Environment

Nepal has formally sought immediate support from the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) after the catastrophic Bhote Koshi flash flood devastated parts of its Himalayan region. The disaster has revived a larger global debate over climate justice, responsibility of major emitters, whether climate assistance constitutes “aid” or “compensation”, and how vulnerable Himalayan countries should be supported when climate-related risks overwhelm their capacity. Importantly, scientists caution that although climate change is increasing risks across the Himalayan cryosphere, the specific August 2026 disaster cannot yet be attributed directly to global warming.

The catastrophic Bhote Koshi–Trishuli flood in Nepal, associated with a major glacier and rock-ice collapse near Langtang Lirung, has renewed concern over cascading hazards in the rapidly warming Himalayas. For India, the warning is particularly important because a 2026 scientific study identified 219 hanging glaciers in Uttarakhand’s Alaknanda basin, including large unstable ice masses close to settlements, pilgrimage routes and infrastructure around Badrinath and Mana. The developments underline the need to understand hanging glaciers, glacier avalanches, GLOFs, Himalayan infrastructure vulnerability and transboundary early-warning systems.

India received near-normal to slightly above-normal rainfall during July 2026 after an exceptionally dry June. This reduced, but did not eliminate, the accumulated southwest monsoon rainfall deficit. The recovery was driven by Bay of Bengal low-pressure systems, favourable positioning of the monsoon trough and strong moisture-bearing winds from the Arabian Sea. However, rainfall remained highly uneven, alternating between intense wet spells and prolonged dry periods. The development is important for Kharif agriculture, water security, disaster management and assessment of the strengthening El Niño.

The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has proposed protection and tourism-development works around the Indira Point Lighthouse in Great Nicobar Island, India’s southernmost point. The project requires coastal-regulation approval because the proposed works fall in ecologically sensitive island coastal zones. It is important for UPSC because it links lighthouse tourism, coastal regulation, Great Nicobar’s strategic location, tsunami-induced land subsidence, maritime navigation and sustainable island development.

The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), through its Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) directorate, has sought clearance from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Environment Ministry to undertake protection and development work — including a convention centre and a museum — at Indira Point, India's southernmost point on Great Nicobar Island. The site falls in the highly protected ICRZ-IA and ICRZ-IVA categories, where most construction is prohibited. This article explains what Indira Point is, the Island Coastal Regulation Zone framework under the CRZ Notification, 2019, why the location is ecologically sensitive, and the conservation-versus-development questions the proposal raises.

A rapid scientific study released in late June 2026 has concluded that human-caused climate change is "unequivocally to blame" for the record-shattering heatwave gripping large parts of Europe — the continent's most severe June heat ever recorded. The study uses a fast-growing field called attribution science to prove the link. This article explains what the study found, how attribution science establishes the climate change fingerprint on a single weather event, why this matters for policy, the meteorology of heatwaves and heat domes, and what it all means for India's own heatwave crisis.

Madhya Pradesh enforcement agencies are preparing a coordinated crackdown on wildlife trafficking through railway routes after seizure data reportedly revealed organised interstate networks moving protected freshwater turtles from northern river systems to domestic and overseas markets. The issue is important for UPSC because it connects Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, CITES, river biodiversity, organised crime, rail-based trafficking routes and India’s conservation governance.

The Union Environment Ministry's expert committee under Sanjay Kumar is moving towards finalising the Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) for the Western Ghats, possibly through a phased, state-wise notification, even as Kerala and Karnataka continue to resist. With the sixth draft notification of about 56,825 sq km set to lapse by end-July 2026, the long-pending conservation regime for one of India's richest biodiversity hotspots is again in focus. This article explains what an ESA is and its legal basis, the contrast between the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports, the journey of the six draft notifications, the biodiversity and monsoon significance of the Ghats, and the conservation-versus-development debate that has kept consensus elusive for over a decade.

India’s southwest monsoon has shown weak progress over western India, especially Maharashtra, amid developing El Niño conditions and a large early-season rainfall deficit. IMD’s latest monsoon outlook, rainfall data and extended-range forecasts point to weak cross-equatorial flow, below-normal rainfall risk, heatwave conditions in parts of Maharashtra, and possible implications for kharif sowing, food inflation, water security and disaster preparedness.

The Union environment clearance process for the Kente Extension coal project in Chhattisgarh’s Hasdeo-Arand region is in focus after the MoEFCC Advisory Committee recommended Stage-I/In-principle forest clearance for a coal mine linked to Rajasthan’s power needs. The issue is important for UPSC because it connects forest diversion, coal-based energy security, biodiversity conservation, elephant movement, tribal rights and environmental governance.

The Zoological Survey of India has identified four sites on the west coast of Great Nicobar Island for translocating coral colonies and giant clams likely to be affected by the proposed Galathea Bay transshipment port under the Great Nicobar mega project. The development has revived UPSC-relevant questions on coral reef conservation, environmental clearance, ICRZ rules, Schedule-I species, tribal safeguards and the balance between strategic infrastructure and fragile island ecology.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its June 2026 ENSO and Indian Ocean Dipole bulletin, has confirmed that El Niño conditions have emerged over the equatorial Pacific Ocean and are likely to strengthen through the southwest monsoon season. The announcement follows a similar confirmation by the US NOAA and accompanies IMD's revised 2026 monsoon forecast of 90% of the Long Period Average — a "below normal" season. This article explains El Niño, the ENSO cycle, the Niño 3.4 index and the Indian Ocean Dipole, shows how the Walker Circulation links Pacific warming to a weaker Indian monsoon, and assesses what a deficient monsoon means for agriculture, food prices and heatwaves in India.