Environment Protection

Best of BS Opinion: India must reform QCO regime to meet global standards

Today's Best of BS Opinion analyses India's Quality Control Order overreach, dim prospects for COP30, Ajay Shah on Trump's tariff shock, and Jordan Ellenberg's review of The Great Math War

US shutdown threatens EPA operations, impacting air, water, land protection

The Environmental Protection Agency was already reeling from massive stuff cuts and dramatic shifts in priority and policy. A government shutdown raises new questions about how it can carry out its founding mission of protecting America's health and environment with little more than skeletal staff and funding. In President Donald Trump's second term, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has leaned hard into an agenda of deregulation and facilitating Trump's boosting of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal to meet what he has called an energy emergency. Jeremy Symons, a former EPA policy official under President Bill Clinton, said it's natural to worry that a shutdown will lead the worst polluters to treat it as a chance to dump toxic pollution without getting caught. Nobody will be holding polluters accountable for what they dump into the air we breathe, in the water we drink while EPA is shut down, said Symons, now a senior adviser to the Environmental Protection Network, a gro

MoEFCC utilises 13% of ₹621 crore in environmental protection fund

Rs 138.38 crore has been committed to 24 projects, with Rs 117.2 crore still available for use

As wars intensify, their carbon toll remains off climate summit agendas

From Gaza to Ukraine, the environmental cost of conflict rivals top emitters but is missing from global climate policy and accountability frameworks

World Environment Day 2025: How nature helps heal your mind and body

On World Environment Day, doctors explain how nature helps reduce stress, balance mood, enhance immunity, and support mental and physical well-being

World Environment Day 2025: Essays for students in 100, 150 and 200 words

Essay on World Environment Day 2025: World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5, raises awareness about protecting nature, fighting pollution, and promoting sustainability for a greener future

EPA chief seeks return of $20 bn in clean-energy grants awarded by Biden

In a major reversal, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency said he will try to rescind USD 20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects. In a video posted on X, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for a still-emerging green bank that is set to fund tens of thousands of projects to fight climate change and promote environmental justice. The programme, approved under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, is formally known as the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, but is more commonly called the green bank. Two initiatives, worth USD 14 billion and USD 6 billion respectively, are intended to offer competitive grants to nonprofits, community development banks and other groups for projects with a focus on disadvantaged communities. The programme is a favourite of Democrats who passed President Joe Biden's signature climate law without a single Republican vote, and former EPA Administrator Michael Regan ...

Dairy farms in Delhi asked to get pollution control consent within 15 days

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has directed cow shelters and dairy farms in the city to obtain pollution control consent within 15 days, warning of strict action in case of non-compliance. The Committee issued a public notice on Sunday directing all 'gaushalas' and dairy farms with 15 or more cattle, and all dairies operating in dairy colonies in Delhi to apply for mandatory consent under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The directive has been issued in compliance with recent court orders and must be adhered to within 15 days of the notice, failing which legal action will be initiated. The notice follows the "Guidelines for Environmental Management of Dairy Farms and Gaushalas" issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as per the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) order on May 20, 2020. These guidelines categorise dairy farms and 'gaushalas' as "Orange" and "Green" categories ...

Over 77% of Earth's land became drier in last 30 years, warns UN report

Over 77 per cent of Earth's land experienced a drier climate during the three decades leading up to 2020, compared to the previous 30-year period, according to a report released by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on Monday. During the same period, global drylands expanded by approximately 4.3 million square kilometres an area nearly a third larger than India now covering more than 40 per cent of the Earth's land. The report, launched at the 16th conference of the UNCCD in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, warned that if efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions fail, another 3 per cent of the world's humid areas are projected to transform into drylands by the end of this century. Meanwhile, the number of people living in drylands has doubled to 2.3 billion over the past three decades. Models suggest that as many as 5 billion could inhabit drylands by 2100 in a worst-case climate change scenario. These billions of people face even greater threats to their lives and liveliho

Illegal sand mining in rivers, beaches serious, needs to be curbed: SC

Terming illegal rampant sand mining as serious, the Supreme Court on Wednesday said such activities needed to be effectively dealt with and asked five states including Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh to provide facts and figures on the issue. The top court was hearing a 2018 PIL filed by one M Alagarsamy seeking a CBI probe into illegal sand mining in rivers and beaches in Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The plea alleged that unregulated illegal sand mining wreaked "environmental havoc" and authorities concerned have allowed entities to operate without the mandatory environmental plan and clearance. A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said it needed to check whether a similar petition against the National Green Tribunal order on illegal sand mining was pending in the top court. Illegal sand mining is a serious issue and needs to be dealt with effectively, the CJI said, when advocate Prashant Bhushan, ...

CoP16: India underlines efforts on land restoration, drought resilience

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav pointed to the link between desertification and poverty, stating that India recognised land degradation as socio-economic issue and recalled India's presidency at CoP14

Team sent by CM Yadav finds no conspiracy in Bandhavgarh jumbo deaths

A high-level team sent by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve following the death of 10 elephants did not come across any conspiracy theory, one of its members said on Saturday. The team comprising MP forest junior minister Pradeep Airward, additional chief secretary Ashok Baranwal and head of Forest Force Aseem Shrivastava visited the spot inside the protected forest. According to wildlife expert Ajay Dubey, never before have ten elephants died within a 72-hour period in the country. An official said that the CM rushed Ahirwar and the two top bureaucrats to the reserve and asked them to submit a report on the elephant deaths that have made national headlines. The CM is dissatisfied with the preliminary report of the forest department that the pachyderms died after consuming a lot of kodo millets, an official, who attended the urgent meeting convened by Yadav on Friday night, told PTI. Quoting the CM at the meeting, the official said Yadav st

COP-16: World's 1st global ecosystem atlas unveiled; how will it help biz

The new initiative aims to help governments, businesses, financial institutions, and local communities to make informed decisions, support sustainability and manage risks

Countries, firms, trade officials urge EU to rethink deforestation rules

A growing number of governments, international trade organizations and businesses are urging the European Union to reconsider a deforestation regulation set to take effect in December. Critics of the regulation say it will discriminate against countries with forest resources and hurt their exports. Supporters of the EU Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR for short, say it will help combat forest degradation on a global scale. Several commodity associations have said they support the objectives of the regulation but that gaps in its implementation could harm their businesses. Environmental organizations have voiced support, saying the EUDR will help slow global deforestation, which is the second-biggest source of carbon emissions after fossil fuels. Here's a look at the EU Deforestation Regulation: What is the EUDR and what products is it expected to impact? Starting on Dec. 30, the EU Deforestation Regulation will outlaw the sale of forest-derived products within the 27-nation bloc

World Environmental Health Day 2024: Date, History, Theme and Importance

The date of World Environmental Health Day 2024 is September 26, each year. The day emphasises how important it is to create a safe and healthy environment by tackling important concerns

Centre to provide 'one-time' financial support for waste recycling startups

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said that his ministry has submitted guidelines for one-time financial aid to waste recycling start-ups in India, where municipal solid waste management is a big concern

People in tropics could see changes in weather extremes in 20 years: Study

People in the tropics and subtropics that makes up about three-fourth of the world's population, could experience strong, rapid changes in both extreme temperatures and rainfall over the next 20 years, unless greenhouse gas emissions -- the primary driver of climate change -- are reduced dramatically, a new study has found. On the other hand, if emissions are lowered enough to meet the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, then 20 per cent of the world's population, or around 1.5 billion people, could face risks related to extreme weather, researchers, led by those at the CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Norway, found. The Paris Agreement aims to limit the rise in global average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. "The regions of clear rapid change in extreme precipitation relative to pre-industrial trends tend to include the mid to high northern latitudes, low-latitude (tropical) Asian countries and equatorial African countries," the ..

Delhi govt bans production, sale, use of firecrackers till January 1

The Delhi government on Monday banned the production, sale and use of firecrackers in the national capital to control air pollution in the coming winter season. Environment Minister Gopal Rai said in a statement that the ban also covers online sale and delivery of firecrackers. An action plan will be prepared in collaboration with Delhi Police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Revenue Department to strictly implement the ban, he added. "The ban on the production, storage, sale and use of firecrackers will remain in force till January 1, 2025 ," Rai said in the statement. This is a part of the Delhi government's winter action plan based on 21 focus points to control pollution, he said.

Lessons from Wayanad: Goa to impose Rs 1 cr fine for illegal hill cutting

Under the proposed amendment to the rules, the department plans to curb illegal hill cutting activities by imposing a fine ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1 crore, depending on the size of the plot

Environment should be safeguarded for green, healthy future: Rajasthan CM

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Saturday urged people to commit to safeguarding the environment, ensuring a green and healthy future. "Increasing pollution, climate change and the reckless exploitation of resources are weakening our planet day by day. It is our collective duty to make meaningful efforts to protect the environment," Lal said as he flagged off a cyclothon from SMS Stadium here. The cycling rally was organised for environmental conservation by the Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair and the IMCT Foundation. The chief minister stressed that the change to save nature must begin with each of us, a statement issued here said. "Such programmes reflect our commitment to environmental conservation and raise awareness about health. These initiatives help us stay physically fit while also promoting mental well being," Lal said at the event. He noted that as vehicle use contributes to pollution, it is people's responsibility to compensate by planting more trees and b