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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/climate-change-mitigation/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:28:48 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<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" />
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											<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>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The fraught politics and ethics of climate rankings [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Aug 2026 13:59:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Chirag Dhara]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/14114613/AP26180521878742-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40138</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, Ecosystem services, Energy, and Environment]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[​The 2022 version of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), one of the world’s best-known environmental indices, produced biennially by Yale and Columbia Universities, sparked an acerbic debate in India when it assessed the country as one of the worst performers among 180 countries. Environment and policy experts Navroz K. Dubash and Sharachchandra Lele, in an [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[​The 2022 version of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), one of the world’s best-known environmental indices, produced biennially by Yale and Columbia Universities, sparked an acerbic debate in India when it assessed the country as one of the worst performers among 180 countries. Environment and policy experts Navroz K. Dubash and Sharachchandra Lele, in an opinion piece called the EPI’s methodology “indefensible and tone-deaf” on ethics. Others argued that the index pushes a worldview that suits the “developed world,” and proposed that India build its own benchmarking system. The Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC) went so far as to issue a stringent public rebuttal, which, unusually, elicited a robust counter-rebuttal by the EPI developers. A few months later in 2022, another well-known index called the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI), by Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute, and Climate Action Network (CAN) International, released its rankings, which differed sharply from the EPI by ranking India among the world’s best climate performers. In response, the Ministry issued a press release welcoming the CCPI. Why do credible, science-based indices arrive at conflicting assessments for the same country? What, then, do we make of any country’s “true” climate performance? These questions have yet again been thrown into sharp relief with the 2026 edition of the EPI released on July 9. European countries have again been ranked the world’s best performers and India among the worst. It would be easy to read these results as merely the latest chapter of an old&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-fraught-politics-and-ethics-of-climate-rankings-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<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" />
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											<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>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<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[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>A fertile landscape at the crossroads of ecology and development [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Aug 2026 15:47:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/03125249/4670487709_c95df8f47d_4k-scaled-e1785742237892-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39805</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Fish, Fishing, Floods, Lakes, Monsoons, Pollution, Sea Level Rise, Waste management, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Kuttanad region of Kerala, often celebrated as the &#8220;rice bowl&#8221; of the state, is a landscape of profound beauty and immense ecological significance. Yet, its existence is a delicate balancing act, a testament to both the generative power of nature and the often-destructive ambition of human intervention. This intricate wetland system, a mosaic of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Kuttanad region of Kerala, often celebrated as the &#8220;rice bowl&#8221; of the state, is a landscape of profound beauty and immense ecological significance. Yet, its existence is a delicate balancing act, a testament to both the generative power of nature and the often-destructive ambition of human intervention. This intricate wetland system, a mosaic of lush green paddy fields, labyrinthine canals, and the vast expanse of Vembanad lake, is a geographical marvel that is simultaneously a victim of its own fertility and the relentless pressures of modernisation. Kuttanad is world-renowned for its below-sea-level paddy cultivation and unique brackish-water ecosystem. Alongside this remarkable agricultural practice, the region&#8217;s brackish-water ecosystem supports a thriving inland fisheries sector, with the Vembanad estuary serving as a critical nursery for numerous fish and prawn species. Together, these intertwined livelihoods — agriculture and fisheries — form the economic and cultural backbone of Kuttanad. So distinctive and globally significant is this integrated farming system that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has recognised it as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), placing Kuttanad alongside other iconic agricultural landscapes like the terraced rice fields of the Philippines and the saffron fields of Kashmir. Geologically speaking, Kuttanad is a young and dynamic landscape. In the distant past, this region formed part of the shallow coastal shelf of the Arabian Sea. Over millennia, the powerful rivers originating in the Western Ghats, chiefly the Pampa, Achankovil, and Manimala, carried massive loads of silt and alluvium from the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<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" />
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											<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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					<title>Bihar&#8217;s green budget expands, but environmental indicators show little progress</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Jul 2026 14:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Umesh Kumar Ray]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/31125413/NTPC_Kantin_Muzaffarpur-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Environmental Politics, Green Business, Green Energy, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It has been seven years since Bihar introduced a green budget. However, even now, data from various sources suggests little to no improvement in key environmental indicators such as renewable energy, air pollution, biodiversity and waste management, among others. The Bihar government presented its first green budget in 2020-21; this year, 2026, it presented its [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It has been seven years since Bihar introduced a green budget. However, even now, data from various sources suggests little to no improvement in key environmental indicators such as renewable energy, air pollution, biodiversity and waste management, among others. The Bihar government presented its first green budget in 2020-21; this year, 2026, it presented its seventh, amounting to approximately ₹158 billion which is roughly three times the amount of the initial ₹56 billion budget. However, on key environmental indicators, the state&#8217;s performance remains poor. For example, the energy sector accounts for roughly 65% of Bihar&#8217;s total greenhouse gas emissions, driven by coal-based power plants. The shift to renewable energy has been low, with renewable energy capacity for 2025-26 standing at 651 MW, up from 376 MW in 2020. The amount is significantly behind the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB) call for increasing renewable capacity to 10,000 MW (10 GW) by 2030 and 28,000 MW (28 GW) by 2050 to achieve a &#8216;net zero&#8217; pathway, as stated in its 2024 report. At the current pace, Bihar will reach around 900 MW, just about a tenth of that 2030 target. Biodiversity data shows a similar trend. In 2019, Bihar had 4,550 wetlands spread across 389,713 hectares. By 2025, the number of wetlands reduced by 24 to 4,526 wetlands. As per the latest green budget data, in this period, the total area of natural water bodies has shrunk by 16,843 hectares, that&#8217;s about 70% the size of Patna, Bihar&#8217;s capital. In waste&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>In high altitude soils, microbes may be limiting the warming they trigger</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/in-high-altitude-soils-microbes-may-be-limiting-the-warming-they-trigger/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/in-high-altitude-soils-microbes-may-be-limiting-the-warming-they-trigger/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jul 2026 13:17:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Lekha Bandopadhyay]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/10105814/Tsomoriri_Vegetation-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39164</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ladakh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Science, Ecology, Environment, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid the mountain folds of eastern Ladakh’s Changthang plateau lies Tso Moriri, the highest Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance. Part of a Trans-Himalayan lake-desert ecosystem, the lake remains frozen for nearly one-third of the year and is surrounded by barren hills, broken only by small patches of green meadows and marshes along its northern and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid the mountain folds of eastern Ladakh’s Changthang plateau lies Tso Moriri, the highest Ramsar-listed wetland of international importance. Part of a Trans-Himalayan lake-desert ecosystem, the lake remains frozen for nearly one-third of the year and is surrounded by barren hills, broken only by small patches of green meadows and marshes along its northern and south-western shores. These high-altitude ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to climate warming. As summer arrives, Tso Moriri and the surrounding landscape begin to thaw, activating native microbes that can accelerate warming by releasing greenhouse gases. A recent study led by Wriddhiman Ghosh, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Bose Institute, Kolkata, explored this process, hypothesising that as cold-adapted microbes become more active, they supply native methanogens — the methane-producing microbes — with compounds such as carbon dioxide and acetate. These compounds fuel methanogenesis, the final stage in the breakdown of organic matter, during which methanogens produce methane and carbon dioxide. This creates a microbe-driven positive feedback loop: warming stimulates microbial activity, which releases more greenhouse gases, leading to further warming. The study set out to determine how strong this feedback could become. Cold-adapted microbes While deserts are ideal habitats for oligotrophic microbes that survive in nutrient-poor soil, the study focused on high-throughput copiotrophic microbes that thrive in nutrient-rich habitats. Copiotrophic microbes consume significantly larger amounts of complex organic matter and release plenty of simple organic matter into the environment. Commenting on the choice of microbes for the study, Raju Biswas, a microbial ecologist and postdoctoral research associate&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/in-high-altitude-soils-microbes-may-be-limiting-the-warming-they-trigger/" 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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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</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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						<item>
					<title>Urban finance reforms gather pace, but key gaps persist [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/urban-finance-reforms-gather-pace-but-key-gaps-persist-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/urban-finance-reforms-gather-pace-but-key-gaps-persist-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Apr 2026 17:24:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ravikant Joshi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance Commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban climate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban governance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/21153931/AP23081265413428-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37788</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Environment, and Environmental Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The finances of Urban Local Governments (ULGs) are constrained by multiple structural issues. Since the 74th Constitutional Amendment, the Central Finance Commission (FC) has been mandated to review urban finances and recommend devolution from the centre to ULGs through state governments. The funds and reforms proposed by successive FCs have shaped the evolution of municipal [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The finances of Urban Local Governments (ULGs) are constrained by multiple structural issues. Since the 74th Constitutional Amendment, the Central Finance Commission (FC) has been mandated to review urban finances and recommend devolution from the centre to ULGs through state governments. The funds and reforms proposed by successive FCs have shaped the evolution of municipal finance in India — sometimes producing unintended outcomes. The XVI FC marks a decisive step toward strengthening ULG fiscal empowerment and accountability. Through systemic incentives — linking grants to own source revenue (OSR) performance, state co-financing, and transparent reporting — the Commission has internalised the logic of fiscal responsibility across tiers. By raising the share of ULGs to 45% that includes 40% grant (60% to rural area) and also special grants of ₹661 billion to urban sector, XVI FC restores balance between tied and untied grants. It supports rural — urban transition, and prioritises environmental infrastructure and sets a new benchmark for cooperative urban federalism. However, it has missed some reforms that could have added depth and dynamism. Enabling local bodies through incentives and reforms A persistent issue across FCs, reiterated by the XVI FC, is the inadequacy of OSR and the underutilisation of property tax, the mainstay of OSR. The Commission noted that heavy dependence on higher levels of government weakens local autonomy and accountability. Among available local tax sources, property tax has the greatest potential but remains severely underexploited. Building on this concern, the XVI FC introduced a major shift in the criteria&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/urban-finance-reforms-gather-pace-but-key-gaps-persist-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>India signals shift in climate priorities amid global uncertainty</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/india-opts-out-of-hosting-cop33-indicating-shift-in-climate-priorities-amid-global-uncertainty/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/india-opts-out-of-hosting-cop33-indicating-shift-in-climate-priorities-amid-global-uncertainty/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Apr 2026 13:30:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate negotiations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP33]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic Survey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fossil fuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greenhouse gas emissions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mitigation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/17101312/54155198313_bed8e16406_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37733</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, and Climate Change Mitigation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India has withdrawn its bid to host the UN climate conference, COP33 scheduled for 2028, a move that reflects shifting priorities in global climate negotiations and geopolitics. Rajat Agrawal, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), informed the Asia-Pacific group of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India has withdrawn its bid to host the UN climate conference, COP33 scheduled for 2028, a move that reflects shifting priorities in global climate negotiations and geopolitics. Rajat Agrawal, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), informed the Asia-Pacific group of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) about India’s decision on April 2. A ministry spokesperson, Virat Majboor, confirmed to Mongabay-India that the decision had been communicated to the UNFCCC secretariat, but said no further information was available. At COP28 in Dubai in 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced India’s interest in hosting the climate conference scheduled in 2028. India had earlier hosted COP 8 in New Delhi in 2002. The COP presidency and the responsibility for hosting the annual climate conference rotate among the five United Nations regional groups — the African Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eastern European Group, Latin American and Caribbean Group, and Western European and Others Group. After Brazil hosts COP30 in 2025, Australia and Türkiye will jointly host COP31, followed by Ethiopia hosting COP32 for the African Group. This would be followed by the Asia-Pacific Group’s turn to host COP33, for which India had put forward its bid. The process of selecting a host remains “opaque” and takes place within regional groups, Joanna Depledge, a research fellow at the Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (CEENRG) at the University of Cambridge, said. India’s bid was still under consideration within the Asia-Pacific Group and had not been&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/india-opts-out-of-hosting-cop33-indicating-shift-in-climate-priorities-amid-global-uncertainty/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Ward-level plans bring climate action closer to communities</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/ward-level-plans-bring-climate-action-closer-to-communities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/ward-level-plans-bring-climate-action-closer-to-communities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Mar 2026 17:50:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mahima Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[city]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flooding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lakes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Municipality]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/18155813/PXL_20260129_062854314-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37334</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Karnataka]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Science, and Environmental Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a February morning earlier this year, residents of Jakkur ward in north Bengaluru, Karnataka, trickled in at the open-air podium outside the Jakkur Post Office. The residents — young, old, students, retired professionals, informal workers, building representatives — paused at maps mounted on easels and walls, and interactive audio-visual displays. The standees, videos and other [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a February morning earlier this year, residents of Jakkur ward in north Bengaluru, Karnataka, trickled in at the open-air podium outside the Jakkur Post Office. The residents — young, old, students, retired professionals, informal workers, building representatives — paused at maps mounted on easels and walls, and interactive audio-visual displays. The standees, videos and other signage at the venue announced: “Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan”. This gathering was for one of the five public consultations for climate action at five different wards under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the apex body responsible for coordinating and planning the city’s overall development and activities. The climate action plan is being led by the Bengaluru Climate Action Cell (CAC), established in 2024, with support from C40 Cities, a network that assists cities in advancing climate action, and WRI India. It is also supported by several nonprofits, think-tanks, residents associations and consultancies as collaborators and technical partners. Bengaluru started preparing a climate action plan as a part of its membership in the C40 Cities network. Bengaluru Climate Action Plan (BCAP) was launched in 2023, making it one of the first few Indian cities to have a plan compliant with the Global Protocol for Community-Scale Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventories (GPC). The BCAP follows a global standard. “Essentially, a city-level climate action plan is a top-level view of the city. It provides a robust evidence base comparable with peer cities and helps to set goals based on that evidence,” explained Shrimoyee Bhattacharya, the program head&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/ward-level-plans-bring-climate-action-closer-to-communities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India-E.U. agreement promises trade growth but could face green regulatory barriers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Feb 2026 15:11:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Trade Agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FTAs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intellectual Property Law]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MSME]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Patent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Trade Organisation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WTO]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/06110950/AP37310785476-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36764</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Environment, Environmental Politics, Green Business, Industry, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India and the European Union signed a trade agreement on January 27 that&#8217;s been projected as a major breakthrough “in a tumultuous time for global trade and supply-chain realignment,” as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described it. The free trade agreement aims to boost trade and investment between India and the European Union by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India and the European Union signed a trade agreement on January 27 that&#8217;s been projected as a major breakthrough “in a tumultuous time for global trade and supply-chain realignment,” as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal described it. The free trade agreement aims to boost trade and investment between India and the European Union by reducing tariffs and trade barriers. The two major economies together account for about 25% of global GDP and nearly one-third of global trade. Both sides have presented the agreement as a win. India said in a press statement that almost all Indian exports will gain preferential entry into the E.U. Sectors such as textiles, leather, marine products, engineering goods, and agri-processed foods will benefit from the lower tariffs. It added that tea, coffee, spices, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods will strengthen their position in global markets, while sensitive sectors that are linked to several domestic livelihoods, such as dairy, cereals, poultry, and soymeal will be protected from foreign competition. India said that the trade agreement will open new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), create jobs for women, artisans, youth, and professionals, and boost exports worth ₹6.41 trillion ($75 billion). The E.U., meanwhile, has said the deal will remove or reduce tariffs on its exports of agri-food products, opening up a large market to European farmers. It also said that sensitive sectors linked to jobs in the E.U., such as beef, chicken, rice, and sugar will be excluded from liberalisation. At the same time,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/india-e-u-fta-makes-big-promises-but-leaves-key-questions-unresolved/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Budget signals a shift in India’s climate and energy priorities</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Feb 2026 14:06:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Annual budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Critical Minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electricity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Energy security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy storage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Municipal Bond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supply chain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban area]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/03113134/AP25247548851789-scaled-e1770098800708-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36715</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Coal, Energy, Environmental Politics, Green Energy, Hydroelectric power, Industry, Politics, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In her ninth consecutive Union budget speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention “climate” even once. She mentioned “environment” but in the context of infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and dedicated freight corridors. This reflects the overall thrust of the budget, which focused more on infrastructure expansion, reducing import dependence, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In her ninth consecutive Union budget speech on February 1, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not mention “climate” even once. She mentioned “environment” but in the context of infrastructure projects such as high-speed rail and dedicated freight corridors. This reflects the overall thrust of the budget, which focused more on infrastructure expansion, reducing import dependence, and strengthening domestic manufacturing, while remaining muted on environmental concerns. Experts say external factors, including climate finance constraints, economic conditions, and geopolitical tensions, may be influencing this tone that the budget has taken. A similar tone was also seen in the Economic Survey tabled on January 29, which analyses the state of the economy and sets the context for the budget which then announces the government&#8217;s actual spending and policy proposals. The Survey noted that capacity constraints and a widening gap between ambition and operational reality have marked the global climate agenda. It highlighted climate finance as a key challenge and said India should approach the transition as part of a broader energy system strategy linked to growth and security. Rohit Azad, Assistant Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, said external constraints, such as climate finance, cannot justify inaction. “Climate change is going to affect India far more than the Global North, given our tropical climate and high levels of poverty. Livelihoods will be impacted, and disasters will become harder to manage. It is in our own interest to act,” he said. Azad also pointed to global political shifts. “There is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/budget-signals-a-shift-in-indias-climate-and-energy-priorities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Understanding the economics of India’s climate action [Book Review]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/understanding-the-economics-of-indias-climate-action-book-review/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/understanding-the-economics-of-indias-climate-action-book-review/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Jan 2026 13:23:26 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP29]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic Survey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MSME]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[State Climate Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban Local Bodies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wind Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/30093811/Shepherd_DSC0929-e1769750990245-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36677</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, and Climate Change Mitigation]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In November 2024, I was in Baku to cover COP29, often called the “finance COP.” Countries were expected to negotiate climate finance, the flow of money from developed to developing nations. Several estimates were circulating. The largest developing-country bloc, the G-77 and China, had demanded $1.3 trillion annually. Developed countries, however, remained largely silent. When [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In November 2024, I was in Baku to cover COP29, often called the “finance COP.” Countries were expected to negotiate climate finance, the flow of money from developed to developing nations. Several estimates were circulating. The largest developing-country bloc, the G-77 and China, had demanded $1.3 trillion annually. Developed countries, however, remained largely silent. When I asked an observer about this approach, he said it was a strategy. Developed countries, he explained, would reveal their number at the last moment, leaving developing nations with little choice but to accept or reject it. With Donald Trump returning to the position of the President in the U.S., he added, the scope for ambitious climate action had anyway narrowed. That is exactly what happened. On the final day of COP29, developed countries put forward a figure of $300 billion, which developing nations rejected. Negotiations ran beyond schedule, and the final decision was gavelled through in a manner that several countries questioned. India was vocal in the final plenary, citing unfair procedures in the adoption of the outcome. A session at COP29 in Baku that focused on advancing climate finance mechanisms. Image by Commonwealth Secretariat via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0). Since then, India has raised the issue of climate finance on several occasions, including in the 2025 and 2026 Economic Surveys. The latest one, released on January 29, notes that “the current levels of climate finance fall short of the requirements of developing countries to meet their climate ambitions.” Highlighting the gap, it said&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/understanding-the-economics-of-indias-climate-action-book-review/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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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>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![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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						<item>
					<title>The climate finance numbers did not add up in 2025</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-climate-finance-numbers-did-not-add-up-in-2025/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-climate-finance-numbers-did-not-add-up-in-2025/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Dec 2025 09:30:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Annual budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate justice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP29]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP30]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic Survey]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/26122054/AP23095525941712-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36252</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Conservation, and Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Since 2017, the union government has tabled the annual budget on February 1. When union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman finished presenting the 2025 budget, a familiar pattern emerged. Allocations for renewable energy, irrigation, disaster response and resilience had increased. None of these heads were labelled as climate finance. Yet all of them paid for climate [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Since 2017, the union government has tabled the annual budget on February 1. When union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman finished presenting the 2025 budget, a familiar pattern emerged. Allocations for renewable energy, irrigation, disaster response and resilience had increased. None of these heads were labelled as climate finance. Yet all of them paid for climate action. Together, these heads account for billions of rupees in public spending. This domestic expenditure on climate action far exceeds the climate finance India receives from international sources. It highlights a core reality. In India, and countries like it, climate action is financed mainly through local resources rather than global funds, despite the country&#8217;s limited role in causing the climate crisis and its high vulnerability to climate impacts. This has caused frustration among developing countries. This was evident during COP29, held in Baku in 2024. It was described as a “finance COP,” and was expected to deliver a new climate finance goal- the financial support from developed to developing countries for meeting climate goals. India, along with other developing nations, argued that the scale of finance must reflect real needs. It also stressed that public finance, not loans or private capital, should form the backbone of support. But the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), agreed at the last minute, drew criticism from developing countries. India formally registered concerns, both over the way the agreement was reached and over the final figure of $300 billion. Indian Navy personnel clear a fallen tree from a road after&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/the-climate-finance-numbers-did-not-add-up-in-2025/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>India sharpens equity and finance demands as COP30 draft text raises new concerns</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-sharpens-equity-and-finance-demands-as-cop30-draft-text-raises-new-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-sharpens-equity-and-finance-demands-as-cop30-draft-text-raises-new-concerns/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Nov 2025 12:35:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CBAM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP30]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP31]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NCQG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable development]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/22184317/54938746556_cec544a02e_c-e1763817212664-768x401.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Environment, and United Nations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With negotiations at the 30th United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) entering the final phase, India intensified its messaging on equity, finance and national circumstances on November 20, using two high-level platforms to highlight what it considers essential for implementing the Paris Agreement. These interventions came as negotiators began examining the COP30 Presidency’s draft “Global Mutirão” text. Several [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With negotiations at the 30th United Nations Climate Conference (COP30) entering the final phase, India intensified its messaging on equity, finance and national circumstances on November 20, using two high-level platforms to highlight what it considers essential for implementing the Paris Agreement. These interventions came as negotiators began examining the COP30 Presidency’s draft “Global Mutirão” text. Several observers say parts of the document risk weakening the climate justice principles that India has been emphasising in Belém. The draft retains several options for unilateral trade measures, adaptation finance, and the execution of the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG), which was agreed upon in Baku, for parties to iron out and agree upon. For example, it proposes four options to address unilateral trade measures, such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which has been a concern for many countries, including India. One option is to organise technical workshops on trade-climate linkages, in coordination with the COP31 Presidency. Other options include convening a dialogue or establishing a platform to examine the nature, scope and cross-border impacts of such measures. The draft also suggests launching an annual dialogue to facilitate discussions among Party and non-Party stakeholders. However, during the Third Ministerial Roundtable on the UAE Just Transition Work Programme, India&#8217;s environment minister Bhupender Yadav emphasised that climate-related unilateral trade measures by developed economies are damaging the trust within the UN climate process. Unilateral trade measures are discussed within the UNFCCC&#8217;s Just Transition Work Programme (JTWP). He further said that a just transition&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-sharpens-equity-and-finance-demands-as-cop30-draft-text-raises-new-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>India, China step into leadership vacuum at climate meet as the West retreats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-china-step-into-leadership-vacuum-at-climate-meet-as-the-west-retreats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-china-step-into-leadership-vacuum-at-climate-meet-as-the-west-retreats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Nov 2025 11:30:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Soumya Sarkar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP30]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India climate policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paris Agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unilateral trade measures]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wind Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/21103532/54929826572_f74d585e98_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Coal, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Renewable Energy, and United Nations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The room had barely settled when an Indian negotiator joked that the tense climate-finance session felt like “mandatory therapy.” A Chinese delegate quickly added, “Not just therapy. We need yoga and a massage.” According to a delegate present at the meeting, the light-hearted exchange drew laughter and softened the mood. It also revealed something deeper. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The room had barely settled when an Indian negotiator joked that the tense climate-finance session felt like “mandatory therapy.” A Chinese delegate quickly added, “Not just therapy. We need yoga and a massage.” According to a delegate present at the meeting, the light-hearted exchange drew laughter and softened the mood. It also revealed something deeper. India and China often coordinate at climate summits, but their easy camaraderie at the climate talks in Brazil (COP30) carries new weight because the world’s traditional climate leaders are no longer steering the process. With the United States again pulling back from the Paris Agreement under the second Donald Trump administration, and the European Union distracted by the economic and political pressures of the war in Ukraine, the leadership vacuum has made India and China’s familiar alignment unusually influential in Belém this year. What was once a routine partnership has become a central force in holding together a summit that feels unanchored. Old partnership in a new world Inside the negotiating rooms, India and China have been echoing each other’s positions with a smoothness that even veteran observers did not expect. For years, both countries have pushed for the same broad demands that hinged on more reliable financial support from wealthy nations, fewer trade barriers that hurt developing economies, and fairer expectations for poorer countries trying to cut emissions. None of that is new. What is new is the context. With Washington now outside the UN climate process and Brussels struggling to maintain diplomatic momentum,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/india-china-step-into-leadership-vacuum-at-climate-meet-as-the-west-retreats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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