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    Climate change and sustained human pressure are reshaping forest landscapes across India, and new research from the northern Western Ghats suggests that these forces may be tipping the balance in favour of deciduous forests over evergreen ones, especially at lower elevations. A recent study examining forest composition in the northern Western Ghats finds that areas experiencing high human disturbance and water stress show a marked decline in overall tree diversity, with evergreen species being the most affected. At the same time, deciduous tree species appear to thrive under these altered conditions, increasing in number where disturbance is frequent and prolonged. The research was carried out as part of an on-ground restoration programme in Maharashtra, where sci...

    People living in cities may be inhaling far higher levels of microplastics than previously understood, simply by breathing the air around them, according to new research from Xi’an, China. Scientists found that airborne microplastic levels in the city tripled over the course of their study, highlighting how everyday pollution and human activity are quietly adding plastic particles to the air people breathe. The study, led by aerosol scientist Fobang Liu of Xi’an Jiaotong University, examined fine air pollution known as PM2.5, tiny particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs. By analysing air filters collected in both summer and winter, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers were able to track how microplastic concentrations and types chan...

    Few animals are as closely woven into the landscape of the Western Ghats as the Nilgiri tahr. Built for cliffs and grasslands, the sure-footed ungulate has long ruled the high ranges of southern India, shaping both ecosystems and human imagination. Now, after decades of decline, new survey data suggests the species may be slowly emerging from the shadows. Yet conservationists warn that its survival is far from assured. The Nilgiri tahr, found nowhere else in the world, once roamed freely across the shola forests and rolling montane grasslands of the Western Ghats. Its compact, muscular body, curved horns and remarkable balance make it uniquely adapted to steep escarpments and high-altitude meadows. Adult males, known as saddlebacks for the pale patch along their spin...

    The world’s oceans have long acted as one of Earth’s most powerful natural defenses against climate change, absorbing nearly a quarter of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year. But new scientific research suggests this critical role is being quietly undermined by an unexpected pollutant: microplastics. A recent study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics warns that microscopic plastic particles are interfering with the ocean’s natural carbon-absorbing systems, potentially reducing its capacity to regulate global temperatures. While plastic pollution has traditionally been viewed as a threat to marine life and ecosystems, researchers say its influence on the climate system has been largely overlooked. Microplastics plastic fr...

    For many urban residents, air pollution no longer appears as a distant statistic on a smartphone screen. It arrives quietly, through laboured breaths, chronic illness and the slow erosion of everyday life. Across India’s most polluted metros, a growing number of people are choosing to leave temporarily, seasonally or permanently not for better jobs or lifestyles, but simply to breathe cleaner air. For Gurugram-based multimedia professional Amitabh Chawla, the cost of pollution became personal long before it became political. His parents, both teetotallers, died in their early sixties, while his grandparents lived well into their nineties. “The difference, I believe, is the air,” says Chawla, now 44. “For a generation that grew up breathing polluted air, our bodies ca...

    The challenges confronting humanity today climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are vast and deeply interconnected. Their scale often makes solutions feel distant and overwhelming, encouraging the belief that only large institutions, global summits or technological breakthroughs can deliver meaningful change. Yet this way of thinking overlooks a crucial truth: lasting sustainability begins at a human scale. Real environmental transformation does not start with abstract planetary models alone. It begins with people with individual choices, collective behaviour and the social norms that shape how societies function. Systems change fastest when society changes first. Every individual holds both the right and the responsib...

    Extreme weather events are becoming far more frequent across the Arctic, according to a major new study published in Science Advances, offering one of the most comprehensive data-driven assessments yet of how rapid warming is reshaping one of the world’s most climate sensitive regions. The study, led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, analysed more than seven decades of atmospheric reanalysis data to examine long-term changes in Arctic climate patterns. Researchers found that Arctic ecosystems are now being exposed to bioclimatic conditions that have never been observed before, signalling a profound shift in environmental stability and climate risk. While the Arctic is already known to be warming three to four times faster than the global average, the findin...

Delhi experienced its coldest morning of the winter season on Friday as the minimum temperature plunged to 4.6 degrees Celsius, following unexpected early morning rainfall, dense fog and persistent cold wave conditions. The sharp dip in temperature, around 2.3 degrees below the seasonal average, intensified the winter chill across the national capital. Several parts of the city recorded light precipitation in the early hours, adding to the bone-chilling conditions. Safdarjung, Delhi’s official weather station, reported a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Palam recorded 5 degrees Celsius, about 1.5 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road saw the temperature settle at 5.2 degrees Celsius, and the Ridge station recorded a minimum of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ayanagar emerged as one of ...

    As the United States sharpens its focus on Venezuela’s vast natural resources, concerns are growing over whether some of South America’s most ecologically and culturally significant landscapes could come under pressure. While the Orinoco Belt holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, the mineral-rich Guiana Shield is also drawing attention for its abundant gold deposits. This renewed interest raises an unsettling question: could Mount Roraima, one of the continent’s most iconic geological formations, remain untouched amid expanding resource ambitions? Mount Roraima rises dramatically from the Guiana Shield, an ancient geological formation that dates back nearly two billion years. According to the National Trust of Guyana, the mountain is the highest peak in the ...

    Delhi experienced its coldest morning of the season on Thursday as the minimum temperature dropped to 5.8 degrees Celsius, according to data from the India Meteorological Department. The reading was recorded at the Safdarjung weather station, which is considered representative of the city’s overall weather conditions, and was 1.1 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average. Biting cold conditions have gripped Delhi and the National Capital Region, with residents stepping out in heavy winter clothing as both day and night temperatures continue to remain below normal. The IMD attributed the sharp chill to the combined effect of upper-level fog and icy northwesterly winds sweeping across the region. The minimum temperature recorded on Thursday was lower than the previ...