India to Set up New Authority to Curb Delays in Environmental Appraisals

To fast-track environmental clearances (EC) further, the Centre will set up a Standing Authority on Environment Impact Assessment (SAEIA), which will appraise projects when state-level impact assessment authorities are non-functional. The body will also do other tasks assigned to it, HT reported citing a policy draft. 

The draft said the tenure of SEIAA and State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) is three years, extendable by one year. In the absence of SEIAA/SEAC, appraisal of projects within their domain is carried out at the central level. The process of reconstitution is initiated six months before expiry, and delays occur due to late or incomplete submission of proposals from states.

“It has been observed that delayed reconstitution of SEIAA leads to a complete halt in the EC process at the state levels, and the pending proposals are transferred in bulk to the Centre, leading to … unwarranted delays in the appraisal of the projects, thereby impacting project timelines and investor confidence,” the draft said.

Env min committee declines minimum depth exemption to coal gasification projects

The Union environment ministry declined an exemption to minimum depth for underground coal gasification (UCG) projects in view of environmental impacts, HT reported, adding that the coal ministry had sought relaxation of the minimum depth condition (>300 m) prescribed earlier for pilot-scale Underground Coal Gasification (UCG). The coal ministry cited the 36 pilot studies conducted across nine countries, with emphasis on Uzbekistan’s Podzemgaz UCG Station, which has been operating since 1961 at a depth of approximately 150–200 m and producing syngas. 

The panel said that critical parameters governing the environmental safety of Underground Coal Gasification vary across coalfields in India and cannot be compared with global UCG projects.

 “Given the heterogeneity of Indian conditions and the variability in hydrogeological and geomechanical settings from region to region, international precedents cannot be treated as directly comparable benchmarks. In view of the precautionary principle and the need to ensure long-term environmental safeguards, the Committee concluded that exemption from the prescribed minimum depth criterion of 300 metres cannot be granted,” the committee noted.

The Coal Gasification Mission launched in 2020 has a target of 100 million tonnes by 2030. Coal gasification is a thermo-chemical process to turn coal into synthesis gas, comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

More than 350 sq km of tree cover lost in Himalayan Region between 2021 and 2023: Centre to House 

The Centre told Parliament that tree cover in the Indian Himalayan Region declined to 15,075.5 square kilometres (sq km) in 2023 from 15,427.11 sq km in 2021, according to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, DTE reported. The outlet added that the total carbon stock in forests across the Indian Himalayan Region has been estimated at 3,273.10 million tonnes in ISFR 2023, compared with 3,272.68 million tonnes in ISFR 2021, the minister added.

The Indian Himalayan Region spans 13 states and Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Assam and West Bengal, the report noted.

US-Israel war on Iran hits India’s basmati exports

Amid USA-Israel war on Iran, around 400,000 tonnes of basmati rice is stranded at ports or mid-transit due to shipping disruptions, DTE reported, adding that exporters want government to waive port charges and recognise the crisis as force majeure. The outlet said freight rates on Asia–Gulf routes have surged to $3,500–$4,500 per container. West Asia accounts for 60–70% of India’s basmati exports; Iran alone buys up to 20%. Exporters warn rising fuel, insurance and logistics costs are squeezing contracts and cash flows.

EU countries give final approval to 2040 climate target for 90% emissions cut 

New EU climate target that aims to cut emissions 90% can now become a law Reuters reported. EU is facing political pushback on green agenda, the report said. 

European ‌Union countries gave the final approval to a new climate target to slash greenhouse gas emissions 90% by 2040, pressing ahead with the bloc's ambitious climate agenda despite political resistance.

The new climate target is a hard-fought political compromise, struck by governments and EU lawmakers last year.

The news wire explained that in ⁠practice, the target will require an 85% emissions reduction from European industries against 1990 levels. The outlet noted that the EU will pay developing countries via carbon credits, so they cut emissions on Europe's behalf to make up the rest, to reach 90%.

Spain, said worsening droughts and wildfires justified more ambitious goals, but Poland and Italy, sought to soften the emissions cuts, arguing that struggling industries cannot afford the upfront investments.