Kerala has launched a new plan to tackle climate change in agriculture. On July 16, 2025, the state released the Climate-Resilient and Energy-Efficient Agriculture (CREEA) report. Developed with inputs from experts and district workshops, it seeks to protect Kerala’s ₹560 billion (₹56,000 crore) farm economy from extreme weather.

The state’s agriculture minister, P. Prasad, unveiled the report at a farmer-scientist consultation. “CREEA is more than a study; it is a blueprint for an inclusive, low‑carbon farm economy that keeps smallholders at the centre of climate action,” Minister Prasad said.

The 240-page report presents five main strategies: Integration and Convergence Planning, Risk and Emergency Planning, Climate-Resilient Farming Systems, Net-Zero Agriculture and Energy Efficiency, and Capacity Building. It outlines steps to reduce the carbon footprint of farming and improve resilience to climate change.

A key part of the plan is K-CRAIL (Kerala Climate-Resilient Agriculture Innovation Labs). These labs will be established at the panchayat, block, and district levels to evaluate sustainable farming practices, including bio-inputs, micro-irrigation, and resilient crops. The first labs are expected to be launched in Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Wayanad by early 2026.

The report also suggests creating farmer seed and bioresource networks. These initiatives will help protect indigenous crops and establish community seed banks, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture practices. Another proposal is an AI-powered risk-mapping platform that helps farmers make informed decisions based on real-time weather, crop, and market data.

Kerala’s agriculture faces growing energy costs, with farm power use doubling over the past decade. CREEA suggests reducing on-farm energy demand by 40% through the use of solar-powered pumps, biogas units, and precision irrigation.

The state’s agriculture is highly vulnerable to climate change. The report highlights that 94% of Kerala’s cropped land is at risk. CREEA’s recommendations align with Kerala’s 2050 net-zero goals and India’s 2070 net-zero pledge. It also points to the Aluva State Seed Farm, which has become India’s first carbon-neutral farm, as a model for others to follow.

S. Usha, an agricultural scientist and lead author of the report, said, “By reducing production costs, improving soil health, and promoting biodiversity, CREEA will fortify rural livelihoods against price and climate shocks.”

The Kerala government plans to set up a CREEA Steering Task Force to oversee the implementation of the plan. The state will also create an investment prospectus to attract both public and private funding for low-carbon farming solutions.

Banner image: Ajith Babu, drone pilot at Fuselage Innovations, operates ‘FIA QD10’ – a precision spraying agricultural drone at a paddy farm at Kerala Agro Machinery Corporation Limited in Kochi, Kerala, India. Photo by Narayana Swamy Subbaraman/Mongabay.

India has achieved 50% of its installed power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, five years ahead of target set in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the government of India announced on July 14.

As of June 30, India’s total installed electricity capacity was 484.82 GW, comprising 242.04 GW (49.9%) from thermal energy sources and 242.78 GW (50.1%) from non-fossil sources, including renewables, large hydro, and nuclear power.

At the COP26 climate conference in 2021, India had announced its goal of achieving 50% of its cumulative electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel resources by 2030, under its NDC targets. Other goals include installing 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil electricity capacity, reducing projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes, and reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45%, also by 2030.

In response to the announcement of achieving 50% capacity through non-fossil fuel sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “This illustrates India’s commitment and efforts towards building a green and sustainable future.”

The press release announcing the achievement lists government schemes that have played a role in achieving the 50% goal. “This achievement reflects the success of visionary policy design, bold implementation, and the country’s deep commitment to equity and climate responsibility. Flagship programmes such as PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, solar park development, and the National Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy have laid a strong foundation for this transformation,” it said.

The press release noted that these initiatives have not only helped in decarbonising energy sector but have also delivered widespread co-benefits which include enhanced energy access, employment generation, reduced air pollution and better public health outcomes.

It also underlined India’s low per capita energy consumption and its relatively limited contribution to global emissions. “Despite having one of the lowest per capita emissions globally, India remains among the few G20 countries that are on track to meet—or even exceed—their NDC commitments,” the release said.

“The next phase of India’s energy transition must prioritise quality, equity, and resilience in clean energy access. Key focus areas include doubling per capita clean electricity consumption,” according to the press release.

India is supposed to submit its new and more ambitious NDC in 2025.

Banner image: A wind-solar hybrid energy system installed at Mumbai airport. Image by WindStream Energy Technologies PVT LTD via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).

The central government has granted widespread exemptions to thermal power plants from complying with air pollution emissions norms, in a move experts say could be detrimental to public health.

On July 11, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change issued a notification exempting thermal power plants which are due to retire by 2030 from complying with sulphur dioxide emissions standards, as long as they declare their year of retirement to the Central Pollution Control Board and the Central Electricity Authority.

As per the notification, only ‘Category A’ plants – those located within 10 kilometres of the National Capital Region and other cities with populations exceeding one million – need to comply with sulphur dioxide emissions standards by December 2027.

Plants that have obtained environmental clearance and are located within a 10-kilometre radius of other critically polluted areas – ‘Category B’ – have the option of complying with norms by December 2028 or appealing to the centrally-appointed Expert Appraisal Committee for exemption. Whether up-and-coming plants in this category need to comply with emissions norms will be determined through the environmental clearance process, the notification says.

The most dramatic change is for ‘Category C’ plants that are neither located close to big cities nor to critically polluted areas, but which make up the vast majority of thermal power plants in the country. The notification states that these plants needn’t comply with sulphur dioxide standards at all, as long as the height of their chimneys (stacks) meet required limits.

Once released into the atmosphere, sulphur dioxide can react with other pollutants to form hazardous PM_2.5 particles. Between June 2022 and May 2023, thermal power plants released approximately 4,327 kilotonnes of sulphur dioxide.

Non-retiring and non-compliant plants will have to pay environmental compensation of up to Rs. 0.40 per unit of electricity generated, depending on the tenure of non-compliance.

The government has said the changes were introduced because of limited availability of flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technologies, supply chain issues, price escalations, and “low sulphur dioxide concentration in ambient air” — all reasons that have been challenged by policy experts and scientists.

Previously, all thermal power plants, regardless of category, were mandated to meet emissions standards by installing FGD technology.

“Granting such a large-scale exemption undermines the effectiveness of the emission standards and poses a serious risk to public health and environmental sustainability,” said Shreya Verma, programme manager at the Centre for Science and Environment, in a statement.

Banner image: A power plant in Kolkata. Representative image by Smeet Chowdhury via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

An artificial intelligence-based drought advisory tool developed in India was launched on July 7 at the AI for Good Summit in Geneva, an event hosted by the United Nations and co-convened with the Government of Switzerland. The AI for Good Summit is a global event organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialised agency of the United Nations, in partnership with over 40 UN organisations and other international partners.

The tool, named SukhaRakshak AI, is designed to provide early warning and location-specific guidance for managing drought. It has been developed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in partnership with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA) and the CGIAR Climate Action Program.

The pilot phase of the tool will start next month. The tool combines satellite data, seasonal and short-term weather forecasts, and district-level drought contingency plans.

The system uses Gemini 2.0 Flash, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and integrates data from sources including SADMS, Google Earth Engine, and global forecast systems such as NOAA, GEFS, and CFS, according to a press release issued by IWMI. “The system is intended for use by smallholder farmers, agricultural extension workers, and local authorities,” the release stated. “It delivers customised advisories through a chatbot interface, using AI models that draw from climate, weather, and remote sensing data.”

The tool seeks to address long-standing challenges in drought preparedness in India, where over 120 million smallholder farmers face periodic water stress and crop failures.

It aims to bridge the gap between early warning and early action by providing practical, timely advice tailored to the user’s location and role, said the press release.

SukhaRakshak AI delivers text and voice-based drought advisories in over 22 Indian languages through integration with AI4Bharat and Sarvam AI, ensuring access for rural users with limited literacy.

A key feature of the tool is its ability to deliver voice- and text-based advisories via mobile applications, WhatsApp, SMS, and IVR calls, making it accessible to users with low digital literacy or limited internet connectivity. The platform also incorporates a feedback loop, allowing users to share field-level observations and improve forecast accuracy over time.

Field trials are scheduled to begin in Odisha and Tamil Nadu in August 2025, with initial deployment targeting agricultural extension officers and local drought authorities. Wider access for farmers via mobile and web platforms is planned following the pilot phase.

Banner image: Farmers planting millets in Odisha. Image by Tanmoy Bhaduri/IWMI.

In a significant step towards expanding the green cover of Bengaluru city, the Karnataka government announced a new biodiversity park. To be set up on 154 acres of forest land in the Madappanahalli reserve forest near Yelahanka, close to Kempegowda International Airport, the biopark, once completed, is expected to become a major public space and tourist attraction in the city’s northern outskirts.

Announcing the initiative in early June, the state’s Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre said the park would be the city’s first large-scale green space after a century, since the creation of Cubbon Park in 1870. Expected to be Bengaluru’s third major park, after Lalbagh Botanical Garden and Cubbon Park, the forest land was recently reclaimed from the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation (KFDC). The land was formally handed back to the Forest Department in the minister’s presence during the announcement.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Meenakshi Negi informed Mongabay India that the project is still in its conceptual phase. “We are in the process of planning it and are actively seeking inputs from experts and the public,” she said. “The idea is to develop an interactive, accessible green space, something on the lines of Lalbagh.”

The site is currently dominated by eucalyptus, a non-native species that will be removed in line with the state ban on cultivating eucalyptus that has been effective since 2017. Native and Western Ghats-endemic species such as bilva, honne, banyan and peepal are expected to replace them. According to Khandre, the area already supports around 800 trees of native varieties.

The proposed features of the biopark include: Basaveshwara medicinal garden, Kempegowda mini-zoo, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar aviary, Indira Gandhi biopark, Saalumarada Thimmakka tree park, a butterfly park, a germplasm bank, a bamboo grove, an arboretum and some water features.

Negi informed that a detailed project report (DPR) was being prepared, incorporating public and expert input. According to Khandre, the park is expected to be completed within the next two to three years, with ₹20 crore sanctioned for the first phase of its development.

Banner image: Cubbon park. Representative image by Divya Kilikar/Mongabay.

If the latest antivenom study is any indication, the next breakthrough treatment for snakebites in India could come in the form of a pill. It could be more effective, affordable, and easily accessible than existing options.

In a landmark study, researchers at the Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, tested two repurposed small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) — varespladib and marimastat — for their ability to neutralise venom from the Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii) across different regions of India. Small-molecule inhibitors are a class of drugs that work by targeting and blocking specific molecules, primarily proteins, involved in various cellular processes. These drugs were originally developed to treat conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, which also means they have already undergone human clinical trials for those uses.

Scientist and professor Kartik Sunagar at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, who led the study, told Mongabay India that unlike antivenoms, which have never undergone formal clinical trials despite being widely used in countries like India, these drugs have already passed safety and toxicity assessments. “So, we only needed to test their efficacy for snakebites,” he says.

The neutralisation experiment on one of India’s big four medically significant snakes, Russell’s viper, proved to be the clincher.

The venom of this snake is dominated by three major toxin families: SVMP, PLA₂, and SVSP, which occur in varying proportions across its geographical range. The scientists assessed the effectiveness of the two SMIs, varespladib and marimastat, in countering the toxic effects of Russell’s viper venom sourced from diverse regions. “We’ve demonstrated that a specific combination of these two drugs provides complete protection against Russell’s viper in almost every corner of India. We’ve tested them across 10 different sites in 10 different states,” Sunagar explains.

The study found that in most D. russelii populations, a single small-molecule inhibitor could neutralise lethal venom effects in preincubation tests, and in some cases, it didn’t matter which toxin family — PLA₂ or SVMP — was blocked. This is surprising, the paper notes, given the complex and variable mix of toxins typically found in snake venoms.

The study offers several advantages of the treatment. A major benefit is that these are oral drugs. “Someone bitten in a rural area can take the pill immediately, buying time or potentially avoiding antivenom altogether,” Sunagar adds. They’re also inexpensive to produce, being lab-synthesised chemicals that don’t require animals, making them a scalable alternative to conventional antivenom.

Banner image: A Russel’s viper. Image by CHANDRANUJ via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).