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		<title>Mongabay-India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/by/rishika-pardikar/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 04:31:00 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>Workers groups are pushing for legal protections against deadly heat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/workers-groups-are-pushing-for-legal-protections-against-deadly-heat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/workers-groups-are-pushing-for-legal-protections-against-deadly-heat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 May 2026 19:23:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gig workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwaves]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/13171049/AP20138243285483-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38109</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Human Rights, and Impacts of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Several labour unions have demanded, in writing, that India’s labour codes be reformed to include more explicit provisions for working in extreme heat. Record-breaking heat in recent years has moved government bodies to issue advisories urging employers to reschedule working hours and make drinking water available to workers. But workers say this isn’t enough in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Several labour unions have demanded, in writing, that India’s labour codes be reformed to include more explicit provisions for working in extreme heat. Record-breaking heat in recent years has moved government bodies to issue advisories urging employers to reschedule working hours and make drinking water available to workers. But workers say this isn’t enough in the face of life-threatening heat. &#8220;Advisories don&#8217;t scare anybody, so no one is compelled to comply with them,&#8221; said Nirmal Gorana, National coordinator of the Gig &amp; Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). Working in conditions where ambient temperatures are sustained above 32°C are found to raise the risk of heat-related illness significantly. For India’s largely informal workforce, this type of exposure can be deadly. Workers and researchers woke up to this reality in 2024 — India’s hottest year on record — when temperatures crossed 40°C for several days and resulted in more than 40,000 suspected heatstroke cases. “That year really shaped public opinion about the importance of improving safety measures against heat,&#8221; said Aravind Unni, an urban practitioner and researcher on informality and urban spaces. Each degree rise in temperature is estimated to reduce annual plant output by 2% and worker productivity by 2-4%, but India’s labour laws haven’t kept pace with these impacts. In 2020, India’s numerous labour laws were simplified and consolidated into four distinct codes — the Code on Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, and Occupational Safety. The codes were modified to include platform and gig workers, and expanded social security and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/workers-groups-are-pushing-for-legal-protections-against-deadly-heat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Scientists report plastic-rock formation from India’s western coast</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/scientists-report-plastic-rock-formation-from-indias-western-coast/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/scientists-report-plastic-rock-formation-from-indias-western-coast/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 May 2026 16:50:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beaches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rocks]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/13122036/Plastiglomerate_Museon-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38144</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Environment, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Waste management, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In May 2024, a research group set out along the shores of Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, in search of unusual rock formations. As they walked, they collected samples by carefully chiselling out pieces of rocky outcrops where plastic waste had been trapped, later transporting these to the lab for analysis. One of these [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In May 2024, a research group set out along the shores of Diveagar beach in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, in search of unusual rock formations. As they walked, they collected samples by carefully chiselling out pieces of rocky outcrops where plastic waste had been trapped, later transporting these to the lab for analysis. One of these samples had a green plastic net embedded within the rock, which  the team recently reported as the first evidence of &#8216;plastistone&#8217; — a plastic-rock formation — from India’s western coast. Plastic-rock structures have been documented globally, including from the shores of Andaman and Nicobar islands and Tamil Nadu. Earlier formations found in India were largely plastiglomerates and pyroplastics that are formed by human-induced burning of plastic. In contrast, researchers suggest that plastistone has formed through natural processes, where the bonding of plastic debris with sediments and biological components was brought about by UV exposure, high temperatures and waves. The study, published in Discover Oceans, also found that the plastic filament protruding from the rock was polyamide in nature, suggesting that it originated from a discarded nylon fishing net. Plastistone is likely a “novel form of sedimentary rock”, said Punyasloke Bhadury, professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata and the study’s corresponding author, who added that that this is the first plastistone formation to be reported from the Indian subcontinent. A 2024 study found that India emits an estimated 9.3 millions tonnes of plastic pollution each year, equivalent to nearly one-fifth&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/scientists-report-plastic-rock-formation-from-indias-western-coast/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>The monkey with a lion’s tail</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/the-monkey-with-a-lions-tail/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/the-monkey-with-a-lions-tail/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 May 2026 14:02:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[lion-tailed macaque]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[macaques]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monkeys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/13135041/macaque-4-e1778660458190-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38141</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Forests, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Lion-tailed macaques are moving out of forests. A recent study in the Western Ghats has recorded as many as 800 individuals in human landscapes, where they face risks like road accidents and electrocution. The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is a tree-dwelling monkey, endemic to the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Lion-tailed macaques are moving out of forests. A recent study in the Western Ghats has recorded as many as 800 individuals in human landscapes, where they face risks like road accidents and electrocution. The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) is a tree-dwelling monkey, endemic to the rainforests of the Western Ghats. These macaques are recognised for their distinctive silver-white mane, black face and tufted tail similar to that of a lion. Since they primarily eat fruits, they move through the canopy of connected trees in forests, rarely descending to the ground. They also supplement their diet with insects for protein. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Species, the lion-tailed macaque is endangered. The loss of rainforests has led to a decline in its population with only about 2,400-2,500 mature individuals remaining. In India, the species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, giving it the highest level of legal protection. The Anamalai Hills in the Central Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, is home to some of the largest populations of lion-tailed macaques. However, these rainforests have been broken up into smaller fragments by tea plantations, human habitation, roads and electric lines, increasing threats to this species. In recent years, researchers have found vanishing forests are driving lion-tailed macaques to search for food in people’s homes, highlighting the need for large-scale restoration of their rainforest habitat, expansion of sanctuaries and protection&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/the-monkey-with-a-lions-tail/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>High Court bench to hear PILs challenging Great Nicobar clearance</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/high-court-bench-to-hear-pils-challenging-great-nicobar-clearance/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/high-court-bench-to-hear-pils-challenging-great-nicobar-clearance/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 May 2026 16:02:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[EIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment clearance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental impact assessment (EIA)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Nicobar]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/12154102/pexels-vishal-jadav-41034772-14313849-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38138</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Crime, Environmental Politics, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Islands, Land Rights, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Calcutta High Court’s Divisional Bench at Port Blair has agreed to hear three Public Interest Litigations alleging violations in forest rights laws when granting the Great Nicobar Island megaproject clearance. The Court rejected the government’s plea to dismiss the PILs since the petitioner, former IFS officer Meena Gupta, lived in Telangana not the Andaman [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Calcutta High Court’s Divisional Bench at Port Blair has agreed to hear three Public Interest Litigations alleging violations in forest rights laws when granting the Great Nicobar Island megaproject clearance. The Court rejected the government’s plea to dismiss the PILs since the petitioner, former IFS officer Meena Gupta, lived in Telangana not the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Apart from arguing that Gupta had “no locus standi” in the matter, the Union government also said there was no need to re-visit the case as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had already cleared the project three months earlier. However, the Calcutta Court said it was &#8220;crystal clear” that the petition in the NGT — which challenged the Project’s environmental clearance — was completely different from the present PILs. Gupta’s PILs concern the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in gram sabhas that are likely to be affected by the project, as well as the reduction in buffer zones around national parks. “Merely because&#8230;the word &#8216;environment&#8217; is mentioned, it does not make the present two petitions similar to the first one,” the court said in its order. The matter will be heard next on June 23. The FRA law recognises the historical rights that forest dwellers and scheduled tribes have over forest resources. While the government maintains that FRA procedures were duly followed, media reports covering the ongoing legal proceedings have reported that quorum under the law was not met. Gupta’s PIL also argues that the Shompen and Nicobarese — the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/high-court-bench-to-hear-pils-challenging-great-nicobar-clearance/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>India bets on data centres even as water, energy-use concerns mount</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/india-bets-on-data-centres-even-as-water-energy-use-concerns-mount/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/india-bets-on-data-centres-even-as-water-energy-use-concerns-mount/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 May 2026 14:47:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data centres]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/12124137/pexels-ujjwal-kishore-11047831-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38088</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Energy, Environmental Law, Technology, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The coastal district of Visakhapatnam (Vizag) in Andhra Pradesh is set for a major transformation. On April 28, the foundation stone was laid in Tarluvada, a village in Vizag for a new data centre for Google — expected to be the technology company’s largest data centre outside the United States. The data centre is part [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The coastal district of Visakhapatnam (Vizag) in Andhra Pradesh is set for a major transformation. On April 28, the foundation stone was laid in Tarluvada, a village in Vizag for a new data centre for Google — expected to be the technology company’s largest data centre outside the United States. The data centre is part of an AI Hub announced by the company last October. The state government allotted 480 acres of land in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts for the hub. Activists and lawyers have raised environmental concerns and questions about the lack of clarity on water and energy consumption for the operation of the approved data centres. They also assert that data centres should be classified as separate infrastructure projects with massive resource needs, for obtaining environment clearance. Experts call for a clear, defined national data centre policy. After a draft policy was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India (MeitY) in 2020, there have been no updates or a final policy yet. Meanwhile, Reliance Industries Ltd. is also planning to build a 1.5 gigawatt (GW) data centre cluster, also in Vizag. AP aims to create 6.5 GW of compute capacity in the coming years. Environmental concerns surrounding data centres in Vizag  Data centres use water, primarily for cooling the systems. Google alone consumed approximately 31 billion litres of water across all its data centres in 2024. While the company reports that a majority of its freshwater withdrawals came from sources at low risk of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/india-bets-on-data-centres-even-as-water-energy-use-concerns-mount/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>While the world hesitates, India must continue leading on climate [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/while-the-world-hesitates-india-must-continue-leading-on-climate-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/while-the-world-hesitates-india-must-continue-leading-on-climate-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 May 2026 12:21:11 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Minal PathakVaibhav Chaturvedi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/12102052/AP26110297264780-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38125</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Science, Energy, Human Rights, Renewable Energy, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India is already brushing up against record electricity demand weeks before the peak of summer, with consumption nearing a record 256 gigawatts in April as an intense heatwave sweeps across large parts of the country. Temperatures in central and southern regions are climbing well into the mid-40s, pushing cooling demand and straining power systems earlier [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India is already brushing up against record electricity demand weeks before the peak of summer, with consumption nearing a record 256 gigawatts in April as an intense heatwave sweeps across large parts of the country. Temperatures in central and southern regions are climbing well into the mid-40s, pushing cooling demand and straining power systems earlier than usual. These accelerating extremes coincide with India&#8217;s unveiling of its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2035 at a moment of geopolitical uncertainty. The opening months of 2026 have also underscored how fractured the global climate consensus has become. Some countries are wavering on climate commitments, even as 2025 closed with a grim roll-call of climate records, disasters, and missed targets worldwide. With global tensions disrupting energy markets and exposing the fragility of fuel supply chains, one message is clear: climate ambition today is inseparable from energy security. India’s climate choices are now about securing growth, stability, and strategic autonomy, and they carry unusual weight going forward. India must now move decisively from targets to systems that protect its growth and credibility in the Global South. There are some steps that India can take on this pathway. Embedding science and development at the core First, public policy must be guided by the best available evidence. Across the world, scientists are increasingly questioned even as environmental decisions are taken as short-term fixes. Such choices, whether on air quality, energy, or climate policy, affect not just present welfare but future generations. The question is simple: what&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/while-the-world-hesitates-india-must-continue-leading-on-climate-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The changing fate of Kerala’s sacred groves [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-changing-fate-of-keralas-sacred-groves-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-changing-fate-of-keralas-sacred-groves-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 18:08:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nibha Namboodiri]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11171600/Sarpa_Kavu_By_Manojk-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38118</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, and Reptiles]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Sacred groves in Kerala are often held up as examples of how tradition can protect biodiversity. For generations, these sarpa kaavus or the traditional sacred groves, survived precisely because they were considered sacred. They were left undisturbed, protected not by law but by belief. But that relationship is beginning to shift. In many parts of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Sacred groves in Kerala are often held up as examples of how tradition can protect biodiversity. For generations, these sarpa kaavus or the traditional sacred groves, survived precisely because they were considered sacred. They were left undisturbed, protected not by law but by belief. But that relationship is beginning to shift. In many parts of the state, sacred groves are now being altered, reduced or lost,not only because of external pressures such as urbanisation and land-use change, but also because the very rituals meant to sustain them are increasingly being practiced without their ecological context. At the centre of this transformation lies a difficult contradiction: traditions that once protected these landscapes are, in some cases, contributing to their decline. Traditionally associated with serpent worship, sarpa kaavus functioned as informal conservation spaces, preserving native vegetation, water systems and wildlife within otherwise altered landscapes. Protected by belief systems that discouraged disturbance, these groves survived for generations without formal regulation. Yet this protection is now uneven. One such contradiction can be seen in the practice of the ritual kaavu avahana, in which the chaitanya, or sacred essence of a grove, is ritually transferred elsewhere by a tantri (priest). Within the tradition, this is understood as a legitimate continuation of worship. However, in practice, it has often been followed by the clearing of the original grove. A sarpa kaavu at Thirunelli Temple in the Brahmagiri Hills. Sacred groves or sarpa kaavu in Kerala, touted as examples of how tradition can protect biodiversity, are now&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-changing-fate-of-keralas-sacred-groves-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>LPG shortage leads to increased demand for clean-cooking solutions</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/lpg-shortage-leads-to-increased-demand-for-newer-clean-cooking-solutions/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/lpg-shortage-leads-to-increased-demand-for-newer-clean-cooking-solutions/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 18:02:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shuchita Jha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biofuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biogas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cooking fuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LPG]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11160014/Sahyandri-school-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38102</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biofuels, Energy, Food, Fossil Fuels, Human Rights, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“My phone has not stopped ringing since the LPG crisis began,” said Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe of Pune, founder of Vaayu Mitra, a decentralised, waste-to-energy biogas model. The set-up promotes the use of home-generated biogas from wet-waste, over the typical LPG supply that homes use for cooking. The recent West Asia conflict led to an energy crisis [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“My phone has not stopped ringing since the LPG crisis began,” said Priyadarshan Sahasrabuddhe of Pune, founder of Vaayu Mitra, a decentralised, waste-to-energy biogas model. The set-up promotes the use of home-generated biogas from wet-waste, over the typical LPG supply that homes use for cooking. The recent West Asia conflict led to an energy crisis in India when the Strait of Hormuz — where most of India’s imported LPG comes through — was closed. Hospitality industry, food processing companies and households in the country rushed to switch to alternatives, many switching back to traditional wood and cow-dung cake-fuelled open stoves, and induction stoves. Soon after, long queues of people waiting in line for an LPG cylinder became a common sight in almost all cities of India with many paying as high as ₹2,500 to ₹5,000 for a ₹950 LPG cylinder, many being sold in the black market. Sahasrabuddhe has been LPG-free for the past seven years and his company has helped restaurants, cafeterias, canteens and families in Pune and nearby cities reduce their dependence on LPG. He has installed the biogas system for around 440 customers since 2015. The 405 currently active systems of the total installed manage 1,119 tonnes of waste annually, and the biogas produced in the process has saved around 3,000 LPG cylinders of 14 kg, worth ₹2.8 million in a decade. Sahasrabuddhe himself has saved around ₹70,000 in the last seven years doing all his cooking on biogas. The recent situation has brought in new challenges&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/lpg-shortage-leads-to-increased-demand-for-newer-clean-cooking-solutions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Overlooked urban springs can strengthen water security in Himalayan cities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 May 2026 12:57:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Niharika BindalSailendra Dewan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[droughts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[piped water]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Springs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban water crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/11095320/Photo_1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38093</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Sikkim]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Environment, Himalayas, Mountains, Water, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the winter between November 2025 and February 2026, Gangtok faced a crisis it could not ignore. After September 2025, rainfall almost completely stopped, and the city’s main water source, the Ratey Chu River, saw its discharge drop by nearly 50%. The Public Health Engineering Department, Government of Sikkim, issued a public notification on February 11, 2026, rationing municipal water to once a day and issuing repeated warnings against wasting water. Five months later in April 2026, the crisis, though somewhat resolved, still persists. Gangtok’s centralised water system has always been vulnerable. When monsoon landslides damage intake pipelines or winter droughts shrink rivers, supply collapses quickly. Additionally, Gangtok’s water system was under increasing strain due to population growth, rising tourist inflow, and rapid urban expansion. Yet as the formal water infrastructure struggles, another water network has quietly supported the residents of Gangtok. Gangtok’s freshwater springs (locally known as dharas), continue to function as a parallel source of water. Far from being used only during crises, these springs remain part of everyday urban life. Emerging from underground aquifer networks beneath the town, these springs form an invisible yet resilient water system that sustains residents long before and long after crises emerge. A natural spring or dhara in Bojoghari, Gangtok, harnessed through a plastic pipe and traditional bamboo outlet that have been fitted together. Image by Niharika Bindal. A city-wide assessment conducted by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment across all 19 municipal wards identified 56 springs in Gangtok.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/overlooked-urban-springs-can-strengthen-water-security-in-himalayan-cities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Pollution and poor infrastructure remain barriers to cyclists in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 17:22:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aisiri Amin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cycling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Road]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roads]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/08153957/1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38079</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Environment, Human Rights, People, Pollution, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, a district collector, a Union Minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city. In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2025, a district collector, a Union Minister, and a cycling advocacy group were motivated by the same thought: cycling for a pollution-free future. At the beginning of the year, BYCS India Foundation, a cycling advocacy group, urged major political parties to prioritise making Delhi a bicycle-friendly city. In August, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, echoed the sentiment, framing cycling as “a solution to pollution.” And in December, Andhra Pradesh’s NTR District Collector G Lakshmisha emphasised the importance of cycling not just for personal fitness, but to reduce emissions. With more research highlighting that cycling can reduce pollution and move towards net-zero carbon goals, there has been a push to promote the familiar leisure activity as a climate solution. However, a new study, published in Nature Cities, examined bicycling culture in cities of four low- and middle-income countries — Delhi and Chennai in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Accra in Ghana — and found barriers including lack of physical infrastructure as well as policy, implementation and gender gaps. India is the sixth most-polluted country, according to the 2025 World Air Quality Report by IQAIR, with Delhi ranking as the fourth most polluted city worldwide. “Whenever air pollution rises in Delhi, the conversation turns to reducing vehicular emissions. The government and the media advocate using public buses and bicycles instead of cars. But this is ironic because the government acts as an advocate, but nothing is done to improve the actual conditions that discourage their use,” says&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/pollution-and-poor-infrastructure-remain-barriers-to-cyclists-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Reintroduced rhinos breed, but recovery remains fragile</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/reintroduced-rhinos-breed-but-recovery-remains-fragile/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/reintroduced-rhinos-breed-but-recovery-remains-fragile/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 12:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greater one-horned rhino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rehabilitation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rhino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rhino conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[translocation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife translocation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/08101202/Between-2012-and-2021-researchers-recorded-35-rhino-births-in-Manas.-Photo-Credit-Deba-Kumar-Dutta-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38071</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Conservation, Ecology, Mammals, Rhinos, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The greater one-horned rhinoceros was once wiped out from Assam’s Manas National Park (MNP), marking a major conservation setback. The rhino population, however, was re-established through the wild-to-wild translocation under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) and rhino rehabilitation programmes. A recent study on the re-established population, introduced through two routes — translocation from other [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The greater one-horned rhinoceros was once wiped out from Assam’s Manas National Park (MNP), marking a major conservation setback. The rhino population, however, was re-established through the wild-to-wild translocation under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) and rhino rehabilitation programmes. A recent study on the re-established population, introduced through two routes — translocation from other protected areas, and rehabilitation and release — between 2012 and 2021 offers encouraging signs of adaptation in their restored habitat. The study also followed the first generation (F1) of rhinos born in Manas. Manas National Park lies in Assam’s Chirang and Baksa districts in northeast India and borders the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan to the north. Between 2008 and 2021, 22 greater one-horned rhinos were translocated from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of efforts to restore the park’s rhino population. In addition, 20 rehabilitated rhinos from the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation were released in the park between 2006 and 2021, as Manas was considered a more suitable natural habitat than keeping them in rehabilitation facilities. Breeding and calving pattern Researchers recorded 35 rhino births in Manas during the study period. Nineteen calves were born to translocated females and nine to rehabilitated rhinos. Five calves were born to the F1 generation, while two calves were recorded without identified mothers. In total, eight translocated females, four rehabilitated females, five F1 females and two unidentified adults produced calves. “Breeding and calving are among the most important indicators that reintroduced&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/reintroduced-rhinos-breed-but-recovery-remains-fragile/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Climate shocks strain the microfinance sector, says a policy brief</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-shocks-strain-the-microfinance-sector-says-a-policy-brief/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-shocks-strain-the-microfinance-sector-says-a-policy-brief/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 May 2026 09:52:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microfinance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07185237/49700182663_5cfb654c54_o-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38067</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Economics, and Impacts of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Microfinance institutions (MFIs), financial organisations that give small loans and other banking services to low-income people, are exposed to climate risk given their focus on low-income and vulnerable populations, says a policy brief by Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a research institute based in New Delhi. The policy brief, titled Micro Loans, Macro Shocks: How [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Microfinance institutions (MFIs), financial organisations that give small loans and other banking services to low-income people, are exposed to climate risk given their focus on low-income and vulnerable populations, says a policy brief by Climate and Sustainability Initiative (CSI), a research institute based in New Delhi. The policy brief, titled Micro Loans, Macro Shocks: How is Climate Risk Reshaping India&#8217;s Microfinance Industry, highlights that 60% of the overall microfinance portfolio of ₹3.81 trillion is concentrated in agriculture and allied activities, making it highly exposed to climate-sensitive livelihoods. It notes that recurring droughts, floods, heat stress, and erratic monsoons are reducing borrower incomes and disrupting local demand. Consequently, financial strains among vulnerable borrowers of MFIs are rising. As per the report, agriculture and allied activities include agriculture, agro-based enterprise, animal husbandry, and fisheries; they have 60% exposure. Non-agro activities include trading and transport, handicraft, microbusiness, and 32% exposure. Housing and other non-income-generating activities, such as water and clean energy, have 3.6% and 4.4% exposure, respectively. A 2025 report by Agri3 Fund, HSBC India, and MicroSave Consulting claims that India’s 120 million smallholder farmers face increasing financial instability due to climate change, which has cut farm incomes by 15-18%. Building on this, the CSI policy brief connects these agriculture-related risks with microfinance lending exposure. It also analyses regional vulnerability and states that the microfinance industry has its highest portfolio exposure in eastern India (33%), as that region ranks among the most climate-vulnerable. The region includes Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/climate-shocks-strain-the-microfinance-sector-says-a-policy-brief/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A community leads protection of the pangolin in a critical illegal trade corridor</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 15:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kasturi Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07120441/Chinese-pangolin-rescue-and-released-by-WTI-in-Arunachal-Pradesh-_-Panjit-Basumatary-_-IMG_8627-1-copy-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38060</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Endangered species, Hunting, Indigenous Peoples, Mammals, Tribes, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Nagaland’s Kiphire district, along the porous Indo-Myanmar border, pangolins have been hunted for decades — once due to cultural beliefs, and increasingly for trade, in a region identified as a key wildlife trafficking route. “Our forefathers would say that if a pangolin enters a house, it was considered a bad omen or curse,” says [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Nagaland’s Kiphire district, along the porous Indo-Myanmar border, pangolins have been hunted for decades — once due to cultural beliefs, and increasingly for trade, in a region identified as a key wildlife trafficking route. “Our forefathers would say that if a pangolin enters a house, it was considered a bad omen or curse,” says L. Kipitong Sangtam, 61, a resident of Amahator village in Kiphire district. “In the past, if someone encountered a pangolin, they would try to catch and kill it, sometimes by digging it out of its burrow.” Now, conservationists in Nagaland are turning to village councils and customary courts, to protect the elusive mammal. Though pangolin hunting is banned under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, enforcement remains difficult. So, conservationists are working with local tribal bodies, that have a greater influence in the state, to push for a local ban and safeguard the species. Earlier this year, the United Sangtam Likhum Pumji (USLP), the apex tribal body of the Sangtam Naga community, passed a resolution for a community-led ban on pangolin hunting in 42 villages of Kiphire district. The Sangtam Naga community is a major ethnic group in Nagaland, primarily inhabiting the Kiphire and Tuensang districts. The move comes amid growing concerns over trafficking of the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) along the Indo-Myanmar border, as well as pangolins hunted for local consumption. &nbsp; The Sangtam Naga community is a major ethnic group in Nagaland, primarily inhabiting Tuensang and Kiphire districts next to the Indo-Myanmar border.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/a-community-leads-protection-of-the-pangolin-in-a-critical-illegal-trade-corridor/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>System failures, not just climate stress, push people to migrate</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/system-failures-not-just-climate-stress-push-people-to-migrate/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/system-failures-not-just-climate-stress-push-people-to-migrate/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 13:06:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[climate-induced migration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Displacement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07112605/AP22280357549638-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38057</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Impacts of Climate Change, Migration, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A study that explored the impacts of climate change on human migration patterns, specifically through the lens of climate-induced forced migration and internal displacement within rural India, shows that climate change does not directly cause migration. Instead, it acts through a chain of impacts — particularly by disrupting agriculture, depleting water resources, and weakening local [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A study that explored the impacts of climate change on human migration patterns, specifically through the lens of climate-induced forced migration and internal displacement within rural India, shows that climate change does not directly cause migration. Instead, it acts through a chain of impacts — particularly by disrupting agriculture, depleting water resources, and weakening local economies. The environmental stresses become critical only when combined with existing socio-economic vulnerabilities and weak governance systems, according to the research. The study, using secondary data, was based on the case of Meenakshipuram, a village in Tamil Nadu where the residents abandoned it, turning it into a ghost village. Meenakshipuram had grabbed headlines a few years ago because of its only resident Kandaswamy, now dead, who refused to leave the village even when his children decided to move out of it. Declining rainfall, repeated droughts, and rising temperatures led to severe water shortage and agricultural collapse there. However, what ultimately drove people out was not climate stress alone but the absence of institutional support, poor infrastructure, limited livelihood alternatives, and social marginalisation, the study reports. According to the lead author of the study Prasanta Moharaj, assistant professor of sociology at Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru, Kandaswamy continued to live in Meenakshipuram even when everyone left due to emotional attachment to his land, his home, and memories of his family. The study highlights that Kandaswamy’s story exemplifies that not everyone abandons climate-affected villages. The decision hinges on the adaptive capacity of the place — better infrastructure, policy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/system-failures-not-just-climate-stress-push-people-to-migrate/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Tar ball pollution draft rules notified</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 May 2026 12:49:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[beaches]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial pollution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/07105110/AP110413086759-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=38054</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fossil Fuels, Industry, Oceans, Oil, Pollution, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Indian government has notified draft rules for the management of tar balls that wash ashore, proposing that pollution from them be declared a state disaster. Tar balls are sticky, balled up remnants of petroleum from oil spills and oil extraction activity, which are considered hazardous for both health and the environment. The rules propose [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Indian government has notified draft rules for the management of tar balls that wash ashore, proposing that pollution from them be declared a state disaster. Tar balls are sticky, balled up remnants of petroleum from oil spills and oil extraction activity, which are considered hazardous for both health and the environment. The rules propose making oil “generators” — including oil tankers, oil companies, ships, oil facility owners and transporters — responsible for preventing oil spills by following protocols under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP), set by the Indian Coast Guard. Failure to prevent oil spills would result in generators paying environmental compensation for any “loss, damage or injury and expenditure incurred” from the spill. Tar balls are considered hazardous for health and the environment because they carry heavy metals and organic pollutants. The Central Pollution Control Board is expected to come up with a standard operating procedure for the handling of tar balls. Once the tar balls wash up along the coasts, state governments must take action under the Disaster Management Act, the draft rules say. District authorities are responsible for the collection, management, and transportation of tar balls to a Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF) “in an environmentally sound manner.” State and district authorities are also liable to pay environmental compensation if they fail to clean up the tar balls, the draft rules say. Because tar balls are high in calorific value, the rules also make provisions for their disposal either through incineration in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/government-notifies-draft-rules-on-tar-ball-pollution/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>States hold the key to India&#8217;s energy transition [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 16:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ruchita ShahTanya Rana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[just transitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/06143607/AP22273517200350-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38046</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environmental Economics, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the 2031–2035 period. The NDC 3.0 targets include a 47% reduction in the emissions intensity of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), an expansion of its carbon sink to 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from 2005 levels, and achieving 60% non-fossil fuel-based installed power capacity by 2035. These align with the country’s long-term net-zero goal for 2070 and its vision of self-reliance under Viksit Bharat 2047, with domestically available renewable energy at the core. Achieving these goals will require every Indian state to play a role, as most power procurement decisions are made at the state level. From national targets to state action India achieved the milestone of 50% non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity in October 2025, five years ahead of schedule. This progress was driven largely by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which together account for more than 60% of the total non-fossil fuel installed capacity as of February 2026. However, as India moves towards the more ambitious target of 60% non-fossil capacity, this concentration could become a bottleneck. Hence, expanding renewable energy capacity beyond early leader states will be necessary. At the sub-national level, though, states&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>A pollinator vital to food and farming</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 13:05:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Team Mongabay-India]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Beekeeping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honeybees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollinators]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/05224344/honey-bee-e1778002849469-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?post_type=short-article&#038;p=37936</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Species File]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Forests, Insects, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Found across forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and urban areas, honey bees (Apis spp.) are insects known for producing honey and beeswax. They collect the nectar of flowers and store it in wax combs as a food source to feed immature larvae and adults during winter. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Species File: Exploring India&#8217;s biodiversity, one species at a time. Found across forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and urban areas, honey bees (Apis spp.) are insects known for producing honey and beeswax. They collect the nectar of flowers and store it in wax combs as a food source to feed immature larvae and adults during winter. In India, domesticated honey bee species include the Indian hive bee (Apis cerana indica) and the European bee (Apis mellifera). Wild species include the rock bee (Apis dorsata) and little bees (Apis florea). As key pollinators, honey bees play a crucial role in fertilising flowering plants, supporting biodiversity, and enhancing horticulture and agricultural yields. Data from 2023, shows that honeybees alone contribute to approximately 20% of total crop yield in India.  According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), while not all species of honey bees have been assessed, pollinators globally are in decline due to environmental threats. In India, honey bees are not listed under a specific schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, but are recognised for their ecological and economic importance. Globally, various studies have linked climate change to potential population decline in bees. One study describes how a mismatch between flowering time due to global warming and bees’ activity led to fitness losses in the insect. In addition, bees are also facing the consequences of urbanisation, including pesticide exposure and habitat loss. In an earlier story that Mongabay-India published in 2020, K Lakshmi Rao, assistant director, Central Bee Research&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/05/a-pollinator-vital-to-food-and-farming/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>Kaziranga hosts a healthy population of fishing cats, finds survey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 14:08:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fishing cat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kaziranga National Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small wild cats]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05134354/fishing-cat-with-kitten-scaled-e1777969181679-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38038</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Big Cats, Cats, Forests, Mammals, Protected Areas, Wetlands, Wildlife, and Wildlife Sanctuary]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The first scientific survey of fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has recorded 57 individuals, confirming that the species is widely distributed and actively reproducing across the reserve’s floodplains. Conducted by Kaziranga’s Tiger Cell in coordination with the Fishing Cat Project, the survey report was released on February 22 – International Fishing Cat Day. “This is one of the highest numbers in the freshwater floodplain, which reinstates KNP as one of its finest habitats. It is important for us to know that these are good habitats for fishing cats,” Sonali Ghosh, Director, Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, tells Mongabay-India. Analysing camera trap images The survey drew from bycatch data through camera traps originally set up to monitor tigers. “It is not possible to conduct a separate survey for every species found in KNP, as there are logistical and time constraints. We had to study more than 14 lakh images from the camera traps,” says Ghosh. Analysing these images presented some challenges, says Tiasa Adhya, a wildlife biologist and one of the co-founders of the Fishing Cat Project. “If the weather is foggy, you won&#8217;t get good images. If it is raining, that’s a problem too. Sometimes the animal comes too near the trap, while sometimes only a portion of the body is visible,” she says. As the camera-trap grid was originally designed for larger felids, wildlife officials believe that the number 57 could be an undercount. While this limitation creates uncertainty, it also establishes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/kaziranga-hosts-a-healthy-population-of-fishing-cats-finds-survey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>The fading climate shields</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 13:38:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Amir Bin Rafi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sacred groves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tradition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05124934/Temple-Chachogi-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38032</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Conservation, Forests, Himalayas, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Land Rights, Mountains, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In Himachal Pradesh, the influence of traditional beliefs, religion and cultural practices continues to shape the conservation of forest land. Dev Vans, or sacred groves, are forest patches revered as the domain of local deities (devtas). Village customs strictly prohibit tree-felling, leaf collection, and the entry of alcohol or meat within its boundaries. Known as the “Land of Unknown Gods”, Himachal Pradesh spans 55,673 sq km and contains 514 documented sacred groves, often found across valleys and slopes, near settlements, temples and water sources. For generations, in Himachal Pradesh, it was faith, not legislation, that determined which forests would remain untouched. &#8220;Nobody wants to anger the god,&#8221; says Anurita Saxena, Principal at Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Shimla, who has spent decades researching the state&#8217;s cultural practices. &#8220;The customs allow certain forests to remain untouched, hence conserving nature.” The sacred groves continue to remain at the centre of community life, where rituals and festivals reinforce connections between people and nature, particularly in Himachal&#8217;s remote and elevated zones. Ceremonies unfold under their canopies, and community gatherings celebrate their presence tightening the bond between inhabitants and terrain. In numerous villages, sacred forests adjoin temples and fall under the watch of kardars or caretakers, governing access and rules. These belief-based practices have also helped preserve forest patches across generations, outside of formal conservation efforts. Sacred landscapes, not empty forests Cultural researcher Rahul Bhushan, who studies Himalayan communities, says sacred groves reflect an earlier worldview where forests were looked at as living, inhabited spaces rather than unclaimed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/the-fading-climate-shields/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s heat crisis is a labour, health and finance challenge, says white paper</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 May 2026 12:32:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat wave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat waves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/05113633/AP24166172548729-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38024</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Science, and Impacts of Climate Change]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“A construction worker in Ahmedabad who labours through 45-degree heat loses income, risks injury, returns to a poorly ventilated home that doesn’t cool down at night, and has no social protection to fall back on. That’s a labour problem, a housing problem, a health problem, and a finance problem, all at once, in a single [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“A construction worker in Ahmedabad who labours through 45-degree heat loses income, risks injury, returns to a poorly ventilated home that doesn’t cool down at night, and has no social protection to fall back on. That’s a labour problem, a housing problem, a health problem, and a finance problem, all at once, in a single day,” said Kartikeya Bhatotia, co-author of the finance chapter of a new Harvard University white paper on extreme heat in India. Bhatotia used the example of a day in Ahmedabad, when above-normal temperatures this year almost touched 45°C, to explain why heat in India cannot be treated only as a weather event. In fact India may be significantly underestimating its future heat risk, according to a white paper, Critical Perspectives on Extreme Heat in India, released in April 2026 and supported by Harvard University’s Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. The paper, which examines how heat reshapes life and livelihoods in India, draws from discussions from the India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future workshop in New Delhi held in March 2025. Bhatotia was one of the organisers of this workshop. The white paper says extreme heat is “the deadliest climate hazard globally” but remains among the least resourced in adaptation planning. It estimates that about three-fourths of the country’s workforce, roughly 380 million people, is engaged in heat-exposed labour, while the capacity to adapt remains unequal. The white paper argues that heat cannot be understood through a single threshold or impact. A short, intense heatwave&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/indias-heat-crisis-is-a-labour-health-and-finance-challenge-says-white-paper/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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