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The New Zealand Government has unveiled a comprehensive set of transition measures designed to ensure a fair, smooth and orderly shift from the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to the country’s new planning and environmental management framework by 2031. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court reaffirmed that these steps will provide certainty for consent holders, councils and communities during one of the most significant planning reforms in decades. Urgent Legislation to Extend Existing Consents To prevent disruption during the transition, Bishop confirmed that legislation will be introduced and passed under urgency in the coming days. The new law will automatically extend the expiry dates of existing consents, sparing thousands of consent holders from co...

The remarkable recovery of sea turtles around the world has taken another hopeful leap forward, with new findings showing that more than one million olive ridley turtle nests were counted along India’s western coastline this year. The figure, reported by NPR, is nearly ten times higher than the numbers documented two decades ago, offering a powerful example of how long-term conservation can reverse even the most worrying declines. Olive ridley turtles are the most abundant sea turtle species globally, yet they remain listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In India, their nesting beaches stretch across states such as Maharashtra and Odisha, where they have long been part of both local ecology and coastal culture. At the Velas Turtle Festival last Apri...

    The final week of November brought destruction across Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand as Cyclones Ditwah and Senyar released continuous and intense rainfall. Millions of people were affected, more than 1,500 lives were lost, hundreds remain missing and damages reached massive financial levels. Sri Lanka’s president described the event as one of the most severe natural disasters the country has ever experienced. Weak Winds but Extremely High Rainfall Although both storms were devastating, neither of them were strong in terms of wind. Cyclone Ditwah recorded peak winds of around 75 kilometres per hour, a level that would be considered only a “gale” in the United Kingdom and far below the strength of historic cyclones. Yet Ditwah caused widespread flooding, landsli...

    A recent international study has uncovered a rare and alarming disruption of the tropical upwelling system in the Gulf of Panama, revealing just how vulnerable warm-water marine environments may be to climate-related changes. The research team, which includes scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and multiple global partners, warns that the collapse of this natural process triggered rapid and widespread ecological damage. Fisheries Shrink as Plankton Levels Plummet The sudden disappearance of upwelling normally responsible for bringing cool, nutrient-rich water to the surface caused an immediate breakdown in the food web. Phytoplankton, the microscopic plants that form the foundation of marine life, dec...

    Income inequality in India continues to deepen, with the latest World Inequality Report 2026 showing that the top ten per cent of earners now capture fifty-eight per cent of the country’s national income, while the bottom fifty per cent receive only fifteen per cent. The findings place India among the most unequal nations globally, highlighting widening gaps across income, wealth and gender. The report, released by the World Inequality Lab and edited by economists Lucas Chancel, Ricardo Gómez-Carrera, Rowaida Moshrif and Thomas Piketty, draws from the work of over two hundred scholars worldwide. Wealth Concentration Reaches New Highs According to the report, wealth inequality remains even more severe than income inequality. The richest ten per cent of Indians hold...

    The remarkable recovery of sea turtles around the world has taken another hopeful leap forward, with new findings showing that more than one million olive ridley turtle nests were counted along India’s western coastline this year. The figure, reported by NPR, is nearly ten times higher than the numbers documented two decades ago, offering a powerful example of how long-term conservation can reverse even the most worrying declines. Olive ridley turtles are the most abundant sea turtle species globally, yet they remain listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In India, their nesting beaches stretch across states such as Maharashtra and Odisha, where they have long been part of both local ecology and coastal culture. At the Velas Turtl...

    During a recent visit to Brazil for COP30, environmentalist Chandra Bhushan experienced something unexpected: his first instance of falling ill outside India in more than thirty years of travel. What happened next became a revealing lesson in how differently India and Brazil approach antibiotics and why this difference has critical public health implications. Bhushan explains that, like millions of Indians, he has grown accustomed to an informal network of doctors, neighbourhood chemists and well-intentioned advisers. For everyday illnesses such as coughs or colds, the advice he receives tends to be predictable. Even when doctors diagnose a viral infection, the prescription almost always includes an antibiotic, justified with the familiar line, “Take this to prevent ...

    Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced a series of strict measures to tackle the capital’s deteriorating air quality, directing authorities to enforce a complete ban on open burning. Along with this, the government has imposed a prohibition on the use of coal and firewood in tandoors across all hotels, restaurants and open eateries in the city. The chief minister said that the district administration and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi can impose a penalty of up to ₹5,000 on anyone found burning garbage in the open. Appealing to the public for cooperation, Gupta stated, “We humbly request all citizens not to burn waste in the open. Your small cooperation can bring about a big change.” Air quality improves slightly, but remains in the ‘poor’ categ...

    China is facing a deepening imbalance in its water cycle, with new research warning that the changes unfolding across the country are far from uniform. While some regions are seeing slight gains in rainfall, others are experiencing significant water loss intensifying long-standing regional disparities. According to the study, the eastern monsoon belt has recorded a decline in water availability, driven mainly by rising evapotranspiration. More water is evaporating from soil, forests and croplands, leaving less available for human use. In contrast, the Tibetan Plateau often called Asia’s water tower has seen a modest increase in precipitation. But researchers caution that the additional rainfall is far too small to make up for the water being lost elsewhere. The gr...

    Global plastic pollution is accelerating at a pace that far exceeds the world’s ability to manage it, with a new assessment warning that the amount of plastic entering land, air and water will more than double over the next fifteen years. The report, produced by the Pew Charitable Trusts with support from ICF International and leading research partners such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Imperial College London, Systemiq and the University of Oxford, paints a stark picture of rising waste, health risks and economic burdens. According to the analysis, Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025 – An Assessment of the Global System and Strategies for Transformative Change an estimated 130 million tonnes of plastic are already polluting the environment every year. Without urgent...