1f:"/_next/static/immutable/chunks/1l5uhfcfkuy2w.js" 20:"/_next/static/immutable/chunks/0u1lcboexu6dt.js" 21:I[5500,["$4","$5","$6","$7","$8","$1f","$20"],"Image"] 22:I[41059,["$4","$5","$6","$7","$8","$1f","$20"],"default"] 23:T44dc,

A staple of Goan coastal food is rice and fish curry. In tourist-facing restaurants, it is often served as a thali, with a large rawa- or masala-fried fish and multiple smaller sides. The star is usually a premium fish, such as kingfish or chonak, prized for its size and ease of deboning.

But in the average Goan home, fish curry has traditionally reigned supreme. Or at least, it used to. Tourism, overfishing, changing agricultural and food preferences, and climate change are reshaping the state’s food system. For the traditional fish-and-rice meal, both the fish and the rice on the plate are changing.

According to food historians and researchers, two major forces behind this change are mass tourism and the commercialisation of the Goan way of life. Rising land prices have encouraged some farmers to move away from agriculture towards more lucrative tourism-related businesses. Climate-related weather fluctuations are also putting pressure on agriculture. For instance, in 2025, some mango and cashew farmers in Goa reported steep income losses amid erratic weather and rising temperature, with one farmer reporting farm incomes dropping by as much as eight times. Meanwhile, demand from restaurants and export markets has changed the incentives for fishers, who can earn more from high-value varieties such as pomfret and kingfish.

These pressures are changing not only how food is produced and sold, but also what local households can afford. Fish that once featured regularly in everyday meals are becoming more expensive and harder to find, while traditional crops and ingredients are losing ground. Changing climate adds another layer of uncertainty, although its contribution to specific changes in Goa’s food system is not always easy to separate from economic and environmental pressures.

As world leaders gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for COP31 to negotiate global climate action, Goa’s changing fish-and-rice plate highlights how climate change and economic pressures are reshaping food systems, from what people grow and catch to what they can afford to eat.

In Goa, these pressures are increasingly evident in the availability and affordability of fish such as mackerel and sardines, long staples of everyday meals.

Climate change is impacting a food system already under strain, but its effect is not always readily visible, said Aaron Lobo, a marine conservation scientist with the Marine Conservation Committee under the International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission (IUCN-SSC).

“Today, globalisation is a constant buffer which masks change,” he said, pointing to the complexities involved in identifying climate factors for specific shifts in the food system.

Rising ocean temperatures will have repercussions on seafood production and affect rainfall, which will impact agriculture, according to Lobo. He said rainfall deficits associated with El Niño could add to the risks facing food production. He is concerned that climate-driven drought could adversely affect food supplies, potentially leaving Goa vulnerable to disruptions similar to those during the pandemic, when transport restrictions left the state short of essential supplies.

“Extreme events are going to hit our food supplies in many ways. Fisheries and fish catch might change. Some species might do better, but as a whole, it will not do great,” said Lobo.

Also Read: Coral reef scientists raise alarm as climate change decimates ocean ecosystems vital to fish and humans

Research along India’s west coast offers some evidence of how changing ocean conditions can affect fisheries. A study published in Scientific Reports in September 2026 examined the relationship between fish landings and environmental conditions, including sea-surface temperature, dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll-a, an indicator of phytoplankton abundance. The researchers found that landings were lower under warmer sea-surface conditions in their analysis. The findings do not establish that climate change alone is responsible for changes in Goa’s fish availability, but show how climate change can act as a magnifier of pressures on coastal fisheries.

The researchers also found associations between fish landings and chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen, highlighting the importance of marine productivity and water conditions. Fishing effort, seasonal bans, wind conditions and the movement of fishing fleets also affect landings, making it difficult to attribute changes to temperature alone.

The study included field sampling off Goa, but its findings do not establish that climate change alone is responsible for changes in local fish availability. But shows how climate change is becoming a magnifier of the issues that food supply chains are already facing.

Similar is the case on land, changing rainfall and temperatures, as well as droughts and floods, can affect food production, said experts. But land conversion, labour shortages and rising cultivation costs also influence what farmers choose to grow.

In Goa, climate change is an added pressure on a sector already facing overfishing, pollution, high cultivation costs and declining agriculture.

What does this mean for the humble fish-curry-and-rice meal, a familiar feature of Goan life?

20260624 155245

A Goan fish thali (Photo: Shaswata Kundu Chaudhuri)

Rising prices

The difficulty of holding on to the traditional Goan diet begins at the market.

Back in the day, fish species like mackerel, sardines, croaker, squids, clams, mussels were cheap. “Sardines were so cheap that they were used as plant fertiliser. But now, their high costs have made the fish and curry expensive,” said Edgar D’Souza, principal at the Goa College of Hospitality & Culinary Education.

He suspects rising commercial activity is partly responsible. Wholesalers pick up much of the catch at the shore, leaving smaller quantities for local markets, he said.

According to a report by the Goan Herald, around 40% of Goa’s fish catch is sent to other states or international markets, according to industry estimates. There is also a shift towards higher-value catches such as kingfish and squid, which can attract demand from export and hospitality markets.

The rising cost of fish has also dealt a blow to the traditional practice of preserving leftovers by drying and salting them, according to D’Souza. Species such as mackerel, croaker and prawns were used for this. During the fishing off-season in the monsoon, salted fish was eaten with pickle and pez, boiled rice cooked in its own gruel, as a late-morning snack.

Other species, including shark, once used in the fiery and sour curry known as ambot tik, and shinanyo, or peacock-coloured mussels, have become harder to find in markets, D’Souza said. He suspects declining marine resources, coastal habitat degradation and pollution may be contributing to their reduced availability.

Also Read: As fish numbers decline in Chennai, how can we consume seafood sustainably

Nowadays, ambot tik recipes use catfish instead of shark, according to food historian Odette Mascarenhas. Such substitutions are becoming part of everyday cooking.

Fishermen in Benaulim, in south Goa, also described a decline in the availability of sharks in local waters.

For fishers, there are more pressing challenges than the disappearance of one species. Members of the 70-strong Benaulim Fishing Cooperative said they now travel farther offshore to find fish.

As sea water warms, they said, fish which like to inhabit colder waters, move deeper into the ocean instead of staying near the shore.“Ten years back, we used to get fish just two kilometres from the shore. Now, we have to travel 20 km,” said an elderly fisherman refusing to share his name.

This brings them into the fishing grounds of larger trawlers, which can operate farther offshore and compete for commercially valuable catches.

However, the impact of warming seas will differ among fish species.

Lobo said changes in plankton production could have repercussions for fish catches. He warned that warming oceans and declining oxygen levels could affect species like sardines and mackerel, potentially changing their distribution and making some catches more vulnerable to fishing pressure.

“Fish are sensitive to the niche they occupy,” he said, adding that groupers need big rocky boulders, whereas tunas can swim across oceans, and sardines and mackerel can move freely.

“Then, some fishes will be knocked off the plate due to overfishing.” Lobo expects pressure on larger fish favoured by tourists, including kingfish, red snappers, wild Asian seabass, sharks, to increase in the coming years. And that declining availability could push prices higher, affecting local consumers.

Besides climate change and overfishing, water pollution through agricultural runoff and other means also plays a role in declining fish populations. Overfishing and fisheries management are additional factors shaping which species are caught and in what quantities.

“A lot of perfectly valuable small fish like sardines are being ground down to fish feed for aquaculture farms,” said Lobo.

20260812 110249

Fishing boat at the village of Benaulim. (Photo: Shaswata Kundu Chaudhuri)

Changing agriculture

The other component of the traditional meal, rice, has also changed.

“Over the years, there has been a decline in traditional Goan farming. Now we have leased them out for urban and commercial development and real estate, or kept them barren. Due to the loss of agricultural lands, Goa is now dependent on essential food items coming from neighbouring states, so prices of rice, pulses, and vegetables are higher,” said D’Souza.

States such as Maharashtra and Karnataka experience heatwaves, irregular rainfall and droughts, which can reduce crop yields and disrupt supplies. “Since Goa depends heavily on neighbouring states for vegetables and other essential foods, these disruptions can contribute to higher prices, alongside rising transport costs, seasonal demand and market factors,” D’Souza added.

Native rice varieties such as korgut, traditionally grown in Goa’s low-lying coastal wetlands known as khazan lands, have increasingly given way to other varieties, according to V Paramesha, a senior scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research's Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI).

Goa’s khazan lands have historically supported rice cultivation in saline coastal environments. But korgut yields about one tonne per hectare, compared with around 2.5 tonnes for improved varieties such as Jaya, Jyoti and Goa Dhan, Paramesha said.

“Korgut also requires more manual labour and is not suitable for combined harvesting, while input costs, particularly fertiliser, have risen,” he said.

20260625 171204

Paddy field in Goa. (Photo: Shaswata Kundu Chaudhuri)

And then you add climate change to the mix. Paramesha said increasingly erratic monsoon rainfall, extreme flooding and rising temperatures pose challenges to korgut cultivation. He added that the risk of increased seawater intrusion into coastal agricultural lands affected its productivity.

According to Paramesha, climate change is influencing agricultural decision-making in Goa through changes in perceived production risk, crop selection, planting schedules, water management, cropping intensity and livelihood diversification. “Farmers are increasingly considering varieties and farming systems that provide greater resilience to temperature variability, uncertain monsoon conditions, flooding and salinity,” he said.

The shift has affected what people eat at home. According to Paramesha, fewer households now eat traditional parboiled rice, with more people choosing less expensive small-grain jeera rice. Restaurants often serve long-grain basmati.

When ingredients disappear

According to Mascarenhas, the decline of local agriculture also means the loss of ingredients used in traditional cuisine. She points to two rice-based dishes that have become less common: shirvalyo, hand-pressed rice noodles served with sweetened coconut milk, and patoleo, steamed rice cakes made from ground Goan red rice paste, grated coconut and jaggery.

“Their basic ingredients are no longer available. Substituting basmati does not produce the same dish,” she said.

Another change has been in how Goans prepare their curries. Toddy was once used as a souring agent, but declining toddy production led to its replacement by synthetic vinegar, which “just does not taste the same”, according to Mascarenhas.

She also pointed to a reduction in the number of coconut climbers and a decline in coconut production. This contributed to the growing use of ready-made coconut products, such as dessicated coconut, which does not have the same flavour.

Climate-related pressures on coconut cultivation have also been reported elsewhere in India. A DW report examined how coconut production in Tamil Nadu has been hit badly by rising temperatures and new pests.

Also Read: Odisha Shows the Economic Cost of Hidden Climate Losses

Mascarenhas recalled a Goa where curries depended on whichever fish was available according to the season, while vegetables and other ingredients were grown in backyards.

For a long time, the Goan meal was built around what was available. Fish came from the coast, rice from paddy fields, while coconuts, chillies and vegetables could be grown close to home. Today, that relationship has weakened under the combined pressures of commercialisation, land-use change, changing food preferences and environmental stress.

Each substitution points to the difficulty of obtaining ingredients that were once considered abundant and affordable. The Goan fish-and-rice plate may still look familiar, but the systems that sustain it are changing.

Lobo believes that if this trend continues and Goa becomes more dependent on fish imports, which could raise costs, fewer people may be able to afford fish and some may turn to industrially produced chicken.

Such changes are already unfolding in Goan households. In D’Souza’s home, for instance, he tries to cook and eat the age-old dishes of fish and rice, even if their individual forms are not the same as before. But his children have fewer vegetables and also consume more chicken.

For now, the changes to the Goan plate reflect several pressures at once: what farmers can afford to grow, what fishers can catch, what markets reward and what households can pay. Climate change adds risks to both land and sea, but the extent to which it is reshaping the state’s everyday diet will depend on how those risks interact with the economic and environmental changes already under way.

[Edit: Bhasker Tripathi, Production: Arkatapa Basu]

24:T4941,

In a “significant shift in weather conditions” heavy rainfall threatened several northern states, while parts of southern India prepare for the onset of the northeast monsoon, reported DTE.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast issued on October 14, 2026, changing atmospheric conditions could disrupt daily life, damage crops and pose risks to infrastructure. Meanwhile, unusually high temperatures and rising humidity are expected to continue in several regions, adding to public discomfort.

Western disturbances has formed a cyclonic circulation over northwestern Uttar Pradesh, while another system is active over northern Pakistan and adjoining Jammu which could trigger thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms and strong winds across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and parts of western Rajasthan on Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall is also possible in parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The IMD has indicated the possibility of rainfall ranging from 64.5 mm to 155.5 mm in affected areas, warranting caution over potential waterlogging, landslides and transport disruptions, DTE article noted.

Southern India is preparing for another important seasonal transition. The northeast monsoon is likely to begin over southern peninsular India, marking a crucial period for rainfall-dependent agriculture and water resources.

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal may receive heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Kerala, Mahe and parts of south interior Karnataka could also experience thunderstorms and lightning.

Parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha may witness thunderstorms accompanied by winds of 30–40 kilometres per hour.

Nepal hit by flash floods again: Homes and bridges swept away, at least 5 people missing

A major river in Nepal has flooded, sweeping away houses, bridges and damaging a part of hydropower station. Nine foreigners were among the 95 people rescued so far. Can along the bank of the Budhi Gandaki River in the central Gorkha district, the army confirmed. Five people are missing, BBC reported adding that the country is still trying to recover from floods that hit its border towns with Tibet two months ago, which left over 1400 people dead and thousands missing.

Preliminary assessments suggest that a landslide blocked the river upstream, creating a temporary barrier that later gave way and unleashed a sudden surge downstream. Around 45 houses were swept away and three hydropower projects and four bridges were damaged. Authorities issued mobile phone alerts and urged residents downstream, including those along the Trishuli and Narayani river systems, to move to safer areas.

The Indian Express reported that satellite observations can help map lakes, track glacier retreat but it may not provide the real-time information needed to detect a rapidly rising lake or an impending failure of a natural dam, where ground-based sensors can help. Experts told the newspaper that sensors could, where conditions allow, provide warnings hours in advance, giving authorities time to evacuate vulnerable settlements.

Super El-Nino: India to face drier, warmer winter and hotter summer in 2027

India is expected to face a warmer and drier entry into winter, a hotter summer in 2027 and fresh stress on water, crops, power and health as a super El Niño builds, ET reported.

The World Meteorological Organization forecasts a near-100% chance that the El Niño will persist through February 2027, bringing unseasonably warm temperatures and a potential "snow drought" in the Himalayas. The article notes that after a southwest monsoon that ended with a nearly 13% rainfall deficit, low soil moisture and declining reservoir levels threaten Rabi crops like wheat (which need cool temperatures) and raise risks for drinking water and hydropower.

Super El Nino event formed in September, China's National Climate Center says

China’s National Climate Centre (NCC) said a super El Niño event has formed in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific in September, reported CGTN.

According to the NCC, sea-surface temperatures had met the threshold for a super El Niño event, reported Xinhua.

The Paper reported that the event will heighten the risk of “severe flooding” in the Yangtze River basin in 2027. The outlet wrote that China’s approach to flood control is undergoing a “fundamental shift”, as extreme daily precipitation events have occurred 31% more often on average. The “rapid shifts between drought and flooding” have also become more frequent, making flood control in northern China a “constant test”.

Climate change added a month of risky heat; 117 million affected in India

Over 1.5 billion people experienced at least a month of climate-change induced risky heat (the point at which health risks from heat begin to climb) between June and August 2026, according to a new analysis by research group Climate Central, reported DTE. India accounted for 117 million people exposed to at least 30 such days, among the highest totals recorded globally.

Europe became the most unusually hot region relative to its historical climate the article said adding that nine in 10 Europeans experienced at least a month of risky heat during the three-month period, while France and the Holy See (Vatican) recorded temperatures averaging 3.5 degrees Celsius above their historical norms, followed by Andorra and Switzerland.

The outlet cited the study saying prolonged heat contributed to record-breaking wildfires, widespread drought and additional pressure on emergency and health services in several regions.

The analysis used Climate Central’s Climate Shift Index (CSI) to estimate how much more likely climate change made daily temperatures between June 1 and August 31. It defined “risky heat days” as days hotter than 90 per cent of temperatures historically experienced in a local area during the same time of year between 1991 and 2020.

Heat and humidity persist despite changing weather

Rainfall and thunderstorms currently prevailing in India will not bring immediate relief from heat in India, DTE reported. Several regions continue to experience temperatures significantly above seasonal averages.

Coastal Karnataka has recorded maximum temperatures more than 5.1 degrees Celsius above normal. Similar departures have been reported in parts of Assam and Meghalaya, Konkan and Goa, Vidarbha, Telangana and Kerala.

Hot and humid conditions are likely to cause discomfort, particularly along the Karnataka coast and in Konkan and Goa. The combination of elevated temperatures and humidity could make outdoor activities challenging.

According to the reported observations for October 13, Deesa in Gujarat recorded the country's highest maximum temperature at 39.8 degrees Celsius. Mandi in Himachal Pradesh recorded a minimum temperature of 15.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest reported among the plains stations.

Weekly water cuts, borewell ban: Maharashtra tightens restrictions amid drought

Cities across Maharashtra are introducing water restrictions from mid-October as the state faces worsening shortages following a deficient Southwest Monsoon, DTE reported. The state will impose a minimum 10% cut in water supply from October 16. Nearly 75% of Maharashtra's talukas have been declared drought-affected, prompting authorities to introduce water restrictions across several districts. Pune will suspend water supply every Thursday from October 15 to conserve reserves and help ensure availability until August 2027. Nagpur has banned the drilling of new borewells and the deepening of existing ones to protect groundwater resources. In Marathwada, drinking water has been prioritised over irrigation, with industries directed to reuse 30% of the water they consume. Medium irrigation projects in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region hold just 21.12% of their capacity, compared with 76.23% during the same period last year, the outlet said.

Loss of diversity in grasslands could lead to 50% less CO2 uptake in India by 2050

A significant loss of global plant diversity could result in grasslands, including meadows and pastures, absorb 15% less CO₂ through photosynthesis by 2050, reported DTE citing study published in PNAS which said that in Paraguay and India, CO₂ sequestration could drop by 50% even if global warming is limited to 2 degrees Celsius.

Climate change could reduce the productivity of dominant plants but if plant diversity is maintained, other plants that cope better with climate impacts have the chance to become more prominent and stem the decline,explained Stephen Wirth, a PIK researcher and lead author of the study, the outlet said.

It’s not just about lower rates of photosynthesis. Losing plant diversity also reduces forage supply for grazing animals, which, in turn, can threaten the livelihoods of people who depend on livestock grazing. Soils also store less carbon and contribute less to limiting global warming, the study noted.

“Agricultural policy should support farmers in adapting their farms to climate change. This can help strengthen the livelihoods of people who depend on livestock grazing, particularly in the Global South,” said Friedhelm Taube, a researcher at Kiel University and co-author of the study, in the statement.

China’s rich coastal cities to see sea-level rise up to 20% higher than global average

China’s coastal cities could see sea-level rise “up to 20%” higher than the global average, according to SCMP. Chinese scientists tell the Paper that “glacier science communication” should warn of “collapse” instead of just “retreat”.

Scientists warn that rising sea levels driven by melting Antarctic ice will be 15 to 20 per cent higher in Hong Kong and Shanghai compared with the global average, SCMP reported. They said gravitational shifts caused by shrinking Antarctic ice would redistribute water across the globe, causing higher ocean levels along China’s densely populated coastlines.“Even if we limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Antarctica still has a 92% chance of losing mass this century,” said lead author Lin Yucheng, an assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong’s school of energy and environment. “Without effective adaptation and coastal protection, which is very costly, large numbers of people may eventually need to relocate,” the climate scientist said.

Urban heat risk is increasing five times faster in the global south than the global north

Urban heat is rising globally but hits the global south 5 times more than global north. Communications Earth & Environment reported the new study which quantified systematic bias in existing global heat risk assessments, providing a foundation for advancing climate justice in a rapidly warming world.

The study conducted risk assessment across 1,029 global cities during 2000–2019 by introducing a multidimensional social vulnerability index. Results showed urban heat risk is rising worldwide, with the upward trend in the Global South nearly five-fold that in the Global North.

Scientists showed that the traditional homogeneous assumption leads to a nearly 65% underestimation of North-South inequality in long-term heat risk. The study said the intraregional inequality measured by the Gini index is larger within the Global North and is underestimated by nearly 15% under the homogeneous assumption.

25:T241d,

Retail inflation rose to a nearly two-year high of 5.5% in September 2026, driven up by rising prices of food and fuel, official data released on October 12, 2026 showed, the Hindu reported. According to TOI retail prices of 41 kitchen essentials also rose massively, prices of onions shot up nealry 113%, followed by sugar (nearly 22%) and sunflower oil (around 18%), according to government data. ICRA’s Aditi Nayar told the Hindu that while the monsoon has turned out to be dismal, with inadequate replenishment of reservoirs clouding the outlook for rabi sowing, another rate hike by Reserve Bank of India in December seems certain. “Crude oil prices currently remain elevated, and their trajectory will keenly influence the likelihood and extent of further rate tightening in 2027.”

Farmers’ body rejects rabi MSP hike as ‘insult’, plans village protests

Farmer organizations led by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) rejected the new Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Rabi crops for the 2027–28 marketing season. Farmers branded the ₹25-per-quintal increase in the wheat MSP (bringing it to ₹2,610 per quintal) an "insult" to farmers, noting it equals just 25 paise per kilogram, reported the TOI.

Farmers are demanding a legally guaranteed MSP based on the comprehensive C2 + 50% formula (covering all production costs plus a 50% profit margin), alongside full state freedom to offer crop bonuses and have called for village-level protests and burning of copies of the government order in response to the hike.

Western Ghats Eco Sensitive Area: Seventh draft faces resistance from six states, conservation hangs in balance

The Union government’s seventh draft notification to declare 56,825.7 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) has reopened a contentious battle over conservation, land use and livelihoods, reported DTE.

Issued on July 27, 2026, under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the notification proposes restrictions on mining, quarrying, sand mining, new thermal power projects, red-category industries and specified large construction and township projects.

Iran war could make president Trump accidental climate president

The impacts of the Iran war could make Trump an “accidental climate president” due to clean-energy shifts amid soaring fossil-fuel prices, despite him being, “climate-denier-in-chief”, CNN said. Trump called global warming a “hoax,” clean energy a “scam,” pushed fossil fuels, and unraveled a slew of climate and environmental protections, the outlet said adding that as the war grinds into its eighth month, it’s highlighting the immense vulnerability of fossil fuels to geopolitical instability. There are signs of global clean energy moves, even as the picture remains complex, with some countries scrambling for coal instead.

The longer the war continues, some experts say, the bigger the impact it could have on undermining global oil and gas demand, the news channel said.

Saudi Russia India China wish to delay publishing of key climate report to 2029 ?

Scientists gathered at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are facing “pressure from some petro-states and major developing countries” to delay publishing the IPCC’s seventh assessment report (AR7), reported the Guradian. The report is due to be published in 2028 in time for a global stocktake of progress at the COP33 climate summit. The article states: “A group of countries, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia and including India and China, is pressing for publication of the report to be pushed back to 2029.”

Climate Home News, wrote that the IPCC meeting is “crucial” for deciding the publication timeframe adding that if the report on mitigation is delayed beyond the second global stocktake, the same governments that delayed it will then argue that the stocktake cannot meaningfully discuss vital mitigation action without the latest report, effectively delaying more ambitious agreements on cutting emissions by another five years.

2030 deadline: countries falling far short on promise to protect nature

Countries attending the COP17 biodiversity conference in Armenia next week will be meeting “against a backdrop of patchy progress”, wrote Reuters, while listing a number of recent nature assessments, including one from the Campaign for Nature that finds that government commitments could take the amount of land and inland waters protected to 27% by the end of the decade, up from 20% today. Fifty countries have so far met the 30% target by 2030 set in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), Reuters reported.

A separate report from Together for the Ocean shows that – at the “half-way point to delivering the GBF” – just 10% of the world’s oceans are protected, with existing commitments only likely to raise this to around 12% by 2030, according to Reuters. It says the “finance gap for nature” is expected to “top the COP17 agenda”, adding that there is hope the talks will lead to a “roadmap for the next four years of implementing the GBF”.

26:T1a23,

Supreme Court has ruled out a complete ban on firecrackers ahead of Diwali and favoured a balanced approach, AIR reported. A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale indicated it will permit the use of certain firecrackers during Diwali but impose specified time limits, ruling out both a blanket ban and unrestricted bursting of crackers.

The apex court stressed the need to strike a balance between religious sentiments and the harmful effects of air pollution. It said a complete ban could hurt the sentiments of people celebrating Diwali, while allowing firecrackers throughout the day will adversely affect the environment and vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly and the sick.

The apex court was hearing a long-pending matter concerning restrictions on firecrackers in Delhi-NCR and other northern states during the period of severe air pollution. The bench also indicated that it is inclined to accept a suggestion to permit joint firecrackers, or ‘larri’, subject to conditions.

Centre proposes 'red category' tag for farms linked to stubble burning

Any agricultural land parcel where stubble burning is detected via satellite or field verification will be marked with a "red entry" in the local revenue records for a duration of 15 months from the date of the incident, reported PTI.

The 15-month period will automatically double (extend by another 15 months) if a subsequent stubble-burning violation occurs on that same land parcel or if the levied environmental fine is not paid within the stipulated time.

While the draft text have not spelt out consequences of farmers land being marked with red entry officials suggest that land with a red entry may face hurdles with agricultural loans, mortgages, land sales/registrations, and eligibility for state or central welfare schemes, PTI and TOI reported.

Mob kills UP factory owner over smoke from tyre recycling plant

A mob protesting against smoke and pollution from a tyre-melting recycling factory in Uttar Pradesh‘s Saharanpur allegedly turned violent, killing its 38-year-old owner and injuring his business partner. The factory, which extracts oil and carbon by melting waste tyres, had been run for the last two years by Shamli native Arbeen Chauhan, Indian Express reported.

Pollution body probes the issue of steel units dumping toxic chromium waste in districts along Ganga in Uttar Pradesh

Districts adjacent to river Gangs in UP are facing dumpers arriving in the middle of the night and releasing chromium-containing waste on the fields. After multiple complaints from the villages the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) set up a five-member committee that has begun investigating the matter, DTE reported.

Chromium is commonly used in steel-making, protective plating and as a dye the outlet said adding that hexavalent chromium, can be toxic to humans and the environment. The International Agency for Research on Cancer places it in the highest category of carcinogenic substances for humans.

The article noted that the chemical can cause nasal irritation and ulceration, hypersensitivity reactions and contact dermatitis, acute bronchitis and emphysema, liver and kidney disease, lung and skin cancer, internal bleeding and DNA damage, says a 2022 study published in the journal Bioengineered. While Purwameer’s tryst with chromium may have just begun, the wider Kanpur region has long struggled with environmental pollution due to chromium.

Cancer-causing chromium 1,000 times the limit in Nashik water ahead of Kumbh

In another case of chromium pollution, ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Nashik in 2027, a laboratory report on water samples collected near the Ambad industrial area has found chromium levels more than 1,000 times the permissible drinking water limit, prompting the state government to direct officials to take action against polluting industries, IE reported.

The analysis found total chromium at 50.5 mg per litre, including 50.3 mg per litre of highly toxic hexavalent chromium. The Bureau of Indian Standards’ permissible limit for chromium in drinking water is 0.05 mg per litre. The Indian Express has accessed a copy of the laboratory report.

India’s water plants are failing to catch cancer causing PFAS or the forever chemicals

Research published by institutions like IIT-Madras (focusing on Chennai) and regional studies in places like Bengaluru and Himachal Pradesh show that conventional water treatment plants often fail to trap—and can sometimes even increase—certain PFAS concentrations due to the breakdown of hidden precursor compounds.

Elevated levels have frequently been traced to industrial zones, textile/tannery discharges, and groundwater wells situated near urban garbage dumps. Studies highlight potential long-term human health risks via the food chain and local water/fish consumption.

China strengthens penalties for carbon emission noncompliance

Revisions to rules for China’s carbon market have “strengthen[ed]” penalties for carbon-emission “noncompliance” through higher fines and possible production suspensions.

27:T1462,

A new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has warned that the clean energy transition is “off track”, reported BusinessGreen. IRENA’s World Energy Transition Outlook stated that despite record levels of renewables deployment and generation, the world is still “badly off track” to meet a clean energy transition in line with the 1.5C goal set under the Paris Agreement, it adds. The report states that renewable additions continue to set records in 2025, but grid enhancements fail to keep pace and energy demand keeps surging rapidly. The findings also show energy efficiency improvements remain significantly below the required rate and fail to offset the growing power demand, according to IRENA.

India wastes 4% of solar power amid power shortages in July, August, report shows

Nearly “1.8bn units of renewable electricity” went to waste in India in July and August this year, according to a new report, reported Reuters. The newswire adds that around 4% of total solar generation “could not be absorbed by the grid” in these months, “highlighting inadequate transmission infrastructure”. Reuters says the findings from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) “highlight a growing challenge for India as it expands renewable energy capacity ⁠to meet its clean energy targets of 500 gigawatts (GW) by 2030 from the present 304 GW”.

India’s battery energy storage system requirement to rise nearly seven-fold to 236 GWh by FY2031-32: Rubix Data Sciences

India’s battery energy storage system (BESS) requirement may rise nearly seven-fold, from 34.72 GWh in FY2026-27 to 236.22 GWh by FY2031-32, as renewable energy penetration grows according to Rubix Data Sciences’ latest report on the BESS industry, PVMagazine reported.

The report, based on estimates by the National Electricity Plan 2022-32, also says that the investment requirement to meet this demand could reach INR 3.49 trillion by FY 2031-32.

India added 8.2 GWh of new BESS capacity between January and June 2026, compared to less than 100 MWh in the same period of 2025. As of August 2026, 9.08 GWh of BESS capacity was operational, 79.92 GWh under construction, 24.13 GWh awarded and 63.53 GWh under tendering, taking the total across these stages to 176.66 GWh, which is about 75% of the FY2031-32 requirement, the outlet said.

BESS share of the required storage power capacity is projected to rise from around 54% in FY2026-27 to 64% by FY2031-32, while its share of total energy storage requirements is expected to increase from approximately 42% to 57%. Over the same period, India’s overall energy storage requirement is projected to rise from 82.37 GWh to 411.4 GWh.

Gujarat and Rajasthan together account for nearly 88% of India’s installed utility-scale BESS capacity, with shares of 44.0% and 43.7% respectively, followed by Maharashtra at 5.1%, thr outlet said.

Trump moves to block fully approved offshore windfarms in the US

The Trump administration has asked a federal court to remand (send back) the approval of a wind project to the interior department, Bloomberg reported. Orsted AS’s Revolution Wind project began producing power off the coast of Rhode Island in March and now the interior department wants to “re-evaluate the wind farm’s permit to make sure it’s in compliance with a federal law governing energy development off the US coast, according to a court filing Friday”. Bloomberg said this is a potential setback for the renewables sector, following some progress in gaining “assurances the Trump administration would stop blocking some fully permitted wind and solar developments from moving ahead”.

28:T3391,

India has outpaced the United States (US) in the share of fully electric new car sales for six consecutive months starting in April, according to a new report by energy think-tank Ember, reported the Economic Times.

Out of the 56 nations monitored by the think tank, 49 showed higher share of electric car sales than the US, where the BEV market share dropped to 6% during the first eight months of 2026 after Trump rolled back federal electric vehicle incentives.

Tata and Mahindra together captured over 60% the country's electric vehicle sales in the first half of 2026, supported by an ongoing ramp-up in local production capacity, the newspaper said. Brazil is strengthening its position as a regional auto production hub, while Vietnamese automaker VinFast is expanding its manufacturing footprint in international markets, the report pointed out.

Minister eyes ‘hyper scale data centres’ , vows to have policy to keep power prices in check

India will announce a policy for data centres, to keep consumers ‌from paying more for electricity as the sector's power use has become a global issue. junior IT Minister Jitin Prasada said, reported Reuters. The move follows protests by residents in Mumbai, Vizag against data centres of Amazonand Google over concerns including water and electricity use. India does not have ⁠a dedicated policy for data centres which are approved under existing environmental and building rules, the outlet said adding that data centres are central to the investment pitch of Prime Minister Modi, who has invited "the whole world's data to reside in India". The government sells it as a $200 billion opportunity. Residents near Amazon's site outside Mumbai have protested ⁠over strain on power and water and over noise, and environmentalists say Google's $15 billion Visakhapatnam project threatens wildlife and improperly uses temple land, the newswire said.

NITI Aayog wants stricter power, water checks before approving data centres

NITI Aayogjas proposed to link data centre incentives to power and water availability, environmental safeguards and measurable economic benefits. The framework calls for grid readiness checks and stricter resource-efficiency standards as India expands AI infrastructure, IE reported.

The framework has proposed that states assess projects based on electricity and water availability, environmental safeguards and measurable economic benefits, rather than investment commitments alone.

The framework calls for data-centre developers to demonstrate that electricity grids can support their proposed capacity before receiving approvals, with additional electricity loads sanctioned only after necessary infrastructure upgrades have been completed. It also recommends linking state government incentives to actual economic benefits, including employment, local procurement and investments in renewable energy, the newspaper report said.

Starlink vs Reliance Jio: scramble for a billion internet users

Elon Musk said he would price Starlink's satellite internet service affordably in India to take on Mukesh Ambani's low-cost Reliance Jio, days before Jio's parent ‌launches India's largest-ever IPO, Reuters reported. The outlet pointed out that Jio and Musk used cheap data playbook markets in India and Kenya respectively to ⁠unsettle rivals. SpaceX now plans to enter the mobile carrier market itself, starting in the US. Musk owned Starlink's four-year wait ‌to launch in India came to a head when last week he accused the government and Ambani of stalling its entry to favour Jio.

"The reality is that competition would greatly benefit the average citizen in India by giving ‌them ⁠more choices, as it always does. Ambani's profits will be lower, but he is not going out of business," Musk wrote. The billionaire's remarks were the latest in a series of X posts, the outlet said.

China to lower VAT export rebate on new energy vehicles

China will cut VAT export rebates for new-energy vehicles (NEVs) to ⁠9% from 13% from next April, Reuters reported. In September Arab car sales fell 12% year-on-year to 1.1m units said Bloomberg, citing China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data. It adds that NEVs nevertheless accounted for 67.1% of all passenger-vehicle retail sales. The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) also released data for NEV market share, placing it at 61.6% for september reported Xinhua.

Caixin noted that China has introduced “stricter testing rules” for NEVs, such as environmental adaptability tests. People’s Daily said the proposed rules target “rushed-to-market cars”, following public outrage over a recent safety issue involving a Huawei-linked NEV.

Bloomberg reported that China’s commerce ministry said its deal with the EU on hybrid-car imports will ensure “export space and steady growth”. Caixin said whether the agreement with EU will be implemented through “tariffs or quantitative restrictions” remains unclear.

The South China Morning Post(SCMP) quoted China’s commerce ministry saying that the two sides have “huge cooperation potential” in new energy and “green low-carbon fields”, while People’s Daily wrote tha China is an “indispensable pillar” for Europe in “advancing green transition”.

29:T1d27,

Big Story

Climate and Environment

Policy and Finance

Pollution

Clean Energy

Technology and Innovation

Fossil Fuels

Sign up for our newsletter