Puneet A

Two WRI India working papers say India’s urban transition must address both weak municipal waste systems and poor-quality jobs in the low-carbon buildings sector. One study found open waste burning across 11 polluted cities was about three times higher in winter than in summer, with low-income neighbourhoods facing the highest burden. The second study, focused

August 2026 matched July 2023 as the hottest month ever recorded, with global temperatures 1.65°C above pre-industrial levels and 0.85°C above the 1991-2020 average. Driven by greenhouse gas emissions and a strong El Niño, it also brought record-warm oceans, severe drought, wildfires and exceptionally low river flows across western Europe, alongside contrasting wet and dry

At around 9 am on August 27, rain and mist around Thalakkulam near Pooppara in Kerala’s Munnar region concealed a danger that residents of the state’s high ranges have learnt to fear. S Ochappan, 68, a farmer from Bodinayakanur in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, had gone to his daughter’s cardamom plantation to check whether the crop

Rikwich pakode is not only one of my favourite dishes but also a dish that was very special to my late father. My dadi (paternal grandmother) used to prepare this, and over the years, the recipe was passed down to my mother, who continues to make it with the same love and care. The dish has travelled with

Antibiotic resistance is not confined to people alone. Wildlife can also encounter and carry resistant bacteria, with birds picking them up from contaminated water, food, waste and other human-associated environments. As they move between habitats, they may spread these bacteria through their faeces, making them useful candidates in tracking the movement of antibiotic resistance in

Species File: Exploring India’s biodiversity, one species at a time. A 2026 survey counted 1,364 Nilgiri tahr in Tamil Nadu, nearly 5% more than the last year. Southern India’s only mountain ungulate, the Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), is Tamil Nadu’s state animal. Endemic to the Nilgiris, it is locally known as varayaadu, or cliff goat.

Hear Astha read her own essay aloud. I come from a transitional generation, and somehow, I’ve ended up as a hard core non-tech person in a heavily tech-driven space. Fitting into a box has never really been my thing. And perhaps, that has been the point. How often do you think you’re lost? We often

Women now head nearly one in four households in Gaza, double the pre-October 2023 rate, according to UN Women. The agency estimates that 86,290 households are headed by women, including widows and those whose husbands are missing, detained, severely injured or forcibly disappeared. UN Women says women-headed households face greater hardship, with higher levels of

Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has erupted again this week, sending plumes of volcanic ash high into the sky and disrupting hundreds of flights. More than 300,000 passengers have been affected. Anak Krakatau, meaning “child of Krakatau” in Indonesian, has erupted on and off for almost a hundred years. This volcano emerged from the devastation caused