Is India Winning the War Against Pollution? The fight for cleaner air and water intensifies as the nation grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change. From the devastating floods in Assam to the alarming rise in air pollution levels in Delhi, environmental challenges demand urgent action. This week saw crucial discussions on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy sources at the India Climate Change Conference, highlighting the government's commitment to tackling deforestation and promoting biodiversity conservation. But are these efforts enough? Experts warn of looming water scarcity and the need for stricter regulations on industrial emissions. The future of India's environment hangs in the balance, demanding collective responsibility and innovative solutions. Explore Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and the latest updates on environmental policies, climate activism, and the ongoing struggle for a sustainable India. Discover how you can contribute to a greener tomorrow.
New Delhi, Jul 1: A severe heatwave continues to affect large parts of Europe, bringing extreme temperatures and dangerous conditions. In Italy, two people have died due to the scorching heat, while parts of Spain and Portugal recorded their highest-ever June temperatures, with the mercury reaching 46°C, reports international media. In the UK, Kent experienced the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 33.5°C. While southeast England continues to face very hot weather, reports BBC. The heat has also sparked serious wildfires in western Turkey, where more than 50,000 people have been evacuated, reports international media. In total, emergency teams have battled more than 250 wildfires across Turkey in the past three days. Dozens of people affected by the fires are being treated in hospitals. In France, authorities have issued a red alert, the highest level, for extreme heat across 16 regions, including Paris. The top of the Eiffel Tower has been closed due to safety concerns. Greece is also under threat, with officials warning of a very high wildfire risk in many parts of the country. Strong winds and soaring temperatures are making the situation worse. Regions such as Attica, Crete, and several islands have been placed under high alert, reports BBC. Wildfires have already caused damage in areas like the island of Chios. Scientists say climate change is making such heatwaves more frequent and intense. Human activities like burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests release gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, pushing global temperatures higher. Even small increases in average temperatures can lead to more extreme heat events like the one Europe is facing now.
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Heat threatens children's education * Aircon fuels global warming * Architects turn to passive cooling By Emma Batha LONDON, July 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When prize-winning architect Francis Kere was growing up in Burkina Faso he spent his schooldays in a gloomy classroom that was so stifling he says it would have been better suited to making bread than educating children. Years later, while studying abroad, Kere returned to his home village to build a light and airy school where ...Read More >
NEW DELHI (AP) -- Cyclone Montha started making landfall along India's eastern coast, the weather office said late Tuesday, with the storm due to bring torrential rains and strong winds. Montha, swirling over the Bay of Bengal, intensified into a severe cyclonic storm that threatens flooding of low-lying areas in southern Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states through the night. "Latest observations indicate that the landfall process has commenced," the Indian Meteorological Department said in its latest bulletin. The process was expected to continue for the next three to four hours. The sto ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 28 (PTI) The Paris Agreement "offers principles", but the International Solar Alliance "offers action", concrete action on the ground directed to communities, France's Special Climate Envoy Benoit Faraco said on Tuesday. Faraco attended the 8th Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly here and also interacted with reporters. The ISA was launched in 2015 and its founding conference was held in 2018 in New Delhi. Asked what role does France see for itself in the ISA, Faraco said for his country, the ISA has "always been part of our priority". "We were there i ...Read More >
India was turning green. Black was out, and so was an era of crude energy sources, even if refined adequately, and used as liquefied gas. Yet, the shine on coal, the black gold, has intensified in the past few weeks. Thanks to huge global shortages in crude oil, and gas, including LNG (liquefied natural gas), India, along with other nations, is re-focusing energy security. It demands a back-to-black tactics, and giving green a breather, even as the future of fossil fuels seems iffy. Black is in, even if it remains dirty, messy, and polluting. Desperate to manage the energy crisis due to the I ...Read More >
Speaking at IIT Bombay's Techfest 2024, Mr Adani, the 27-year old younger son of infrastructure magnate Gautam Adani, said the future of technology is both scary and exciting. India cannot stay out of global technological race, said Jeet Adani. Mumbai: India cannot stay out of global technological race and should build capabilities that will keep it at the top while remaining vigilant against its misuse, said Jeet Adani, Director, Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. Speaking at IIT Bombay's Techfest ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The Indian equity indices opened lower on Friday as heavyweights like Axis Bank and Bharti Airtel were among the top losers in the BSE benchmark. At 9.25 am, Sensex was down 171 points or 0.21 per cent at 82, 087 and Nifty was down 35 points or 0.14 per cent at 25, 075. In the Sensex pack, M&M, Tata Steel, Power Grid, L&T, UltraTech Cement, Infosys, Tata Motors, BEL, NTPC, TCS, Trent and Maruti Suzuki were top gainers. Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra , HDFC Bank, Eternal (Zomato), HUL, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Titan and Bajaj Finserv ...Read More >
Trump India Tariffs Impact: US 50% tariffs on Indian exports take effect tomorrow, targeting textiles, seafood, gems, jewellery, and leather. Analysts warn the move could threaten millions of jobs and shave 0.5% off India's GDP. Back in his first term, Donald Trump had first called India as the "tariff king." Now, in his second stint in the White House, he has repeated that often and is now bringing the 50 per cent tariff hit for New Delhi. The order, Executive Order 14329, links the penalty to India's continued imports of Russian crude and defence hardware. For New Delhi, this isn't just ano ...Read More >
Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) has secured a $225.5 million contract from Kuwait Oil Company to build, operate and manage a gas sweetening and sulphur recovery facility at Kuwait's oilfields. The project will be completed in 790 days, followed by five years of operations and maintenance. Indian multi-sector infrastructure firm Megha Engineering & Infrastructures has won a contract worth $225.5 million from Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), it said on Friday. The contract ...Read More >
Over the past four years, Himachal Pradesh has faced staggering losses of ₹46,000 crore attributed to the escalating impacts of climate change and a series of natural disasters. The recent monsoon season tragically claimed 1,700 lives, while vital water sources continue to dwindle and forest fires have reached alarming frequencies. Himachal Pradesh suffered losses to the tune of Rs 46,000 crore over the past four years due to natural disasters and the impact of climate change, according to a s ...Read More >
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season has barely begun, but it has already delivered its first major controversy. Following Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) six-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, a pointed remark from captain Ajinkya Rahane has triggered a wider debate - forcing Cricket Australia (CA) to step in with a clarification. At the centre of the storm is Cameron Green, KKR's high-profile signing worth INR 25.20 crore, who did not bowl a single over despite MI's dominant chase of 220. KKR seemed in control after posting a commanding 220/4, but the script ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday outlined five key global priorities to build disaster-resilient infrastructure, including a skilled workforce, a global digital repository to document best practices and innovative financing. He said that strengthening early-warning systems and coordination is another crucial aspect. Addressing the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure 2025 via videoconferencing, Mr Modi noted that India has established a tsunami-warning system benefitting 29 countries and that it recognises the Small Island Developing States (Sida) a ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jun 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, instead of introspecting on the defeat in the 2024 state assembly polls, has been repudiating the mandate given by the people because they rejected him. The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha is preparing his excuses for future defeats in the upcoming assembly elections, including Bihar, Fadnavis said in his articles published in the Indian Express and Marathi daily Loksatta. On Saturday, Gandhi, in an article published in several newspapers and in posts on X, claimed the 2024 Maharas ...Read More >
NEW DELHI : The idiom advising one not to compare apples and oranges is a cliché -- a figurative expression that a fruit lover can safely ignore. But anyone with an interest in the origin, spread, popularity, and market dynamics of a fruit or a vegetable can and must draw comparisons. In that spirit of enquiry, one may compare apples and mangoes, more so as they appear to be headed in different directions. Apples are vying for eternal glory, while mangoes are in tatters. Sample these numbers: In 2024-25, India's mango exports, including fresh fruit and pulp, were valued at just ₹1,150 crore. ...Read More >
Delhi is facing worsening pollution and erratic weather patterns, with the air quality regularly reaching dangerous levels. This is partly due to climate change, with temperature rises and unpredictable rainfall patterns caused by global warming. The industrial revolution has played a significant role, contributing to the rise in global temperatures. The effects are already being felt, with 2024 witnessing record-breaking heat in India. Despite this, there is little action from society or leadership, with courts repeatedly stepping in to address issues like pollution and farm fires. The need f ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The city is in for a spell of hot and dry days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by up to 6 degree Celsius over the next five days. While the mercury is expected to cross 40 degree Celsius, no heatwave conditions are likely, officials said on Friday. According to the weather office, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung on Thursday was 38.2 degree Celsius, about 2 degree below the seasonal average. Minimum temperature stood at 25.6 degree Celsius, also slightly lower than the normal. Similar trends were observed acro ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday outlined five key global priorities for him to build disaster-resilient infrastructure, including a skilled workforce, a global digital repository to document best practices and innovative financing. In a video address to the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure 2025, Modi said strengthening early-warning systems and coordination is another crucial aspect. He noted that India has established a tsunami-warning system benefitting 29 countries and that it recognises the Small Island Developing States (SIDA) ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: India on Thursday dismissed Nato chief Mark Rutte's threat of "100 per cent secondary sanctions" on countries trading with Russia, particularly in gas and oil, and warned the West against adopting any "double standards." Reacting to Mr Rutte's comments, foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said securing the country's energy needs remains an overriding priority, guided by what is available in the markets and the prevailing global circumstances. "We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate that securing the energy needs o ...Read More >
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed optimism about India's support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, despite ongoing concerns from the U.S. regarding India's energy trade with Moscow. While the U.S. considers tariffs to deter Russian oil purchases by India and China, Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of maintaining ties with New Delhi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (local time) said he believes India is "mostly" on Kyiv's side in the war with Russia, even as the ...Read More >
The effective closure from the Iran war of the Strait of Hormuz -- the critical chokepoint for roughly 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas -- is in its fifth week with no clear signs of resolving. For Asia, which buys more than 80% of the crude and LNG that flows through the narrow waterway, the consequences have been swift: severe fuel shortages, export bans, and government budgets stretched to the breaking point. The crisis is forcing Asia to look both backward and forward simulta ...Read More >
Srinagar: After over seven decades, an unrelenting heatwave has breached records with Kashmir experiencing the third hottest July day ever on Saturday, worrying large farming communities in the face of a prolonged dry spell. Director of the Meteorological Centre, Srinagar, Mukhtar Ahmad, told ETV Bharat that the third-highest day temperature in July was recorded on Saturday, since 1946. "That year saw the mercury soar to 38.3 degrees Celsius, followed by 37.8 in 1953. Today, we recorded 37.4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar," he said. June was recorded to be the hottest since 1978, said Ahmad, wi ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
Kolkata: The Kolkata Traffic Police is facing a new challenge in managing vehicle parking for the upcoming Shahid Diwas rally on Monday, as persistent rainfall threatens to render designated parking fields unusable. The fresh spell of rain on Friday, with more occasional rain predicted even on Saturday, has left cops worried as they believe the Maidan area can be filled with slush.The traffic department, which initially planned to utilise various fields across the city for parking buses and cars of parade attendees, is now frantically searching for alternative solutions on the main roads, stre ...Read More >
DIMAPUR, OCTOBER 18 (MExN): The Commissioner of Police, Dimapur, has issued an advisory cautioning citizens against the use of banned firecrackers during the upcoming festive season and appealed to all residents to celebrate in an eco-friendly and responsible manner. The advisory stated that bursting of firecrackers is not only environmentally hazardous but also causes significant stress, fear, and other health-related issues in both humans and animals due to loud explosions and toxic gases. As per the guidelines, fireworks will be permitted strictly between 8 PM and 10 PM on Diwali and othe ...Read More >
New Delhi: Delhi may have seen its warmest March in four years (since 2022), as the average monthly maximum temperature by Mar 30 stood at 32.5 degrees Celsius and minimum at 17.5 degrees Celsius. The city, however, recorded much cooler second half of the month than the first, even though mercury typically touches 40 degrees Celsius March-end.As for the minimum temperature, a solid indicator of thermal distress, since 2011 it had been just three times when it averaged out above 17 degrees Celsius. The average monthly minimum temperature stood at 17.5 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees Celsius above ...Read More >
Still, the ongoing U.N. climate talks have thrown a spotlight on their efforts to tackle global warming. While the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, is tasked with agreeing a goal to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars for climate, leaders of the Group of 20 major economies half a world away in Rio are holding the purse strings. G20 countries account for 85% of the world's economy and are the largest contributors to multilateral development banks helping to steer climate finance. "The spotlight is naturally on the G20. They account for 80 percent of global emissions," U.N. Secretary Ge ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): On the occasion of World Environment Day, a website, "Discover Green Hydrogen," was launched by L&T GreenTech. The website focuses on the global clean energy revolution, providing insights, expert analysis, and real-time updates on the rapidly evolving Green Hydrogen industry. Powered by L&T GreenTech, a key division of L&T Energy's Green & Clean Energy Business, the newly launched website reflects L&T's unwavering commitment to sustainability. Also Read | Delhi: High-Level US Team Arrives for Talks on Bilateral Trade Pact With India. This website is designe ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday outlined five key global priorities for him to build disaster-resilient infrastructure, including a skilled workforce, a global digital repository to document best practices and innovative financing. In a video address to the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure 2025, Modi said strengthening early-warning systems and coordination is another crucial aspect. He noted that India has established a tsunami-warning system benefitting 29 countries and that it recognises the Small Island Developing States (SIDA) as large-oc ...Read More >
Pune: Meteorologists have issued a warning that India could experience a severe cold wave by the end of this year. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributes this to the possible resurgence of La Niña, a cooling phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) that influences global weather patterns. While India avoided extreme heat this year, the upcoming winter is expected to bring unusually low temperatures, especially from December to January. The US National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Centre indicated on September 11 that there is a 71% probability of La Niña develop ...Read More >
(CNN) -- India's financial capital and one of its largest cities has experienced its wettest May in more than a century, with the unusually early arrival of the monsoon season causing a ferocious weekend downpour that turned roads into rivers and flooded a newly inaugurated underground train station. Mumbai, a city of more than 12 million, has recorded more than 400 millimeters of rainfall this month so far, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), with much of the downpour arriving late last weekend. The deluge caused chaos and delays across transport networks, inc ...Read More >