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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/green-energy/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:53:29 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
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					<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>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-carbon-market-bets-on-an-invasive-tree/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<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" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39756</guid>

											<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>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/bihars-green-budget-expands-but-environmental-indicators-show-little-progress/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s ethanol push moves from the pump to the field, raising water and food questions</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-ethanol-push-moves-from-the-pump-to-the-field-raising-water-and-food-questions/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-ethanol-push-moves-from-the-pump-to-the-field-raising-water-and-food-questions/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jul 2026 16:31:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethanol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethanol blending]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/28144133/signal-2026-07-28-12-24-18-195_003-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39684</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biofuels, Environment, Food, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, Human Rights, Industry, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the third part in a series comparing India and Brazil’s ethanol transitions. This part examines how India&#8217;s ethanol model increasingly moving beyond sugarcane and molasses-based production to grains, raising questions about pressures on livestock feed and the food processing industry. The second part examined the challenges of procurement, storage, transport and quality control. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is the third part in a series comparing India and Brazil’s ethanol transitions. This part examines how India&#8217;s ethanol model increasingly moving beyond sugarcane and molasses-based production to grains, raising questions about pressures on livestock feed and the food processing industry. The second part examined the challenges of procurement, storage, transport and quality control. In December 2025, tractors and crowds of farmers gathered near an under-construction grain-based ethanol plant in Rathi Khera village in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district. They feared the project would strain local water resources, pollute groundwater and damage farmland. The company said the plant would use zero-liquid-discharge technology and pollution-control systems. The protest later escalated into clashes with police, and construction was halted. The Hanumangarh agitation was one of several protests against ethanol and distillery projects reported across India, including in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana, where communities have raised concerns about water use, pollution and impacts on farmland. These disputes are emerging as India’s ethanol industry undergoes a major shift from sugarcane-based to grain-based production. In the latest tender by state oil companies, grain-based distilleries supplied more than 70% of the ethanol procured, according to Athar Shahab, managing director of Zuari Industries Limited, an Indian conglomerate with businesses spanning agribusiness, sugar and biofuels, real-estate and engineering services. A decade ago, sugarcane molasses dominated India’s ethanol supply. That balance has now shifted. India now derives roughly 65-70% of its ethanol from grains, mainly maize and rice from Food Corporation of India warehouses, while sugarcane-based feedstocks contribute around&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-ethanol-push-moves-from-the-pump-to-the-field-raising-water-and-food-questions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/indias-ethanol-push-moves-from-the-pump-to-the-field-raising-water-and-food-questions/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Supporting infrastructure is the missing link in India&#8217;s ethanol push</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/supporting-infrastructure-is-the-missing-link-in-indias-ethanol-push/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/supporting-infrastructure-is-the-missing-link-in-indias-ethanol-push/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jul 2026 12:39:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethanol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethanol blending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petrol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petroleum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vehicles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/24105649/AP23242459662267-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39570</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biofuels, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, Sustainability, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the second part in a series comparing India and Brazil’s ethanol transitions. Brazil’s decades-long experience shows that producing ethanol is only half the challenge. This story examines the real test which lies in procurement, storage, transport and quality control, the systems that decide whether ethanol actually reaches the pump reliably. The first part [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is the second part in a series comparing India and Brazil’s ethanol transitions. Brazil’s decades-long experience shows that producing ethanol is only half the challenge. This story examines the real test which lies in procurement, storage, transport and quality control, the systems that decide whether ethanol actually reaches the pump reliably. The first part looked at what that difference means for vehicle owners in both countries. At a petrol pump in Bhopal’s Katara Hills, a 40-year-old pump attendant smiles when asked whether customers talk about ethanol-blended petrol. “People come and joke, ‘ganne ka juice bhardo’ (Fill sugarcane juice),” he says, referring to E20 petrol, a blend of 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. In India, sugarcane is one of the main feedstocks used to produce ethanol. The sarcasm reflects the public conversation that has followed the rapid expansion of E20. Videos and posts circulating online have raised questions about the colour and quality of the fuel, its compatibility with older vehicles, and possible changes in mileage or performance. Government agencies and automobile manufacturers have disputed several of these claims. The debate has nevertheless brought attention to how ethanol is transported, stored, blended and tested before fuel reaches a petrol pump. Brazil’s ethanol mission seems to have inspired India to a great extent as the South American country often comes up in India’s ethanol debate, usually as a success story of higher blends. Interactions with people who run Brazil’s ethanol system bring out some crucial lessons for India. For Brazil, where&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/supporting-infrastructure-is-the-missing-link-in-indias-ethanol-push/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>What India’s ethanol push can learn from Brazil’s long ethanol journey</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/what-indias-ethanol-push-can-learn-from-brazils-long-ethanol-journey/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/what-indias-ethanol-push-can-learn-from-brazils-long-ethanol-journey/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Jul 2026 14:30:51 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bioenergy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biofuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethanol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petrol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petroleum]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/16123533/F5CB3E5C-80A5-409A-AE91-835210F8FA3C_1_105_c-e1784192843453-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39353</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Biofuels, Clean Energy, Energy, Fossil Fuels, and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This is the first part in a series comparing India and Brazil’s ethanol transitions. Brazil has run on ethanol for decades, with drivers choosing from different blends of ethanol in petrol at fuel stations. India is moving through E20 as the default fuel blend, with far less consumer choice. This story looks at what that [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This is the first part in a series comparing India and Brazil’s ethanol transitions. Brazil has run on ethanol for decades, with drivers choosing from different blends of ethanol in petrol at fuel stations. India is moving through E20 as the default fuel blend, with far less consumer choice. This story looks at what that difference means for vehicle owners in both countries. At Posto Dallas, a fuel station in northern Brazil’s Belém city, a car pulls in. The driver checks the price board, then picks a fuel. The 27-year-old station attendant, John, sees this happen all day. “Mostly flex-fuel vehicles come here,” he said. “People see the price and ask us to fill the fuel in their tanks accordingly.” Posto Dallas fuel stations are supplied by the state-owned energy company Petrobras and operate under the brand. In Brazil, customers can choose between different percentages of ethanol blends or pure petrol depending on the price and usage. Most cars sold here are flex-fuel vehicles, built to run on different petrol-ethanol blends. Brazil has offered this choice for decades. In another part of the world, nearly 15,000 km away, at a petrol pump in Bhopal’s Katara Hills, the scene looks similar. Vehicles come and go, attendants fill tanks, customers decide fast. But one thing is different: the choice on offer. In India, the government made 20% ethanol blended petrol, called E20, the default fuel across all fuel stations under its ethanol blending programme. For Nicola Pamplona, a vehicle owner and a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/what-indias-ethanol-push-can-learn-from-brazils-long-ethanol-journey/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Bonn talks signal a new energy transition narrative, even as old divides persist</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bonn-talks-signal-a-new-energy-transition-narrative-even-as-old-divides-persist/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bonn-talks-signal-a-new-energy-transition-narrative-even-as-old-divides-persist/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jun 2026 12:30:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/19113743/Raichur-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38743</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Energy, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The annual two-week Bonn climate conference ended on June 18, exposing familiar fault lines over climate finance, trade and ambition while also highlighting a new push to accelerate the energy transition through electrification. The mid-year meeting is an annual affair under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where parties negotiate the technical [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The annual two-week Bonn climate conference ended on June 18, exposing familiar fault lines over climate finance, trade and ambition while also highlighting a new push to accelerate the energy transition through electrification. The mid-year meeting is an annual affair under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where parties negotiate the technical and scientific aspects of climate negotiations. It helps shape the agenda of the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC. At the beginning of the conference, the host of the next climate summit proposed increasing the global electrification target to 35% by 2035, up from the current target of just over 20%. COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum called it a flagship initiative of the COP31 Presidency&#8217;s Action Agenda, &#8220;calling for a major acceleration in the shift from direct fossil fuel use to clean electricity across buildings, transport and industry.&#8221; The proposal comes alongside the COP30 Presidency&#8217;s work on a roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels (TAFF) in energy systems. On June 12, the COP30 Presidency presented progress on the roadmap, which is expected to be shared ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. Together, the electrification initiative and the TAFF roadmap suggest an emerging effort to frame energy transition discussions around deployment of clean energy systems rather than explicit fossil fuel reduction targets. The proposal has particular significance for India. According to a recent International Energy Agency (IEA) report, the country&#8217;s electrification rate stands at around 19%, slightly below the global average of 21%. At&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/bonn-talks-signal-a-new-energy-transition-narrative-even-as-old-divides-persist/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Efficiency mandates can build India’s clean tech sovereignty [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jun 2026 16:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajay Mathur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[innovation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/15092043/AP23313788200798-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38647</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Commentary, Energy, Fossil Fuels, Green Business, Green Energy, Industry, Renewable Energy, and Technology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For decades, India’s approach to advanced technologies has followed a predictable, high-stakes pattern. Each time a global technology goes through a generational shift, a mad scramble ensues to import the latest machinery, components, or manufacturing lines. We saw it in the early phases of thermal power automation, witnessed it during the electronics boom, and today we are seeing it play out acutely in the clean energy transition. While importing technology serves as a necessary jumpstart, relying on it as a permanent strategy creates a fragile foundation. In an era defined by geopolitical volatility, trade barriers, and fractured supply chains, the strategy of continuous imports is no longer just economically draining, but also a risk to national energy security. To build a truly resilient, low-carbon future, India must pivot from being a passive consumer of global technology to an active creator of indigenous innovations. The key to unlocking this shift does not lie in blunt import bans or open-ended subsidies alone. Instead, it lies in a regulatory mechanism that India has already proven. Anchoring long-term procurement frameworks to progressively tightening, non-negotiable efficiency standards can work. By announcing these escalations well in advance, India can compel industry players to move away from quick-fix imports, invest heavily in domestic research, development, and demonstration (RD&amp;D), and forge deep, lasting linkages with local academia. The fragility of the import trap India’s climate targets are among the most ambitious in the world, requiring the deployment of hundreds of gigawatts of renewable energy over the next few&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/efficiency-mandates-can-build-indias-clean-tech-sovereignty-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>States hold the key to India&#8217;s energy transition [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 16:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ruchita ShahTanya Rana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[just transitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/06143607/AP22273517200350-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38046</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environmental Economics, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the 2031–2035 period. The NDC 3.0 targets include a 47% reduction in the emissions intensity of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), an expansion of its carbon sink to 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from 2005 levels, and achieving 60% non-fossil fuel-based installed power capacity by 2035. These align with the country’s long-term net-zero goal for 2070 and its vision of self-reliance under Viksit Bharat 2047, with domestically available renewable energy at the core. Achieving these goals will require every Indian state to play a role, as most power procurement decisions are made at the state level. From national targets to state action India achieved the milestone of 50% non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity in October 2025, five years ahead of schedule. This progress was driven largely by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which together account for more than 60% of the total non-fossil fuel installed capacity as of February 2026. However, as India moves towards the more ambitious target of 60% non-fossil capacity, this concentration could become a bottleneck. Hence, expanding renewable energy capacity beyond early leader states will be necessary. At the sub-national level, though, states&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Solar energy supports healthcare in outage-prone hilly districts</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/solar-energy-supports-healthcare-in-outage-prone-hilly-districts/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/solar-energy-supports-healthcare-in-outage-prone-hilly-districts/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Mar 2026 16:22:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jyoti ThakurPratik Chakarborty]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electricity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hospitals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[public health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/31131513/signal-2026-03-31-130858_002-e1774947811953-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37531</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Energy, Extreme Weather Events, Green Energy, Health impacts, Human Rights, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Evelyne Nongkseh’s newborn daughter developed jaundice in August 2023, her family of six was in panic. Nongkseh, then 30, had delivered her third child just two weeks earlier. She rushed to Gnanamma Healthcare Centre in her village Jaidoh in the West Khasi Hills, in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya, hoping to get immediate treatment. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When Evelyne Nongkseh’s newborn daughter developed jaundice in August 2023, her family of six was in panic. Nongkseh, then 30, had delivered her third child just two weeks earlier. She rushed to Gnanamma Healthcare Centre in her village Jaidoh in the West Khasi Hills, in India’s northeastern state of Meghalaya, hoping to get immediate treatment. But when she arrived, there was no electricity at the centre and phototherapy unit that treats neonatal jaundice by breaking down excess bilirubin in an infant’s blood, was also not functioning. “I was worried sick,” Nongkseh recalls. “There was no electricity, and it was raining heavily. I had to go back home that evening.” The next morning, the health centre’s administrator, Sahay Lily, suggested keeping the infant in the morning sunlight until a vehicle could be arranged to take them to a hospital in the nearest town, Nongstoin. The town, despite being located only 10 kilometres away took nearly two hours to reach because the heavy rains had damaged the roads. At Nongstoin&#8217;s hospital, Nongkseh’s daughter received the necessary treatment and recovered. “The electricity problem is common in our village. Not just me, many parents have faced similar problems,” Nongkseh says. Her experience was once an everyday occurrence for healthcare workers, with frequent power cuts disrupting healthcare services in the region. Doctors in the West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya spoke of challenges faced in previous years to deliver safe healthcare services, owing to frequent power outages. Facilities across the state struggled until solar energy emerged&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/solar-energy-supports-healthcare-in-outage-prone-hilly-districts/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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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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						<item>
					<title>Tracing the evolving landscape of green jobs in 2025</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/tracing-the-evolving-landscape-of-green-jobs-in-2025/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/tracing-the-evolving-landscape-of-green-jobs-in-2025/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>30 Dec 2025 10:27:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/29170926/AP25275619529125-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36280</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Green Business and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Green jobs are not new, but what counts as a green job is evolving. Typically tied to renewable energy or sustainability roles, the term now captures a broad spectrum of roles that contribute to environmental protection, restoration, or adaptation. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), green jobs are &#8220;decent jobs that contribute to preserve [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Green jobs are not new, but what counts as a green job is evolving. Typically tied to renewable energy or sustainability roles, the term now captures a broad spectrum of roles that contribute to environmental protection, restoration, or adaptation. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), green jobs are &#8220;decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment&#8221;, whether in established industries such as manufacturing and construction or emerging ones such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. In today&#8217;s context, this definition encompasses everything from solar technicians and electric vehicle specialists to environmental engineers and jobs in climate finance, ESG reporting, and nature-based solutions. It also includes roles that may not seem traditionally “green”, such as community environmental workers or disaster management personnel, but are linked to climate resilience. Since Mongabay-India&#8217;s inception, we have been reporting about green jobs. In 2017 we wrote about how India’s push for renewable energy will generate more jobs, particularly in villages. In the following years, we analysed whether the renewable energy sector would be able to provide the capacity of jobs needed for the transition away from fossil fuel jobs, we looked at the scale of solar energy needed to accommodate the shift from coal mining jobs and at how jobs in the decentralise renewable energy sector are projected to increase. Almost a decade later, we are still talking about green jobs to document their evolution and the aspirations of the new entrants into the workforce. By 2030, Gen Z (born between 1997&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/tracing-the-evolving-landscape-of-green-jobs-in-2025/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>LPG adoption correlates with higher green cover, finds study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/lpg-adoption-correlates-with-higher-green-cover-finds-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/lpg-adoption-correlates-with-higher-green-cover-finds-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Dec 2025 17:24:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Simrinsirur]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[firewood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liquefied natural gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LPG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rural India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/05170937/Rajasthan_carrying_firewood-e1764934835586-768x476.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35916</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Conservation, Ecology, Energy, Environment, Forest Fires, Forests, and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the forested state of Jharkhand, switching to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) could have inadvertently driven a trend of greening across the state, a new study based on satellite data, and ground surveys says. LPG has long been touted as a tool to prevent deforestation by reducing dependence on firewood for fuel. The study from [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the forested state of Jharkhand, switching to liquified petroleum gas (LPG) could have inadvertently driven a trend of greening across the state, a new study based on satellite data, and ground surveys says. LPG has long been touted as a tool to prevent deforestation by reducing dependence on firewood for fuel. The study from Jharkhand presents a state-wide snapshot of this potential benefit, showing that green cover rose significantly with the proliferation of LPG, despite environmental drivers remaining stable. The study, published by researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, suggests the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) government scheme had a “noticeable effect at the provincial scale, emphasizing that such beneficial schemes are not only helpful to people but also promote responsible ecosystem stewardship.” The scheme provides free LPG connections and subsidised refill cylinders for rural households below the poverty line. Published in the peer-reviewed journal Trees, Forests and People in September, the study builds on other research that has found LPG use to decrease firewood dependence. Correlations in green cover and LPG use Jharkhand was chosen as the study site because of three main reasons: Most of its population lives in rural areas, it has a high percentage of forest cover (approximately 30%, according to the Forest Survey of India), and its rural population has low LPG use compared to other states. “I’ve been in touch with the Jharkhand forest department since 2015, and what sparked my interest in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/lpg-adoption-correlates-with-higher-green-cover-finds-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Clean fuel mandate pushes Mumbai’s traditional pav bakeries away from coal</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/clean-fuel-mandate-pushes-mumbais-traditional-pav-bakeries-away-from-coal/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/clean-fuel-mandate-pushes-mumbais-traditional-pav-bakeries-away-from-coal/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Dec 2025 16:37:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Esha Lohia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AQI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biogas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[liquefied natural gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LPG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mumbai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/05155654/signal-2025-12-05-153649_002-e1764930442936-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35875</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Air Pollution, Cities and Towns, Clean Energy, Energy, Environmental Law, Food, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Mumbai runs on its crowded local trains, but mornings here are mostly fuelled by a soft bread, referred to as pav. The pav, born from the Portuguese pão in the 16th century, is more than just food; it’s a daily ritual that brings the city’s workers, vendors, and families together. Pav is traditionally baked in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Mumbai runs on its crowded local trains, but mornings here are mostly fuelled by a soft bread, referred to as pav. The pav, born from the Portuguese pão in the 16th century, is more than just food; it’s a daily ritual that brings the city’s workers, vendors, and families together. Pav is traditionally baked in wood-fired ovens, after it is kneaded, rolled and placed together to rise. Mumbai’s air is thick with the scent of yeast and wood smoke. When trays emerge from the oven, the golden ladi pav carries with it a warmth and flavour, one that dominates the city’s street food. This familiar aroma has now become a point of contention in Mumbai’s fight for clean air. Following a suo moto public interest petition (PIL) on rising air pollution in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court in January 2025 ordered all bakeries to abandon coal and wood-fired ovens for less-polluting fuels such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), Piped Natural Gas (PNG), or electric within six months, by July 28. According to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) statement referred to in a media report, as of November 28, 2025, 209 bakeries in the city were already running on cleaner fuel, and 57 have made the switch recently. “In the last six months, 75 bakeries have taken the initiative for this change, and another 88 bakeries have applied for Mahanagar Gas,” the BMC, Mumbai&#8217;s governing civic body, noted. Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) is a public company that supplies piped gas. Some&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/clean-fuel-mandate-pushes-mumbais-traditional-pav-bakeries-away-from-coal/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Rooftop solar consumers face uncertainty in Maharashtra</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/rooftop-solar-consumers-face-uncertainty-in-maharashtra/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/rooftop-solar-consumers-face-uncertainty-in-maharashtra/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Dec 2025 17:08:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Abhijeet Gurjar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decentralised energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[decentralised solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[renewable policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rooftop solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panel]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/12/04124131/RE_3-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35897</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Energy, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra’s solar energy plans are facing a policy clash. The central government’s PM Surya Ghar Yojana aims to expand rooftop solar by offering households up to 300 units of free electricity each month, while the state government is considering a night-time tariff hike to manage its power distribution costs. Many consumers who turned to solar [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra’s solar energy plans are facing a policy clash. The central government’s PM Surya Ghar Yojana aims to expand rooftop solar by offering households up to 300 units of free electricity each month, while the state government is considering a night-time tariff hike to manage its power distribution costs. Many consumers who turned to solar power to cut their electricity bills now worry that new rules will make clean energy less affordable. “We currently only pay ₹130 a month, but we have no idea how much they may charge us in the near future,” says Chandrakant Shelke, a 49-year-old farmer from Shelkewadi. “With new laws, who can predict how the government will tax us and modify the tariff?” Shelkewadi is a 100% solar-powered village in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district. It is a model village, self-sufficient in solar energy, progressive, and known for its clean energy status. However, the villagers are now worried with the Maharashtra State Electricity Board’s (MSEB) proposed changes in time-of-day (ToD) tariffs. They worry that these charges could undo their years of efforts in clean energy. This uncertainty is not just confined to one village. Across Maharashtra, many consumers with rooftop solar, small-scale resellers and commercial users are confused about the state government’s shifting strategy and new charges. Industrial and commercial rooftop solar (RTS) consumers are struggling with no offset benefit, prolonged payback periods and heavy upfront investment for renewable energy. A building in Shelkewadi, Kohlapur district, Maharashtra, with rooftop solar. The 106 homes in the hamlet, panchayat office,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/rooftop-solar-consumers-face-uncertainty-in-maharashtra/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>When reel and real stories create impact</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>07 Nov 2025 13:53:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditi TandonSejal Mehta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/07131150/Ramoji_Film_City_-_Train_station_set_23256471982-e1762502342133-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35440</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon emissions, Climate Change, Environment, Green Business, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Industry, and Waste management]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on evolving green jobs. It looks at roles in the film and entertainment industry, where entrepreneurs are innovating on ways to bring sustainability into the sector. Previous stories in this series unpacked what green jobs are and why they matter; how people are navigating careers in the green [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is part of a mini-series on evolving green jobs. It looks at roles in the film and entertainment industry, where entrepreneurs are innovating on ways to bring sustainability into the sector. Previous stories in this series unpacked what green jobs are and why they matter; how people are navigating careers in the green economy and the support that is emerging for them; and roles in the disaster response and resilience space, a growing area of employment that focuses on helping communities adapt to the impacts of climate change. Everything about the movies is vast — the screens, the drama, the locations, the music, the emotion. Most of us frequent this portal between fiction and reality with the excitement of those hungry for stories, glamour, connection, fashion, all designed for you to step into a world different than yours and still in so many ways, exactly the same. Films are larger than life. With a considerable economic footprint. The broader film, television and online curated content industry in India generated about a trillion rupees in 2024-25. The movie and entertainment segment in particular, raked in a revenue of about half a trillion rupees in 2023, and is forecast to go up to more than double, hitting almost a trillion rupees, by 2030 under current trends. Larger than life, indeed, even behind the scenes. According to this article by Social Policy Research Foundation, “The data from tentpole productions (big-budget films with budgets over ₹800 million) in India showed an average&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/when-reel-and-real-stories-create-impact/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>India is well positioned to advance biobased climate tech, says Sara Trærup [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/india-is-well-positioned-to-advance-biobased-climate-tech-says-sara-traerup-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/india-is-well-positioned-to-advance-biobased-climate-tech-says-sara-traerup-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Oct 2025 11:56:40 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bio-based technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bioeconomy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[india]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[regenerative farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sustainable agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNEP]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/28112536/IISD_ENB_SB60_4Jun24-KiaraWorth-81-1-e1761630963162-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35221</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Innovations, and Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biofuels, Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Energy, and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“India is at the forefront of the global bioeconomy transition, linking innovation, rural livelihoods and climate action in ways that can serve as a model for other developing economies,” said Sara Traerup, lead author of the Climate Technology Progress Report 2025, in an interview with Mongabay India. Released on October 23 by the United Nations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“India is at the forefront of the global bioeconomy transition, linking innovation, rural livelihoods and climate action in ways that can serve as a model for other developing economies,” said Sara Traerup, lead author of the Climate Technology Progress Report 2025, in an interview with Mongabay India. Released on October 23 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), the report examines global progress in developing and transferring climate technologies. This year, the annual report focuses on bioeconomy, or the sustainable use of biological resources for energy, materials and food, and examines how it can contribute to both climate mitigation and adaptation. The report finds that bio-based innovation is expanding rapidly but that gaps in finance, policy and access still prevent many developing countries from fully benefiting from it. High upfront costs, weak institutional capacity and fragmented governance continue to limit technology deployment and inclusion, particularly for small producers and rural communities. India is highlighted among the countries that are backing climate technologies  with public financing and investments to advance sustainable development and climate action. According to the report, India’s Agriculture Infrastructure Fund and Green Credit Programme are providing financial and market-based incentives to support biological input manufacturing, waste management and regenerative agricultural practices, to advance climate-resilient infrastructure and biobased technologies.  At the same time, UNEP cautions that the growth of the bioeconomy must be guided carefully to avoid conflicts with food production and ecosystem protection. The report stresses that secure land rights,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/india-is-well-positioned-to-advance-biobased-climate-tech-says-sara-traerup-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/india-is-well-positioned-to-advance-biobased-climate-tech-says-sara-traerup-interview/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Reimagining cooler cities that reduce inequalities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/reimagining-cooler-cities-that-reduce-inequalities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/reimagining-cooler-cities-that-reduce-inequalities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Oct 2025 11:07:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rushalee Goswami]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[air conditioner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat Action Plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heat impacts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heat island effect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heatwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban Heat Island]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/20095008/AP25132671600625-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35108</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Clean Energy, Energy, Food, Green Energy, Health impacts, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Exceptionally hot days in Indian cities are no longer exceptional. They are becoming more common with each passing year. Rapid urbanisation, the removal of green spaces, and the spread of concrete surfaces are trapping heat and contributing to what researchers describe as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. This leaves people with no option but [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Exceptionally hot days in Indian cities are no longer exceptional. They are becoming more common with each passing year. Rapid urbanisation, the removal of green spaces, and the spread of concrete surfaces are trapping heat and contributing to what researchers describe as the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. This leaves people with no option but to resort to instant cooling mechanisms such as air conditioning, which are neither inclusive nor sustainable. They strain energy resources, drain our wallets, and, in trying to cool our homes, end up making our cities hotter, trapping us in a vicious cycle. We must imagine a way out. Heat waves, inequality, and the case for rethinking how cities are built Till now, cities have grown with the sole aim of accommodating a rising population. As a result, the natural geographical fabric has been disregarded in the process of urban development. The flooding in Bengaluru this year and the water scarcity in New Delhi’s informal settlements almost every summer, are direct results of unplanned urban growth. Extreme heat is also a consequence of the same problem. To add to that, cities are also sites of deep inequality. People from underprivileged communities, especially those living in informal settlements and working outdoors during peak hours, experience the impacts of extreme heat far more severely. So, as it works currently, those who can afford air conditioners are able to forget about the growing heat outside their homes and offices, meanwhile others are left to constantly bear its brunt. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/reimagining-cooler-cities-that-reduce-inequalities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Arunachal Pradesh plans big push for hydropower</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/arunachal-pradesh-plans-big-push-for-hydropower/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/arunachal-pradesh-plans-big-push-for-hydropower/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Oct 2025 16:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/10151700/Subansiri_Lower_Dam_Geruka_mukh_Lakhimpur_Assam-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34999</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Energy, Green Energy, Himalayas, Hydroelectric power, Renewable Energy, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A 2,200 megawatt hydropower project was cleared to come up in the Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, signalling the state government’s intent to rapidly expand hydropower generation within its borders. The Oju Hydroelectric Power Project (HEP) is the latest of several large dams proposed to boost the state government’s hydropower profile. The Oju HEP [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A 2,200 megawatt hydropower project was cleared to come up in the Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, signalling the state government’s intent to rapidly expand hydropower generation within its borders. The Oju Hydroelectric Power Project (HEP) is the latest of several large dams proposed to boost the state government’s hydropower profile. The Oju HEP was cleared by the centrally-appointed Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on September 12, on the condition that the Navayuga Engineering group — the project developer — integrate simulations of glacial lake outburst flood scenarios into its design. “The Committee advised that a real-time monitoring and early warning system (EWS) shall be established in coordination with State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and local administration, along with community awareness and mock drills for preparedness,” the EAC said, in light of growing glacial lakes in the region. The Oju HEP is the second major dam to secure clearance in the Subansiri river basin. The Subansiri Lower Dam, a 2000 MW run-of-the-river project (harnessing the natural flow of a river) further downstream, was awarded clearance in 2003, but faced widespread opposition from local communities and activists about the negative impacts from 2010 to 2019. “When the Subansiri Lower Dam was being cleared, one of the conditions was that there would be no further construction upstream.” said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. “This was appealed and now projects such as Oju have been allowed on a case-to-case basis.” The environmental impact assessment for the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/arunachal-pradesh-plans-big-push-for-hydropower/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Floating solar projects test India’s just transition promise</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/floating-solar-projects-test-indias-just-transition-promise/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/floating-solar-projects-test-indias-just-transition-promise/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Oct 2025 15:10:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Snigdhendu Bhattacharya]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Canal top solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[floating solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[floating solar plant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Just Transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Renewable Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/09093842/WhatsApp-Image-2025-10-07-at-17.44.36_8e981ca5-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34976</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Energy, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On September 7, a few hundred fishers, mostly tribal people, participated in a bike rally to protest a proposed floating solar power project on the Panchet dam. It is a 66-year-old multipurpose project located across the river Damodar, along the border of the eastern states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. The rally started from Maheshnadi [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On September 7, a few hundred fishers, mostly tribal people, participated in a bike rally to protest a proposed floating solar power project on the Panchet dam. It is a 66-year-old multipurpose project located across the river Damodar, along the border of the eastern states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. The rally started from Maheshnadi checkpost in Neturia block of Purulia district, West Bengal, and travelled a five-km stretch to Panchet Zero Point in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district. The fishers staged a demonstration, shouting slogans like “DVC Murdabaad” (down with DVC), “DVC hosiayar” (beware), and “solar project bandh karo” (scrap the solar project). DVC refers to the Damodar Valley Corporation, a public sector utility that owns and operates the Panchet dam, where floating solar power projects of 105 MW capacity have already been awarded for development. A similar or higher capacity is awaiting the tender process. Fishers who have been relying on the dam&#8217;s waters for their livelihoods allege that nearly 1,500 families would not only lose their livelihoods but also their primary source of affordable nutrition, solely due to the first phase of the project. They have called for a public gathering at Panchet on October 15, calling for the scrapping of the project. “About 1,500 families of three panchayats in Nituria block—Sarabari, Raibandh, and Guniara—earn their living by fishing from the reservoir. The solar power project will make fishing impossible,” said Rajen Tudu, convenor of the southern West Bengal chapter of Prakriti Bachao O Adibasi Bachao Mancha (platform to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/floating-solar-projects-test-indias-just-transition-promise/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>From policy to pushback, India’s &#8216;greenlash&#8217; over ethanol-blended petrol</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/from-policy-to-pushback-indias-greenlash-over-ethanol-blended-petrol/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/from-policy-to-pushback-indias-greenlash-over-ethanol-blended-petrol/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Sep 2025 13:27:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[biofuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clean Energy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ethanol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethanol blending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greenlash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Supreme Court of India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transport]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/26101940/IMG_20250923_141437-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34793</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy and Green Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In July this year, the Indian government announced that it had achieved its goal of 20% ethanol blending in petrol (E20) five years ahead of the 2030 deadline. The announcement triggered a series of debates including online protests, RTI requests seeking clarity on blend ratios, and even a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In July this year, the Indian government announced that it had achieved its goal of 20% ethanol blending in petrol (E20) five years ahead of the 2030 deadline. The announcement triggered a series of debates including online protests, RTI requests seeking clarity on blend ratios, and even a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court, with many arguing that the rollout was rushed and opaque. Criticism also came in from vehicle owners reporting reduced fuel efficiency and vehicle compatibility as well as concerns about no non-blended options. Union Ministers of Road Transport and Petroleum, Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri, dismissed the criticism of the programme as “vested interests” and “fear-mongering.” Around the same time, in July, the Delhi government stopped fuel access to petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years. Many raised their concerns around this order as well. On August 12, the Supreme Court had to intervene to prevent police from taking coercive action against vehicle owners. Such backlash against environmental regulations reflects a growing global pattern called greenlash, a term popularised by Italian political scientist Nathalie Tocci to describe societal and political resistance to environmental policies. In 2018, for example, French President Emmanuel Macron faced mass protests after his government attempted to raise the carbon tax. Public anger over rising fuel prices forced him to halt the plan. In Europe, the planned phase-out of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by 2035 has also provoked resistance. While the European Parliament approved&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/from-policy-to-pushback-indias-greenlash-over-ethanol-blended-petrol/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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