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February 27 – March 5, 2026

A weekly digest on impacts, politics and science of the climate emergency; from the Global South perspective. Access our extensive coverage on climate. You can find this digest in the web here.

Dear readers,

Welcome to the Climate Weekly Digest by the Centre for Science and Environment’s Climate Change programme and Down to Earth.

According to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) seasonal outlook for March to May, Summer 2026 is set to be hotter-than-normal for India’s hill regions, including the Himalayan region, the northeastern states and parts of the Western Ghats. Down to Earth’s Akshit Sangomla writes that the maximum temperatures for most of the country could likely be above-normal during this period. Minimum night-time temperatures could rise above-normal as well, except for some parts of southern peninsular India. Most parts of the country are expected to face an above-normal number of heatwave days between March and May.

For mountainous and hilly regions, heightened temperatures could be further worsened by the lack of rainfall in large parts of western Himalayas and northeast India. This, in turn, could lead to increased atmospheric dryness, drought-like conditions and wildfires. With the increased likelihood of heatwave conditions, the March-May season is set to pose significant risks to public health, water, power and essential services, particularly for vulnerable populations.

In energy updates, India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has stated that the country’s renewable capacity is expanding faster than the system’s ability to absorb it. Down to Earth’s Puja Das explains that due to the pace of renewables expansion, curtailment issues, transmission delays and storage gaps are emerging as key barriers that must be addressed to sustain India’s clean energy growth.

Curtailment has been a prominent concern, with India curtailing 2.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar power between May and December 2025 despite record renewables expansion. Transmission constraints compound this issue, as project developers are unable to evacuate power adequately, leading to output cuts. Energy storage is emerging as a central pillar of India’s long-term power system, with battery energy storage systems (BESS) and pumped hydro storage touted as essential for reliable power supply. As India moves towards its target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, addressing these three areas will be crucial for the country’s clean energy transition outlook.

Lastly, the latest episode of Carbon Politics was released on Saturday, February 28. In this episode, titled “Unpacking the Trade-Climate Nexus”, CSE Climate’s Trishant Dev speaks to Dr. Rob Davies, former Minister of Trade and Industry for South Africa and Honorary Professor at Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance. They discuss the evolving dynamics between trade and climate, and how developing countries can industrialise in a decarbonising world.

By - Upamanyu Das
Climate Change, CSE

EXTREME WEATHER TRACKER

Possibility of scorching summer for India’s hilly regions in 2026, 02 March 2026

COMMENTARIES

Young people anxious about climate change, environment and economic insecurity; protests by youth on these issues increasing: SOE 2026 report, 27 February 2026

A Down To Earth (DTE) survey of youth says almost 88% of respondents felt climate is changing around them; 67% said these changes were already affecting their daily lives and lifestyles

CLIMATE NEWS | SCIENCE| IMPACTS| POLITICS

Innovation gap could slow Europe’s clean energy transition, warns report, 05 March 2026

Analysis of ten national energy plans finds limited preparation for deploying emerging renewables despite a new EU rule requiring at least 5% of new capacity to come from innovative technologies

Asian utilities face investor heat over capital allocation and climate gaps, 05 March 2026

Companies must move beyond high-level net-zero pledges to deliver credible, time-bound transition plans backed by capital allocation strategies, signal investors

Nature’s rhythms deteriorating: Climate change is altering the flowering ‘calendar’, 05 March 2026

Two centuries of records show that as the Earth warms, flowering in tropical forests is shifting from their typical seasons. This is having an impact on the entire ecosystem

Heatwave cuts working hours for 90 per cent of Delhi street vendors, survey finds, 05 March 2026

The 2025 heatwave forced 90% of street vendors in the capital to reduce working hours, as falling customer numbers, health risks and lack of shade deepened the crisis for informal workers

India’s net-zero pathway demands honest reckoning with industrial trade-offs, 05 March 2026

Ultimately, net-zero must be judged by distributive justice lest it harden existing inequalities rather than deliver inclusive transformation

Bicarbonate in blood rising parallelly with atmospheric CO2, altering its chemistry, 04 March 2026

Changing pH levels causes can impact organs such as the brain, lungs, heart and arteries, kidneys and the endocrine system

‘Working in a Furnace’: Heat is making India’s garment workers sick, 03 March 2026

Without stronger coordination between climate and labour authorities, millions of workers will continue to face escalating heat risks without formal recognition, protection or accountability

India still lacks national SO2 emission standards for various steel plant stacks, compromising child health and the economy: CREA, 27 February 2026

The Bokaro SAIL steel facility, a single plant, is alone linked to an estimated 270 low birthweight births, 280 preterm births, 170 adult deaths, and nearly US$80 mn in economic costs per annum

Curtailment, transmission bottlenecks and storage gaps dominate India’s power transition outlook, 27 February 2026

Renewable capacity is expanding faster than the system’s ability to absorb it, creating localised curtailment and exposing infrastructure constraints that must be addressed, says official

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This weekly digest is published by Down to Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based global think tank advocating on global south developmment issues.

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