks broke down over deep divisions on the scope and ambition of the treaty. Nearly 100 countries in the “high-ambition coalition” led by the EU, UK, Norway and Panama pushed for binding curbs on plastic production, chemicals of concern, and recognition of health impacts. Opposing them were oil and petrochemical producers, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Russia, backed by China and India, who argued that production cuts threatened trade and development needs. India, while already banning several single-use plastics domestically, opposed any global phase-out lists and resisted treaty ...

India is grappling with significant river pollution with 311 polluted stretches identified across 279 rivers in 30 states and Union territories. The data, based on the Central Pollution Control Board Polluted River Stretches report of November 2022, was shared in the Rajya Sabha on August 11, 2025. Among ongoing clean-up efforts the rejuvenation of Pune Mula-Mutha river is a major project under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP). It is being implemented at a cost of ₹990.26 crore, with the Centre funding 85% and the rest contributed by the Maharashtra government and Pune Municipal Corporation. The project includes the construction of 11 sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of 396 million litres per day, along with supporting infrastructure. With a completion target ...

A massive cloudburst in the Chashoti area of Paddar, Kishtwar district, has left at least 46 people feared dead and dozens more injured. The incident, which occurred late Wednesday night, triggered flash floods that swept away structures, including a community kitchen serving pilgrims of the Machail Yatra. Local authorities, along with the Army, NDRF, SDRF, and police, have launched extensive rescue and relief operations. Approximately 180 NDRF personnel equipped with modern rescue equipment were dispatched from Udhampur, while the Air Force has been placed on standby for possible evacuations. Rescue teams are prioritizing aid to the elderly, women, and children displaced by the disaster, providing temporary shelters, food, and medical assistance. Officials warn that the death toll m...

The United Arab Emirates is preparing for one of the hottest stretches of the summer, with temperatures expected to soar to 46°C in Dubai and Abu Dhabi by Friday. The heatwave, accompanied by high humidity and dusty winds, is set to push discomfort levels to extreme highs across the country. According to meteorological forecasts, daytime highs will remain well above 40°C throughout the week, peaking at 46°C in coastal cities. Humidity is expected to surge, especially in the evenings and early mornings, making conditions feel hotter than the actual temperature. The oppressive heat index is likely to create hazardous conditions for outdoor workers, commuters, and vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young children. Dust storms to reduce visibility Strong winds, reaching speeds of...

Parts of Delhi Noida, and Gurgaon woke up to chaos on Thursday as an early morning drizzle quickly escalated into a downpour flooding even the city most upscale neighborhoods. By mid-morning, cars were submerged, roads resembled rivers, and traffic across the National Capital Region came to a grinding halt. Red Alert Issued The India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded its yellow alert to red after rain intensity increased rapidly, warning of moderate to heavy showers for several more hours. The morning bulletin predicted light to moderate rainfall in most places with heavier spells at isolated locations in Delhi and NCR. Popular weather trackers reported up to 100 mm rainfall in certain pockets, with forecasts suggesting continued showers across Faridabad, Gurgaon, and Delhi...

A new study warns that coastal flooding driven by rising sea levels could submerge parts of Easter Island,l endangering its iconic moai statues by 2080. The threat poses not only a cultural loss for the island Rapa Nui community but also a severe economic challenge, as the statues are central to its tourism industry. Easter Island, located in the eastern Pacific and forming one corner of the Polynesian Triangle along with Hawaii and New Zealand, is home to hundreds of monolithic statues carved between 1250 and 1500 CE. Most stand on stone platforms, or ahu, along the island’s perimeter. In 1995, the Rapa Nui National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Researchers from the University of Hawaii Mānoa created a high-resolution digital model of the coastline and simulated fu...

Thousands of forest rights titles granted under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) have quietly disappeared from official records in Chhattisgarh over the last 17 months, according to government data accessed by The Hindu through the Right to Information Act. The missing titles span at least three districts, with the most dramatic change in Rajnandgaon where the number of community forest resource rights (CFRR) titles dropped from 40 to 20 in a single month last year. Officials insist the numbers were never wrongfully reduced, blaming “miscommunication and error in reporting” between gram sabha, sub-divisional, and district officials. But FRA experts and activists say such drops are an “anomaly,” as the law has no provision to withdraw titles once granted, except in rare cases with gram sabha ...

India dream of a thriving circular economy is being strangled by its own tax policy, according to a new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The think tank’s August 12 study, Relax the Tax, warns that applying the same Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate to recycled materials as to virgin ones is discouraging sustainable practices, driving legitimate recycling businesses into the informal economy, and costing the country tens of thousands of crores in lost revenue each year. Recycling and Virgin Materials Taxed the Same Under the current GST structure, a company recycling plastic bottles, e-waste, or scrap metal pays an 18% tax the same rate as a company producing goods from fresh raw materials. The outcome? Industries choose virgin materials over recycled ones, as t...

The Kedarnath Yatra in Uttarakhand has been suspended from August 12 to 15 following a red alert for heavy rainfall issued by the Indian Meteorological Department. The district administration has stopped pilgrims at Sonprayag and Jawadi police posts, erecting barricades to restrict movement towards the shrine. The suspension aims to prevent accidents amid persistent rain and heightened landslide risks in the region. Despite a brief standoff involving a group of pilgrims attempting to bypass the barricades, police managed to control the situation without major incidents. The decision follows a recent weather-related tragedy in which one person died and several were injured. Security has been tightened along the route, with river levels under constant surveillance to avert any emergenc...

A women-led farmers collective from Karnataka has been named among the ten global winners of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Equator Prize 2025, one of the world’s most prestigious community awards for protecting nature and tackling climate change. Announced on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the award recognises Indigenous peoples and local communities using nature-based solutions to improve livelihoods, safeguard biodiversity, and strengthen climate resilience. This year’s theme, Nature on Climate Action, highlighted projects led by women and young people. India’s winner, Bibifathima Swa Sahaya Sangha SHG, works across 30 villages in Karnataka, supporting over 5,000 farmers. The group promotes millet cultivation through mixed cropping, con...