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BENGALURU – The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) new Environmental Accounting on Forest 2025 report, which attempts to quantify the value and condition of India's forests as "natural capital," has been heavily criticized by conservationists and former forest officials for fundamental ecological blind spots. Experts argue that the report inherits the same weaknesses of the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR) by failing to account for forest fragmentation, the primary cause of biodiversity loss, and by entirely omitting massive land-use changes under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Overlooking Fragmentation and Degradation Praveen Bhargav, a former member of the National Board for Wildlife, stated that forests are "living systems, not static assets" ...

New Australian research has effectively debunked claims that individual fossil fuel projects are too small to impact global warming, linking each new investment in coal and gas extraction to measurable increases in global temperatures. Published in the Nature journal Climate Action the research led by the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st Century and involving climate scientists from six Australian universities focuses on the Scarborough gas project in Northwest Australia. Measurable Warming and Significant Impacts The study found that the Scarborough project alone, with its estimated output of 876 million tonnes Mt of CO2 emissions, is projected to cause an increase of approximately 0.00039^C in global temperature. While this temperature increase may seem sm...

A new study published in Hydrological Processes challenges the common assumption that Himalayan glaciers are the primary source of the Ganga river flow, concluding instead that groundwater aquifers are the main source of the river summer flow as it crosses the plains. The research led by Dr. Abhayanand Singh Maurya of the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee is the first comprehensive isotope study to show this relationship. While glacier and snowmelt contribute significantly in the upstream, mountainous regions, their importance diminishes beyond the Himalayan foothills. Groundwater as the Primary Source in the Plains The study found that in the densely populated Indo-Gangetic Plains, groundwater discharge increases the river volume by about 120% compared to its volume at its ...

BENGALURU – India maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1, has commenced its scientific operations, capturing its first high-energy data on solar flares just weeks after successfully reaching its destination orbit. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the spacecraft Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer (SoLEXS) instrument has recorded its initial data since being fully commissioned. The data captured is crucial to understanding the mechanisms behind solar flares intense bursts of radiation from the Sun and their impact on Earth. Key Data and Observations SoLEXS is designed to monitor the Sun X-ray emissions in the soft X-ray band (1-30 keV), which are a key indicator of solar activity. ● The instrument successfully captured data corresponding to a recent {M-class...

Delhi air quality plunged to alarming levels on Diwali evening, with 34 out of 38 monitoring stations recording pollution in the ‘red zone,’ according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 345 on Monday from 326 on Sunday, marking a sharp rise in pollution and placing the capital firmly in the ‘very poor’ category. Four areas reported ‘severe’ air quality with AQI readings above 400. Wazirpur recorded the worst level at 423, followed by Dwarka at 417, Ashok Vihar at 404, and Anand Vihar at 404. Around 30 other stations registered AQI levels above 300, showing widespread deterioration in air quality across Delhi. Officials have warned that pollution levels could worsen further, slipping into the ‘severe’ range over...

RAIPUR – In a major conservation success, the blackbuck a medium-sized antelope declared locally extinct in Chhattisgarh in the 1970s has made a remarkable return to the state's forests. Officials at the Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Balodabazar district successfully implemented a five-year reintroduction plan, which began in 2018. The sanctuary, which once saw the graceful animal vanish due to poaching, habitat loss, and human encroachment, now boasts a growing population of 190 blackbucks. The Revival Plan and Translocation The decline of the blackbuck, an endangered species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, was driven by rampant poaching and the destruction of its open grassland habitat. In 2017, the species was officially declared locally ext...

The Delhi government has announced that it is fully prepared to conduct cloud seeding to induce artificial rain in an effort to reduce pollution levels around Diwali. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday that four days of successful trial flights have already been conducted over northwest Delhi, and the operation now awaits final approval from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). “Our aircraft is ready at Meerut, and the pilots have familiarised themselves with the flight path. We’re only waiting for IMD’s green signal and the right cloud conditions. If all goes well, the first trial could happen even the day after Diwali or the following day,” Sirsa said. The ₹3.21-crore project, carried out in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, involves a modified Cessna-2...

Srinagar: In a landmark recognition, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) has declared the Guryul Ravine in Kashmir as a national geo-heritage site for its extraordinary fossil deposits dating back over 250 million years. The site, located in Khanmoh on Srinagar outskirts, is known for preserving traces of the Earth’s biggest extinction event the Permian–Triassic or “Great Dying” when nearly all marine life and most terrestrial species vanished. This recognition raises India geo-heritage site count to 35 and opens doors for global scientific research and tourism. The Guryul Ravine is the first site in Jammu and Kashmir to receive such recognition and is now being considered for nomination as India’s first UNESCO geo-heritage site. A senior GSI official said the declaration of three K...

A new international report by scientists collaborating across continents provides stark evidence that human-caused climate change is making the world wildfires more extreme, unpredictable, and devastating. The analysis found that climate change has increased the area burned by wildfires (known as bushfires in Australia) by a magnitude of 30 times in some regions globally, serving as a clear warning about the urgent need to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Global and Regional Impacts In the past year, an estimated 3.7 million square kilometres a land area larger than India was burned globally. The fires affected over 100 million people, placing US$215 billion worth of homes and infrastructure at risk. The study used satellite observations and advanced modelling, noting that...

New Delhi: After the Supreme Court allowed the sale and bursting of green crackers in Delhi-NCR for Diwali, health experts have raised concerns that even these so-called eco-friendly crackers could worsen the city’s already deteriorating air quality. Dr. S. Chatterjee, Senior Consultant at Apollo Hospital, cautioned that the festive celebrations might trigger another surge in pollution levels, especially harming those with respiratory issues. “Green crackers are not pollution-free. They cause about 30% less pollution than conventional ones, but that still means a significant amount of harmful emissions,” he told. He added that while smaller shell sizes and reduced particulate emissions make green crackers relatively less hazardous, their use amid Delhi’s current poor air conditions c...