CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has successfully released 15 critically endangered Indian vultures into the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. This marks a significant step in India’s efforts to restore vulture populations, which suffered catastrophic declines due to veterinary drug toxicity and habitat stress.

Recently, the world's second National Environmental Standards Laboratory (NESL) and the world's fifth National Primary Standards Facility for solar cell calibration was inaugurated at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL).

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), completed ten years in November 2025, prompting a global assessment of its effectiveness, ambition, and equity in addressing climate change.

Recently, the deepest gas hydrate–associated “cold seep” discovered so far has been recorded on the seafloor off western Greenland.

From January 1, the European Union has operationalised the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) on selected carbon-intensive imports. The move is expected to significantly impact India’s exports of steel, aluminium, and other energy-intensive products, raising concerns over trade competitiveness and climate equity.

The Satipo Municipality in Peru has adopted the Declaration of Rights for Native Stingless Bees (Tribe Meliponini) through a municipal ordinance, granting legal rights to Amazonian stingless bees. This marks the world’s first legal recognition of insect rights, reinforcing biocultural conservation and rights-of-nature–based governance.

In December 2025, the Supreme Court of India kept its earlier November 2025 judgment on the definition of the Aravalli Hills in abeyance, citing serious environmental and regulatory concerns. The Court proposed a re-examination of the issue through a high-powered expert committee and imposed restrictions on mining and irreversible administrative actions in the Aravalli region until further review.

The Parvati–Arga Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh has been declared an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) by the Government. The move aims to strengthen ecological protection around the sanctuary by regulating developmental and human activities in its surrounding areas.

The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has recommended environmental clearance for the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir.

Biodiversity hotspots are biogeographic regions that are characterized by: Extraordinary richness of flora and fauna, especially a high number of endemic species, and Severe loss of natural habitat due to intense human activities. Because of this combination of high biodiversity and high threat, these regions are considered ecologically fragile and top priorities for conservation.