Environment Archives - Page 2 of 47

Feb62026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Why Planting More Trees May Harm Biodiversity and How New Global Standard Aims to Fix it

Environment

Tree planting has emerged as one of the most popular responses to environmental degradation. Governments announce billion-tree targets, corporations promise carbon-neutral forests, and philanthropies fund vast restoration drives. Forests are widely seen as natural solutions absorbing carbon, protecting wildlife, and sustaining livelihoods. But scientists warn that when restoration is poorly planned, it can undermine the very goals it claims to serve. As global restoration pledges have expanded, so have concerns about their ecological validity. Studies over the past decade suggest that many high-profile commitments prioritise numbers over nature, replacing complex ecosystems with simplified plantations that offer limited benefits for biodiversity or climate resilience...

Feb62026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

DNA Study Reveals Ranthambore Tigers Feeding on Wider Prey, Livestock Emerges as Major Food Source

Environment

A new scientific study has revealed that tigers in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve are feeding on a far more diverse range of prey than previously understood, with domestic livestock now forming a substantial part of their diet. The findings raise fresh concerns about growing human–tiger conflict beyond protected forest boundaries. The study, conducted by researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Nature Conservation Foundation, used advanced DNA metabarcoding techniques to analyse tiger scats collected from the reserve. The results were published after comparing this genetic method with traditional scat analysis, long considered the standard approach for studying carnivore diets. Researchers collected fresh tiger scats from ...

Feb42026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Global Study Warns Forest Resilience Weakening as key Tree Species Vanish

Environment

Forests across the world are undergoing a subtle but profound transformation, one that scientists warn could permanently weaken their ability to support life on Earth. A large international study has found that many forests are losing their most ecologically valuable trees and becoming increasingly dominated by fast-growing, generalist species. While these changes may appear gradual, researchers say the long-term consequences for biodiversity, climate regulation and ecosystem stability could be severe. Trees play a foundational role in sustaining life. They absorb and store carbon dioxide, stabilize soils, regulate water cycles and provide habitat for countless species of animals, fungi and insects. Forests also support human societies by supplying timber, food, shad...

Feb42026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Bhuj Earthquake: The Disaster That Redefined India’s Seismic Safety

Disasters, Environment

The Bhuj earthquake of January 2001 remains etched in India’s disaster history as one of the deadliest calamities since Independence. More than 13,000 people lost their lives, over 1.5 lakh were injured, and nearly a million were rendered homeless as entire towns in Gujarat collapsed within minutes. The scale of destruction exposed how unprepared modern India was for a major seismic event. Beyond the tragic human toll, Bhuj tested the entire system responsible for public safety. From urban planning and structural design to construction practices, supervision, and emergency response, every link was stressed simultaneously. What failed was not just brick, concrete, and steel, but also governance, enforcement, and the flow of technical knowledge from codes to constructi...

Jan302026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Snowfall Returns Late to North India, Raising Questions Over Vanishing Himalayan Winters

Disasters, Environment

Snow has finally returned to parts of North India’s higher Himalayas after a long dry spell, as western disturbances brought fresh snowfall to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. While the white slopes have offered brief visual relief, scientists warn that this late-season snowfall cannot undo the damage of an unusually snowless winter, pointing instead to deeper climate shifts underway in the region. The India Meteorological Department has forecast continued rain and snowfall across the western Himalayan region till the end of the month. However, January traditionally the heart of the snow season nearly passed without significant snowfall in several high-altitude areas, including Badrinath, Kedarnath and large parts of the Garhwal region. Locals a...

Jan282026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

River Turned Toxic: How Industrial Pollution Is Poisoning the Sirsiya From Nepal to India

Disasters, Environment

For decades, the Sirsiya river shaped everyday life in southern Nepal. Children swam in its waters, families washed clothes along its banks, and farmers relied on it for irrigation. Today, the river tells a very different story. Flowing thick and black through Nepal industrial heartland before crossing into India, the Sirsiya has become a moving channel of industrial waste and untreated sewage, threatening public health, livelihoods and cross-border relations. From lifeline to open drain in Nepal industrial capital The Sirsiya originates in the forests of Bara district and passes through the Bara Parsa industrial corridor, Nepal’s largest manufacturing zone. Once central to agriculture, religious rituals and domestic life in Bara and Parsa districts, the river now...

Jan242026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Drone Technology Helps Scientists Detect Early Drought Stress in Trees, Offering New Hope for Forest Protection

Environment, Idea & Innovations

Rising temperatures and frequent droughts are placing forests under increasing pressure, making it harder for trees to survive changing climate conditions. Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research have developed a new method to detect drought stress in trees using drone-based multispectral imaging, allowing them to monitor forest health from the air across large areas. During the unusually hot summer of 2023, researchers studied how seven native tree species respond to water shortages. Using drones equipped with special cameras, they were able to identify early signs of stress that are not visible to the human eye. These findings could help forestry experts better understand which tree species are more resilient to climate cha...

Jan242026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

America Forests Are Storing More Carbon Than They Have in Decades, New Analysis Shows

Climate Actions, Environment

Forests across the United States have absorbed carbon at an unusually high rate over the past two decades, turning them into one of the country’s most significant natural allies in slowing climate change. A new scientific analysis shows that this surge is the result of a complex interaction between climate trends and human decisions about how forests are managed and conserved. Researchers from Ohio State University analysed national forest inventory data to separate carbon gains driven by natural factors from those influenced by land use and forest management. The findings suggest that U.S. forests are currently holding more carbon than at any point in recent history, but scientists caution that this trend may not continue indefinitely. Climate Conditions and Fore...

Jan242026 by Editor DeskNo Comments

How Hoverflies Quietly Keep Ecosystems Alive

Climate Actions, Environment

In the global conversation on pollinators, bees dominate attention. They are celebrated, studied, and protected. But behind this familiar narrative exists a quieter workforce that sustains ecosystems with remarkable efficiency hoverflies. Often mistaken for bees or wasps, hoverflies are the world’s second-largest group of non-bee pollinators. Despite their importance, they remain largely invisible in public discourse, conservation planning, and policy frameworks, even as pollinator populations decline worldwide. Insects form the backbone of global food systems, pollinating more than 70 per cent of cultivated crops and nearly 90 per cent of flowering plants. While bees receive most of the credit, flies particularly hoverflies support at least 551 plant species across 71 families. Thei...

Sep252025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

China Unveils Ambitious Plan to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2035

Climate Actions, Environment

BEIJING — China has announced a new and ambitious plan to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and dramatically shift its energy consumption towards renewable sources. Unveiled by President Xi Jinping at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the plan outlines a series of key targets to be met by 2035. Key Targets for Emissions and Energy As part of its updated climate commitments, China aims to cut its economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by between 7% and 10% by 2035. This reduction is intended to be achieved through a major transition in the nation's energy mix. President Xi Jinping highlighted that by 2035, non-fossil fuels will account for more than 30% of China's total energy consumption. To meet this target, the country plans a monumental expansion o...