Neither ecologically sustainable nor ethical, says study over translocation of African cheetahs to India

A file photo of cheetahs at Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district. | Photo Credit: PTI A new study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), which examines the ethical, ecological and welfare challenges associated with the translocation of African cheetahs to India, has expressed concern over the translocation of the animals … Read more

Sweden’s top court rejects Thunberg lawsuit on climate action

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and protesters take part in a demonstration against the A69 motorway project between Toulouse and Castres, in Saix, France, February 10, 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP Sweden’s Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other activists cannot proceed with a lawsuit that had sought to force … Read more

India to submit updated greenhouse gas inventory to U.N. soon

While a part of the commitment made at COP-21 in 2015, countries started submitting BTRs only by 2024. File India is in the final stages of preparing its first ever Biannual Transparency Report (BTR), part of its commitment as a signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, Environment Ministry officials told The Hindu. … Read more

What is the Aravali safari park project? | Explained

A sunrise is seen against the Aravali mountain ranges in Ajmer, in Rajasthan, on December 16, 2022. | Photo Credit: AP The story so far: The Haryana government’s ambitious 3,858 hectare Aravali safari park project spread across Gurugram and Nuh — which was one of the poll promises of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party last … Read more

Lighten the pollution burden of thermal power States

In its first updated Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in August 2022, India has committed to first, adopting a climate-friendly and cleaner path to economic development; second, reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from the 2005 level, and third, … Read more

Come summer, sighting the shy, pint-sized members of the Rallidae family gets easier

A Baillon’s crake at Perumbakkam wetland on February 12, 2025. Photo: Prince Frederick  | Photo Credit: PRINCE FREDERICK As humans are christened around birth, before their character becomes manifest and their frame takes complete shape, there is always the possibility that their name might suggest the opposite of what the people around them largely perceive … Read more

Rampant disposal of sewage into Pazhayar river poses significant threat for its future

Sewage water mixing with Pazhayar river at Ozhuginasery in Nagercoil. | Photo Credit: A. SHAIKMOHIDEEN The rampant disposal of sewage into Pazhayar river poses a significant threat for its future, as pervasive pollution from sewage continues to damage the river’s ecosystem. The river, which carries pristine water from the Western Ghats has become excessively polluted … Read more

What is carbon capture? – The Hindu

Representative image of a refinery. | Photo Credit: Bro Takes Photos Global warming is the result of certain greenhouse gases — but especially carbon dioxide (CO2) — building up in the air and preventing the planet from cooling as quickly as it would without them. Although some natural processes emit these gases, their build-up to … Read more

Union Budget 2025: What do farmers want?

Considering the ten earlier Budgets of the BJP-led government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is nothing much that the farmers and agricultural workers of India can expect from the coming Union Budget 2025 (eleventh) except more vicious attacks on their livelihood, made under the smokescreen of high-sounding phrases about their welfare. Dismal record … Read more

Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana contributes only 14% of PM2.5 in Delhi-NCR: study

Based on field measurements, airmass trajectories, and particle dispersion and chemical transport model simulations, a study published in January 2025 has found that there is no linear correlation between stubble-burning events in Punjab and Haryana and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration in Delhi-NCR. The study also underscores that crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana contributes … Read more

Agriculture Budget: Nirmala Sitharaman announces PM Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana for farmers in Budget 2025

A farmer harvesting a paddy field with mechanised harvester at Thiruvalarsolai in Tiruchi district. (Image used for representational purpose only.) | Photo Credit: The Hindu Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana, or the developing agri-districts programme, in her record 8th Union Budget presentation on Saturday (February 1, 2025). Watch: … Read more

Budget 2025: Government announces National Mission on High Yielding Seeds

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday (February 1, 2025) announced the National Mission on High Yielding Seeds in her 8th Budget speech for the Modi government. Union Budget 2025 LIVE updates The main objectives of the initiative, as announced by Ms. Nirmala, are: strengthening the research ecosystem, targeted development and propagation of seeds … Read more

U.N. climate chief calls India ‘solar superpower’, urges submission of stronger climate action plan

Simon Stiell, Secretary of U.N. Climate Change (UNFCCC). File | Photo Credit: Reuters U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell has called India a “solar superpower” and urged it to develop an ambitious climate plan covering its entire economy, saying that an even stronger embrace of the global clean energy boom will supercharge its economic rise. Mr. … Read more

A solution at multiple levels

In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa wakes up to an unsettling truth: he has transformed overnight into an insect, with no say in his own becoming. Neeraja Arjun’s transformation was not entirely unbidden, certainly not grotesque, but indubitably as life-shifting as Gregor Samsa’s. At CIT Colony in Mylapore, Neeraja lays up unlikely treasures — citrus peels and similar organic discards — … Read more

Humans putting Himalayan Hangul Deer under stress during mating, birthing seasons

Himalayan Hangul Deer are under stress finds CSIR-CCMB scientist. Scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) have highlighted the need for minimising human disturbances such as livestock grazing and herder movement during the mating and birthing seasons for population recovery of the Hangul Deer living in the Himalayas. They deduced this after … Read more

Coastal, earthquake-prone regions should protect telecom assets from disasters, says Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

Image for representation. | Photo Credit: The Hindu The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) recommended in a report and policy brief issued this week that coastal States like Tamil Nadu and Gujarat must take steps to protect their telecom assets from natural disasters. The CDRI is a multilateral organisation based in New Delhi that … Read more

The first Intertidal Bioblitz uncovers marine wonders in India’s coasts

The intertidal pools of Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam was brimming with life that morning as the East Coast Conservation Team waded through the shallow waters, scanning the rocky crevices for marine wonders. Amid the sway of nudibranchs and sea grapes, Kusum Gorentla, an ECCT volunteer, spotted a delicate, ribbon-like object floating by. Its gentle undulations resembled … Read more

Cabinet raises raw jute MSP by 6% to ₹5,650/per quintal

Image used for representative purpose only | Photo Credit: The Hindu The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) approved a minimum support price of ₹5,650 per quintal for raw jute for marketing season 2025-26, an increase of 6% or ₹315 over the pervious MSP. The information was given by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush … Read more

A role for India in South-South climate cooperation

COP29, at Baku, Azerbaijan, aptly referred to as the ‘Climate Finance COP,’ has played a crucial role in operationalising core elements of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (PA). The adoption of Article 6 at Baku represents a renewed focus on the market mechanism which could help countries that are often constrained by limited resources … Read more