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A new academic study has raised concerns about the hidden environmental and health costs of the global plastic recycling system, revealing that large volumes of plastic waste exported from wealthy countries are being openly burned in developing nations causing dangerous levels of air pollution and increasing health risks for local communities. Researchers found that while recycling is often promoted as a solution to the plastic crisis, a significant share of plastic waste collected in countries such as the United States is shipped overseas, particularly to lower and middle income nations where waste management infrastructure is often inadequate. Instead of being recycled, much of this waste ends up in open dumps and is frequently burned. The study highlights that between 40 and 65 pe...

India has entered a period of heightened agricultural vigilance after the official arrival of El Niño climate phenomenon associated with reduced monsoon rainfall across large parts of the country. With forecasts indicating a higher likelihood of below normal rainfall during the 2026 southwest monsoon season Union government has moved into crisis preparedness mode identifying up to 200 vulnerable districts and ordering revisions to district level agricultural contingency plans. The United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) formally declared the onset of El Niño on June 11, 2026. Scientists have warned that the event could strengthen significantly in the coming months, with some projections suggesting the possibility of a "super" El Niño. Meanwhile, the India M...

Countries attending the Bonn Climate Conference 2026 debated how the world should halt deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, with major disagreements emerging over funding, accountability and responsibility. The discussions focused on a new roadmap unveiled by the COP30 Presidency during the closing session of COP30 in Belém, Brazil. The roadmap is designed to guide countries in aligning their forest conservation strategies, financing plans, and monitoring systems before 2030. However, it is not a legally binding agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). At a special session held on June 9 during the Bonn conference, rainforest nations, developed countries, and civil society groups shared differing views on how the plan should move fo...

Efforts to combat climate change and protect forests are increasingly putting Indigenous communities at risk of displacement according to a new analysis published by The Conversation. Experts argue that while governments and organizations promote conservation and carbon offset projects, Indigenous people are often excluded from decision making processes despite being long-time custodians of these ecosystems. One of the most prominent examples is the case of the Ogiek people an Indigenous hunter gatherer community living in Kenya’s Mau Forest. The Ogiek have faced repeated eviction attempts for more than a century. Although they secured a landmark legal victory in 2017 when the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights recognized their rights to the land, Kenyan authorities resumed evic...

Bengaluru based sustainability startup NoKasa is tackling one of India most overlooked environmental challenges textile waste. Founded by engineers Prasad Lingawar and Nachiket, the company has developed a structured doorstep collection and reuse system that has already prevented more than 23 tonnes of discarded clothing from ending up in landfills. Textile waste remains a largely invisible problem in urban India. While households frequently donate, store or discard unwanted clothes there is often little transparency about what happens to garments once they leave homes. Recognising this gap, the two founders set out to create a system that makes clothing disposal traceable, convenient, and environmentally responsible. The idea evolved after months of field research across Bengaluru's...

New Delhi, June 9: The Union government has introduced stricter environmental standards for caustic soda manufacturing units, making it mandatory for wastewater from plants using membrane cell technology to pass a fish survival test before being considered environmentally safe. Under the new standards notified through the Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025, at least 90 percent of fish must survive after being exposed to 100 percent wastewater for 96 hours during laboratory-based bioassay testing. The requirement aims to determine whether industrial effluent remains toxic to living organisms even when it complies with individual chemical limits. The new rule represents a shift in pollution monitoring by focusing not only on chemical concentrations but also on the ov...

Study shows artificial intelligence can predict how biochar affects phosphorus in soil, helping farmers reduce fertilizer waste and improve crop productivity. Artificial intelligence may soon help farmers make smarter use of biochar, a carbon rich material made from burnt plant waste that has gained popularity as a sustainable soil amendment. A new study has found that AI can accurately predict how biochar influences phosphorus availability in soil, potentially reducing fertilizer waste and improving agricultural productivity. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth, but crops typically absorb only 15 to 20 percent of the fertilizer applied during a growing season. Much of the remaining phosphorus becomes chemically trapped in the soil or washes into rivers and lakes, ca...

Artificial intelligence may soon help farmers make smarter use of biochar, a carbon rich material made from burnt plant waste that has gained popularity as a sustainable soil amendment. A new study has found that AI can accurately predict how biochar influences phosphorus availability in soil, potentially reducing fertilizer waste and improving agricultural productivity. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth, but crops typically absorb only 15 to 20 percent of the fertilizer applied during a growing season. Much of the remaining phosphorus becomes chemically trapped in the soil or washes into rivers and lakes, causing harmful algal blooms and water pollution. Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University in China analyzed 534 observations from 32 previous studies to better u...

New Delhi: The Himalayas are becoming noticeably greener as vegetation spreads to higher altitudes, but scientists caution that this apparent sign of growth may actually signal deeper environmental changes linked to climate change. A new study led by researchers from the University of Exeter found that alpine vegetation has been steadily moving uphill across several Himalayan regions between 1999 and 2022. Researchers examined the alpine vegetation line, which marks the highest elevation where continuous plant growth occurs, across six regions stretching from Ladakh in India to Bhutan. The study found that plants are expanding into areas that were previously too cold and snow-covered to support sustained vegetation. In Nepal's Manthang region, the vegetation line advanced by nearly 22.8...

New Delhi: Strategic urban greening could become a powerful tool in Delhi's battle against air pollution, with environmental experts highlighting that scientifically planned plantations can reduce dust, absorb harmful gases and cool urban temperatures. According to environmental planning specialists, planting the right trees in the right locations is not merely an aesthetic exercise but an important public health measure for one of the world's most polluted cities. Research cited in the study shows that trees, shrubs and grasses help capture airborne particles on their leaves, branches and bark, reducing the amount of pollution inhaled by residents. Vegetation also stabilizes exposed soil, limiting dust resuspension a major contributor to Delhi's particulate pollution. In addition, plan...