The country will release its first assessment report on Tuesday, on the impact of climate change on agriculture, health, water and forests in four regions of the country. The report, covering the Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the coastal zone and the northeast has been prepared by the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) comprising 220 scientists from 120 research institutions across the country. "We need to know what would be...

India, the world’s fourth largest greenhouse gas emitter, has launched a new United Nations-backed project to reduce emissions and develop a low-carbon transport system. The Indian government will work with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the German non-governmental organization International Climate Initiative on a $2.5 million, three-year project to bring the country’s transport growth in line with its climate change agenda. Even though it has the world’s second largest population, India’s...

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh today said the use of sports utility vehicles and BMWs in India was “criminal” and called for changes in diesel pricing to discourage people from riding fuel-guzzlers. He said India’s SUV market was growing on subsidised diesel, the owners benefiting from the subsidies intended mainly to help farmers. “The growth of large-size vehicles like SUVs is a growth of concern.... The use of vehicles such as SUVs and...

India will on Tuesday release its first assessment report on the impact of climate change on four sectors, including agriculture and water, in the country's four climatic hot spots like the Himalayas and the North East. "The first 4x4 assessment report will be released on November 16. Prepared by Indian Network of Climate Change Assessment, it will assess the impact of climate change on four sectors of the economy - agriculture,...

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh have demanded a subsidy for practising eco-friendly measures to tackle India's soil degradation crisis, environmental group Greenpeace India said Saturday. The farmers held a public hearing in this Madhya Pradesh town to review the major soil health management support systems of the central government and its capability to solve the soil degradation crisis. Several agriculture experts, government officials, politicians and representatives of civil society attended the hearing held...