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Rural communities facing mounting environmental pressures like land fragmentation and climate change can build resilience by combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern management strategies. A new report, based on two studies from rural China and semi-arid Iran, reveals that the key to survival lies in uniting modern science with local wisdom. The studies show how larger, more consolidated land plots and the integration of traditional ecological knowledge with healthy habitats can lead to more productive and sustainable communities and ecosystems. Lessons from China: Scale and Social Support A study in Jiangxi Province, China, investigated the Forestland Management Efficiency (FME) of 505 rural households. The research challenged a common assumption by finding that famili...

As India urban centers grapple with a monumental waste problem a critical debate is emerging over the role of privatization in sanitation. While outsourcing promises efficiency through technology and performance-based contracts it often comes at a steep cost for the millions of sanitation workers who form the backbone of the system. According to a report from Outlook Business, urban India generates approximately 170,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, and while nearly all of it is collected, less than half is scientifically processed. In cities like Chennai, the move to privatize waste management has sparked strikes and protests from workers fearing brutal pay cuts and job insecurity. This tension highlights a central question: Can privatization work without deepening inequal...

SYDNEY – In a significant victory for wildlife conservation, Australia has approved a new vaccine to protect its koala population from chlamydia. The disease is a major threat to the endangered marsupial, causing widespread illness, infertility, and death. Developed over a decade by a research team at the University of the Sunshine Coast, the vaccine is a critical tool in the fight to save koalas, which are facing severe population decline. How the Vaccine Works The single-dose vaccine, created by Professor Peter Timms's team, is designed to combat chlamydia in three ways: • It reduces the chance of a koala becoming infected. • It prevents the disease from progressing in already infected animals. • It can even reverse symptoms in some cases. Clinical trials have shown ...

NEW DELHI – A groundbreaking study by Indian scientists has revealed a direct connection between the ancient formation of Antarctic ice sheets and the early evolution of the Indian monsoon system. Published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, the findings show that a major climatic event on one side of the planet had a profound ripple effect on the other, shaping the climate that now supports a billion people. Fossil Leaves Tell a 34-Million-Year-Old Story The discovery stems from the analysis of well-preserved fossil leaves found in the Laisong Formation of Nagaland. Dating back roughly 34 million years ago to the Eocene-Oligocene transition, the fossils indicated that the region once had a warm, wet, and tropical climate. Scientists from the Birbal ...

NEW DELHI – A new study by Indian researchers has found high concentrations of toxic mercury in the air of India's capital city, Delhi. According to the research, published in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, Delhi's air contains an average of 6.9 nanograms of mercury per cubic meter, a level significantly higher than the global average for the Northern Hemisphere (1.7 ng/m³) and the Southern Hemisphere (1.3 ng/m³). The study, conducted by scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, analyzed data on gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) from 2018 to 2024. It found that 72% to 92% of the mercury emissions were linked to human activities, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels, industrial operations, and vehicular emissions. While the st...

The Kerala State Beverages Corporation Limited (Bevco) is rolling out a new plastic bottle return scheme in a pilot project aimed at promoting responsible waste disposal. The initiative, which launched on Wednesday, is a collaboration with Clean Kerala Company and is starting with 20 Bevco outlets—10 each in Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur. Under the new scheme, customers will be charged a refundable deposit of ₹20 for each QR-coded plastic liquor bottle. The deposit will be returned when the customer brings the empty bottle back to the same outlet with the label intact. According to Harshitha Attaluri, Managing Director of Bevco, this is a step towards sustainable retail practices. The labels, which were developed with assistance from the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-D...

NEW DELHI – The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has raised serious objections to the ongoing practice of discharging domestic and industrial waste into stormwater drains in Varanasi. During a hearing on August 29, the tribunal stated that these drains are meant exclusively for rainwater and that connecting them to sewage treatment plants (STPs) could lead to the plants being overloaded, particularly during the monsoon season. The case focuses on the continued discharge of untreated waste into the Ganga River. While the Uttar Pradesh government sought more time to submit its action plan, the NGT, led by Chairman Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Ishwar Singh, expressed its concerns directly to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). According to reports, Varanasi has 48...

CHENNAI – Residents of high-rises along Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) are once again facing a severe air pollution problem, with a pungent gas returning to localities like Kelambakkam, Siruseri, Padur, and Navalur. The foul odor, which had briefly subsided, has resurfaced in the last month, causing health issues such as throat irritation, coughing, nausea, and eye and skin irritation. This is not the first time residents have dealt with the issue. In May 2025, officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) conducted a field study and identified a pharmaceutical company in the SIDCO industrial estate in Alathur as the source of a volatile organic compound (VOC). A recent sensor reading by TNPCB staff reportedly detected VOC levels between 0.5-0.7 ppm, though offic...

NEW DELHI – Facing a major agricultural crisis from invasive pests, India has turned to an unconventional solution: importing insects to fight its battles. In 2022, the country made a rare move, importing parasitic wasps from Africa to combat the Cassava Mealybug, an invasive pest that was devastating crops in southern states. The mealybug, a pest native to South America, found its way to India and, without any natural predators, spread rapidly. First detected by farmers in Kerala's Thrissur district in April 2020, the pest quickly multiplied, slashing cassava yields from 35 tonnes per hectare to just 3-5 tonnes. This created an agricultural crisis, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which account for the majority of India's cassava production. Rather than resorting to a widespre...

AHMEDABAD – Cities across the globe are deploying innovative technologies to combat the urban heat island effect, a growing hazard magnified by climate change. A new global study highlights how India's urban centers, in particular, are at the forefront of this effort, using smartwatches and other novel methods to map and manage extreme heat. The urban heat island effect can cause city temperatures to be up to 12°C higher than surrounding areas, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. A global study, with a focus on communities in Ahmedabad, India, is providing residents with smartwatches embedded with heat-tracking features. These devices collect real-time data on the body's physiological responses to heat, offering a more human-centric understanding of heat stress. The ...