CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Union Budget has announced an allocation of ₹20,000 crore over five years for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), signalling a major policy push to cut emissions from hard-to-abate sectors.

Air pollution is a serious environmental and public health challenge in India. In many cities, the levels of pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ are found to be above prescribed standards.

The United States has announced its withdrawal from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and more than 60 international treaties and organisations, citing misalignment with American national interests.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed that global atmospheric carbon dioxide has reached a new high, reflecting extreme weather events, rising global temperatures, and destabilizing ecosystems.

Recurring episodes of severe air pollution in Delhi–NCR, particularly during winter months, have revived the debate on whether the right to a clean and healthy environment should be explicitly recognised as a fundamental constitutional right in India, rather than remaining only a judicial interpretation under Article 21.

India has recently urged all countries with big-cat habitats to participate in the Global Big Cats Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2026, and to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA). This reflects India’s commitment to wildlife conservation and its intent to build stronger global cooperation for species protection.

The seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) is currently taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together all UN member states to deliberate on global environmental priorities.

The session has opened amid concerns over funding cuts, disagreements on UNEP’s five-year strategy, and widening geopolitical divides—all setting a tense backdrop for UNEA-7.

Every winter, Delhi and large parts of North India are shrouded in a thick layer of smog. Governments adopt quick measures such as cloud seeding, smog towers, odd-even rules, or water sprinkling, but air quality improves only temporarily. The real problem lies in India's air governance flaws, fragmented responsibilities, and short-term political incentives.

India is facing a severe environmental crisis triggered by decades of unchecked industrial waste, pesticide accumulation, oil spills, untreated sewage, and heavy-metal pollution—making bioremediation an urgent national priority.

The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change addressed the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) Industry Leaders’ Roundtable during UNFCCC COP-30 at Belém, Brazil, highlighting India’s commitment to low-carbon industrial transformation.