Breaking News

A new global report has revealed that the world’s largest meat and dairy producers are now emitting more methane than major fossil fuel companies, making them key drivers of the climate crisis. The study, titled Roasting the Planet was released by Foodrise, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. It found that 45 of the biggest meat and dairy corporations together emitted about 1.02 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2023 more than the annual emissions of Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest oil producer. If these companies were a country, they would rank as the planet’s ninth-largest emitter. Methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, accounted for 51 percent of these emissi...

A cloud seeding experiment conducted in Delhi’s Burari area has triggered political controversy after AAP leader and local MLA Sanjeev Jha alleged that the trial was carried out without notifying residents or public representatives. Jha claimed that the move violated standard operating procedures and raised transparency and safety concerns. The experiment, conducted by IIT Kanpur as part of Delhi’s broader pollution-control initiative, aimed to induce artificial rainfall using silver iodide and sodium chloride particles. However, due to insufficient atmospheric moisture, no rainfall occurred. Jha criticised the government’s handling of the exercise, saying that even as the area’s MLA, he was kept uninformed about the trial. “The government made a spectacle of events like the Rafale j...

In a major climate resilience initiative, the Andhra Pradesh government has announced plans to develop a 5-km-wide ‘Great Green Wall of Andhra Pradesh’ along its 1,053-km-long coastline by 2030. The project launched under the supervision of Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan and the Department of Environment, Forests, Science & Technology, aims to protect over three million people from cyclones, sea-level rise, and environmental degradation. Envisioned as a “living ecological shield,” the Great Green Wall (GGW) will serve as a multi-layered green buffer zone featuring mangroves, shelterbelt plantations, inland vegetation, and natural sand dunes. This vast ecological barrier is expected to absorb tidal energy, reduce storm surges, stabilise eroding shorelines, and promote sustaina...

India garbage crisis is spiraling into one of its most visible and persistent environmental failures. In cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai, towering landfills have become grim symbols of neglect. One such mountain of waste in Delhi now stands 65 metres tall a literal monument to mismanagement. The country generates around 62 million tonnes of waste each year, a figure projected to rise to a staggering 436 million tonnes by 2050. Despite having over 2,500 official landfills and countless unofficial dumpsites, nearly 80 percent of the waste that reaches these sites remains unprocessed. Organic waste rots and releases methane, while plastic waste lingers for centuries. Yet, policy discussions continue to focus more on carbon emissions than on the growing piles of garbage po...

India has moved up one position to rank ninth in the world for total forest area, according to the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Bali. The country has also retained its third-place position globally in annual forest area gain, marking a major stride in environmental conservation and sustainable forest management. As per the latest assessment, India’s forest cover stands at 72.7 million hectares. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav hailed the achievement as a significant milestone, crediting it to the Modi government’s sustained efforts in forest protection, afforestation, and community-driven environmental action. Globally, Russia leads with the largest forest area at 832.6 million hectares, followed by Braz...

As Delhi continues to gasp under layers of toxic smog, journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s opinion piece “Breathless on Diwali: Banning crackers isn’t ‘anti-Hindu’, polluted air is” reignites the debate between religious expression and public health. Each year, the Diwali week turns the national capital into one of the world’s most polluted cities, worsening respiratory illnesses. Despite Supreme Court restrictions on bursting crackers beyond 10 pm, enforcement remains weak. “We are trying, but people don’t listen,” a weary constable reportedly told Sardesai on Diwali night as loud explosions filled the air. This year, the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, lifted the blanket ban on firecrackers, citing a need to balance cultural traditions and regulation. However, Sardesai ar...

Cities across Latin America and the Caribbean are heating up at an alarming rate. Since 1950, average urban temperatures have risen by as much as 1.5°C, leading to a surge in heatwaves and record-breaking hot days. This escalating crisis, detailed in the World Bank report Uninhabitable Confronting Extreme Urban Heat in Latin America and the Caribbean, warns that rising temperatures are reshaping how cities function endangering health, overwhelming infrastructure, and threatening local economies. Heat has become one of the most silent and deadly consequences of climate change. Beyond visible heatstroke, prolonged exposure damages vital organs and shortens life expectancy, particularly among the elderly. In 2023 alone, over 48,000 people aged 65 and above in the region are estimated to ha...

As climate and environmental challenges intensify worldwide, their impacts are being felt unequally. While disasters disrupt lives across communities, women and girls often bear the heaviest burden facing greater risks, slower recovery, and deeper social and economic setbacks. The intersection of gender inequality, poverty, and social norms amplifies these vulnerabilities, making it essential to put women’s leadership at the core of disaster risk reduction (DRR). According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), building resilience in the face of climate disasters is not just about infrastructure or technology it’s about inclusion. Women’s leadership, care responsibilities, and access to resources are crucial elements that determine how societies prepare for, respond to, and...

India stands at a critical turning point in its climate journey, grappling with an unprecedented rise in extreme weather events that threaten both lives and ecosystems. From cyclones and cloudbursts to flash floods and landslides, what were once rare occurrences have now become an alarming norm a sign of deep climatic disruption. Meteorological data reveal that the North Indian Ocean, including the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea, has warmed by up to 1.2°C over the past century, with the Arabian Sea heating nearly twice as fast as the global average. This warming has intensified the frequency and strength of cyclones, altering monsoon behavior and expanding India’s vulnerability across regions. Between 2023 and 2025, India witnessed a series of devastating climate disasters from Cyclon...