Looking inward: Can India pave its own path to self-reliant climate finance?

The world officially breached the 1.5°C temperature threshold. Climate systems are now closer than ever to irreversible tipping points. At a time when the world needed to show renewed urgency, the year ended with a double setback. Negotiations at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, resulted in a paltry $300 billion commitment from the rich countries, which came laden with caveats. On the other side of the world, former US president and climate denier Donald Trump was reelected to power.

India’s dilemma: Global Plastic Treaty summit will push to wrap up use, but at what cost?

Even as global attention centres on Baku, Azerbaijan, where over 190 nations have gathered for the COP29 conference on climate change, preparations for another crucial summit are already brewing in the background. Shortly after COP29 concludes, 175 countries will convene in Busan, South Korea, for the final round of negotiations on the Global Plastic Treaty, which was adopted in March 2022. These talks also come amid heightened concern that the return of Donald Trump as US president could signal a renewed push for fossil fuel expansion.

India’s oldest and greatest: A new book weaves history and culture with India’s iconic trees

About two decades ago, naturalist Pradip Krishen wrote a book which aroused the interest of young nature lovers about important trees in the capital. In his book Trees of Delhi: A Field Guide, Krishen wrote about more than 250 trees and some of their subspecies, encouraging environment lovers and researchers to fan across Delhi to find these otherwise forgotten examples of our flora. 

Rain and ruin: How climate extremes are fueling Marathwada’s agrarian crisis

In Pimpalgaon village of Beed district, Archana Mahadev, 30, looks at her cotton fields spread across almost two acres, with a mix of hope and trepidation. Harvest time is imminent but she is more worried about her husband than she is about saving her crops. In the past seven years, two close family members died by suicide because of crop failure and mounting debts.

Questions beyond Wayanad, spilled across the country

Recently, Kerala became the victim of a major landslide which occurred in its Wayanad district, claiming the lives of more than 300 people. This calamity is a grim reminder that India is among those nations who is most vulnerable to natural disasters...