Avantika Goswami, programme manager of the Climate Change and Green Economy unit at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “The BRICS nations comprise a diverse mix of developing and emerging countries with growing energy needs, industrialisation aspirations and multiple development challenges -- it is unlikely that we will hear a fossil fuel phase-out declaration any time soon.”
English Summary: Renowned environmentalist Sunita Narain warns against the dangers of reckless development in the Himalayas, highlighting how an aggressive engineering mindset clashes with the region's fragility. She links climate change to recent disasters and calls for an urgent shift in land-use practices to prevent future tragedies. പത്തനം തി ട്ട ∙ മഹാ പർവതങ്ങളെ യും അതി ൽ നി ന്നു ൽഭവി ക്കു ന്ന നദി കളെ യും വഴി തി രി ക്കാ നും കെ ട്ടി നി ർത്താ നും എൻജി നീ യറി ങി ലൂ ടെ സാ ധി ക്കു മെ ന്ന മനോ ഭാ വമാ ണ് ഹി മാ ലയത്തിന്റെ കാ ര്യ ത്തിലെ ങ്കി ലും മാ റേണ്ടതെ ന്നു പ്ര ശസ്ത പരി സ്ഥി തി പ്ര വർത്തക സു നി താ നാ രാ യൺ. നേപ്പാ ൾ ഹി മതടാ ക പ്ര ളയപശ്ചാ ത്തലത്തിൽ ന്യൂ ഡൽഹി സെ ന്റർ ഫോ ർ സയൻസ് ആൻഡ് എൻവയൺമെ ന്റ് മേ ധാ വി കൂ ടി യാ യ സു നി ത നൽകി യ ഓൺലൈ ൻ അഭി മു ഖത്തിൽ നി ന്ന്: പു തി യ ജലവൈ ദ്യു തി പദ്ധതി ഡാ മു കളും ടൂ റി സം സർക്യൂ ട്ട് പാ തി കളും റെ യി ൽപാ തകളും മറ്റും നി ർമി ക്കു ന്ന വൻകി ട വി കസന പദ്ധതി കൾ പലതും ഹി മാ ലയത്തെ എങ്ങനെ ബാ ധി ക്കും ? ഹി മാ ലയത്തെ മെ രു ക്കി യെ ടു ക്കാ മെ ന്ന ധാ രണ തെ റ്റാ ണ്. കാ ലാ വസ്ഥാ മാ റ്റവും മണ്ണു മര്യാ ദ മറന്ന വി കസന കാ ഴ്ചപ്പാ ടും ചേർന്നാൽ എന്താ കും എന്നതി ന് ഉദാ ഹരണമാ ണ് കേ ദാ ർനാ ഥ് മു തൽ നേപ്പാ ൾ വരെ ഹി മാ ലയത്തിലെ ആവർത്തിക്കു ന്ന ദു രന്തങ്ങൾ. മനു ഷ്യ ന്റെ തെ റ്റാ യ കാ ഴ്ചപ്പാ ടി നനു സരി ച്ച് പു ഴകളെ യും പർവതങ്ങളെ യും മാ റ്റി മറി ക്കാ മെ ന്ന ധാ രണ കഴിഞ്ഞ ഏതാ നും പതി റ്റാ ണ്ടു കളാ യി പി ന്തു ടരു ന്നു. ഇത് തെ റ്റാ ണെ ന്നു പറയാ ൻ നേപ്പാ ളി നെ ക്കാ ൾ ആഴമു ള്ള ഒരു മു റി വു വേ ണ്ട. ദുഃ ഖഭരി തമാ യ ഈ നി മി ഷങ്ങളെ വി വരി ക്കാ ൻ പരി സ്ഥി തി നി ഘണ്ടു വി ലെ ങ്ങും വാ ക്കു കളി ല്ല. എല്ലാ അളവു കോ ലു കൾക്കും അപ്പു റമാ ണ് ഈ ദു രന്തത്തിന്റെ തീ വ്ര വ്യാ പ്തി . ഏത് ഉയരത്തെ യും എത്ര വലി യ ആഴത്തെ യും കീ ഴടക്കി ക്കളയാ മെ ന്ന മനോ ഭാ വമാ ണ് മാ റേ ണ്ടത്. അതി വേഗം വി കസനം എന്ന കാ ഴ്ചപ്പാ ടി ന്റെ അപകടമാ ണ് ഈ മഹാ ദു രന്തം .
Some American breads still contain potassium bromate, a synthetic dough strengthener classified as "possibly carcinogenic to humans." It's banned or restricted in the EU, Canada, the UK, Brazil, China, and India. The FDA still allows it. Potassium bromate is a flour additive that strengthens dough, helping bread rise higher and produce a lighter, fluffier texture. It has been used in commercial baking since the early 1900s. Concerns about its safety emerged after studies found kidney and thyroid tumors in rats. Based on animal studies, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified potassium bromate as Group 2B, or "possibly carcinogenic to humans," in 1987 and reaffirmed that classification in 1999. Several countries subsequently restricted or eliminated its use in flour. The UK banned potassium bromate as a flour improver in 1990, while it has never been permitted as a flour treatment agent in the EU. Canada removed it from its list of permitted food additives in 1994. The consensus wasn't only European: the UN's expert committee on food additives concluded in 1992 that using bromate as a flour treatment agent was not appropriate, and the Codex Alimentarius withdrew its specifications for potassium bromate in 2012. At the federal level, potassium bromate remains permitted in the US. It's exempt from the Delaney Clause — which requires the FDA to ban additives shown to cause cancer in animals, and which forced Red Dye No. 3 off the market — because it was approved before the 1958 amendment that created that rule, a status known as prior sanction. The FDA has encouraged bakers to stop using it voluntarily since 1991, and major bakeries including Best Foods (maker of Arnold, Entenmann's and Oroweat breads), Pepperidge Farm and Pillsbury switched to bromate-free processes. The industry's safety argument is that potassium bromate is intended to convert to harmless bromide during baking, so that when bread is properly baked, little or no bromate should remain. But the conversion can be incomplete. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the FDA tested several dozen baked goods in 1992–93 and again in 1998–99 and found that many contained bromate at levels the agency considered unsafe. Since the FDA regulates the amount that can be added to flour rather than the amount left in the finished loaf, there is no federal residue limit for baked goods and no routine testing program. States have moved faster. California has required a Proposition 65 cancer warning on bromated flour since the early 1990s, and under the state's Food Safety Act it will prohibit foods containing potassium bromate entirely beginning January 2027. Sources: IARC, CSPI, 21 CFR 136.110, California AB 418, Down To Earth policy brief, Centre for Science and Environment
India announced its first-ever net zero target during the COP26 Summit in Glasgow — with Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledging that the country would become carbon neutral by 2070. New Delhi also achieved a capacity of 283.46 GW from non-fossil fuel sources in April this year, with top officials noting that India now ranked third globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity. But the national power grid has faltered while handling the changes — with transmission bottlenecks, thermal stress and battery storage concerns taking centre stage. “The rapid growth in RE, particularly solar energy, which has seen a 3.5-fold increase in six years, now exceeding 140 GW of installed capacity, has fundamentally altered the demand–supply balance in the grid, creating deep intra-day variability and operational stress on conventional generation while presenting a fundamental challenge to the stability of the national power grid,” the Centre for Science and Environment explains in a new study. Union Minister Shripad Naik also told Parliament in late July that the government held back 8,133 GWh of solar power in the April-June quarter owing to transmission constraints. News agency Reuters calculated that India had been unable to run 7% of its solar capacity at full output due to infrastructure curbs. A separate statement from Union Minister Pralhad Joshi indicated that India had installed a total capacity of 283.46 GW from non-fossil fuel sources by March 31 this year. He noted that renewables had met 51.5% of the country’s total electricity demand of 203 GW in the past year. Renewable energy soars as India eyes 500 GW by 2030 Data from the government’s Report of the Expert Committee on Energy Statistics contended in July that the “estimated potential for generation of energy from renewable resources reached 4,704 GW by the end of March 2025”. Solar led the list with a staggering growth from 748,990 MW in FY24 to 33,43,378 MW during FY25. Wind Power now stands at 11,63,856 MW while large hydro is at 1,33,410 MW. By the end of July 2026, the country had crossed 300 GW of non-fossil fuel-based installed electricity generation capacity. The figure marked more than 60% of the 500GW target for 2030. A record capacity of 55.29 GW non-fossil fuel based electricity capacity was installed in the country during 2025-26 with key contributions from 44.6 GW solar power and 6 GW wind power. “The growth in clean energy generation has been anchored by stellar contributions across sectors. Solar energy remains the key growth engine with around 165 GW at present from just 2.8 GW in 2014. Concurrently, the wind energy sector has also seen strong momentum reaching to over 58 GW from 21 GW in 2014,” a PIB press note said in August. By the end of July 2026, the country had crossed 300 GW of non-fossil fuel-based installed electricity generation capacity. The figure marked more than 60% of the 500GW target for 2030. A record capacity of 55.29 GW non-fossil fuel based electricity capacity was installed in the country during 2025-26 with key contributions from 44.6 GW solar power and 6 GW wind power. “The growth in clean energy generation has been anchored by stellar contributions across sectors. Solar energy remains the key growth engine with around 165 GW at present from just 2.8 GW in 2014. Concurrently, the wind energy sector has also seen strong momentum reaching to over 58 GW from 21 GW in 2014,” a PIB press note said in August. But the program has become a victim of its own success — with grid bottlenecks emerging as a massive constraint. According to energy think tank Ember, transmission constraints have led to a loss of 300 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity between January and March 2026. Naik told Parliament in late July that curbs in transmission occurred mainly during peak solar generation hours — when power flows can exceed the capacity of available transmission lines. “India has made good progress in renewable energy, but we still have a long way to go to reach 500 GW by 2030. The challenge now is not just adding more solar and wind capacity. We need to make sure our transmission network and storage capacity grow at the same pace. Otherwise, generating more renewable power alone will not be enough,” warned Hanish Gupta, Founder and Managing Director, Sunkind India Limited. “The main challenge remains adding new transmission capacity and power market reforms to absorb more intermittent renewable power into the grid,” Rustagi agreed. The ‘variable nature’ of renewable energy UK-based Ember Energy warned in mid-May that India’s accelerated renewable energy buildout is beginning to outpace its transmission and evacuation infrastructure. The think tank cautioned that there was a “growing mismatch between fast-moving solar projects and slower-moving transmission infrastructure” — tagging it as the “most critical operational risk” to the 2030 target. “Renewable energy sources particularly wind and solar are variable and intermittent in nature, and integrating a substantial share of such generation into the Grid presents challenges related to grid security, stability, and safety. The government has taken several steps to ensure grid stability and integration of renewable energy…” Naik added before Parliament. Ember also flagged “right-of-way disputes, fragmented land ownership, forest and biodiversity clearances, and a thin global supplier base for high-voltage direct current components” as the primary causes. The problem is compounded by the renewable energy buildout across the country — where Rajasthan in the Northern Regional Grid and Gujarat in the Western Regional Grid house most of its utility-scale solar and wind capacities. “Such concentration of capacities, combined with delayed transmission and evacuation infrastructure, is producing long queues at key pooling stations. On average, projects awaiting commissioning in FY2026–27 face connectivity delays of four to five months, with some Rajasthan stations experiencing significantly longer wait times…Around one in four Inter-State Transmission System schemes nationwide faces a delay of a year or more,” the Ember report added. The geographic energy divide Details shared by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation also highlights a concerning geographical imbalance to this green expansion — with more than 70% of India’s entire renewable energy potential heavily bottlenecked in just six states. At the same time, India remains heavily dependent on coal and the price-sensitive volatility of energy imports.
The Baharampur-Bheramara corridor is also loaded with India’s own exports to Bangladesh. India’s Central Electricity Authority “doesn’t want to run the line close to its thermal limit … on a line that also carries India’s own bilateral exports”, notes Binit Das, deputy programme manager for renewable energy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). For the India-Bangladesh link, battery storage could potentially help if the line has spare capacity during periods of lower demand, Abhyankar adds. But feasibility depends on how much the power flow on the interconnection varies over the day.
The ambient air quality monitoring network across Delhi-NCR is set to become significantly denser, with 55 more continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS) to be added by the end of this year, officials aware of the matter said. The expansion will take the total number of operational stations across Delhi and NCR towns in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan from the current 102 to 157, meeting a coverage criterion of a station every 25-50 square kilometres (5km x 5km) set by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and the Union environment ministry. Plan to increase monitoring stations The plan requires at least one monitoring station for every 25 sq km in Delhi and contiguous NCR cities such as Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad and Sonepat. For other district headquarters and cities in the NCR, the criterion is one station for every 50 sq km. The ministry and CAQM announced the expansion plan in February 2026, when Delhi-NCR had 84 stations. Of these, 40 were in Delhi, 22 in Haryana, 18 in Uttar Pradesh and four in Rajasthan. A senior CAQM official said several review meetings had been held since February, both at the ministerial level and by the commission with individual states. “In the latest review meeting, held in August, the figure has increased from 84 stations to 102 stations. However, another 55 stations will be added by the end of this year, taking the total across NCR to 157 stations. This will satisfy the criteria set in February and will be a scientific approach towards data monitoring,” the official, who requested anonymity, said. Delhi currently has 47 CAAQMS and will get another 13, taking the total to 60. Haryana’s NCR towns, which currently have 22 stations, will get 23 more, taking their total to 45. Uttar Pradesh will add 16 stations to its existing 27, taking its total to 43, while Rajasthan’s NCR towns will add three to their existing six, taking the total to nine. The final locations are yet to be decided, the official said. “The final locations are still being fixed so the final list will only be shared in the coming months. However, a number of these stations are already in the tendering stage and we expect them to be able to generate air quality data this winter itself,” he said. The expansion is aimed at addressing gaps in the region’s air-quality data, particularly in areas that currently have limited or no continuous monitoring. A Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report released in September last year had highlighted the gaps in Delhi’s existing network. It found that monitoring stations covered only 26% of the city’s geographical area within a 2km radius, while 75% was covered within a 5km radius. This left around 25% of the city as a monitoring “shadow area”, largely in peripheral districts.
Gaps in air quality data The expansion aims to fill gaps in air quality data, especially in areas with little or no continuous monitoring. A report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had pointed out these gaps last year. It found that monitoring stations covered only 26% of Delhi's geographical area within a 2km radius and 75% within a 5km radius, leaving around 25% of the city as a "shadow area," mostly in peripheral districts.
According to a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) assessment, around 280 KLD of sludge was being collected against estimated generation of 657 KLD. With only 100 KLD treatment capacity, the existing facility can theoretically handle about 15% of daily generation.
BPCL and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have signed a partnership targeted at promoting the development of bioenergy solutions, waste-to-resource projects, and circular economy initiatives in India. Using waste-based resources more extensively could help lessen the heaviness on landfills and assist India's target to diversify its energy sources. The MoU offers an opportunity for industry knowledge and environmental research to combine their efforts in order to find solutions that can be applied beyond small-scale projects. The initiative is being launched as businesses are coming under increasing pressure to improve their resource efficiency and decrease their environmental impacts. The purpose of the alliance is to promote and expand the use of technologies capable of converting waste into valuable biofuels, materials, and other useful products. Biofuels could open up new possibilities for making use of agricultural and organic residues while maintaining economic value. The partnership's success will depend on how well promising solutions are turned into commercially viable projects throughout India.
President Droupadi Murmu honoured Manjari V Mahajan, principal of PM SHRI (CBSE) Senior Secondary School at Sujanpur Tihra in Hamirpur district, with the National Teachers’ Award in New Delhi on Saturday for her outstanding contributions to the fields of education and environmental conservation. Manjari was among 48 teachers selected nationwide to be honoured with this highest teacher award. Manjari was recognised not only as an outstanding educationist but also as a visionary leader who had been promoting environment conservation and innovation at the school level. She had earlier been awarded citations like the Environment Leadership Award, Waste Warrior Award, Green School Status from the Centre for Science and Environment while the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) had included her in the list of the country’s select innovative school heads. Manjari, while talking to The Tribune, said that she believed in a practical approach to education and taking students beyond textbook knowledge. She added that she was happy to get the national recognition of her work that had brought more responsibilities to her. “My husband had always encouraged and guided me as and when I sought his advice,” she added. Her husband Vikram Mahajan is an Himachal Pradesh Administrative Service (HAS) officer, at present serving as the Secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Rajay Chayan Aayog in Hamirpur.
हिमाचल प्रदेश के शिक्षा जगत ने राष्ट्रीय स्तर पर एक बार फिर अपनी सशक्त उपस्थिति दर्ज कराई है। नई दिल्ली में आयोजित भव्य समारोह में भारत की राष्ट्रपति द्रौपदी मुर्मू ने हिमाचल प्रदेश की प्रख्यात शिक्षाविद् एवं पीएम श्री (सीबीएसई) राजकीय वरिष्ठ माध्यमिक विद्यालय, सुजानपुर टीहरा की प्रधानाचार्या मंजरी वी. महाजन को प्रतिष्ठित राष्ट्रीय शिक्षक पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया। देशभर से चयनित 48 शिक्षकों में शामिल होकर उन्होंने हिमाचल प्रदेश का मान बढ़ाया है। किताबी ज्ञान से आगे, प्रकृति और समाज से जोड़ी शिक्षा मंजरी वी. महाजन की पहचान केवल एक कुशल प्रशासक के रूप में ही नहीं, बल्कि एक दूरदर्शी और नवाचारी शिक्षाविद् के तौर पर भी बनी है। उन्होंने शिक्षण पद्धति को कक्षाओं की चारदीवारी तक सीमित न रखते हुए विद्यार्थियों को प्रकृति, पर्यावरण संरक्षण और सामाजिक सरोकारों से जोड़ने पर विशेष जोर दिया। उनके नेतृत्व में विद्यालय में शिक्षा के साथ-साथ नवाचार और पर्यावरण जागरूकता को बढ़ावा देने के लिए विभिन्न प्रयास किए गए। एक प्रशासक के रूप में भी मंजरी वी. महाजन के खाते में कई राष्ट्रीय और राज्य स्तरीय उपलब्धियां दर्ज हैं। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की ओर से उनके विद्यालय को लगातार दो बार ‘ग्रीन स्कूल’ का दर्जा प्राप्त हो चुका है। इसके अलावा राष्ट्रीय शैक्षिक योजना एवं प्रशासन संस्थान, नई दिल्ली ने उन्हें देश के चुनिंदा अभिनव स्कूल प्रमुखों की सूची में भी शामिल किया है। बालिका शिक्षा के क्षेत्र में उनके योगदान को भी विशेष पहचान मिली है। जिला प्रशासन की ओर से उन्हें ‘विजनरी लीडर इन गर्ल एजुकेशन’ के विशेष सम्मान से अलंकृत किया जा चुका है। उनकी कार्यशैली में शिक्षा, नेतृत्व, पर्यावरण संरक्षण और विद्यार्थियों के सर्वांगीण विकास का समन्वय देखने को मिलता है। मुख्यमंत्री ने दी बधाई मुख्यमंत्री ठाकुर सुखविंदर सिंह सुक्खू ने मंजरी वी. महाजन को राष्ट्रीय शिक्षक पुरस्कार मिलने पर बधाई दी। उन्होंने कहा कि शिक्षा के साथ-साथ नवाचार, पर्यावरण संरक्षण और उत्कृष्ट नेतृत्व के क्षेत्र में उनका योगदान अनुकरणीय है। उन्होंने कहा कि यह उपलब्धि हिमाचल प्रदेश के समस्त शिक्षक समुदाय के लिए गर्व का विषय है और इससे शिक्षकों को नई ऊर्जा एवं प्रेरणा मिलेगी।
To Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, a plastic waste management expert at the Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi, regularising the packaging industry is our best chance to enhance recyclability without rejecting the material altogether. "Everybody is using different resins, colourings, and additives. All of this can be standardised," he says. Regulations can specify the permitted ways of manufacturing PET bottles, or LDPE packets, such that the permutations and combinations of plastics a recycler has to deal with reduces. "With standardisation, the acceptance of these materials at the end of their lives becomes better, because a recycler will also invest in equipment based on the kind of feedstock they receive." This allows plastic to retain its functions of protecting food, conveying product information, and marketing while giving a thrust to recycling. Siddharth points out that much stands between the idea and its implementation. "Such standardisation comes only with regulation, and at a cost to the polluter," he notes. This brings us to the question: what responsibility does a plastic producer have towards the plastic that enters the market, and later environment, because of them?
The recent catastrophic flash floods in Nepal is directly linked to decades of an engineering mindset which assumed that rivers and mountains could be re-engineered at will, environmentalist Sunita Narain said on Wednesday. Narain, the director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based think tank, said hydroelectric plants are being built back to back in the Himalayas and “what you are seeing today is the revenge of nature.” She was speaking at the inaugural session of the eighth International Conference on Sustainability Education, organised by the NGO Mobius Foundation. According to CSE analysis of the India Meteorological Department data, she said, an extreme weather event occurs in India roughly once a day. “Nature is telling us that the way we have been doing development clearly is not going to work in future,” she said. Narain recommended rethinking and reinventing the solution to impacts of climate change and environment-related issues. “The one thing we do not need more of is more reports and more incremental steps to fix what is today an existential crisis,” she said. Citing Delhi pollution as an example, the environmentalist remarked that a few electric vehicles cannot fix the issue. “Delhi’s air can be fixed only by completely reinventing the way we move, so that we can move without cars… (This) means an incredible augmentation of the public transport system so that we can walk, we can cycle, take a paratransit, take a metro, or take a bus,” she said.
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on biofuels, biomass resource utilisation, waste-to-resource solutions and circular economy initiatives. The partnership will explore opportunities across the biofuels value chain, including Compressed Biogas (CBG), with a focus on feedstock assessment, supply chain development, biomass and waste resource management, by-product utilisation, technology assessment and pilot and demonstration projects. The two organisations will also work on market development, capacity building and knowledge sharing to support the development of scalable bioenergy solutions. The collaboration comes as India steps up efforts to promote cleaner energy sources and sustainable management of resources. Under the MoU, BPCL and CSE will explore the assessment and utilisation of biofuel by-products, including Fermented Organic Manure (FOM), digestate, Bio-CO₂ and Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS). The partnership will also examine sustainable value chains and potential carbon credit opportunities linked to bioenergy projects. BPCL Director (Marketing) Subhankar Sen said the partnership reflects the growing importance of collaboration and partnerships in scaling sustainable energy solutions. He said the two organisations would combine their respective strengths to pursue opportunities that could not be achieved independently.
New Delhi: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) have signed an MoU to collaborate on biofuels, biomass utilisation, waste-to-resource solutions and circular economy initiatives.
The recent catastrophic flash floods in Nepal were directly linked to decades of an engineering mindset which assumed that rivers and mountains could be re-engineered at will, environmentalist Sunita Narain said on Wednesday. Narain, the director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based think tank, said hydroelectric plants are being built back to back in the Himalayas and “what you are seeing today is the revenge of nature.”