India’s coal-based thermal power plants continue to drag their feet in meeting emission norms, says a new analysis done by the Centre for Science and Environment. Sulfur dioxide emissions are a case in point: the CSE analysis finds that a mere five percent of the installed capacity in this sector has put in place an air pollution control device – flue gas de-sulfurization (FGD) system -- for controlling SO2 emissions.

Illegal wildlife trafficking risks triggering future global pandemics and loss of biodiversity and needs to be tackled, finds new research into the ways in which global supply chains are being hijacked by criminals, from the University of Sussex.

Of India’s 4,041 census cities and towns, a mere 12 percent have air quality monitoring systems. What’s more, only 200 of these cities monitor all six key criteria pollutants. This is when compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and clean air targets under the National Clean Air Programme requires robust air quality monitoring.

The ‘social cost’ of carbon – the economic damage it causes - has risen dramatically. A study recently found that the social cost of carbon rises by over two percent each year...

For Maharashtra and Gujarat, the winter of 2022-23 had been the most polluted in the last four years – says a new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment of the region’s winter air quality trends.

Cities in India’s eastern states are increasingly falling into the pincer grip of toxic particulate pollution during the winter season – and the problem is spreading quickly to the smaller cities and towns of the region: says the latest assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment released here recently.

“Even as the United Nations has launched a global campaign called ‘Be the Change’, India is already showcasing real action on the ground. It is already holding up a picture of how big change is possible. And this is evident in the way states like Uttar Pradesh are tackling the challenge of providing sustainable and inclusive sanitation and water for all,” said Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, while speaking at a national workshop.

All mega cities in India, irrespective of their locations in different geo-climatic zones, faced the challenge of worsening PM2.5 levels during the winter season of 2022-23.

“This winter has been the cleanest in New Delhi-NCR since large-scale air quality monitoring started in 2018,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research, and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, while releasing here CSE’s latest analysis of winter air pollution levels.

“The iron and steel industry is an emission-intensive sector. A new analysis shows it is possible to bring down carbon dioxide emissions from the iron and steel sector drastically by 2030, while more than doubling India’s output of steel,” said Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, speaking at a day-long stakeholder workshop organized here on ‘Decarbonising India’s Iron and Steel Sector by 2030 and Beyond’.