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    Sixteen years after it first received environmental clearance, the 1,750 MW Demwe Lower hydroelectric project on the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh has been granted an 11-year extension, keeping its green nod valid until 2037. The decision, taken in January 2026 by an expert panel of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), cites prolonged litigation as the primary reason for extending the project’s environmental clearance (EC). The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on river valley and hydroelectric projects relied on a series of government notifications and a key October 2025 office memorandum that treats time lost in courts and tribunals as a “zero period.” In effect, the years spent in legal disputes before the National Company Law T...

    The global rush for critical minerals essential to the clean energy transition is exposing deep governance gaps in mineral-rich nations. In Ghana, emerging lithium mining projects are facing increasing risks as local communities raise concerns over weak consultation, exclusion from decision-making and inadequate compensation. Experts warn that unless governments and companies prioritise meaningful community engagement, supply chains critical to renewable energy technologies could face serious disruption. The demand for minerals such as lithium, cobalt and manganese has surged as countries accelerate their transition away from fossil fuels. More than 65 per cent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while nearly 40 per cent of global mang...

    In a city better known for smog alerts and shrinking green cover, seven biodiversity parks across Delhi are quietly reshaping the urban landscape. Built on degraded floodplains and abandoned mining pits, these restored habitats now shelter hornbills, leopard geckos, jackals, and hundreds of butterfly species drawing up to 1,70,000 visitors annually while sparking debate over land use and long-term funding. The initiative began in 2002 under the vision of ecologist Professor C.R. Babu and former Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor. Implemented by the Delhi Development Authority in collaboration with the University of Delhi’s Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems, the network now spans around 820 hectares. The parks include Yamuna, Aravalli, Neela Hau...

    India’s livestock methane emissions may be significantly lower than widely cited global estimates, according to scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, who argue that standard international methodologies overstate emissions by failing to account for the country’s diverse feeding systems and low-intensity farming practices. Methane, the second-most abundant greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, is about 28 times more potent in terms of global warming potential. Globally, livestock are estimated to emit 90–100 teragrams (Tg) of methane annually through enteric fermentation a natural digestive process in ruminants. Agriculture accounts for roughly 37% of total methane emissions worldwide. However, researchers PK Malik and Raghavendra Bhatta conten...

    New Delhi: A year-long scientific study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has found widespread microplastic contamination in the Yamuna River as it flows through the national capital, as well as in Delhi’s open drains, groundwater and floodplain soil. The study, commissioned by the Delhi government’s environment department and conducted during 2024–25, analysed 88 samples collected across all 11 districts of the city. Researchers reported elevated microplastic concentrations in every sampled zone. Microplastics particles smaller than 5 millimetres are known to absorb and transport toxic chemicals. The report highlights that nearly 95% of detected particles were microfibres, suggesting domestic laundry effluents and textile-related discharges as major...

    PELALAWAN, Indonesia The Indonesian government has begun relocating hundreds of families from inside Tesso Nilo National Park in what officials describe as a bold new “model” for restoring degraded protected areas across the country. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the intervention in the embattled Sumatran park would serve as a template for reclaiming conservation land lost to illegal plantations and settlement. The move comes amid a broader nationwide crackdown under President Prabowo Subianto targeting unauthorized commercial activity inside forest zones. Massive Forest Loss Sparks Drastic Action Established in 2004 and expanded in 2009, Tesso Nilo spans more than 81,000 hectares in Riau province. Yet satellite data from Global Forest Watch indicate ...

    The National Green Tribunal on Monday declined to interfere with the environmental clearances granted to the ambitious Great Nicobar Project, stating that it found “adequate safeguards” in place and acknowledging the project’s “strategic importance”. A six-member special bench disposed of petitions challenging the clearance after noting that a court-appointed committee had revisited aspects of the approval process. The tribunal directed authorities and regulatory agencies to ensure “full and strict” compliance with all conditions laid down in the environmental clearance. The ruling came in response to petitions filed by environmental activist Ashish Kothari, who alleged violations of the 2019 Island Coastal Regulation Zone notification. He had sought the exclusion...

    As the UK swings between record-breaking rainfall and increasingly severe summer droughts, Scotland’s whisky-producing Speyside region is emerging as a testing ground for a new way of managing water one that works with nature instead of against it. After the UK’s warmest and sunniest year on record in 2025 triggered droughts and hosepipe bans, several distilleries in Speyside were forced to temporarily shut down due to restrictions on water abstraction. The region, home to roughly half of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries, depends heavily on reliable river flows for production. Now, researchers and industry leaders are asking whether the heavy winter rains currently causing flooding could instead be captured and stored to protect against future summer shortages. ...

    The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it aims to achieve 100% waste segregation at source by January 2027, setting an ambitious timeline to overhaul the capital’s solid waste management system. According to data submitted by the civic body for December 2025, Delhi is currently recording 60% segregation at source, with targets to reach 85% by February-end, 90% by August and complete segregation by early next year. In its submission dated February 16, the MCD stated that improving segregation at the household level is key to phasing out dhalaos open garbage collection points that have long drawn complaints from residents. Of the 1,494 dhalaos in the city, 985 have already been shut down. The corporation also cited 678 ...

    Australia’s Environment Minister has imposed a record $55 million penalty on US mining giant Alcoa for unlawfully clearing more than 2,000 hectares of protected northern jarrah forest in Western Australia to expand its bauxite mining operations. The move, described as “unprecedented,” marks one of the largest conservation-focused enforcement actions under national environmental law. Environment Minister Murray Watt announced that the penalty relates to land clearing carried out between 2019 and 2025 without proper approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The affected areas include known habitats of nationally protected species in Western Australia’s northern jarrah forests, located south of Perth. Funds Directed to Conservation ...