US-Israel Bomb Iranian Cities, Iran Retaliates, Launching Missiles on Israel and US Bases

Israel-US strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and 48 senior leaders (Trump said in an interview to Fox News) has led to a series of retaliatory attacks on Israel, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and more. The events are still unfolding. The death toll from a missile strike on a girls’ school in Mina in southern Iran has risen to 165. So far 555 people have been killed in Iran, the Guardian report said. Israel attacked Beirut on Monday killing at least 31 people. 

Oil prices have soared and stock markets came under pressure on Monday. Brent crude jumped by as much as 13% during early trading – to hit $82 per barrel, a 14-month high – as the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz, one of the most important arteries for global trade, intensified concerns over oil supplies.

Three US service members have been killed in action as part of US military operations against Iran. Trump warned on social media that more U.S. troops may be killed. Just 27% of Americans approve of the US strikes that killed Iran’s leader, while about half – including one in four Republicans – believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

The war led to major disruption to the airline industry and the plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers in the West Asia and beyond as countries across the region closed their airspace and three of the key airports that connect Europe, Africa and the west to Asia halted operations. 

Green tribunal rules in favour of Great Nicobar Island project, citing ‘adequate safeguards’

The National Green Tribunal refused to interfere with the 2022 environmental clearance granted to the Great Nicobar Island project, citing adequate safeguards and its strategic importance, Mongabay reported.

The green court’s order follows a prolonged legal battle challenging the project’s compliance with coastal regulations that prohibit large-scale development in ecologically sensitive coastal areas. The Tribunal accepted the findings of a court-appointed committee, which found no flaws in the clearance process, despite legal objections related to coastal violations, potential impacts on marine life and alleged gaps in supporting data.

The ruling comes amid continuing ecological and tribal rights concerns, including the diversion of large tracts of forest and tribal land for the ₹810 billion mega project.

Yadav flags inequities in climate talks, says India will meet goals

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said India will meet its climate goals, while underscoring the inequities that shape global climate negotiations, HT reported.

Yadav said, “India’s climate action vision is to achieve 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030; reduce emissions intensity of GDP by 45% from 2005 levels; achieve net-zero by 2070; advance the National Green Hydrogen Mission; and build climate-resilient infrastructure.”

Speaking at the silver jubilee edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit organised by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), he cautioned that the global transition would require tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling energy efficiency, scaling adaptation finance to match mitigation finance, and reforming multilateral development banks to unlock trillions in climate finance.

“Climate ambition and climate finance must advance together. When financial mechanisms are transparent, predictable and inclusive, transformation moves from promise to practice,” he said.

Referring to the first Global Stocktake at COP28 in Dubai in 2023, he said it made clear that the world is not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C. “Emission reductions remain insufficient. Adaptation finance remains inadequate. SDG implementation is uneven. This is not a crisis of science. It is a crisis of scale, speed and systemic alignment,” he said, adding that transformation must alter energy systems, economic models, consumption patterns and global governance frameworks.

Yadav stressed that India has consistently upheld the principles of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities, climate justice, equitable carbon space and inclusive carbon markets. “These are not negotiating positions — they are foundations of durable cooperation,” he said.

US succeeds in erasing climate from global energy body’s priorities

The US has “succeeded” in removing climate change from the main priorities of the International Energy Agency (IEA) during a “tense ministerial meeting” in Paris, Politico reported adding that climate change is not listed among the agency’s priorities in the “chair’s summary” released at the end of the two-day summit

The meeting marked the first time in nine years the International Energy Agency, created by developed nations in the 1970s to oversee energy security, failed to release a communique setting out a unified position on issues – opting instead for the chair’s summary, Financial Post reported. The newspaper said  this came after US energy secretary Chris Wright gave the organisation a one-year deadline to “scrap its support of goals to reduce energy emissions to net-zero” – or risk losing the US as a member.

According to FT, Wright said multiple times before and during the gathering that the IEA-backed net zero goal is unachievable, politically motivated and a bad idea. While Washington is evaluating its position as a member of the institution, its preference is to change it from within.

Trump says climate repeal saves $1.3tn. The EPA’s math differs

The Trump administration’s decision to revoke the “endangerment finding” comes with “costs ranging from hundreds of billions of dollars on the low end to more than 1.5tn on the high end” Bloomberg reported. These numbers, it says, come from the “administration’s own analyses” published on Wednesday in the US federal register. The Trump administration on February 12 announced the “single-largest deregulation in American history” — the repeal of climate emissions standards for all vehicles and the key scientific determination underpinning them, in one swoop — saying it would save Americans $1.3 trillion. 

The newspaper explained that the EPA has estimated upwards of $1.1 trillion in savings from the reduced costs of new vehicles that no longer have to meet any climate standards and an additional $200 billion in savings tied to the avoided costs of purchasing electric vehicle chargers and related equipment. “But the same analyses identified a series of costs to American consumers over the same period, including from vehicle fuel, repair and maintenance. The total costs, depending on the modeled scenario, range from $426 billion to over $1.4 trillion”, the report said.