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India has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest contributor to forest carbon removals, absorbing an average of 150 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide per year between 2021 and 2025, according to the latest Forest Resources Assessment by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Forests across the globe continue to play a vital role in mitigating climate change, collectively removing about 3.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually during the same period. Despite ongoing deforestation averaging 10.9 million hectares per year global forest loss has slowed compared to the 1990–2000 period when it stood at 17.6 million hectares annually. Russia, China, and the United States lead the world in carbon sequestration from forests, with mean annual removals of 1,150 Mt CO₂, 840 Mt CO₂, and ...

As the number of visitors to Uttarakhand’s revered Char Dham shrines Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri continues to rise each year, a new study has cautioned that these fragile Himalayan sites can sustain only a limited number of tourists per day to prevent ecological damage. Published in the journal Scientific Reports the study estimates the maximum sustainable daily visitor capacity at 15,778 for Badrinath, 13,111 for Kedarnath, 8,178 for Gangotri, and 6,160 for Yamunotri provided the government implements strict sustainability measures such as proper waste management, restricting vehicle access, and developing eco-friendly infrastructure. The researchers from institutions including the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, recommend that the government...

The Union government has undertaken restoration and conservation of around 22,560 hectares of mangrove land under the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) in the last two years, according to official data. Launched on June 5, 2023, MISHTI aims to restore degraded mangrove forests, promote afforestation, and enhance the resilience of India coastal ecosystems. The scheme was first announced in the Union Budget for 2023–24 to strengthen coastal biodiversity and support sustainable livelihoods. As per the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, the initiative has covered 22,560.34 hectares across 13 states and Union Territories during 2023–24 and 2024–25 through collaborative plantation and restoration efforts. Gujarat has emerged as th...

The Great Wildebeest Migration one of nature grandest spectacles, sees millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles travel between Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara each year in search of fresh grazing lands. This 800-1,000 km journey fuels an entire ecosystem feeding predators, fertilising soil, sustaining grasslands and supporting local communities that depend on rangelands and tourism. Understanding how many animals take part is crucial, as any change in their numbers can have ripple effects on predators, vegetation and livelihoods. Traditionally, scientists have relied on aerial surveys to estimate the wildebeest population, which has been pegged at around 1.3 million. Aircraft fly over the region in straight transects to count herds and extrapolate totals a method that, w...

Cloud seeding a process of injecting chemical substances into clouds to induce artificial rain is gaining traction in India as a potential solution for droughts, pollution, and water scarcity. Cities like Delhi have recently turned to this weather-modification technique to improve air quality during severe pollution spells. What is cloud seeding? Cloud seeding involves introducing small particles, known as seeding agents, into the atmosphere. These particles act as nuclei for water vapor to condense around, forming droplets or ice crystals that can trigger rainfall. It’s used to accelerate precipitation, reduce pollution, and enhance water availability. In India cloud seeding is increasingly seen as a way to combat air pollution and fog, especially in Delhi winter months. Artifici...

The Supreme Court’s latest verdict on street dogs has refined its earlier stance of blanket removal, now focusing only on ‘aggressive’ and rabid animals. The ruling marks a crucial step toward balancing public safety with animal welfare and wildlife conservation, offering an opportunity to address both cruelty and chaos through better systems rather than fear-driven responses. While much of the debate focuses on urban settings, experts say the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, must be equally applied in rural areas which not only face rabies risks but also hold most of India’s wildlife. Conservationists warn that unchecked dog populations in villages and protected area buffers are severely threatening biodiversity. According to global studies, free-ranging dogs have already con...

Delhi air quality plunged to its worst post-Diwali levels in five years, with PM2.5 levels soaring to an alarming 488 µg/m³ a 212% spike from pre-Diwali figures. A new analysis by research group Climate Trends revealed that this surge was driven largely by firecracker emissions, even though stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana fell sharply this year. The report, based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, shows that Punjab and Haryana recorded only 175 farm fire incidents between October 1 and 12, compared to 779 in the same period last year a 77.5% decline caused mainly by flood-induced delays in paddy harvesting. Yet, Delhi’s AQI dipped into the ‘severe’ category as thick smog engulfed the city on Tuesday morning. Experts from Climate Trends said that the 2025 Diwali was...

The Union Mines Ministry has said that feedstock availability for India ₹1,500 crore critical mineral recycling incentive scheme will be ensured through formalised waste collection under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework. In a response to ET, the ministry noted that integrating e-waste and battery waste into the recycling ecosystem will strengthen the domestic supply chain and boost local recyclers. Industry stakeholders had raised concerns that informal waste collection, limited recycling capacity, and a cap on incentives might hinder the scheme’s implementation. Addressing these, the ministry said that e-waste and battery waste management rules under EPR already mandate extraction of specified end-products. However, it acknowledged that India’s capacity to process b...

The Haryana government has told the Supreme Court that its proposed Aravali Safari Park will preserve 70% of the 3,300-acre area as natural green cover, with construction limited to only 5%. The state emphasized that the project is focused on conservation and ecological restoration, not commercial tourism. In an affidavit filed on October 14, Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subhash Chander Yadav said the project, spread across parts of Gurgaon and Nuh, has been scaled down from an earlier 10,000-acre proposal once floated by the tourism department. The forest and wildlife department is now the sole implementing agency. “The project will be an ecological boon, not a disaster,” the affidavit stated, asserting that it will revive native flora, aid groundwater recharge, act as a ...

Sea turtles along Karnataka’s coastline are losing their nesting habitats due to increasing coastal erosion, seawall construction, and climate-induced extreme weather events, according to a new study by the ICAR–Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The study, published in Regional Studies in Marine Science highlights how human interventions and changing ocean conditions are shrinking crucial nesting grounds. More than 52% of local fishermen surveyed attributed the decline in turtle nesting to sea erosion and the construction of seawalls along the coast. Led by Dr. Bindu Sulochanan from CMFRI Mangaluru Regional Centre, the decade-long research combined field observations, marine productivity data, coastal water quality assessments, vessel traffic mapping, and tradition...