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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/carbon-sequestration/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<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" />
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											<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>]]>
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						<item>
					<title>Understanding the true value of forest ecosystem services</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2026 17:08:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/20140801/pexels-shootsaga-35668007-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40331</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecosystem services, Environment, Forests, Global Warming, Natural Resources, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Payment for Ecosystem Services, and Rainforests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests provide annual ecosystem services worth $2.5 trillion, highlights a new study published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. Titled Contribution of forest ecosystem services in India using meta-regression approach, the study reveals that the per-hectare value of ecosystem benefits from India’s forests is about $31,000 per year. Among forest types, tropical dry deciduous forests [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests provide annual ecosystem services worth $2.5 trillion, highlights a new study published in Environmental and Sustainability Indicators. Titled Contribution of forest ecosystem services in India using meta-regression approach, the study reveals that the per-hectare value of ecosystem benefits from India’s forests is about $31,000 per year. Among forest types, tropical dry deciduous forests provide the highest economic value at $703 billion, annually. Defined as the direct and indirect benefits that bolster human wellbeing and survival, ecosystem services are further classified into provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services. With regard to forests, provisioning services include goods obtained from forest lands, such as timber, food and medicinal plants. Regulating services include carbon sequestration and soil protection, while cultural services include recreational benefits and sacred groves, among others. Supporting services include services such as providing habitats for different species. The authors also examined the economic value of individual services and found that India’s forests provide provisioning, regulating and cultural services worth about $9.64, $12.15 and $17.17 billion, respectively, every year. Supporting services were not analysed in the study. While there is a growing interest in understanding the economic impacts of forest ecosystem services, mainly fuelled by the rise in awareness about the role forests play in climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation, the study highlights the crucial need for incorporating these services into policies and forest conservation measures for better results. “Policymakers increasingly recognise that many of the benefits provided by forests, such as carbon storage, watershed and drought protection, are not&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/understanding-the-true-value-of-forest-ecosystem-services/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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						<item>
					<title>A carbon garden reimagines urban greenery</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jun 2026 12:17:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban forest]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/26093407/1-Delhi-University_s-carbon-garden-Pic-Prof.-Dinabandhu-Sahoo-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38816</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Forests, Plants, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Ginkgo biloba, popularly known as a “living fossil”, is among the oldest living tree species on Earth, with a lineage that dates back nearly 290 million years. The sole surviving member of an ancient group of trees that existed long before dinosaurs roamed the planet, it now stands witness to a new initiative in a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Ginkgo biloba, popularly known as a “living fossil”, is among the oldest living tree species on Earth, with a lineage that dates back nearly 290 million years. The sole surviving member of an ancient group of trees that existed long before dinosaurs roamed the planet, it now stands witness to a new initiative in a quiet corner of Delhi University’s North Campus: the Carbon Garden. The Carbon Garden is not an ornamental green space; it is designed as an ecological intervention — a living system engineered to filter pollutants, sequester carbon and restore ecological balance in urban landscapes. At a time when cities such as Delhi are grappling with worsening air quality, the garden aims to offer a nature-based approach to mitigating pollution. Developed over three years, it houses a mix of plant species, including hydrophytes that thrive in water, xerophytes adapted to arid conditions, mesophytes that flourish in moderate environments, and ancient plant groups such as pteridophytes and bryophytes. The Carbon Garden has a mix of tree types, ranging from fast growing trees such as casuarina to native canopy builders such as kadamba or burflower trees. They are complemented by ground cover plants and shrubs as well as micro-organisms such as algae, bacteria and fungi. “The careful selection of plant categories play a vital role in maximising carbon sequestration,” says Professor Dinabandhu Sahoo, Head of the Department, Botany, at the university. “Microorganisms living on plant surfaces help break down toxic gases such as methane and carbon monoxide, converting them&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/a-carbon-garden-reimagines-urban-greenery/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>A combined agroforestry model shows sustainable ways to mitigate climate change</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/a-combined-agroforestry-shows-sustainable-ways-to-mitigate-climate-change/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/a-combined-agroforestry-shows-sustainable-ways-to-mitigate-climate-change/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jan 2026 16:51:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tarini Manchanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agroforestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jhum cultivation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/29145226/IMG_3841-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36670</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Nagaland]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agroecology, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Ecology, Food, Himalayas, Plants, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Jhum farming plays an integral role in subsistence agriculture across the Northeastern region of India. Traditionally, jhum cultivation involved long fallow periods of 10–20 years. In recent times, however, these cycles have shortened and adapted to contemporary farming lifestyles due to increasing population pressures. As a result, the efficacy of jhum farming and shifting cultivation [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Jhum farming plays an integral role in subsistence agriculture across the Northeastern region of India. Traditionally, jhum cultivation involved long fallow periods of 10–20 years. In recent times, however, these cycles have shortened and adapted to contemporary farming lifestyles due to increasing population pressures. As a result, the efficacy of jhum farming and shifting cultivation has become a point of concern among scientific and environmental groups, particularly in the context of climate change and deforestation. Despite this debate, jhum farming offers several ecological benefits. It is considered carbon neutral, as carbon is sequestered during field preparation, while also helping to maintain the hydrological characteristics of the landscape, reduce soil erosion, and enhance soil organic carbon and nutrient levels. Farmers in Khonoma village in Nagaland have long recognised these advantages and have responded by integrating jhum farming with the pollarding of alder trees. Pollarding — a method of planting and pruning trees — has historically been practised across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Northeastern regions of India. Research has highlighted the benefits of alder-based jhum systems, particularly the tree’s ability to retain soil nutrients and fix nitrogen. Over time, this practice has become an integral part of land management strategies adopted by farmers in Nagaland. Rice fields in Khonoma against the backdrop of forest lands. Jhum cultivation traditionally involved long fallow periods that have shortened in recent times due to population pressures. Despite concerns on the efficacy of the practice, it is considered carbon neutral, maintains hydrology, reduces soil erosion, and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/a-combined-agroforestry-shows-sustainable-ways-to-mitigate-climate-change/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>The Green Credits Programme needs to move beyond its tree-centric approach [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2025 15:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gautam Aredath]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP28]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green credit scheme]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/23152611/pexels-equalstock-20356946-scaled-e1761217352522-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35176</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Environment, Environmental Economics, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Government of India’s Green Credit Rules, 2023, established the Green Credit Programme (GCP) as a market-based mechanism to incentivise “environmentally-positive actions”. Under the law, green credits can be generated from a range of activities such as tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and more, and traded on a domestic platform to meet legal obligations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The Government of India’s Green Credit Rules, 2023, established the Green Credit Programme (GCP) as a market-based mechanism to incentivise “environmentally-positive actions”. Under the law, green credits can be generated from a range of activities such as tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and more, and traded on a domestic platform to meet legal obligations or encourage voluntary action. The political pitch went further. At its launch during COP28 in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the GCP as more than a market: a moral initiative to “add positive points to the Earth’s health card”, he claimed, breaking from the commercialised philosophy of carbon credits. Both claims — market and moral — falter under scrutiny. Two years on, only the tree plantation component has moved forward. A draft framework for water conservation remains stalled, and other activities lie dormant. Even for plantations, the legal framework has undergone multiple revisions, and has narrowed in both scope and ambition. What began as a broad-based methodology, envisaging a variety of actors and multiple land tenures, has been pared back. In its latest iteration, credits are generated solely from plantations on land controlled by forest departments. These credits are explicitly non-tradable, and their primary, if not, only viable, use is as offsets for statutory compensatory afforestation requirements. In effect, growing trees in one place permits cutting down forests in another. To be clear, the initial methodology for plantations was not without concerns. Its tree-centric focus overlooked other ecosystems, while questions of forest rights and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Asia’s largest grassland is a surprisingly effective carbon sink, study finds</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/asias-largest-grassland-is-a-surprisingly-effective-carbon-sink-study-finds/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/asias-largest-grassland-is-a-surprisingly-effective-carbon-sink-study-finds/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Aug 2025 17:55:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grassland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grasslands]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/08163307/8420219048_b5d4bd2250_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34040</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and India's Iconic Landscapes]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Gujarat]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration and Grasslands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Banni grasslands in Gujarat have long captivated scientists for their variety of flora and fauna, including types of grass not commonly seen elsewhere. At 2,300 square kilometers, it is Asia’s largest tropical grassland and one of India’s most unique saline grassland-wetland ecosystems. Beneath this vast expanse lies a wealth of soil organic carbon (SOC), [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The Banni grasslands in Gujarat have long captivated scientists for their variety of flora and fauna, including types of grass not commonly seen elsewhere. At 2,300 square kilometers, it is Asia’s largest tropical grassland and one of India’s most unique saline grassland-wetland ecosystems. Beneath this vast expanse lies a wealth of soil organic carbon (SOC), adding yet another dimension to the ecosystem’s complexity, a new study finds. Unlike most other arid, semi-arid, or seasonally flooded savannas, the Banni grasslands have emerged from soils that are inherently saline. “The Banni grasslands are a relatively new land formation, and the texture of the soil has to do with the deposition of sand from rivers across millennia,” said Chetan Misher, co-author of the study and a wildlife ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Trust. The texture of the soil is fine, resembling the silt and clay in some parts, making it very dense. “The silt is compact, and for a long time was undisturbed,” he added. The nature of soil in the Banni grasslands makes it ideal to store carbon – it was found to store 27.69 million tonnes of carbon, according to the study. For perspective, all of Gujarat was reported to have a soil organic carbon stock of 67 million tonnes, as per the India State of Forest Report 2023. &#8220;Such research can shine a lens on the importance of below-ground carbon stocks and restoration, rather than merely tree planting, as an ecologically sensible means to create long-term, sustainable carbon sinks that&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/asias-largest-grassland-is-a-surprisingly-effective-carbon-sink-study-finds/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Wetlands hold carbon and climate hope</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/wetlands-hold-carbon-and-climate-hope/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/wetlands-hold-carbon-and-climate-hope/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Jul 2025 13:27:15 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nandhini Somasundaram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Credit]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/07/11214459/The_Deepor-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=33598</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Wetlands have long played a vital role in India’s ecosystems. As of 2025, the country has 91 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites — internationally recognized important wetlands — which span an area of 1.3 million hectares. These areas support rich biodiversity, sustain local livelihoods, and serve as important community commons. Today, wetlands are gaining attention [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Wetlands have long played a vital role in India’s ecosystems. As of 2025, the country has 91 wetlands designated as Ramsar sites — internationally recognized important wetlands — which span an area of 1.3 million hectares. These areas support rich biodiversity, sustain local livelihoods, and serve as important community commons. Today, wetlands are gaining attention for another crucial role, namely, carbon sequestration. A recent study assessed the carbon sequestration potential of five wetlands in Assam — 47-Morakolong, Jaliguti, Charan, Chatla, and Urmal — from the Morigaon and Kamrup districts. The researchers found that the top 30 cm of soil in these five wetlands stored between 12,650 and 76,950 kg of carbon per hectare, with Chatla having the highest carbon stock and 47-Morakolong the lowest. “Wetlands have many different ecological services, and carbon accumulation is one of them,” explains Subir Nag, a principal scientist at the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, West Bengal, and one of the study’s authors. “With climate change research gaining more impetus, the Inland Fisheries Institute is interested in understanding how our wetland resources can be used to manage climate change.” When comparing the carbon sequestration potential of different ecosystems, the strengths and weaknesses of wetland carbon sequestration emerges. “In terms of carbon sequestration rate, forests are definitely high. However, in terms of carbon accumulated in soil, wetlands store much more carbon in their soils than any other ecosystem,” comments Nag. The carbon stored by soils on terrestrial systems, far exceeds the amount of carbon stored in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/07/wetlands-hold-carbon-and-climate-hope/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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														</item>
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					<title>Coal dust chokes plants and trees in mining areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/coal-dust-chokes-plants-and-trees-in-mining-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/coal-dust-chokes-plants-and-trees-in-mining-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Feb 2025 12:39:44 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon dioxide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flora]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mining]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/12105912/15010336808_8ca46b5164_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31470</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Mining, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A new study based in Odisha sheds light on how satellite imagery can help determine the impacts of coal mining dust on vegetation and finds that dust could be impacting photosynthetic processes more than previously thought. Researchers from the University of Southampton in the U.K. and the National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, Odisha, used [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A new study based in Odisha sheds light on how satellite imagery can help determine the impacts of coal mining dust on vegetation and finds that dust could be impacting photosynthetic processes more than previously thought. Researchers from the University of Southampton in the U.K. and the National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, Odisha, used remote sensing techniques to estimate foliar dust – dust that accumulates on the leaves of plants – on vegetation in Jharsuguda district, which is home to several opencast mines operated by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited. Odisha is the second largest coal mining state in India, after Jharkhand, contributing to around a quarter of India’s annual coal production. “When we think about coal mining, we often think about direct, visible impacts on pollution and health. But the aim of this study was to look at the hidden impacts of mining dust that are less obvious but have implications for the broader environment,” Jadunandan Dash, professor of remote sensing at the University of Southampton and a co-author of the study, told Mongabay India. Using remote sensing to detect mining dust Opencast mining involves removing soil overburden and rocks to excavate coal deposits found beneath the surface. This extractive process can severely pollute the air around the mining and buffer zones. Understanding the impacts of coal dust on vegetation can help manage and mitigate possible ecological impacts on plant functions, the paper says. Satellite imagery “can capture fine-scale variations, offers wide area coverage, regular monitoring, non‐invasive data collection, multi‐spectral&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/coal-dust-chokes-plants-and-trees-in-mining-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/coal-dust-chokes-plants-and-trees-in-mining-areas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Carbon farming projects not always inclusive and equitable, says new study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/carbon-farming-projects-not-always-inclusive-and-equitable-says-new-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/carbon-farming-projects-not-always-inclusive-and-equitable-says-new-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jan 2025 12:03:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon offsets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indian Carbon Market]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/23092957/Anegundi_-_Rice_Farmers_-_3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31219</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections, Climate Finance, and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Haryana, India, and Madhya Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon Offset, and Carbon Sequestration]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Almost a year ago, the Union Agriculture Ministry released framework guidelines on how the agriculture sector could leverage the carbon market by practicing carbon mitigation techniques. Arjun Munda, the then agriculture minister, said at the time that introducing farmers to the carbon market would not only benefit them, but also accelerate the adoption of environmentally [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Almost a year ago, the Union Agriculture Ministry released framework guidelines on how the agriculture sector could leverage the carbon market by practicing carbon mitigation techniques. Arjun Munda, the then agriculture minister, said at the time that introducing farmers to the carbon market would not only benefit them, but also accelerate the adoption of environmentally friendly agricultural practices. A new study on the status of carbon farming in India, however, says otherwise. Researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) conducted a survey among hundreds of farmers and found that carbon farming, in which cultivation is aimed at lowering emissions or improving carbon sequestration, inadvertently excluded small landholding farmers, and monetary benefits had reached almost none of the participating farmers at the time of the survey. “While these projects are still in the early stages, we wanted to highlight that they’re not socially inclusive of marginalised caste groups or small and marginal farmers, or even women for that matter,” said A. G. Adeeth Cariappa, an Environmental and Resource Economist with CIMMYT and lead author of the study. Carbon farming has the potential to mitigate climate change while offering farmers additional income avenues through carbon credits, notes the study. Purchasing carbon offsets remains a popular option for companies looking to reduce their own carbon footprints. The agriculture sector, responsible for 13% of India’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, is emerging as a viable destination for carbon credit generation in India. According to the study, India has more than 50 agricultural carbon&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/carbon-farming-projects-not-always-inclusive-and-equitable-says-new-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/carbon-farming-projects-not-always-inclusive-and-equitable-says-new-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Explainer] What is blue carbon?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-is-blue-carbon/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-is-blue-carbon/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jan 2025 10:56:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Capture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sequestration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate mitigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature-based climate solutions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature-based solutions]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/20061852/Blue-Lagoons-In-Kalpeni-Lakshadweep-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31166</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment Explained and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, and Nature-based Climate Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured and stored by marine ecosystems. The term &#8220;blue carbon&#8221; is an extension of the well-known concept of &#8220;green carbon,&#8221; which refers to the carbon stored by terrestrial ecosystems like forests and grasslands. Coastal marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows play a crucial role in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Blue carbon refers to the carbon captured and stored by marine ecosystems. The term &#8220;blue carbon&#8221; is an extension of the well-known concept of &#8220;green carbon,&#8221; which refers to the carbon stored by terrestrial ecosystems like forests and grasslands. Coastal marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows play a crucial role in sequestering carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and storing it in their biomass (leaves, branches, roots, etc.) and sediments. These ecosystems are remarkably efficient in sequestering carbon, with the oceans playing the role of the largest heat and carbon sinks on the planet. Through photosynthesis, mangroves, salt marsh vegetation, and seagrasses absorb atmospheric CO₂ and store it as sugars and other organic forms of carbon in their biomass. Tides and drainage basins bring in more organic carbon in the form of decaying matter, which is deposited in the sediment, and the falling leaf litter adds to this. These marine ecosystems can store carbon in the sediments for long periods of time, ranging from a few decades to millennia, setting them apart from other terrestrial ecosystems. This is because the near-constant state of inundation and tidal action in these habitats slows down the decomposition of organic matter, effectively locking the carbon away in the sediments. Mangroves are among the most efficient carbon sinks in the world, storing around three to five times more carbon per unit area than tropical rainforests. While still relatively underexplored, studies have established that seagrass meadows and salt marshes too, store more&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-is-blue-carbon/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-is-blue-carbon/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Storing carbon in the form of gas hydrates deep under water</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/06/storing-carbon-in-the-form-of-gas-hydrates-deep-within-the-bay-of-bengal-and-indian-ocean/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/06/storing-carbon-in-the-form-of-gas-hydrates-deep-within-the-bay-of-bengal-and-indian-ocean/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jun 2024 15:26:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/06/19113748/4587983279_c01e1b077f_c-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28200</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bay of Bengal, India, and Indian Ocean]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[New research from India indicates that the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean can potentially serve as storage sinks for large amounts of carbon dioxide in the form of gas hydrates. A gas hydrate is formed when gas molecules bind with hydrogen atom to form a network of water molecules, resembling ice. Carbon can be [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[New research from India indicates that the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean can potentially serve as storage sinks for large amounts of carbon dioxide in the form of gas hydrates. A gas hydrate is formed when gas molecules bind with hydrogen atom to form a network of water molecules, resembling ice. Carbon can be permanently stored as gas hydrates in oceans beyond depths of 500 metres, according to the study by scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, in Fuel journal. Above 2,800 metres, liquid carbon dioxide is denser than seawater, and hence there is a natural gravitational barrier to its escape from water. “Thus, beyond 2,800 m. sea depth, carbon dioxide can be stored permanently in the form of liquid pool and solid hydrate,” Jitendra Sangwai, a professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT-Madras and one of the authors of the research paper, told Mongabay-India. The study focuses on the formation of carbon dioxide hydrates in bentonite clay slurry in seawater. The subsea clay sediments improve the mechanical and thermal stability of gas hydrates, which help for long-term carbon dioxide storage potential, he adds. A fishing boat in the Bay of Bengal. Carbon can be stored as gas hydrates in oceans beyond depth of 500 metres. Image by Shakil Ahmed Sarowar via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Ocean depth is key to carbon storage. Sequestration using gas hydrates is possible beyond a depth of 500 metres, but carbon&#8217;s permanent storage space in the sea lies below&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/06/storing-carbon-in-the-form-of-gas-hydrates-deep-within-the-bay-of-bengal-and-indian-ocean/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] GROW with agroforestry, a step towards sustainable land management</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Mar 2024 13:21:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abdul Qayum]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agroforestry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sequestration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/03/28112626/Arrival_of_Monsoon_in_Maharashtra_Western_Ghats-e1711605713591-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=27109</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Carbon Sequestration, Forestry, Forests, and Land Rights]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Agroforestry, the amalgamation of agriculture and forestry within the same land area, may seem straightforward, yet its intricacies often require significant scientific intervention to optimise outcomes. Traditional methods for evaluating, accounting and studying biophysical parameters of remote or inaccessible wastelands have become increasingly expensive and time-consuming over time. Obtaining information from landowners is frequently incomplete, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Agroforestry, the amalgamation of agriculture and forestry within the same land area, may seem straightforward, yet its intricacies often require significant scientific intervention to optimise outcomes. Traditional methods for evaluating, accounting and studying biophysical parameters of remote or inaccessible wastelands have become increasingly expensive and time-consuming over time. Obtaining information from landowners is frequently incomplete, inadequate and constrained by the challenges of incorporating timely changes. The data presently available, falls short of providing a comprehensive understanding for effective land management, making it challenging to distinguish the impacts of increased anthropogenic activity from those of climate change. Scientific intervention therefore, has become imperative. The integration of geo-spatial tools, particularly remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS), has proven indispensable in overcoming these challenges. Satellite data, harnessed through remote sensing and maneuvered through GIS, not only addresses these limitations but also provides a more robust decision support system. This approach aids in prioritising wasteland areas for enhanced productivity. The recent report Greening and Restoration of Wasteland (GROW) with Agroforestry from NITI Aayog covers three areas for agroforestry promotion: reducing import of wood and wood products; carbon sequestration to combat climate change at global and national level; and addressing sub-optimal use of arable land. The initiative contains promising recommendations. Cultivating spices in a forest in Kerala. Photo by Vignesh Vinod/Pexels. Agroforestry and its accrued benefits The GROW with Agroforestry initiative will yield a natural resource-based spatial data, geospatial technology and spatial modelling which will lead to tremendous scope in developing decision support systems&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/03/commentary-grow-with-agroforestry-a-step-towards-sustainable-land-management/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Cutting lianas can boost carbon sequestration in forests, finds study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/cutting-lianas-can-improve-the-forests-power-to-sequester-carbon-finds-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/cutting-lianas-can-improve-the-forests-power-to-sequester-carbon-finds-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>12 Feb 2024 16:45:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mark Hillsdon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon dioxide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/02/12160419/liana-knot-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26445</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Plants, Trees, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the right conditions, a liana — a long-stemmed, woody vine — can opportunistically ride up a tree and smother it as it climbs to the forest canopy. The plant thrives where the forest floor has been disturbed by clearing activities like logging, and natural events such as wildfires and storms. An estimated 250 million [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the right conditions, a liana — a long-stemmed, woody vine — can opportunistically ride up a tree and smother it as it climbs to the forest canopy. The plant thrives where the forest floor has been disturbed by clearing activities like logging, and natural events such as wildfires and storms. An estimated 250 million hectares (620 million acres) of managed forest are affected by rampant liana growth. &#8220;Liana&#8221; is a catch-all name for many woody vine species, most of which are native to tropical forests around the world. While the negative effects of lianas on tree growth have been known for some time, a study published in 2023 in the journal Forest Ecology and Management has revealed the carbon benefits of stripping back these woody vines and allowing the trees to grow unencumbered. The study found that in selectively logged forests, where certain tree species are commercially cut and the rest left standing as an alternative to clear-cut felling, freeing just five trees per hectare of their liana load across the 250 million hectares of degraded managed land could remove 800 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere over 30 years — averaging 3.2 tons of CO2 removed per hectare — as well as boosting sustainable timber production. And all at a cost of just $1.50 per hectare. The research is based on managed forests that have previously been disturbed, explains Ethan Belair, a natural climate solutions forester at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and one of the report’s authors.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/02/cutting-lianas-can-improve-the-forests-power-to-sequester-carbon-finds-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ability of forests as carbon sinks in question amid global warming</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/ability-of-forests-as-carbon-sinks-in-question-amid-global-warming/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/ability-of-forests-as-carbon-sinks-in-question-amid-global-warming/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jan 2024 15:43:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/01/29142431/Nature_Forests_Rivers_Cherrapunjee_Landscape_Meghalaya_India-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=26225</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change Mitigation, Forests, and Global Warming]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Forests are considered the most effective and abundantly available carbon sinks, capable of storing and sequestering millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A new study from India joins emerging research that challenges this notion, showing that carbon uptake by forests is more volatile in a warming world than previously thought. The goal [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Forests are considered the most effective and abundantly available carbon sinks, capable of storing and sequestering millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A new study from India joins emerging research that challenges this notion, showing that carbon uptake by forests is more volatile in a warming world than previously thought. The goal to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century has popularised the idea of using forests as tools to aid climate mitigation, or carbon removal, in order to reduce global emissions. The Indian government bet on forests when it pledged to create a carbon sink capable of sequestering an additional 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon through forest and tree cover by 2030. However, the study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay highlights the impacts of global warming on the forest ecosystem, suggesting that it may be affecting and reducing the carbon uptake potential of forests. Global warming could have reduced the carbon uptake potential in forests by around 6% over the last two decades, the research finds. The findings send a “strong scientific message” that improvements in greening don’t necessarily result in improvements in carbon uptake. &#8220;This analysis also has significant implications on the scientific analyses for planning to achieve net zero by 2070, as committed by India,” says the paper, published in Nature in December 2023. Improvements in greening may not necessarily result in improvements in carbon uptake. Photo by Mikenorton/Wikimedia Commons. Scientists are still trying to fully understand the effects of global warming&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/01/ability-of-forests-as-carbon-sinks-in-question-amid-global-warming/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Soil organic carbon as an indicator of health of agroecosystems requires qualification</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/commentary-soil-organic-carbon-as-an-indicator-of-health-of-agroecosystems-requires-qualification/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/commentary-soil-organic-carbon-as-an-indicator-of-health-of-agroecosystems-requires-qualification/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jan 2023 11:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[M. ManjulaVipindas P.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/01/31111508/Macerated_plant_remains_in_organic-rich_deposit_of_Kole_Wetlands_2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=21557</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global, India, and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The year 2022 saw a lot of frenzy around soil in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the World Soil Day. The Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), a multi-stakeholder organisation to improve global soil health, brought focus to soil at COP27, by organising and co-hosting the BOOST [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[The year 2022 saw a lot of frenzy around soil in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the World Soil Day. The Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), a multi-stakeholder organisation to improve global soil health, brought focus to soil at COP27, by organising and co-hosting the BOOST nature positive production and soil health event at the first-ever Food Systems Pavilion at an UN Climate Change Conference. This was followed by releasing a draft Soil Health Resolution by CA4SH and a series of decisions around soil health by the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, established in 2017 to advance discussions on agriculture in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In India, the ISHA foundation, a volunteer-run, spiritual foundation, launched a global campaign ‘Save the Soil’. The 2022 World Soil Day’s theme, Soils: Where Food Begins, is widely seen as a symbolic culmination of the yearlong effort to place ‘soil’ at the centre of global food and environmental security debates. Soil Organic Carbon taking centre stage: a cautionary note The UN climate conference of 2022 also witnessed calls for integrating soil health and specifically soil organic carbon (SOC) in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This gains significance, in the background that several IPCC reports have demonstrated the potential of land-based mitigations in the NDCs under the Paris Agreement. SOC pool is one of the most important carbon stocks on the earth which contains approximately twice as much carbon as in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/commentary-soil-organic-carbon-as-an-indicator-of-health-of-agroecosystems-requires-qualification/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>The role of urban foraging in building climate-resilient food systems</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/the-role-of-urban-foraging-in-building-climate-resilient-food-systems/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/the-role-of-urban-foraging-in-building-climate-resilient-food-systems/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jan 2023 12:48:23 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/01/26084528/Photo-Credit-Kush-Sethi_Participants-foraging-in-Lodhi-Gardens-scaled-e1674704452178-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=21491</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Delhi, India, and Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon Sequestration, Cities and Towns, and Food]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Kush Sethi does not remember the day, but he remembers the exact moment when he started paying attention to urban weeds. While following a Bengaluru-based volunteer group on Facebook that worked to clean public spaces, Sethi noticed one vital component missing in the ‘after’ clean-up pictures. Along with removing garbage/debris and painting the walls, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Kush Sethi does not remember the day, but he remembers the exact moment when he started paying attention to urban weeds. While following a Bengaluru-based volunteer group on Facebook that worked to clean public spaces, Sethi noticed one vital component missing in the ‘after’ clean-up pictures. Along with removing garbage/debris and painting the walls, the cleanliness drive also involved removing small green patches that adorned the pavements and the roadsides. When Sethi left a comment asking about the plants, he got the response that these weeds became catalysts for further littering, and therefore needed to be cleared out. Today, Sethi is an educator, ecological gardener, entrepreneur and forager based in Delhi who raises awareness about urban flora. Through nature walks, he is trying to get city dwellers to notice the greenery around them and value plants beyond their recreational benefits. And one way he does this is by introducing them to urban foraging, which is the harvesting of plants, fruits, fungi, herbs and other produce, from formal and informal urban greenspaces such as parks, lakes, unused lands, roadsides and other public areas. Through his nature walks Kush Sethi educates people about harvesting plants, fruits, fungi, herbs and other produce, from urban greenspaces. Photo from Kush Sethi. The recent interest in urban foraging stems from a burgeoning interest in urban ecology, according to Seema Mundoli, faculty at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. Nature-based solutions for urban ecosystems and the role of nature in cities are some of her areas of interest. &#8220;As&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/the-role-of-urban-foraging-in-building-climate-resilient-food-systems/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Exploring biochar as a nature-based solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/exploring-biochar-as-a-nature-based-solution-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/exploring-biochar-as-a-nature-based-solution-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jun 2022 09:09:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[T. V. Padma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biochar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heavy metals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soil]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/06/10160248/1599px-Pine_needle_briquettes-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18647</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change Mitigation, and Nature-based Climate Solutions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Biochar, charcoal produced from plant material and stored underground for a long time, can emerge as a nature-based solution that could help in climate mitigation and address sustainable development goals, a new review suggests. The review by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) estimates that biochar could sequestrate [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Biochar, charcoal produced from plant material and stored underground for a long time, can emerge as a nature-based solution that could help in climate mitigation and address sustainable development goals, a new review suggests. The review by a team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT Delhi) estimates that biochar could sequestrate an average of 376.11 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent carbon in the soil, and could help India reduce 41.41–63.26% of emissions from agricultural and its allied activities. In addition, biochar is a potential natural solution to improve soils, as it increases soil fertility and microbial activity; and can be added as a compost. It also can help in water treatment, which would help it address sustainable development goals (SDGs) focusing on good health and well-being, clean water and sanitation, the review led by Priyanka Kaushal, assistant professor at IIT’s Centre for Rural Development and Technology, says. Biochar could help India reduce 41.41–63.26% of emissions from agricultural and its allied activities. Photo by gambition786/Pixabay. An added benefit is biochar’s potential use to adsorb heavy metals such as such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. Products made using these heavy metals are heavily used in agriculture, and industries such pigmentation, building materials, and water transporting pipes. Based on their estimates of biochar potential from various crop residues, the IIT team reports that the conversion could cut down the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide; oxides of nitrogen and sulphur; and deadly pollutants&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/06/exploring-biochar-as-a-nature-based-solution-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Can carbon-positive villages pave the way for climate resilience?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/can-carbon-positive-villages-pave-the-way-for-climate-resilience/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/can-carbon-positive-villages-pave-the-way-for-climate-resilience/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Apr 2022 12:51:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sequestration]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/04/20230945/7629753016_3baa3906d7_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17961</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar, India, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Carbon Offset, and Carbon Sequestration]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every time Mahesh, a farmer in Karnataka, interacts with others over a suite of water and soil conservation technologies that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and enhance agricultural yields, the most common question he fields is “How do you get value for agricultural produce?” Mahesh NM is one of the 100 farmers at Karnataka’s Durgada Nagenahalli, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Every time Mahesh, a farmer in Karnataka, interacts with others over a suite of water and soil conservation technologies that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and enhance agricultural yields, the most common question he fields is “How do you get value for agricultural produce?” Mahesh NM is one of the 100 farmers at Karnataka’s Durgada Nagenahalli, who experimented with tree-based farming and dryland horticulture, developing farm ponds, and practicing rainwater harvesting, for a decade, as part of an Indian government project on agricultural innovations for climate resilience. Improved water availability, soil fertility and microclimate through science-backed interventions and planning have enabled the farmers in the drought-affected region to reap benefits of the farm produce such as gooseberry, cashew, tamarind and mango, by setting up a farmers’ producer company, says Mahesh. Durgada Nagenahalli is also one of the nine hamlets in India identified in a review study as a carbon positive village – where a mix of soil and water conservation technologies that absorb and minimise greenhouse gas emissions has helped the village offset more carbon than released, over a long period of time. Experts say while concepts of carbon-neutrality and carbon positivity are the way forward in climate action, constraints associated with small-land holdings, gradual environmental and financial benefits instead of fast gains and monitoring of land carbon stocks need to be dealt with. The findings come even as the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body, underscores that the Agriculture, Forestry, and Other&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/04/can-carbon-positive-villages-pave-the-way-for-climate-resilience/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] Reorienting environmental concerns under CSR in India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/commentary-reorienting-environmental-concerns-under-csr-in-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/commentary-reorienting-environmental-concerns-under-csr-in-india/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Mar 2022 11:09:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mohan Chandra Pargaien]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sequestration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restoration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/03/28084110/2-Years-old-Miyawaki-Plantation-of-NTPC-Ltd-at-Ramagundam-Telangana-Pic-by-Pargaien-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17614</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Forests, and Reforestation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Tree planting or forest restoration has now become one of the important routes to achieve net zero targets by 2070 as committed by India at the climate conference COP26 conducted last year in Glasgow. There is no doubt that businesses, irrespective of their size, contribute to a large carbon footprint while pursuing the aim of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Tree planting or forest restoration has now become one of the important routes to achieve net zero targets by 2070 as committed by India at the climate conference COP26 conducted last year in Glasgow. There is no doubt that businesses, irrespective of their size, contribute to a large carbon footprint while pursuing the aim of maximising profit. India became the first country in the world to make corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandatory through the Companies Act (2013), requiring all companies that meet a specified financial limit to spend 2 percent of their average net profit towards CSR activities. The latest shift from the existing Business Responsibility Reporting (BRR) to Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) as mandated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is a welcome move, to provide opportunities and a desired platform to execute larger social and environmental functions by the companies. Driven by leading international standards, Principle 6 of the RBC (Responsible Business Conduct guidelines) expects the corporations to make efforts to protect and restore the environment. The shareholders and consumers are now driving the sustainability agenda of corporations with a special emphasis on the environment. It has more relevance for a country like India with challenges like poverty and a degraded environment and an intricate linkage between the two. The contribution of businesses towards restoration efforts in India as reflected in its report on the Bonn challenge has not been so encouraging — out of 9,810,944.2 hectares of the total area brought under&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/03/commentary-reorienting-environmental-concerns-under-csr-in-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>India’s climate mitigation potential in forests overestimated, finds study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/indias-climate-mitigation-potential-in-forests-overestimated-finds-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/indias-climate-mitigation-potential-in-forests-overestimated-finds-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Feb 2022 09:57:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/02/15124703/Train_through_Lataguri_Forest_West_Bengal_India-e1644936158495-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17132</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Tripura]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Forests, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Trees, and United Nations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate mitigation, by creating additional carbon sinks through forest restoration and agroforestry, would meet less than a quarter of India&#8217;s Paris Agreement 2015 goals in the land-use, land-use change and forestry category (LULUCF), says a new study. India&#8217;s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement targets creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[Climate mitigation, by creating additional carbon sinks through forest restoration and agroforestry, would meet less than a quarter of India&#8217;s Paris Agreement 2015 goals in the land-use, land-use change and forestry category (LULUCF), says a new study. India&#8217;s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement targets creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover. India aims to bring 33% of its geographical area under forest cover by 2030 to fulfill its international commitments. Scientists at the University of Oxford, University of Exeter, University of Hyderabad and Jawaharlal Nehru University used a machine learning framework with over 11,000 GPS points of forests across India, to map where natural forests can be sustained based on climate, soil and topographic factors (bioclimatic envelope) to avoid identifying areas that do not support the growth of natural forests, such as grasslands, savannahs and woodlands. “This area mapped also includes current forest cover. After mapping this suitable area, we excluded all current natural forest areas (and other exclusions like wetlands, grasslands, savannahs etc.) and the remaining area which exists outside the current forest area is the opportunity that can act as carbon sinks if allowed to naturally regenerate,” study co-author Trisha Gopalakrishna, a D.Phil. candidate at the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, told Mongabay-India. India&#8217;s commitments &#8220;overestimate the area available and the mitigation potential of forest restoration&#8221; and that forest restoration and agroforestry can only be &#8220;one of many strategies&#8221; fundamental&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/indias-climate-mitigation-potential-in-forests-overestimated-finds-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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