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Blue carbon which is organic carbon captured and stored in coastal and marine ecosystems like mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses, holds significant potential for climate mitigation. These ecosystems are highly effective carbon sinks, storing up to four times more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests. Despite this, blue carbon credits are largely underutilized in voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), including in India, primarily because land-based projects are often easier and cheaper to implement. The Potential of Blue Carbon in India's VCM India possesses vast blue carbon resources, with a coastline of over 7,500 kilometers and some of the world's largest mangrove ecosystems, such as the Sundarbans. This makes the country well-positioned to become a global leader in issui...

New Delhi: A groundbreaking study led by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras has revealed how rapidly and significantly human activities can impact cloud formation, a critical component of the global climate system. The research, which treated the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 as a unique "natural experiment," provides new evidence on the direct link between human-caused emissions and aerosol behavior. Published in the ACS ES&T Air Journal, the study focused on the coastal regions of India between March and July 2020. Researchers found that as human emissions were curtailed during the lockdown and then slowly rebounded, the concentration of cloud-forming aerosols, known as "Cloud Condensation Nuclei" (CCN), surged by an astonishing 80% to 250%. The study's lead resea...

In a startling reversal of its legendary status, Cherrapunji, historically one of the wettest places on Earth, is on course for its driest monsoon season ever recorded. The iconic town, located at the Sohra weather station, has received a mere 3,500 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 20 a shocking 50% less than its normal average for the period. This unprecedented deficit is a grim reflection of a larger trend affecting the entire state of Meghalaya which is currently suffering from a rainfall deficit of 43%, the highest in the country. Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that six of the state's 11 districts are experiencing deficient rains, while two are facing a "large deficient" classification, with 60% to 99% less rainfall than normal. The worst-affected ...

A new study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore has found that nearly 64% of the water discharged from the Gangotri Glacier system which feeds the Ganga river comes from the melting of fallen snow. The study highlights how climate change is altering the hydrology of one of India’s most crucial glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region. The analysis conducted with scientists from US universities and Nepal International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), shows that glacier melt contributes 21% while rainfall runoff accounts for 11% and baseflow another 4%. Climate Change Shifting Glacier Patterns Researchers observed a marked shift in the timing of peak discharge. Before 1990, the highest flow occurred in August but since then, it has...

New Delhi: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is set to consider a major restructuring of tax rates in its upcoming meeting on September 3 and 4. The plan includes moving all food and textile products into the 5% slab, lowering taxes on cement and popular services, and reducing levies on individual health and life insurance. According to sources, the levy on cement may be slashed from 28% to 18% a relief that the construction and infrastructure sectors have been demanding for years. The move could lower costs for end consumers, but the government expects the cement industry to pass on the benefits rather than hold prices high. The council is also reviewing services such as salons and beauty parlours. While small neighbourhood salons are already exempt, mid- and high-end service...

    Overnight rains left Mumbai submerged, schools shut, and residents stuck indoors. But the chaos wasn’t limited to the financial capital. Just days earlier, Gurugram, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai faced similar scenes of waterlogged streets and stranded commuters. From luxury neighborhoods to crowded markets, Indian cities seem to have one weakness in common: even moderate rainfall can turn urban roads into rivers. For residents like Nikunj Sabharwal in Juhu, Mumbai, monsoon means more than getting wet it’s a daily struggle. “I commute along SV Road to Andheri West regularly. During the rains, parts of this road become chest-deep waterways. I’ve seen NDRF boats evacuating people when flooding gets out of hand. Honestly, the Koli fishermen from nearby Versova could...

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains is becoming a hub for cutting-edge wildfire research, where aerial imagery is helping scientists understand how fire transforms ecosystems. Spanning nearly 1,200 acres the preserve is offering a unique testing ground to merge traditional land practices with modern technology. For Ph.D. student Daniel Neamati, who studies aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford, a bird eye view is essential. “That top-down view is really important,” he explained. “My research would not be possible without it.” Neamati, a TomKat Center Graduate Fellow for Translational Research, is applying his expertise in GPS accuracy and 3D modeling to wildfire management. After prescribed burns at Jasper Ridge last year, his team be...

    Only 10 vaquitas (Phocoena sinus) — the world’s rarest marine mammal remain alive, according to a damning new report by the North American Environmental Commission (CEC). The tiny porpoise, endemic to the Upper Gulf of California is now perilously close to extinction. The CEC an environmental body established under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) has squarely blamed the Mexican government for failing to enforce its own wildlife protection and trade laws failures that have allowed illegal fishing and wildlife trafficking to flourish in the vaquita’s last refuge. Illegal Gillnets, Totoaba Trafficking at the Heart of Crisis At the core of the vaquita decline is illegal gillnet fishing for totoaba a large fish whose swim bladder is highly prized i...

Ireland rugged western coastlines largely composed of hard limestone, are more resistant to pounding waves from the North Atlantic. Yet in regions of rapid retreat the combination of rising sea levels and wave action is eroding away glacial deposits left behind thousands of years ago. “What you're seeing, particularly where we have the most rapid retreat, is we've got a rising sea level, and we've got waves then eating away at material that was dumped there during the last glacial period,” explained Robin Edwards, assistant professor of geography at Trinity College Dublin, who studies physical indicators of sea level change. “We’ve been mapping Ireland for hundreds of years so it’s not a mystery where the stuff is or why it’s eroding away. The challenge is what you do with it.” Resea...

Efforts to tackle plastic pollution have hit a major roadblock after global negotiations in Geneva failed to produce a binding treaty. Despite the setback, scientists and innovators remain optimistic that biodegradable plastics and biotechnology could pave the way to a cleaner, more sustainable future. Innovations in Biotech Plastics Biodegradable plastics, designed to safely decompose into harmless substances, are emerging as one of the most promising solutions to the plastic waste crisis. Alongside them, researchers are exploring microorganisms and enzymes capable of breaking down existing plastic waste. Though these technologies are still in their early stages, experts believe they could reach large-scale implementation within the next 5–10 years, provided there is significant inv...