Urbanisation is rapidly changing landscapes, but little is known about its impact on smaller, less charismatic species such as frogs or toads. A new assessment in Bengaluru, looks at urbanisation’s impacts on frogs and toads. Researchers discuss the need to shift the focus from aesthetics to function while planning cities, and the need for…
The seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) concluded in Nairobi, Kenya on December 12, 2025 with the adoption of out of 15 draft proposals, drawing criticism from some civil society groups that the outcomes fell short of what is needed to address escalating environmental crises. While several organisations welcomed new multilateral commitments,…
India is one of the world’s leading natural rubber (NR) producers, contributing 5.4 per cent of global production in 2023 (FAO, 2025). Ranging from defence, health, and industrial sectors, especially for tyres—to toys, NR is not only a vital commercial commodity, but also a strategic resource of national interest. Ironically, the farmers who cultivate this…
“If a disaster like a flood, earthquake, or extreme rain event occurs, I cannot even run or protect myself,” says 48-year-old Ram*, a person with a disability from Indrawati Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchok, to the north-east of Kathmandu in central Nepal. As climate change intensifies, it has upended local lives and livelihoods, disproportionately affecting people with…
The timing is brutal. Just as the world celebrates the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Paris climate agreement this month, new evidence shows that the world is crashing through the main defence that was constructed against climate catastrophe. The three-year temperature average is – for the first time – set to exceed the…
Carbon Dioxide Removal techniques are gaining visibility in the global discourse, including in the recently concluded COP30, but are widely considered speculative technologies that are unproven at scale. After Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) technologies, the new player in town is Direct Air Carbon Capture (and Storage). Critics have pointed out that Carbon…
New research suggests that the rapid expansion of protected areas worldwide is giving a misleading picture of progress, with biodiversity continuing to decline inside many sites designated for protection. The report released December 2025 has called for a fundamental shift in how conservation is financed, urging governments and donors to prioritise long-term, predictable funding for…
Astronomers eagerly wait for their best chance to see interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS approaching Earth on 19 December. Found on 1 July by NASA-funded ATLAS Telescopes in Chile, the icy comet was the third confirmed interstellar object that entered the solar system after 1I/’Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. Comet 3I/ATLAS will certainly be no…
Good morning. Amid the constant drumbeat of bleak news about the planet’s environment and the accelerating climate emergency, the occasional bright spot still emerges. One example came last week, when researchers published the first statistical evidence that polar bears are changing their DNA in response to a warming Arctic. But is it really good news…
Anna Meiseland Esme Stallard,BBC File on 4 Investigates Geograph/ Nigel Davies The 3M factory in Swansea was once its biggest outside the US, but it made the decision to close it two years ago Dozens of factory workers were exposed to toxic chemicals within firefighting foam over decades, BBC File on 4 Investigates can reveal….