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    Despite receiving some of the highest rainfall in Maharashtra’s Pune district, Gunjavne village in the Western Ghats has long struggled with water scarcity. The paradox abundance during monsoon and tanker dependence by summer has pushed residents to rethink how they manage rainwater runoff in the hilly terrain. Located in Velhe taluka, officially renamed Rajgad, the region records over 2,500 mm of annual rainfall. Yet by February, many of its 129 villages historically relied on private water tankers. The problem is not inadequate rain, but the region’s steep, undulating landscape and hard basalt geology, which allow water to rapidly run off slopes before it can percolate into the ground. At the foothills of Rajgad Fort in the Sahyadri range, Gunjavne’s sarpanch La...

    Forests are widely praised for their ability to capture carbon dioxide, absorbing an estimated 7.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ each year. However, scientists say the world’s oceans surpass forests as the planet’s largest carbon sink, taking in roughly 30% of global carbon emissions annually. While forests store carbon in trees, plants and soils through photosynthesis, the ocean operates on a far larger scale. Marine plants such as phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, while tiny crustaceans like krill help transport it deeper into the ocean. When marine organisms die, their bodies sink to the seabed, effectively locking carbon away for centuries. Coastal ecosystems including mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes are often referred to as “blue c...

    In the stark, wind-scoured expanse of Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh, survival has always depended on adaptation. At elevations ranging from 3,600 to over 6,700 metres, winters plunge to minus 40 degrees Celsius, prey is scarce, and oxygen levels are thin. Yet even in one of the harshest environments on Earth, change is accelerating not from climate alone, but from growing human presence. A new study in Spiti’s Trans-Himalayan ecosystem reveals how snow leopards, Himalayan wolves, red foxes, and free-ranging dogs are adjusting their behaviour to share space. Rather than dividing territory neatly, these carnivores are constantly shifting where and when they move, hunt, and rest to avoid confrontation. But scientists warn this delicate balance may not hold if human p...

    The 2025 summer monsoon has gone down as one of the deadliest in recent South Asian history, with exceptional rainfall triggering a devastating wave of landslides and floods across India and Pakistan. According to a new study published in the journal Landslides more than 2,500 people lost their lives as extreme rainfall overwhelmed fragile mountain landscapes and exposed deep-rooted vulnerabilities across the region. Across India, 1,528 fatalities were recorded due to floods and landslides, while Pakistan reported 1,006 deaths. The scale of destruction has prompted scientists to examine not just the intensity of rainfall, but the structural and environmental factors that amplified the disaster. Rainfall Far Above Average Triggered Chain of Disasters The 2025 mo...

Plastic pollution is no longer just a waste management issue it is becoming a climate-driven environmental crisis. A new global review published in Frontiers in Science finds that climate change is reshaping how plastics behave in the environment, making them more mobile, persistent and harmful across ecosystems. The study, highlighted by the World Economic Forum brings together mounting evidence that rising temperatures, extreme weather events and shifting Earth systems are transforming plastic pollution into a dynamic, climate-sensitive threat. Most plastics are produced from fossil fuels such as oil and gas, generating greenhouse gas emissions throughout their lifecycle from extraction and manufacturing to transport and disposal. As plastic production has surged since the mid-20th...

    A new global study has revealed a startling twist in the climate crisis narrative: while most glaciers worldwide are shrinking at unprecedented rates, a small but powerful fraction is suddenly surging forward. Scientists warn that these dramatic advances are not signs of recovery, but signals of instability that could intensify flood risks, disrupt infrastructure and endanger vulnerable mountain communities. From the Arctic to High Mountain Asia, researchers have identified more than 3,000 glaciers that have experienced sudden bursts of acceleration. Though they represent only about one percent of the world’s glaciers, these massive bodies of ice account for roughly 16 percent of global glacier area making their behaviour highly significant in understanding future cl...

    A rare sighting of the vividly coloured Himalayan monal has captivated wildlife enthusiasts after a male bird was photographed soaring over Bhutan’s mountain valleys, displaying its dazzling, multi-hued plumage in full sunlight. Often described as the “jewel of the Himalayas,” the high-altitude pheasant shimmered mid-flight with flashes of blue, green, purple, copper, gold and orange colours that appeared to shift as it moved through the air. Experts confirm that the Himalayan monal’s dramatic appearance is entirely natural. The bird’s iridescent glow is produced not by pigmentation alone, but by microscopic structures within its feathers that refract and bend light. This structural coloration creates metallic tones that change depending on the viewing angle. E...

    Two major new studies are raising fresh concerns about the long-term health consequences of wildfire smoke, identifying a significant association between prenatal exposure to smoke and an increased likelihood of autism diagnoses in young children. The findings add to growing evidence that wildfire pollution may have deeper and more lasting neurological effects than previously understood. The research, published in the peer-reviewed journals Environmental Science and Technology and Environment International, analyzed millions of birth records in California and found that exposure to wildfire smoke particularly during late pregnancy was linked to higher rates of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses in children. Third Trimester Exposure Shows Strongest Association T...

    The Supreme Court of India on Thursday halted the Haryana government’s proposed Aravalli zoo safari project in Gurugram, declaring that “not a single inch of land” in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range can be used until a clear and comprehensive definition of the Aravalli hills is finalised. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant made it clear that no further steps can be taken on the project while the court is examining a broader issue concerning the legal and ecological definition of the Aravalli range in a separate case related to mining rights. “Aravalli is a composite range. It neither starts in Haryana nor ends in Haryana. There is no scope of permitting the project unless there is a clear definition on Aravalli,” the bench observed. T...

    After nearly 40 years drifting across Antarctic waters, the world’s largest iceberg, A-23A has entered an active and accelerated breakup phase, with satellite imagery confirming widespread structural failure across its surface. Scientists say the development signals the imminent end of one of the most closely monitored ice giants in modern polar research. Surface water triggers structural collapse High-resolution satellite images captured in late December revealed large pools of meltwater spreading across A-23A’s surface, along with fresh fractures along its outer edges. According to researchers, the accumulation of water intensified internal stress, weakening the iceberg’s margins and pushing it from slow erosion into rapid fragmentation. Chris Shuman of th...