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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/carbon-emissions/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:26:28 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<title>India’s coking coal push needs a methane plan [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/indias-coking-coal-push-needs-a-methane-plan-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/indias-coking-coal-push-needs-a-methane-plan-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Sep 2026 15:45:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Purva JainSaumya Nautiyal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[methane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/29115811/pexels-vikashkr50-17971796-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41285</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Coal, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, Pollution, Sustainability, Technology, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India is preparing to double its coking coal output by 2030, especially to meet its steel manufacturing needs. While carbon emissions from coal use are well known, coal mining also produces methane emissions, which warrant early attention. If monitoring and abatement measures are not incorporated at the planning stage, it could lock in higher emissions [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India is preparing to double its coking coal output by 2030, especially to meet its steel manufacturing needs. While carbon emissions from coal use are well known, coal mining also produces methane emissions, which warrant early attention. If monitoring and abatement measures are not incorporated at the planning stage, it could lock in higher emissions in mining operations for decades. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and is formed in coal mines during the coalification process. It remains trapped within the coal seam and is released when mining disturbs or exposes the seam to the atmosphere. These emissions are called coal mine methane (CMM) and occur during multiple stages of the mining cycle, including extraction, drainage, and ventilation, as well as post-mining activities such as coal processing, storage, and transport. Coking coal mining is particularly methane-intensive, with around 50% higher methane intensity than non-coking coal. When heated in the absence of air, coking coal converts into coke: a strong, porous material, low in ash and moisture and free of volatile matter. Coke’s use as a fuel and a reducing agent in steel production sets it apart from non-coking coal, which is primarily used for energy generation. Why is India planning for more coking coal? In the absence of good-quality domestically produced coking coal, India imports around 90% of the coking coal required by its steel sector, which needs low ash and sulphur content and caking properties. India&#8217;s domestic coking coal production is still falling short. It mined 66.8 million tonnes&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/indias-coking-coal-push-needs-a-methane-plan-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/indias-coking-coal-push-needs-a-methane-plan-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Crop-residue burning, a major contributor to black carbon pollution: Study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Sep 2026 17:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crop residue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stubble burning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sustainable agriculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/03162644/AP21322310236130-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40673</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Clean Energy, Coal, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Health impacts, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Stubble burning, or crop-residue burning, has been known to contribute to the seasonal smog across northern India, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region. Despite directions issued by the National Green Tribunal in 2015 to prevent agricultural residue burning, biomass burning remains a seasonal activity in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Stubble burning, or crop-residue burning, has been known to contribute to the seasonal smog across northern India, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region. Despite directions issued by the National Green Tribunal in 2015 to prevent agricultural residue burning, biomass burning remains a seasonal activity in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan, contributing to the region’s air pollution. A new study by researchers from IIT, New Delhi, has quantified the impact of crop-residue burning on particulate air pollution, particularly black carbon, commonly known as soot, that is produced when carbon-containing fuels are not burned completely. The study found that emissions from crop-residue burning in rural Punjab deteriorate air quality across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and in downwind metropolitan cities such as Delhi, due to the transport of pollutants by prevailing winds. Results from real-time measurements at an agricultural-field site in Kheral village in rural Punjab showed that crop-residue burning contributed, on average, 48% to the total black carbon during the post-monsoon period, and periodically exceeded 90% during active burning hours. The study was conducted during October and November, the peak season for crop-residue burning in North India after rice harvest. A dominant source of black carbon “For the study, we mainly focused on black carbon levels and their dependence on stubble burning,” said Ajit Kumar, a Ph.D. researcher at IIT Delhi and one of the paper’s authors. Black carbon is a short-lived, carbon-rich component of PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres), Kumar said. A mobile monitoring&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Audit exposes fundamental flaws in Green India Mission&#8217;s execution</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/audit-exposes-fundamental-flaws-in-green-india-missions-execution/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/audit-exposes-fundamental-flaws-in-green-india-missions-execution/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Aug 2026 19:47:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/24190647/AP26208520244982-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40378</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon emissions, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Forestry, Forests, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Habitat Loss, Plantations, Reforestation, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[An audit report of the Green India Mission, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, found that funds were consistently underutilised and that progress under the mission “remains negligible.” The Green India Mission aims to enhance forest cover, improve the quality of forest cover and ecosystem services, and scale [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[An audit report of the Green India Mission, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change, found that funds were consistently underutilised and that progress under the mission “remains negligible.” The Green India Mission aims to enhance forest cover, improve the quality of forest cover and ecosystem services, and scale carbon sequestration in India. In 2011, the mission aimed to fulfil these goals in 10 million hectares (mha) of land over a period of 10 years. In 2014, the Mission included afforestation on 2.8 mha of land by 2018 as a goal. But the mission’s performance has been set back by “fundamental weaknesses in planning and design as well as deficiencies in execution and monitoring,” says an audit report by the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG), submitted to Parliament on August 12. According to the audit, out of the targeted 2.8 million hectares, afforestation interventions were made in approximately 0.15 million hectares, which is just about 5% of the goal area. Pooja Choksi, an ecologist and founder of Ficus Research Consulting said the CAG&#8217;s report was a timely &#8220;wake up call.&#8221; &#8220;It is an indication that we need to do things radically differently if we want to achieve our land use and forestry related targets, especially in a ecologically and socially meaningful way that ensures the longevity of these plantation efforts,&#8221; she said. Apart from poor implementation, the CAG found that activities carried out eroded the mission’s core objectives of restoring ecosystems at a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/audit-exposes-fundamental-flaws-in-green-india-missions-execution/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/audit-exposes-fundamental-flaws-in-green-india-missions-execution/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Nine anchor species could meet India’s biodiversity and climate targets</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 16:33:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shradha Triveni]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gaur]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[king cobra]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[leopard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pangolin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sloth bear]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17122525/sloth-bear-daroji-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40101</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Big Cats, Biodiversity, Biosphere reserves, Birds, Carbon emissions, Cats, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Forests, Tigers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s conservation priorities often revolve around charismatic species such as the tiger. But what if the same conservation model is expanded to other species? That’s what researchers explored through a new research published in Conservation Letters. The paper suggests nine “anchor species” whose habitat conservation could simultaneously benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s conservation priorities often revolve around charismatic species such as the tiger. But what if the same conservation model is expanded to other species? That’s what researchers explored through a new research published in Conservation Letters. The paper suggests nine “anchor species” whose habitat conservation could simultaneously benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor), dhole (Cuon alpinus), king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), gaur (Bos gaurus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), tiger (Pathera tigris) and the leopard (Panthera pardus) make up the anchor species. Habitat protection of at least any one of these nine key species could help conserve more than 700 vertebrates and around 1.1 gigatonnes of carbon (above-ground) across India, notes the study. “Biodiversity is often an afterthought in carbon markets. It’s always carbon first, biodiversity second,” says co-author Aakash Lamba, pointing at how existing frameworks like Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards frame biodiversity as an added benefit of carbon-financed climate projects, rather than considering biodiversity as central to climate mitigation. A conservation scientist at the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions at the National University of Singapore, Lamba emphasises on a species-centred conservation model. The idea is simple: the more you conserve forests, which in this case are the habitats of nine anchor species, the higher the conservation of natural carbon stocks. For each species, researchers measured two things — first, how many other vertebrate species co-occurred in its habitat and second, how much above-ground carbon was stored within that habitat. By&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/nine-anchor-species-could-meet-indias-biodiversity-and-climate-targets/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The carbon market bets on an invasive tree</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Aug 2026 16:21:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Yash Sadhak Shrivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prosopis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/12135149/IMG_8312-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40072</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond the Hype and Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biofuels, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Trading, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Ecosystem services, Energy, Grasslands, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Decades ago, in the Banni grasslands of Kachchh, an invasive tree was planted to solve one environmental crisis. Today, big companies are paying to convert the same trees into a charcoal-like substance to solve another problem. In January 2025, Google announced one of the largest biochar carbon removal deals to date, agreeing to purchase 1,00,000 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Decades ago, in the Banni grasslands of Kachchh, an invasive tree was planted to solve one environmental crisis. Today, big companies are paying to convert the same trees into a charcoal-like substance to solve another problem. In January 2025, Google announced one of the largest biochar carbon removal deals to date, agreeing to purchase 1,00,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits from Varaha ClimateAg Private Limited, a Gurugram-based climate tech startup. Biochar is a carbon-rich charcoal produced by heating organic matter in low-oxygen conditions, which can store carbon in soil for hundreds of years. By January 2026, Varaha had added Microsoft to its roster of corporate buyers, with Lufthansa, Swiss Re, and Capgemini also signing offtake agreements. Among Varaha&#8217;s initiatives is a project in Kachchh, Gujarat, combining carbon sequestration with ecosystem restoration. The problem the credits are meant to solve Prosopis juliflora was introduced to Kachchh around the 1960s to arrest desertification. The Banni grassland now has around 50% of its area dominated by this single invasive species, according to Khyati Thacker, a botanist who has spent over five years working on community-led ecosystem restoration in Kachchh and Saurashtra. Research shows the grassland produced up to 4,000 kg of fodder per hectare in the 1960s; by 1999, that had fallen to around 620 kg. &#8220;This Prosopis juliflora has destroyed the jungle, the native trees (such as Vachellia nilotica, Prosopis cineraria, Senegalia senegal) and the grazing grass,&#8221; said Kaiyan Rabari, a herdsman from Sangnara village, Kachchh. Around late 2022, a private&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s carbon market sets weak emissions targets, analysis finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-carbon-market-sets-weak-emissions-targets-analysis-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-carbon-market-sets-weak-emissions-targets-analysis-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jul 2026 16:51:38 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/31160627/pexels-yajna-s-r-55953015-20591230-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39764</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pollution, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A critical evaluation of emissions reduction targets set under the country’s carbon market framework has deemed the targets “modest and unambitious” — unlikely to drive changes in operations that would reduce emissions substantially. Between October 2025 and January 2026 India notified greenhouse gas reduction targets for nine industries. Under the framework, industries can earn carbon [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A critical evaluation of emissions reduction targets set under the country’s carbon market framework has deemed the targets “modest and unambitious” — unlikely to drive changes in operations that would reduce emissions substantially. Between October 2025 and January 2026 India notified greenhouse gas reduction targets for nine industries. Under the framework, industries can earn carbon credits if they surpass these reduction targets, with each credit signifying an additional tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced per unit of production (emissions intensity). The industries covered include cement, aluminium, iron and steel, paper and pulp, chlor-alkali, petroleum refinery, petrochemical units, fertilisers, and textiles. The evaluation of the targets by Climate Risk Horizons (CRH), a research organisation, finds that in addition to the targets being “readily achievable,” over the two-year compliance period, the cost of non-compliance is too low to incentivise the kind of systematic operational changes needed to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. India is the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, with emissions from industrial processes and product use accounting for approximately 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. In August 2022, the Indian government pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 45% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. It also pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2070. According to the CRH analysis, the cost of purchasing credits for major companies in the steel, aluminium, and cement sectors is between 0.6% and 7% of profits, assuming credit prices are $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, as indicated by S&amp;P Global, which tracks&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-carbon-market-sets-weak-emissions-targets-analysis-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Why feasibility matters for land use projects in India [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Jul 2026 15:37:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[J.V. SharmaSayanta Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/07142040/AP274368273581-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39054</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Trading, Climate Change Mitigation, Deforestation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Forestry, Forests, Grasslands, Green Business, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s carbon market conversation is widening beyond energy and industry. Forests, farms, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and rice fields are increasingly being viewed as spaces where climate action, ecological restoration and rural livelihoods can converge. Carbon credits are expected to help bring private finance into these landscapes. But the global experience of the voluntary carbon market [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s carbon market conversation is widening beyond energy and industry. Forests, farms, grasslands, wetlands, mangroves and rice fields are increasingly being viewed as spaces where climate action, ecological restoration and rural livelihoods can converge. Carbon credits are expected to help bring private finance into these landscapes. But the global experience of the voluntary carbon market shows that a project can be registered, verified and even generate credits without necessarily delivering the climate or community outcomes that buyers assume. After evaluating 2,346 carbon-crediting projects and nearly one billion tonnes of issued credits, a 2024 study in Nature Communications estimated that less than 16% of the credits examined, represented real emission reductions. The study does not mean that every carbon project has failed, but it shows how badly results can diverge from claims when baselines, additionality or monitoring are weak. Specific cases make the warning harder to ignore. In 2025, the carbon certifier Verra reviewed Zimbabwe’s Kariba REDD+ project and found that actual deforestation in the reference area was far lower than originally projected. Verra identified 15.22 million excess credits among 26.82 million credits already issued and said these could no longer be corrected through future monitoring periods because the project had withdrawn from its registry. Similarly, in 2024, Verra rejected 37 rice-cultivation projects in China. It sanctioned project proponents and validation bodies and required compensation for overissued credits after concerns were raised about project areas, additionality and emission-reduction calculations. Community governance can be equally decisive. The Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/why-feasibility-matters-for-land-use-projects-in-india-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Trade liberalisation meets carbon tariffs as India eyes EU market [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jun 2026 13:19:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Isha SharmaSoutrik Goswami]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trade]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/30112819/AP459830664323-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38847</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement was agreed upon in early 2026 after more than two decades of negotiations. Recently, the Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India and the EU are expected to sign the FTA in December, and it is likely to come into force early next year. The agreement signalled [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The India-European Union Free Trade Agreement was agreed upon in early 2026 after more than two decades of negotiations. Recently, the Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India and the EU are expected to sign the FTA in December, and it is likely to come into force early next year. The agreement signalled cooperation amid geopolitical tensions, but it also came amid contestation over the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which imposes a tax on the greenhouse gas content of imported goods, which became fully operational in January this year. As the union minister Goyal said, the FTA will give India the opportunity to increase exports to European countries, but export-oriented industries will also face pressure to reduce the emission intensity of their exports to comply with CBAM. The opposing impacts of tariff liberalisation and carbon tariffs on exports call for a closer look at the interaction between the CBAM and the FTA, especially in the Indian iron and steel sector, which remains one of the most exposed to the CBAM. It raises the question: how will the interaction between the FTA and the CBAM impact India&#8217;s export opportunities compared to those of its competitors? Moreover, is India’s long-term export competitiveness increasingly being tied to its industrial emissions? Climate action or trade-protectionism CBAM currently targets six carbon-intensive sectors, including iron and steel. These sectors account for around 10% of India’s exports to the EU and about 1.64% of total Indian exports. However, the EU is planning a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/trade-liberalisation-meets-carbon-tariffs-as-india-eyes-eu-market-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Financing the green shift remains a hurdle for steel MSMEs</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/financing-the-green-shift-remains-a-hurdle-for-steel-msmes/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/financing-the-green-shift-remains-a-hurdle-for-steel-msmes/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jun 2026 15:55:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rohini Krishnamurthy]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[metal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/24140405/AP20270312356413-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38792</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Environment, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Nearly a decade after independence, one of India’s first public sector steel plants was established in Bhilai, Durg district, Chhattisgarh — a region rich in iron ore, coal and other natural resources. In the ensuing decades, several scattered steel units, dominated by micro, small, and medium-enterprises (MSMEs), began to mushroom some 40 km away in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Nearly a decade after independence, one of India’s first public sector steel plants was established in Bhilai, Durg district, Chhattisgarh — a region rich in iron ore, coal and other natural resources. In the ensuing decades, several scattered steel units, dominated by micro, small, and medium-enterprises (MSMEs), began to mushroom some 40 km away in Raipur, helping Chhattisgarh become the third-largest producer of crude steel in the country. Meanwhile, about 1,100 km away, a slightly different story unfolded in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur during the 1960s — one where the region’s industrial journey was shaped by its agricultural roots. The demand for agricultural machinery paved the way for a local foundry industry. Foundries use metals like iron to produce castings that are used widely, from irrigation pumps to automobiles. Now, Kolhapur is one of the country’s largest foundry clusters, dominated by MSMEs, contributing 7-8% of India’s casting production. Together, Raipur and Kolhapur, along with other MSME clusters across India, drive India’s secondary steel production — where steel is made by melting scrap metal and other processed forms of iron in electric furnaces, rather than producing iron from iron ore first. The secondary steel sector, which contributes 30-35% of the country’s crude steel capacity, is dominated by MSMEs and relies on coal and inefficient technologies. In contrast, the primary production route is also energy-intensive but dominated by large players with higher capital investment. Notably, the secondary route of steel production accounts for more than 50 million tonnes (MT) of greenhouse gas emissions annually, according&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/financing-the-green-shift-remains-a-hurdle-for-steel-msmes/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Rethinking India’s climate plan through equity, delivery and intent [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rethinking-indias-climate-plan-through-equity-delivery-and-intent-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rethinking-indias-climate-plan-through-equity-delivery-and-intent-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jun 2026 14:15:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mohana ManimaranRavi Shankar Prasad]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wind Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/23131848/AP24052670530069-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38776</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The concept of &#8216;ratcheting ambition&#8217; now shapes global climate action. However, ambition is often measured using a single, uniform metric: comparing all countries against a common temperature goal. This approach overlooks countries&#8217; unique circumstances, development needs, shortage of climate finance, and historical responsibility. India released its third nationally determined contribution (NDC 3.0) in March. It [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The concept of &#8216;ratcheting ambition&#8217; now shapes global climate action. However, ambition is often measured using a single, uniform metric: comparing all countries against a common temperature goal. This approach overlooks countries&#8217; unique circumstances, development needs, shortage of climate finance, and historical responsibility. India released its third nationally determined contribution (NDC 3.0) in March. It is the climate pledge each country under the Paris Agreement files and is expected to ratchet up with every cycle. The latest NDC is for 2031-2035 and has been subject to a convoluted reading. A set of forward-looking commitments, with deliverable outcomes, and aligned with the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, has been characterised as moderate by many observers. Applying one standard to measure ambition contradicts the Paris Agreement’s principle of equity. Article 2.2 emphasises common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, meaning all nations must act, but those with the most historical emissions and greatest means should do more. Criticism of India’s new plan as &#8216;moderate&#8217; overlooks this principle and ignores India&#8217;s record of delivering on commitments. As the second Global Stocktake (GST2) is set to commence later this year, it is important to assess ambition in its broader context — taking into account equity, historical responsibility, the delivery of past commitments, and the overarching, holistic long-term vision to combat climate change. Viewed through this lens, India&#8217;s NDC 3.0 signals stronger ambition than many assessments suggest. Taking into account legacy emissions Cumulative CO₂ emissions data from the Global Carbon Project reveals a stark&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/rethinking-indias-climate-plan-through-equity-delivery-and-intent-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Efficiency mandates can build India’s clean tech sovereignty [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 16:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajay Mathur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/15092043/AP23313788200798-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38647</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Commentary, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Green Business, Green Energy, Industry, Renewable Energy, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today we are seeing it play out acutely in the clean energy transition. While importing technology serves as a necessary jumpstart, relying on it as a permanent strategy creates a fragile foundation. In an era defined by geopolitical volatility, trade barriers, and fractured supply chains, the strategy of continuous imports is no longer just economically draining, but also a risk to national energy security. To build a truly resilient, low-carbon future, India must pivot from being a passive consumer of global technology to an active creator of indigenous innovations. The key to unlocking this shift does not lie in blunt import bans or open-ended subsidies alone. Instead, it lies in a regulatory mechanism that India has already proven. Anchoring long-term procurement frameworks to progressively tightening, non-negotiable efficiency standards can work. By announcing these escalations well in advance, India can compel industry players to move away from quick-fix imports, invest heavily in domestic research, development, and demonstration (RD&amp;D), and forge deep, lasting linkages with local academia. The fragility of the import trap India’s climate targets are among the most ambitious in the world, requiring the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy over the next few&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Coal for cooking during LPG crisis raises questions over health risks</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/bihars-coal-distribution-scheme-raises-questions-over-health-risks/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/bihars-coal-distribution-scheme-raises-questions-over-health-risks/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 May 2026 15:35:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cooking fuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[firewood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LPG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural gas]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/22110652/AP26099341726805-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38305</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Coal, Energy, Food, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) crisis deepens due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Bihar government has taken an unusual decision: to provide coal for cooking to families holding ration cards. Under guidelines issued by the food and consumer protection department, families in Bihar covered by the National Food Security Act &#8211; [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) crisis deepens due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia, the Bihar government has taken an unusual decision: to provide coal for cooking to families holding ration cards. Under guidelines issued by the food and consumer protection department, families in Bihar covered by the National Food Security Act &#8211; currently around 17.9 million households &#8211; would receive 100 kg of coal every month through more than 50,000 fair price shops in Bihar. In effect, Bihar will burn 1.79 million tonnes of coal for cooking every month. There is no specified end date of this plan. Following the disruption of critical corridors for LPG supply to India, many parts of the country have faced an LPG shortage. The Bihar government formed a high-level Crisis Management Group to address this and at a March 30 meeting, the group decided to distribute coal for cooking. The Bihar State Mining Corporation Limited (BSMCL) has been designated as the authorised agency for the purpose and has invited applications from wholesalers for coal distribution. Each vendor will be allocated up to 10,000 metric tonnes of coal annually. In guidelines issued on April 21, the food and consumer protection department classified the LPG shortage as an “anthropogenic disaster.” A tea stall in Patna, Bihar, uses coal for cooking. To combat the LPG crisis, the Bihar government has decided to provide coal for cooking to families holding ration cards. Gamilies covered by the National Food Security Act would receive 100 kg of&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/bihars-coal-distribution-scheme-raises-questions-over-health-risks/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<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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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>When recycling plastic creates more problems than it solves</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/when-recycling-plastic-creates-more-problems-than-it-solves/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/when-recycling-plastic-creates-more-problems-than-it-solves/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Apr 2026 15:24:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ravleen Kaur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[microplastics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Plastics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recycle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recycling]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/13160443/AP10060403489-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37668</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond the Hype and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Energy, Environment, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Plastic, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Delhi summers are a good time for Jharna Khatun to earn. She runs a micro material recovery facility in an informal settlement near Chanakyapuri, the capital&#8217;s diplomatic enclave. “Summers bring in a large amount of PET bottles. PET fetches the best price in the recycling market — ₹30 per kilogram,” says Khatun who earns ₹12-13,000 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Delhi summers are a good time for Jharna Khatun to earn. She runs a micro material recovery facility in an informal settlement near Chanakyapuri, the capital&#8217;s diplomatic enclave. “Summers bring in a large amount of PET bottles. PET fetches the best price in the recycling market — ₹30 per kilogram,” says Khatun who earns ₹12-13,000 a month from sorting and selling waste to recyclers. Over half of this waste is plastic waste. India generates 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste per day. About 60% of this is sorted by people like Khatun who form the informal waste recycling sector in India. There are an estimated 1.5 million (15 lakh) workers who participate in this sector. In recent years, many new “green solutions” have been proposed to tackle plastic waste, but several of them offer only superficial fixes doing little to reduce pollution. They, in turn, land up stripping waste workers of their livelihood while also generating more emissions than they appear to curb. These energy and capital intensive technologies are concentrating the responsibility of waste management in the hands of a few conglomerates. Additionally, policy solutions like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging, meant to encourage companies to design better packaging, are being undermined by some companies that use loopholes in the system to buy fraudulent credits and claim compliance without any real action. “False solutions are propagated by the same industry that created the problem,” says Arpita Bhagat, plastic policy officer with the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA),&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/when-recycling-plastic-creates-more-problems-than-it-solves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Oleum leak puts spotlight on safety and pollution in a chemical hub</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Mar 2026 11:28:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Meena Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fuel leak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hazards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petroleum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/16102523/A-view-of-the-Tarapur-MIDC-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37271</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Environment, Environmental Crime, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the Tarapur unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Boisar, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, gas leaks are not uncommon. Yet no one was quite prepared for over a ton of liquid oleum leaking into the atmosphere and creating a dense fog-like situation on the afternoon of March 2, ironically, just two days [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the Tarapur unit of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) at Boisar, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, gas leaks are not uncommon. Yet no one was quite prepared for over a ton of liquid oleum leaking into the atmosphere and creating a dense fog-like situation on the afternoon of March 2, ironically, just two days before National Safety Week which aims to promote safety and prevent accidents in workplaces. While a few suffered the toxic effects and were admitted to nearby hospitals, there were no fatalities reported. Oleum is a corrosive liquid, a mix of sulphuric and sulphur trioxide, used in the production of sulphuric acid. It is a raw material for manufacturing dye intermediates in which Bhageria Industries specialises. The leak occurred from two day-tanks at Bhageria Industries Limited. The Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Maharashtra which is investigating the leak, found that about 1,200 litres or 1.2 tonnes of oleum was stored in these two tanks at the unit and they were placed on cement structures on four legs. One of the legs broke possibly due to the corrosive ambience, and one of the tanks with 800 litres of oleum, tilted and collapsed onto the other tank which contained 400 litres, breaking the charging valve. As a result, the liquid oleum spilled out, forming a dense gas when it came into contact with outside air. The liquid vapour spread due to the wind direction, and many people started running away from the vapour that was rapidly&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/oleum-leak-puts-spotlight-on-safety-and-pollution-in-a-chemical-hub/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India’s new waste management rules face old implementation gaps</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Mar 2026 14:45:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jyotsnika Tiwari]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industrial waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solid waste]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toxic Waste Materials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[waste-to-energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/06124304/AP20210450913024-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37176</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Biofuels, Carbon emissions, Energy, Environment, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Pollution, Renewable Energy, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s environment ministry notified the new solid waste management (SWM) rules of 2026 on January 27, superseding the 2016 rules. The new rules signal a shift towards a more systematic compliance architecture, with a clearer outline of duties for waste generators, a revised definition of Bulk Waste Generators, and higher landfill user fees for mixed [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s environment ministry notified the new solid waste management (SWM) rules of 2026 on January 27, superseding the 2016 rules. The new rules signal a shift towards a more systematic compliance architecture, with a clearer outline of duties for waste generators, a revised definition of Bulk Waste Generators, and higher landfill user fees for mixed waste to encourage segregation. Well-intentioned as the new rules are, experts caution against gaps in implementation that have dogged solid waste management in India for decades. Illustrating this are the towering landfills in New Delhi — Bhalaswa, Ghazipur and Okhla — symbols of the city’s historical failure to segregate waste at source. Delhi leads all Indian cities, generating approximately 600 grams of waste per person per day. Nearly 64% of the collected waste is processed, according to the Central Pollution Control Bureau (CPCB), while the remaining 36% or. 4,241 tonnes, find its way to unsanitary landfills, or dumpsites everyday. These landfills and dumpsites are silent contributors to air pollution through the year as well as to greenhouse gas emissions and heat stress during the summers. Biomass and waste burning are the second largest contributors to particulate matter emissions in Delhi, contributing 23% to PM10 and 24% to PM2.5, according to one source apportionment study. When biodegradable waste accumulates and is left to rot, it produces methane, which has a warming potential 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, over a 20-year-period, and is the second-largest contributor to global warming. According to another study, higher&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-new-waste-management-rules-face-old-implementation-gaps-in-the-capital/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>New report flags sulphur dioxide emissions from Bokaro Steel Plant</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Mar 2026 16:33:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steel Industry]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/04143355/AP842492653352-scaled-e1772615137987-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37138</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Coal, Energy, Environment, Health impacts, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Decarbonising the steel industry — one of the largest coal consuming industries in India — focuses primarily on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to prevent the greenhouse gas effect. However, industrial processes in steel-making also cause air pollution, releasing sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, all of which adversely impact public health. A new analysis [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Decarbonising the steel industry — one of the largest coal consuming industries in India — focuses primarily on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to prevent the greenhouse gas effect. However, industrial processes in steel-making also cause air pollution, releasing sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter, all of which adversely impact public health. A new analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) tracked air pollution emissions disclosures from the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) in Jharkhand. It found that even though BSL met existing regulatory limits, pollution from the plant led to around 273 low birthweight births, and 284 preterm births each year. India’s installed crude steel capacity is projected to reach between 260 million and 280 million metric tons by 2035, keeping up pace with growing demand from the automotive, renewables, and defence sectors. It currently accounts for 10-12% of India’s carbon emissions, making it a key sector for decarbonisation on the way to net-zero emissions. The use of blast furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces in additional steel capacity could lock in a carbon-intensive process. Until innovations on how to replace coal in steel-making become viable, investing in better air monitoring and filtration could help reduce the impacts of air pollution caused by the same process, the CREA report suggests. “The emissions by the industry are self-reported or reported by a third party hired by the industry. The reported emissions for compliance are always below the standard, whether it is BSL, Bhillai Steel Plant, IISCO [Indian&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/new-report-flags-sulphur-dioxide-emissions-from-bokaro-steel-plant/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Pollution concentrations soar higher above ground during haze</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Mar 2026 14:51:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aerosol chemistry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality modelling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air quality monitoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AQI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atmospheric science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boundary layer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Delhi air pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drone monitoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[high-rise exposure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[particulate matter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PM2.5]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pollution forecasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[secondary aerosols]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban air pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vertical pollution profile]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[winter haze]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/03142922/AP25314257198720-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37114</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Innovations and Environment And Health]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Coal, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, Pollution, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On hazy winter mornings in Delhi, the air people breathe at street level may not tell the full story. A new peer-reviewed study published in Nature npj Clean Air reports that PM2.5 concentrations were up to 60% higher at around 100 metres above ground compared to surface levels during severe haze episodes. The findings suggest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On hazy winter mornings in Delhi, the air people breathe at street level may not tell the full story. A new peer-reviewed study published in Nature npj Clean Air reports that PM2.5 concentrations were up to 60% higher at around 100 metres above ground compared to surface levels during severe haze episodes. The findings suggest that pollution can accumulate not only near roads and traffic corridors, but also higher up at an altitude where many residents and office workers in high-rise buildings spend much of their time. Using a custom-built drone equipped with low-cost particulate matter sensors, researchers conducted multiple flights over South Delhi in March 2021. On one hazy morning, PM2.5 levels reached around 160 micrograms per cubic metre at 100 metres, compared to roughly 100 micrograms per cubic metre at ground level. Ajit Ahlawat, Assistant Professor at Delft University of Technology and lead author of the study said about the finding, “This indicates that ground-based monitoring alone substantially underestimates actual exposure to pollution in the lower urban boundary layer, especially during haze episodes.” Traditional air quality monitors typically measure pollutants around five to ten metres above the ground. “This misses vertical gradients in shallow nocturnal boundary layers that trap pollutants aloft,” Ahlawat said, referring to the different heights in the layer of air close to the ground that forms at night which can go up to 300 metres or higher. He added that hygroscopic particle growth, where particles absorb moisture and grow, and secondary aerosol formation often occur&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/pollution-concentrations-soar-higher-above-ground-during-haze/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Old kilns, new blocks, uncertain futures</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 11:40:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tanvi Bhatia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick kiln]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manufacutring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/26101535/AP20081304327460-e1772081488710-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37042</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Coal, Energy, Environmental Economics, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With expanding cities, rising housing demand, and large-scale infrastructure projects, India is witnessing one of the world&#8217;s fastest construction booms. Under the government&#8217;s urban housing scheme, over a period of 10 years, 11.8 million houses were sanctioned, 11.4 million grounded for construction, and over 8 million completed as of 2024. Meanwhile, under the rural housing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With expanding cities, rising housing demand, and large-scale infrastructure projects, India is witnessing one of the world&#8217;s fastest construction booms. Under the government&#8217;s urban housing scheme, over a period of 10 years, 11.8 million houses were sanctioned, 11.4 million grounded for construction, and over 8 million completed as of 2024. Meanwhile, under the rural housing scheme the government plants to construct 20 million houses by 2029. Every year, the country constructs millions of buildings, reflecting both the scale and pace of this growth. The construction sector is a critical contributor to climate change. According to the World Green Building Council, buildings and construction together account for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, with materials and construction alone contributing 11%. The growing construction demand has increased the demand for bricks and the brick industry is growing. India is the world’s second-largest producer of bricks, after China. Yet, much of the sector is unorganised, widely dispersed, and largely informal. Traditional brick-making methods rely on coal-fired, energy-intensive kilns, resulting in higher emissions from fired clay bricks used in construction. The brick industry is one of the largest (coal) energy users and a source of GHG emissions from India. But it also employs some of the largest workforces in India, after agriculture. Kanpur, an industrial city in Uttar Pradesh, has a well-established brick manufacturing industry. Its peripheral regions host numerous traditional brick kilns that fuel the city’s rapid construction growth. At the same time, several enterprises here are experimenting with low-carbon alternatives such as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Policy shifts test Bihar’s ethanol-led industrial revival</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Feb 2026 12:37:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethanol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fuel]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/13012716/AP23242459404348-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36871</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Alternative energy, Carbon emissions, Energy, Environmental Politics, Fossil Fuels, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Santosh Kumar has spent more than a decade moving from state to state in search of a livelihood. The last time he migrated from his home in Bihar was more than two years ago, when he went to Delhi. There, he worked as a boiler operator in a factory. “I would earn ₹20,000 a month, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Santosh Kumar has spent more than a decade moving from state to state in search of a livelihood. The last time he migrated from his home in Bihar was more than two years ago, when he went to Delhi. There, he worked as a boiler operator in a factory. “I would earn ₹20,000 a month, but a large part of it was spent on food and lodging,” he said. Two years ago, Kumar learned from a friend that a new ethanol plant was being set up in Nawanagar, about 20 kilometres from his village in Bihar’s Buxar district. “I immediately returned and joined the plant,” said the father of three. Kumar has been working at the Nawanagar ethanol plant since then. However, the situation changed towards the end of last year when India&#8217;s Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) — Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited — reduced ethanol procurement quotas for Bihar. The decision led to a 10-day shutdown of the Nawanagar plant in December 2025, where Kumar is employed as a boiler operator. “I am afraid that if this continues (reduced procurement causing shutdowns), I will have to migrate again to Delhi, Gujarat, or Maharashtra,” Kumar said. Murari Chaudhary, another boiler operator at the same plant, shares similar concerns. “If the situation remains the same, the plant will close, and we will become unemployed,” said Chaudhary, who is from Jharkhand. “There are no other employment options nearby. If I have to work, I will&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/policy-shifts-test-bihars-ethanol-led-industrial-revival/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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