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    As the United Nations prepares to mark 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, a new scientific study has raised serious concerns about the future of Africa’s grasslands. Published in Nature Communications the research finds that nearly half of the continent’s rangelands are now being grazed beyond safe ecological limits, largely due to rapidly rising livestock numbers combined with mounting climate stress. Pastoralism remains central to Africa’s food security, culture and rural economies, but researchers warn that the pace of livestock growth is outstripping the capacity of grasslands to recover. Of Africa’s 49 countries, 25 are already facing severe overuse of grasslands, with northern regions emerging as the most heavily affected. Livesto...

    In a small village of Bihar Nawada district, two brothers have quietly built a recycling venture that is redefining how plastic waste is viewed in India and beyond. Named ‘Minus Degree’, the startup recycles nearly 120 tonnes of plastic every year, transforming discarded wrappers and scrap into tiles, furniture, medals, trophies and souvenirs that have reached the Rashtrapati Bhawan and global markets. Founded by Vikas Kumar and his younger brother Rahul Kumar, the company processes around 10 tonnes of plastic waste every month and has achieved an annual turnover of ₹1.25 crore. What began as a modest experiment during the COVID-19 lockdown has now grown into a sustainable business supplying eco-friendly products to corporate giants and government institutions alike....

    North India is bracing for a sharper spell of winter from January 19, with temperatures expected to dip further as two western disturbances move towards the region in quick succession. Weather experts say the change in wind direction and approaching systems will intensify cold conditions across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar over the next few days. According to the India Meteorological Department, the western disturbances will primarily affect the Western Himalayan region through the coming week, increasing the likelihood of rain and snowfall in the hills by January 23. Meteorologists have also warned that dense to very dense fog will continue to disrupt visibility across northwest India and Bihar for at least the next two to thre...

    A high-capacity dredger imported from Finland has begun operations at Delhi’s Najafgarh Drain, identified by authorities as the single largest source of pollution flowing into the Yamuna. The deployment marks a renewed push by the Delhi government to address river pollution through continuous and technology-driven interventions. The multipurpose Watermaster Amphibious Dredger was launched on Friday by Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh along with three self-propelled hopper barges. Officials said the Najafgarh Drain alone contributes nearly 70 per cent of the total pollution load entering the Yamuna, making it a critical focus area in the river-cleaning effort. Equipped to operate seamlessly on land and water, the dredger features four stabi...

    As India steps up efforts to decarbonise industrial heat, biomass-based energy is emerging as a key solution, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). However, experts and policymakers warn that the biggest challenge lies not in technology, but in securing a steady and reliable supply of bioenergy raw materials. Industrial heat is among the hardest segments of India energy system to clean up. MSMEs, which contribute nearly one-third of the country manufacturing output, rely heavily on coal, furnace oil and petcoke for heat and steam. This dependence locks them into high emissions and exposes them to fluctuating fuel prices. To break this cycle, the government is increasingly looking at biomass as a cleaner and locally available alternative. Biom...

    Indonesia has reclaimed more than four million hectares of land that had been illegally used for plantations, mining and other commercial activities inside officially designated forest areas, government officials said. The large-scale enforcement drive, described as the most extensive forest crackdown in the country’s history, has raised major questions about the legality of oil palm plantations, the future of seized land and the lack of clarity surrounding ecological restoration. The operation is being led by a special task force established in January 2025 by President Prabowo Subianto. The year-old task force brings together the military, police, prosecutors and several ministries to enforce forest protection laws that have historically been weakly implemented. Of...

    Young tropical forests are one of nature’s most powerful tools to slow climate change, but a new international study shows that their ability to absorb carbon dioxide is being held back by a shortage of nitrogen in the soil. Researchers have found that when this essential nutrient is available, recovering tropical forests can grow almost twice as fast during their early years, allowing them to capture far more carbon from the atmosphere. The study, published in Nature Communications was coauthored by ecologist Dr. Sarah Batterman of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and led by scientists from the University of Glasgow. It suggests that nitrogen limitation in young tropical forests could be preventing them from absorbing up to 470 to 840 million metric tons of c...

    High above the plains of South Asia, the Himalayas, long revered as the “abode of snow” and the source of some of the world’s greatest rivers, are undergoing a profound transformation. Satellite imagery and ground-based observations show vast stretches of the Himalayan range lying bare and rocky during winter, a season that once reliably blanketed these mountains in snow. Scientists say this change is not a temporary fluctuation but a clear signal of systemic climate-driven disruption, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems, water security and human livelihoods across Asia. For thousands of years, the Himalayan cryosphere the interconnected system of snow, glaciers and ice has functioned as a vast natural reservoir. Winter snowfall accumulated at high elevatio...

    For generations, street dogs in India lived quietly alongside humans, surviving on leftovers and tolerated as part of everyday life. In villages, a dog might receive a piece of chapati or a bowl of milk and spend the rest of the day scavenging near homes. This informal coexistence worked for centuries. But in modern Indian cities, this relationship is changing rapidly, and the consequences are becoming increasingly visible. India today has an estimated 60 million free-ranging street dogs, a figure that may be higher given rapid urban expansion. Delhi alone is believed to host nearly one million street dogs. At the same time, India accounts for more than one-third of global rabies deaths, making dog bites a serious public health concern. As cities grow denser and more...

    The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that 2025 was one of the three warmest years ever recorded, reinforcing scientific warnings that human-driven climate change continues to dominate the global climate system, even when natural cooling influences are present. In a press release issued by the UN’s specialised weather agency, the WMO reported that global average surface temperatures in 2025 were approximately 1.44°C above the pre-industrial baseline of 1850–1900. The estimate, based on a consolidated analysis of eight leading international datasets from institutions including NASA, NOAA, the UK Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, places 2025 firmly among the hottest years in the 176-year instrumental record. T...