Centre Asks States and UTs to Digitally Map Forest Boundaries 

The Centre asked states and UTs to begin the process of demarcating forest boundaries digitally in keeping with its order in a 2011 case in a move that it expects to help address issues such as misclassification of forest areas, prevent encroachments, and resolve overlapping claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 , reported HT.

The Lafarge Umiam Mining verdict dealt with green clearance for limestone mining in Meghalaya. It ordered the creation and regular updating of a GIS based decision support database with coordinates of forests as defined in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980; the core, buffer and eco-sensitive zone of the protected areas constituted as per the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; the important migratory corridors for wildlife; and forest land diverted in the past.

Only Odisha has completed more than 90% of the settlement and digitisation process, while Assam, Andaman & Nicobar, Uttarakhand, UP, Jharkhand, Bihar, Meghalaya, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra are at different stages of carrying out settlement and digitisation process of forest boundaries of the forest lands in their jurisdictions. To address delayed compliance of the SC order on demarcating forest boundaries, the ministry organised a workshop on April 10 with participation from all states and UTs, the newspaper said. 

India Has “Withdrawn” its Candidature to Host COP33 in 2028, an Offer Made by PM Modi on the Sidelines of COP28 in Dubai 

India withdrew its bid to host the 33rd edition of the Conference of Parties (COP 33) in 2028 — the annual United Nations climate talks. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced India’s interest in hosting COP33 at COP28 in Dubai in 2023. The Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) didn’t comment on the development. 

Citing Climate Home report, an April 2 letter by Rajat Agrawal, Joint Secretary in the MoEFCC, to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), stated that India was withdrawing its candidacy following a “review of its commitments for 2028”.

In July 2025, the MoEFCC had set up a dedicated cell for the “professional and logistical requirements” to organise COP33. This followed a joint declaration at the 17th BRICS summit on July 7, where the member countries “welcomed” India’s candidacy.

The hosting of COP rotates among the UN’s five regional groups — African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States and Western European and other States. India is part of the Asia Pacific group.

With India withdrawing, South Korea is the only country that has so far expressed interest in hosting COP33.

India has hosted a COP only once — in 2002 (COP8) — when it was a relatively low-key affair.

On March 25, India announced its updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), committing by 2035 to source 60% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources, reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 47%, and increase its carbon sink by 3.5-4 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. 

UN Climate Summit will be ‘COP of the Future’, says COP 31 President Turkey

COP31 president, Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change of Turkey said the UN climate summit will be “COP of the Future” in his first letter to parties, in run-up to the meeting in Antalya this November, HT reported. 

Kurum said COP31 will be guided by dialogue, consensus, and action. This is the second year in a row when the US, responsible for the highest historical greenhouse gas emissions, will not participate in the UN climate negotiations.

COP31 will be realised through a new model of cooperation developed between Turkey and Australia, marking a departure from previous COPs. “The COP31 Presidency takes pride in establishing an innovative model that promises to deliver a new, inclusive, and solution-oriented COP.”

Don’t Mention Climate: Trump Creates ‘Beyond Absurd’ Situation at Global Finance Talks

Ahead of this week’s spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, governments “are being urged not to mention the climate, even as they address the current oil crisis”, the Guardian reported, adding that the meeting was supposed to agree a new “climate change action plan” (CCAP) for the World Bank before the current strategy expires in June. The newspaper said this “may be shelved, along with substantive discussion of the climate crisis”.

IMF, World Bank, IEA Urge Countries to Stop Hoarding Energy Supplies, Imposing Export Controls

The IMF, World Bank and IEA have issued a joint statement on the Iran crisis, which they call the “biggest ‌shock ever to the global energy market”, Reuters reported. The news wire said “IEA chief Fatih Birol told reporters after a meeting with IMF and World Bank leaders that several countries were holding onto stocks and imposing export restrictions, and appealed to all countries to let energy stocks flow to the markets. He did not name the countries.” According to Anadolu Ajansı, the statement “warn[s] fuel, fertiliser prices may stay high for a prolonged period”.

The Wall Street Journal reported the statement says the impact of the war is “substantial, global and highly asymmetric, disproportionately affecting energy importers, in particular low-income countries”.

Vienna Conference : Amid West Asia conflict, China's Climate Envoy Warns of Energy Security Risks, Urges Renewables Shift

Liu Zhenmin, China’s climate envoy for climate change, said at a conference in Vienna that the global energy crisis prompts an “urgent need for countries to rethink their energy security strategies and accelerate the transition to renewable energy”, People’s Daily reported.  

Xinhua, China’s state media, cited a report from Nomura saying that China’s “rapid expansion of new energy sources” can bolster the resilience of its export sector.

 Xinhua also reported that the war in West Asia exposed “vulnerabilities in Europe’s energy system” while strengthening the “political momentum for long-term energy transformation” in the region. Jiemian news portal reported that Chinese companies in the energy storage sector are seeing net profit growth during the first quarter amid overseas “geopolitical volatility” that has heightened the importance of energy security.