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Climate Change Aggravates Drivers of Child Marriages, We Need Better Social Safety Nets

Madhya Pradesh witnessed a rise in climate- and weather-related disasters in recent years. A 2025 assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment reported that the state recorded the highest disaster-related deaths: 532. Varsha Beldar, from the Pardhi community, was sixteen years old when her family decided she would be married. The engagement had been made three years earlier, in 2022, when she was barely a teenager. Her mother, speaking in a mix of Hindi and her local dialect, described the circumstances of her daughter’s marriage in Rajgarh, a district on the northern edge of the Malwa plateau in Madhya Pradesh. They had no choice; once engaged, “the marriage just had to happen.” And it did in 2025. Within weeks, Varsha was back in her village. The family on the other side was now demanding four to five lakh rupees to nullify the wedding as part of the Jhagda practice—breaking an engagement or child marriage arrangement can trigger demands for large monetary settlements, social retaliation, violence, or community punishment.

Why India’s Heat Crisis Falls Hardest on Dalits and Muslims

India’s caste system has long assigned the most physically exposed forms of labour to the communities least able to refuse them. That old arrangement has taken on new urgency as summer temperatures push past the limits of human endurance. Sections of the Muslim community also bear a disproportionate burden during heatwaves because of residential exclusion. On 27 April, every one of the world’s 50 hottest cities sat inside India’s borders, with average peak temperatures across those cities reaching about 44.7°C, according to the air-quality platform AQI.in and reported by CNN. Banda, in Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region, topped the list, recording a high of roughly 46.2°C even before the hottest months of the year had properly begun. That early intensity carried into May. By May 25, Delhi’s land surface temperature ranged from 31.59°C to 54.61°C, with a city-wide mean of 43.15°C, and the capital recorded its warmest May night in nearly 14 years that same day, at 32.4°C, according to findings from the Centre for Science and Environment’s report “Making Delhi Heat-Resilient.” The India Meteorological Department maintained heatwave and warm-night alerts across north-western and northern India through much of this period. Government tallies have long understated what this heat actually does to people. A study by Piyush Narang and Ashok Gadgil of the India Energy and Climate Center at the University of California, Berkeley, published in Frontiers in Environmental Health on May 26, estimated that a single day of extreme heat produces around 3,400 excess deaths nationally, a figure that can climb to nearly 30,000 over a five-day heatwave. The researchers treated even these numbers as conservative, since they excluded humidity, which would likely push the toll higher in coastal regions. Official records have rarely broken heat mortality down by caste or religion, so neither this study nor the government data behind it could say which communities have carried the heaviest losses. Mukul Sharma, whose book “Caste and Nature” explores how caste structures Indian environmental experience, has argued that disaggregating heat mortality data would almost certainly reveal disproportionate deaths among Dalits, who remain overrepresented in the outdoor and informal occupations that carry the greatest heat exposure. Comparable analysis of Muslim communities is harder to find at all, even though researchers working on housing and urban exclusion argue the impact is comparably severe. The lack of official data stands in contrast to the lived experience of people like Pappu Kumar, a Dalit migrant from Bihar who has spent the past eight months working on a high-rise construction site in Jasola, South Delhi, as he told Newsreel Asia. He wakes before five each morning so he can finish as much work as possible before the concrete, still radiating the previous day's heat, makes the construction site almost impossible to work on by midday. ‘There is weakness in the body, you feel you might fall,” he said, adding that “but if we don’t work, what do we eat.” A thin cotton cloth wrapped around his head is his only protection; no cooling equipment has been supplied, and drinking water arrives only intermittently.

Mental Health Emerges as Leading Cause of Suicides in India, New Report Reveals

SUICIDES OWING TO MENTAL ILLNESS issues in India have hit an all-time high, a new report has revealed. In 2024, out of all the suicides committed in the country, almost half were related to mental health issues, reveals the State of India’s Environment 2026: In Figures (SOE) report. In 2024, India reported 30,617 suicides that were linked to illness. Out of these, 14.7%, or around 14,305 deaths, were linked to mental health. The figure stood at 13, 978 in the previous year 2023. The findings of the SOE reports are based on the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India, 2024, report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and were analyzed by Down To Earth magazine and Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment. State-wise division of suicidal death reveal another patter. In 24 states and union territories (UTs), mental health was reported to be top reason for suicides. Four states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, accounted for almost half of the mental illness related suicides. The report notes that as compared to 2023, suicides related to illness declined in 2024, but suicides linked specifically to mental illness rose. See also: Meta and TikTok Face Lawsuit From Italian Woman After Daughter Dies by Suicide Chronic Illness Remains a Major Driver of Suicide Deaths In 2024, chronic or prolonged illness was reported to be the second-largest reason for suicides in India. Around 14,405 deaths were reported, which makes up 46% of the total illness-related suicides. Cancer was reported to be the cause for around 1,232 suicidal deaths in 2024. Over half of the cancer-related suicides were reported from four states — Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Maharashtra recorded 270 suicides owing to cancer, the highest among all states. This was a comparatively lower statistic than of 2023, when the state recorded 430 cancer-related suicides. Nationally, suicides linked to cancer declined by 14% between 2023 and 2024. However, eight states and UTs recorded an increase during the same period: Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Goa, and Chandigarh. Karnataka saw the sharpest rise among all states, with cancer-related suicides jumping 66% from 76 in 2023 to 126 in 2024. Kerala reported 250 such deaths in 2024, a marginal increase from 241 the previous year. Uttar Pradesh recorded 90 cancer-linked suicides in 2024, a 25% rise from 72 in 2023. Overall suicides in India Even though the percentage of overall suicide deaths linked to illness declined in the 2023-2024 time period, down to 6% in 2024, many states and UTs reported an increase in illness-related suicides in 2024, the SOE report says. These were Odisha, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. Bihar recorded the sharpest increase in illness-related suicides, which rose more than six-fold from 36 in 2023 to 226 in 2024. Jharkhand saw a 36% rise, from 132 to 179 deaths. Uttar Pradesh reported a 30% increase, from 422 illness-related suicides in 2023 to 549 in 2024. See also: According to WHO, 1 in 8 individuals worldwide suffer from mental illness Long-Term Trends Point to a Growing Public Health Crisis Despite these fluctuation in illness-linked suicides in the time duration of 2023-2024, the long term trend of these deaths are worrisome. As per NCRB estimates, between 2015 and 2024, around 260,000 suicidal deaths owing to illness were recorded. In 2015, the reported number of these deaths stood at 21,178, which jumped to 30,617 in 2024. The analysis highlights a growing public health crisis linked to mental illness and chronic diseases. These trends also have serious implications for India’s progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which focuses on good health and well-being. One of the key SDG indicators, 3.4.2, aims to reduce the suicide mortality rate. According to the SOE report, the rising number of illness-related suicides could make it significantly harder for India to achieve this target.

Urban Heat Island Effect: शहरों का तापमान क्यों बढ़ रहा है? CSE रिपोर्ट में सामने आए अहम कारण

देश के कई बड़े शहरों में बढ़ती गर्मी के पीछे केवल मौसम ही नहीं, बल्कि तेजी से बदलता शहरी ढांचा भी एक महत्वपूर्ण कारण माना जा रहा है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) की हालिया रिपोर्ट "मेकिंग दिल्ली हीट रेजिलिएंट" के अनुसार, कंक्रीट और कांच से बनी इमारतों का बढ़ता विस्तार शहरों में गर्मी को बढ़ा रहा है। अर्बन हीट आइलैंड प्रभाव से बढ़ रही गर्मी रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, कंक्रीट और अन्य निर्माण सामग्री दिन के समय सूर्य की गर्मी को अपने भीतर सोख लेती हैं और रात में धीरे-धीरे उसे छोड़ती रहती हैं। इससे शहरों में रात का तापमान अधिक बना रह सकता है। इस स्थिति को "अर्बन हीट आइलैंड इफेक्ट" कहा जाता है, जिसमें घनी आबादी वाले और अधिक निर्माण वाले क्षेत्रों का तापमान आसपास के इलाकों से ज्यादा दर्ज होता है।

सीएसई दिल्ली के सदस्यों ने बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर के सर्वे हेतु आईईसी सदस्यों को दिया प्रशिक्षण

नगर निगम क्षेत्र में म्युनिसिपल सॉलिड वेस्ट मैनेजमेंट के नए नियमों के प्रभावी क्रियान्वयन के लिए गुरुवार को सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट, नई दिल्ली द्वारा सभी IEC सदस्यों के लिए एक दिवसीय प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रम आयोजित किया गया। बाल भवन में आयोजित प्रशिक्षण का मुख्य उद्देश्य नगर निगम क्षेत्र में बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटरका ऑनलाइन सर्वे एवं पंजीयन सुनिश्चित करना था। नए नियमों के अनुसार ऐसे संस्थान या परिसर, जो प्रतिदिन 100 किलोग्राम या उससे अधिक कचरा उत्पन्न करते हैं, जिनका बिल्ट-अप एरिया 20,000 वर्ग मीटर या उससे अधिक है अथवा जो प्रतिदिन 40,000 लीटर या उससे अधिक पानी का उपयोग करते हैं, उन्हें बल्क वेस्ट जेनरेटर की श्रेणी में शामिल किया जाएगा। नगर निगम के अपर आयुक्त टी. प्रतीक राव के निर्देशानुसार सभी IEC सदस्यों को यह प्रशिक्षण प्रदान किया गया। सर्वे कार्य नगर निगम के संबंधित जोनल हेड की निगरानी में किया जाएगा। BWG की पहचान एवं पंजीयन के लिए नगर निगम द्वारा CSE, नई दिल्ली के सहयोग से ऑनलाइन सर्वे कराया जाएगा। प्रशिक्षण कार्यक्रम का संचालन CSE के सदस्य विजय प्रभाकर ने किया। कार्यक्रम में विभिन्न IEC एजेंसियों—एम/एस म्यूज (MUSE), एम/एस डिवाइन (Devine) तथा दीक्षा फाउंडेशन के IEC सदस्य उपस्थित रहे। इसके अलावा संबंधित एजेंसियों के टीम लीडर रविंदर सिंह, अभिषेक पंचाल, दीक्षा एवं आशा ने भी सहभागिता की। एक दिवसीय प्रशिक्षण में प्रतिभागियों को ऑनलाइन सर्वे की प्रक्रिया, डेटा संग्रहण, दस्तावेजीकरण तथा सफल एनरोलमेंट के विभिन्न पहलुओं की जानकारी दी गई। प्रशिक्षण के दौरान बताया गया कि BWG श्रेणी में आवासीय एवं व्यावसायिक दोनों प्रकार की संस्थाएं शामिल होंगी।आवासीय श्रेणी में सभी गेटेड रेजिडेंशियल कॉम्प्लेक्स को शामिल किया जाएगा, जबकि व्यावसायिक श्रेणी में होटल, रेस्टोरेंट, बैंक्वेट हॉल, मॉल, अस्पताल, नर्सिंग होम, कमर्शियल कार्यालय, निजी कंपनियां, सरकारी भवन, मेस, प्रशिक्षण केंद्र तथा धार्मिक संस्थान जैसे प्रतिष्ठान शामिल होंगे। प्रशिक्षण में उपस्थित सदस्यों को निर्देशित किया गया कि वे निर्धारित मानकों के अनुसार अपने-अपने क्षेत्रों में BWG की पहचान कर उनका ऑनलाइन सर्वे एवं पंजीयन कार्य समयबद्ध तरीके से पूर्ण करें, ताकि ठोस अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन नियमों का प्रभावी क्रियान्वयन सुनिश्चित किया जा सके।

Bonn talks signal a new energy transition narrative, even as old divides persist

However, developing countries have raised concerns over the modalities of the work programme. According to Sehr Raheja from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based think tank, the G77 and China expressed disappointment that the CFWP is not reflected in the agenda of the Paris Agreement negotiations, or CMA 8, a meeting of parties that have ratified the Paris Agreement which is scheduled to take place alongside COP31 in Türkiye. BASIC, which includes Brazil, South Africa, India and China, also called for the work programme to be included in the CMA 8 agenda.

Mumbai Running Dry? Experts Warn Of Bigger Water Emergency, Less Than 10% Water Left

Mumbai is staring at a major water crisis as reservoir levels fall below 10% and delayed monsoons worsen the situation. Water cuts have already been announced for residential societies, industries and commercial establishments. In this special discussion, experts including Dikshu Kukreja, Sushmita Sengupta and Pranav M. Rungta explain what went wrong and what solutions can secure Mumbai’s water future.

Dust biggest contributor to PM2.5 concentrations during summers in Delhi-NCR: Air quality panel official

Dust is the biggest contributor to PM2.5 concentrations during summers in Delhi-NCR, with its contribution standing at 27 per cent compared to 15 per cent during winters, a Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) official said on Friday. CAQM Member (Technical) Dr SD Attri said this is why the commission is establishing strict, data-driven monitoring frameworks. The mechanisms will hold civic agencies and city administrations accountable for managing localised roads and construction and demolition dust, he added. "To monitor and address these challenges, NCR has 90 Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations, and for the first time, annual action plans have been made publicly available online to ensure transparency and encourage public participation," Dr Attri said. He made these comments during the second session of the Clean Air Dialogues, hosted by the CAQM Resource Lab, an initiative between the CAQM and the Raahgiri Foundation. The session witnessed discussions on the next phase of action against road and construction dust. At the event, Sumit Sharma, programme officer at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), noted that as climate change alters monsoon patterns and increases the frequency of extreme dry spells, the NCR's vulnerability to localised dust suspension will only intensify. "Our urban planning must evolve today to build resilience against this compounding climate-pollution threat," he added. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, highlighted the need to integrate the cost of managing dust into infrastructure projects. She said, "The cost of dust mitigation and scientific waste disposal must be baked directly into the financial planning and tendering process of every single infrastructure project from day one."

NCR Dust Mitigation Strategies to Reshape Municipal Specialized Fleet Demand and Urban Corridor Design

Environmental regulators and urban planners outlining new measures to curb road and construction dust across the National Capital Region are set to impact both municipal commercial vehicle demand and future road design guidelines. Speaking at the second edition of the Clean Air Dialogues, organized by the Commission for Air Quality Management Resource Lab and the Raahgiri Foundation, officials highlighted that re-suspended road and infrastructure dust accounts for up to a third of Delhi's fine particulate pollution during summer months. A primary short-term operational priority identified by the panel is addressing the current shortage of heavy-duty mechanical sweepers within municipal fleets. This targeted focus on mechanization is expected to drive fresh municipal procurement cycles for specialized commercial vehicles and heavy equipment vendors. Early implementation data from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s Karol Bagh Zone demonstrated the scale of these localized operations, where recent campaigns deployed mechanical fleets to clear 78 kilometers of roads, removing 112 metric tonnes of legacy dust and 87 metric tonnes of debris. To sustain these operations, the CAQM is establishing data-driven monitoring frameworks to enforce strict accountability on civic agencies regarding road maintenance and dust suppression. Beyond fleet procurement, the dialogues signaled a long-term shift toward restructuring urban transport corridors. Urban design experts noted that road dust is frequently a direct consequence of poorly designed street edges where unpaved soil remains exposed. The panel advocated for a transition to end-to-end street design, a framework that eliminates open soil through systematic paving or integrated nature-based vegetation. This redesign of street edges and rights-of-way will alter the operating environment for urban transit, micro-mobility layouts, and future autonomous vehicle navigation systems across the metropolitan grid. The financial framework for these infrastructure modifications will also see a regulatory shift. Representatives from the Centre for Science and Environment stated that the costs of dust mitigation and scientific waste disposal must be integrated directly into the initial financial planning and tendering processes of all future infrastructure and road projects.

Urban sustainability expert Rajneesh Sareen joins the jury panel of the Times Internet Ecopreneur Awards 2026

Times Internet Ecopreneur award have emerged as a platform that celebrates people, businesses, and institutions working for a Sustainable future. As environment consciousness become important in today’s world, it works as a platform that brings together distinguished jury members from different industries to recognise, judge and award the changemakers. In the jury panel we have Rajneesh Sareen, who is the Programme Director for the Sustainable Buildings and Habitat Programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), he works on a question that is extremely important today - how do we keep our rapidly expanding cities livable on a warming planet? Rajneesh work is about finding practical solutions for energy-efficient buildings and smart water management. A Critical Voice at the Ecopreneur Awards 2026 The understanding of urban environments is the reason why Sareen is stepping in as a jury member for the Times Internet Ecopreneur Awards 2026. The awards are designed to spotlight the startups, organizations, and individuals who are actually moving the needle on environmental impact across multiple sectors. Having someone like Sareen on the panel ensures that the ideas being celebrated aren't just ambitious, but measurable, highly scalable, and capable of driving real-world change. Sareen isn't just speaking from the sidelines. Trained at the prestigious School of Planning and Architecture, he has experience of working at the British High Commission, the US Embassy, WWF-India, and IRG Systems South Asia before he eventually anchored himself at CSE. He is also described as an IEMA-certified advanced environmental systems auditor. He is involved in decoding carbon footprints, pushing for green construction, and figuring out what to do with massive amounts of construction waste. When you look at the sheer scale of urbanization happening right now, these aren't just niche environmental concerns; they are absolute necessities for urban survival. Other Jury Members Ecopreneur Jury member Alongside Rajneesh Sareen, the distinguished jury panel for the TOI Ecopreneur Awards 2026 includes Blossom Kochhar, Clean beauty expert; Bhupinder Bhalla, IAS, former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; Peepal Baba, Founder and Managing Trustee of Give Me Trees Trust; and renowned designer and sustainability advocate Ritu Beri. Bringing together expertise from environmental policy, renewable energy, grassroots conservation, sustainable design, and green entrepreneurship, the jury represents a diverse cross-section of leaders driving India's sustainability agenda. Times Internet Ecopreneur Awards 2026 The awards encourage a new generation of entrepreneurs who believe profitability and sustainability together are not far-fetched concepts. From startups experimenting with clean technologies to established firms redesigning operations with environmental goals in mind, the initiative highlights businesses that are creating measurable impact rather than merely promoting green branding. The Ecopreneur Awards is nominating in 25 different categories of sustainable innovation across different verticals. Among the categories featured this year are EcoTech & Climate Innovation, Sustainable Mobility & EV Ecosystem, Circular Economy & Recycling, Water Conservation & Management, Sustainable Fashion & Textiles, Women-Led Green Enterprises, and Youth-Led Climate Action. The awards also include recognition for large organisations implementing enterprise-wide sustainability transformations as well as individuals with long-standing contributions to environmental leadership. Getting through the Times Internet Ecopreneur Awards takes a lot more than just throwing around eco-friendly buzzwords. Our expert jury puts every single entry through a serious reality check, evaluating your business from every possible angle from the uniqueness of your innovation and the strength of your business model to its scalability and the actual, measurable impact it has on the planet and society.

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट ने परखी गायत्री गंगा की हकीकत

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की दो सदस्यीय टीम ने मंगलवार को कस्बे की गायत्री गंगा (करोड़न नाला) का निरीक्षण किया। इस दौरान विकास, स्वच्छता एवं जल प्रदूषण की स्थिति का जायजा लिया। निरीक्षण के दौरान टीम ने गायत्री गंगा के संबंध में समाजसेवी राजेश कुमार शिवहरे से विस्तृत जानकारी प्राप्त की। उन्होंने बताया कि लगभग 35 किलोमीटर लंबी इस जलधारा में कई छोटे-बड़े नाले तथा नहरों के टेल मिलते हैं, जिससे इसमें वर्षभर पानी बना रहता है। कस्बे के पश्चिमी क्षेत्र के गांवों में इसे नाला कहा जाता है, जबकि पूर्वी क्षेत्र के ग्रामीण इसे नदी के रूप में जानते हैं। उन्होंने बताया कि करीब सात दशक पूर्व ब्रह्मलीन संत स्वामी रोटीराम महाराज नागा स्वामी ने इस जलधारा को गायत्री गंगा नाम दिया था। तब से स्थानीय लोग इसे इसी नाम से जानते हैं। टीम को जल शक्ति मंत्रालय के निरीक्षण सहित अन्य महत्वपूर्ण जानकारियां भी उपलब्ध कराई गईं। संस्था के सदस्य विवेक मिश्रा एवं विकास चौधरी ने बताया कि गायत्री गंगा की वर्तमान स्थिति, जल प्रदूषण और विकास संबंधी संभावनाओं पर विस्तृत रिपोर्ट तैयार की जाएगी। रिपोर्ट के आधार पर संस्था राष्ट्रीय हरित अधिकरण (एनजीटी) में इसके संरक्षण एवं विकास के लिए प्रभावी पैरवी करेगी।

CAQM extends alternative fuel relaxation forDelhi-NCR, experts say electrification ofindustries is key

New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has extended the temporary relaxation allowing industries, hotels, restaurants and other enterprises in Delhi-NCR to use alternative fuels such as high-speed diesel (HSD), biomass and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) pellets in place of natural gas, citing disruptions in global energy supplies. The temporary use of coal and kerosene has also been allowed in case of limitation in availability of such alternative fuels. The temporary relaxation on the use of alternative fuel has been in force since March 13. CAQM said the ministry of petroleum and natural gas has communicated to the commission that the disruption in natural gas supply, which started early March 2026 due to geopolitical developments in West Asia, continues to persist. In an order dated June 12, CAQM said the relaxation has been extended till Aug 18, or until normalcy in gas supplies is restored However, since industries remain heavily dependent on fossil fuel, experts stressed that electrification of certain industrial processes would reduce dependence on natural gas and help improve air quality. Sunil Dahiya, founder of think tank Envirocatalyst, said, “Electrification is essential. It can provide a more stable energy source while reducing pollution. For example, light engineering and metal-processing units in Wazirpur, Mayapuri, Sahibabad and Kundli can replace fossil fuel-based heating chambers with electrically powered furnaces.” He added that industries involved in chemicals, plastics and rubber manufacturing could transition to fully electric moulding equipment and electric heating systems for moulds and processing units. Such industrial clusters are located in Narela, Bawana, Loni Industrial Area in Ghaziabad, Jhajjar and Alwar. Similarly, units involved in manufacturing of heavy manufacturing and auto components can adopt electric induction and resistance-based heating systems for forging and metal treatment processes, replacing oil-based furnaces. Industrial pollution is one of the major factors contributing to Delhi’s air quality. A 2018 joint study by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) stated that industries contribute to 22% of PM10 and 22% of PM2.5 to Delhi’s air pollution during the summer season. These figures rise to 27% and 30%, respectively, in winter. According to Nivit Yadav, programme director, sustainable industrialisation and renewable energy unit, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the ongoing fuel crisis has highlighted the need to be better prepared for future disruptions. “Since India has limited oil and gas resources, we need to tap into solar energy more aggressively. Govt should establish clear timelines for electrification across sectors, beginning with transport and then moving to industries, supported by sector-specific roadmaps,” he said. Govt should invest in studies to identify industrial processes that can be electrified and understand the barriers to adoption, he said. “Grid electricity remains expensive, so incentives should be provided to make solar power more affordable. Many small-scale industries use boilers that contribute significantly to PM2.5 emissions. Such units should be encouraged to transition to electric boilers,” he added.

NCR Clean-Air Drive Gets First OEM Partner, Transporters Question Viability

In a step towards making the National Capital Region’s air cleaner, the central government on Monday signed an MoU with Ashok Leyland under its ambitious old vehicle replacement scheme. According to government estimates, the scheme is expected to benefit around 2.07 lakh commercial vehicle owners across Delhi-NCR, including nearly 1.91 lakh trucks and over 16,000 buses. Owners of BS-IV and older vehicles will be incentivised to replace their fleets with cleaner alternatives, while BS-III and older vehicles will have to be scrapped at authorised vehicle scrapping facilities. To kick start the ₹9,585-crore clean-air initiative for Delhi-NCR, this is the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) roped in by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The MoU also has Ashok Leyland’s electric mobility arm, Switch Mobility, as another OEM. Under the MoU, the companies will offer an 8% discount on the ex-showroom price of eligible vehicles purchased under the programme. For electric vehicles, the discount will be capped at the level applicable to an equivalent internal combustion engine vehicle category. The scheme offers a broader package of incentives to encourage fleet owners to retire older commercial vehicles. Apart from the OEM discount, the Centre will provide a 5% interest subvention on loans and monthly fuel vouchers for five years. Participating state governments will provide up to 100% concession on motor vehicle tax for ten years and waive registration fees for eligible beneficiaries. The government expects more automobile manufacturers to join the programme in the coming weeks. Transporters and Experts Caution However, the transporters believe the success of this scheme will be limited since the majority of the BS-IV heavy vehicles are relatively new and it may not be financially viable to switch to a new vehicle. Rajendra Kapoor, President of All India Motors and Goods Transport Association, says “60-70% of the BS-IV trucks are only 5-6years old. Owners still have lakhs in EMIs to pay. How can they afford to switch to a new vehicle and begin another EMI?” While experts do welcome the development, they too hope for a favorable ‘math’. “For owners running fully depreciated trucks, the math still has to work in their favour. Owners of older trucks are running them because they’re cheap to operate, so the scrappage or resale math needs to actually beat the cost of keeping an old vehicle running,” says Moushumi Mohanty of Center for Science and Environment. Transporters also suspect a sudden increase in scrapping of older vehicles could significantly impact the resale price and distort the market to the disadvantage of heavy-vehicle owners. “Such distortion could badly hurt the financial health of small and medium transporters who own less than 10 vehicles,” said Rajendra Kapoor. According to a study by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the transport sector contributes 14% of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi-NCR. Trucks and buses alone account for 36% of such PM2.5 emissions despite constituting only around 3% of the vehicle fleet. However, any future impact of the scheme could be reduced if vehicles from outside the region continue to enter NCR. “Unless paired with strict entry checks, the same ‘retired’ diesel truck could be rerouted to NCR through migrating their registration, and ultimately blunting any positive impact of the air,” concludes Moushumi Mohanty.

El Niño, amplified

THE PLANET is hurtling towards an El Niño during the northern hemisphere summer of 2026. Forecasts suggest it could rival the episode of 1876-78, the strongest on record, which triggered droughts and famines across large parts of the world and contributed to the deaths of 50 million people. On June 2, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said there was an 80 per cent chance of El Niño conditions developing in the equatorial Pacific between June and August, rising to a 90 per cent chance that it would persist until at least November. A day earlier, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) put the odds of El Niño emerging between May and July at 82 per cent, and estimated a 96 per cent chance that it would continue through the northern hemisphere winter of 2026-27.

A Fatal Climate Disconnect

In Bonn, Germany, India’s second secretary Harkeerat Singh Randhawa delivered a stark message to UN climate negotiators: “No new issues or obligations beyond agreed mandates should be considered.” Expressing the nation’s concern over declining climate financing from developed countries. The Indian statement explicitly demanded focus on the implementation of existing commitments, particularly Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which mandates developed countries provide climate financing to developing nations. This comes against a backdrop of unprecedented climate disasters claiming thousands of lives across India. India ranks ninth globally among countries most impacted by climate disasters over the past three decades, with nearly 430 extreme weather events killing more than 80,000 people since 1993. In 2024 alone, 8 million people were impacted by monsoon rains and flash floods, especially in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tripura. India faces global challenges in climate finance, which remains skewed towards solar, wind energy and energy efficiency, while critical areas, including adaptation, remain underfunded. Widening Adaptation Gap India’s statement rued declining climate fund replenishments and a widening adaptation finance gap, but the numbers reveal a crisis far deeper than Delhi acknowledges. The UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report 2024 shows: Global adaptation finance gap: $187 billion to $359 billion annually Developing countries will need $310-$365 billion annually by 2035, while current flows are only $26 billion International public adaptation finance rose from $22 billion (2021) to $28 billion (2022). But meeting the Glasgow commitment to double adaptation finance by 2025 would close only around 5% of the gap. India specifics: 83% of mitigation finance and 98% of adaptation finance is sourced domestically Adaptation receives only 33% of climate finance as investors favor mitigation projects Least developed countries got only 19.5% and small island states just 2.9% of total public climate finance, with over half as repayable loans The statement’s positives include implementation focus and health alignment and be weighed against the negatives of funding gaps and India’s absence from fossil fuel transition dialogues. With climate disasters occurring on 99% of days in 2025, the window for normal weather is shrinking, making India’s potential beneficiary status at COP31 critical for addressing its climate-health crisis. The Union Ministry of Statistics’ ENVISTATS India Report reveals a horrifying trajectory: fatalities from extreme natural events in India have risen by nearly 269% over the past 25 years, climbing from 834 deaths in 2001–02 to 3,080 deaths in 2024–25. These statistics or the climate casualties India cannot ignore. And as per the data published by Centre for Science and Environment for the first 9 month of 2025, the country faced extreme weather events on 99 per cent of days, marked by heat and cold waves, lightning and storms, heavy rain, floods and landslides. That is 331 of 334 days. These events claimed 4,064 lives, affected 9.47 million hectares of crops, destroyed 99,533 houses, and killed approximately 58,982 animals. And CSE did clarify that this reported damage is likely an underestimate due to incomplete data collection on event-specific losses, particularly public property and crop damage. This isn’t gradual climate change but a catastrophic acceleration. In 2024, Kerala reported the maximum deaths from floods (550), while Bihar saw the highest lightning fatalities. Every passing year, the numbers are rising. Heatstroke: The Invisible Killer The Heat Watch 2024 report, Struck by Heat: A News Analysis of Heat Stroke Deaths in India in 2024, documents 733 heatstroke deaths across 17 states between March and June 2024. This contradicts the government’s RTI response claiming only 14 confirmed deaths—the discrepancy reveals how official counts systematically undercount heat-related fatalities. The 2024 Indian heat wave reached 50.5°C in Churu, Rajasthan. In 2025, Ganganagar recorded the highest temperature a degree less than from the 2024 peak. But 2025 shattered all records. The Centre for Science and Environment’s Climate India 2025 report reveals that India witnessed extreme weather on all 122 monsoon days in 2025, with heavy rain, floods, and landslides. 2026 summer is no different. Nagpur Maharashtra recorded higher than usual temperature already. The Five-Year Toll A Parliament reply on December 9, 2025, revealed hydro-met disasters killed 13,384 people between 2020-21 and 2025-26. In 2024-25 it recorded 2,979 lives lost, highest in a single year. In 2023-24, 2,849 deaths were recorded, followed by 2,388 deaths till 23 November 2025. Strategic Alignment with Health Advocacy India could be a major beneficiary if climate change-linked health issues are prioritized at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey. India faces an unprecedented and severe public health crisis linked to intensifying climate change. As India refuses new obligations, 74 global organizations demanded in Bonn that health be made central to COP31 negotiations in November 2026. The advocacy coalition—including 350.org, The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, and GCHA. Highlights Health should be central to all themes (energy, transport, industry, agriculture, waste, adaptation) Health should be included systematically in climate policies Mitigate climate-related health risks and inequalities, enhancing social resilience India’s climate casualties aren’t a future threat—they’re a current mass mortality event. And I personally feel, India’s climate statement must evolve from defensive negotiation to decisive action. The country cannot wait for another COP, another mandate, or another year of 4,000 deaths. What’s needed is immediate. The time for hedging is over—climate action must be mandatory, not voluntary, urgent, and NON-NEGOTIABLE.