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    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...

    India has confirmed its first scientifically verified case of pufferfish poisoning, bringing national attention to a long-overlooked public health risk linked to freshwater ecosystems. The case highlights how toxic wildlife, microbial dynamics and gaps in food safety awareness intersect in India’s riverine regions, placing unsuspecting communities at risk. The incident involved a 23-year-old man from Veraval in Gujarat, who developed sudden numbness, vomiting and rapidly worsening paralysis shortly after consuming a low-cost freshwater fish purchased from a local village market. Medical examination and scientific evaluation later confirmed that the symptoms were caused by tetrodotoxin, a powerful neurotoxin associated with certain species of pufferfish. This confirma...

    Lake Natron, located in northern Tanzania near the Kenyan border, is one of the most visually striking and scientifically fascinating water bodies in the world. Known for its deep red colour and highly alkaline waters, the lake has earned global attention for its ability to preserve dead animals in a stone-like state while simultaneously supporting one of the largest breeding grounds for lesser flamingos. The lake’s dramatic red hue is caused by high concentrations of salt, minerals, and salt-loving microorganisms, particularly haloarchaea and cyanobacteria. These organisms thrive in extreme environments and produce red pigments that intensify as water levels drop and temperatures rise. During dry seasons, the lake can appear almost blood-red from aerial views. La...

    In villages across Ladakh, a quiet but telling transformation is underway. Traditional mud roofs, long designed to endure one of the harshest winters on the planet, are being replaced by steel sheets. At first glance, this appears to be a practical response to changing weather. In reality, the rise of steel roofing reveals a deeper crisis shaped by climate change, development pressures and a profound shift in Ladakh’s social world. When residents returned to their villages after the unprecedented rainfall of August, the damage was unmistakable. Leh alone recorded nearly 80 millimetres of rain, an almost tenfold increase over its historical average. For generations, flat mud roofs had been perfectly suited to Ladakh’s climate, which received most of its precipitation ...

    As Indian cities grow denser and hotter, urban forests are increasingly being promoted as a solution to rising temperatures. But evidence from cities such as Chennai suggests that trees alone are not a universal fix. Urban forests can help cool cities and improve quality of life, but only when planners understand local climate conditions, ecological systems and how people use urban land. Chennai, a coastal city of 4.5 million people, routinely experiences summer temperatures touching 44 degrees Celsius. Despite its cultural richness, with hundreds of temples and a national park embedded within the city, Chennai has limited shaded public spaces. Trees line some roads, but large green parks are scarce, leaving much of the city exposed to extreme heat. As urbanisatio...