A World FirstHuman‑Made Objects Will Outweigh Earth’s Flora, Fauna by the End of the Year If this trend continues, the weight of human-made objects will become triple that of living biomass by 2040. By Rajvi Desai
Popularity ContestAnimals With ‘Charisma’ Get More Conservation Funding Than Those Perceived as Boring or Unattractive, Report Finds Brown bears, wolves, Eurasian lynxes, and bitterns win the popularity contest. By Rajvi Desai
Dil Maange No MoreCoca‑Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé Named World’s Biggest Plastic Polluting Brands For Third Consecutive Year The findings underscore just how drastically the world's largest food conglomerates could reduce pollution with changes to packaging. By Devrupa Rakshit
Let Them StayResettling Tribal Communities Outside of Protected Forests Costs More Than Involving Them in Conservation Efforts: Report "The current model of protected areas based on the exclusion of people is not feasible for effectively protecting biodiversity in India." By Devrupa Rakshit
Show Me The Honey77% of India’s Most Popular Honey Brands Are Impure, Sugar‑Syrup Concoctions: Study The findings come as consumption of honey has increased due to its perceived immunity-boosting properties. By Devrupa Rakshit
Much-Needed AlternativeLab‑Grown Meat Sold in a Restaurant for the First Time Ever, in Singapore The lab-grown chicken nuggets open the door for a no-harm non-veg future. By Rajvi Desai
Green Fades AwayThe Amazon Lost Forest Area One‑Third the Size of Belgium to Agriculture, Mining in 2019‑20 Environmentalists blame the 12-year deforestation high on missteps made by the Bolsonaro government. By Aditi Murti
Thirsty Planet3 Billion People Globally Are Short of Water: U.N. Data The world's freshwater supply has decreased by 20% over the past two decades, according to a new report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. By Devrupa Rakshit
Feline TroubleHabitat Loss, Climate Change Endangers 3 Wildcat Species Unique to South Asia "Some of these species ... are extremely rare and probably need protection for long-term survival." By Devrupa Rakshit
Robbing HabitatsUttarakhand Plans to Revoke Protections for 5,400‑Sq Km Elephant Reserve to Make Way for Airport Expansion The government claims the move won't affect conservation efforts, but animal advocates disagree. By Devrupa Rakshit
Confirmation Bias?Study That Concluded Women Are Poor STEM Mentors Draws Backlash From Scientists “Instead of coming to the conclusion that their data shows the system is biased, they come to the conclusion that women shouldn’t be mentors." By Aditi Murti
Plants Vs. HumansScientists Discover a Plant That Is Evolving To Become Less Visible To Humans Rising human demand for the plant, which has medicinal properties, is likely the reason the plant is evolving to escape detection. By Devrupa Rakshit
Nation On TrackIndia Is the Only G20 Nation on Track to Meet Paris Agreement’s 2°C Goal: Report "India could become a global leader if it abandoned plans to build new coal-fired power and phases out coal use for power by 2040," the report noted. By Devrupa Rakshit
Falling Through The Ice‘Sky Rivers’ of Warm Water Vapor Have Melted 2 Huge Patches of Antarctic Ice Scientists worry these flowing belts in the atmosphere will become more frequent and damaging as climate change worsens. By Devrupa Rakshit
Slow BurnThe Assam Oil Fire Is Doused — But Its Damage Is Ongoing “The toxins released [by the fire] are known to have long-term persistence in soils and sediments.” By Devrupa Rakshit
Bittersweet DiscoveryNew Primate Species Discovered In Myanmar Already Facing Extinction The Popa langur is at risk from habitat loss and hunting, with numbers already down to about 250 individuals. By Devrupa Rakshit
Winds Of ChangeHimalayan Ice Melt Is Speeding Up Due to Dust Pollution from Africa, Asia Snow typically reflects sunlight, keeping the ice underneath cool, but a layer of dust is trapping heat in mountain snow. By Rajvi Desai
Clearing The AirIndia’s Pollution Regulators Are Ineffective Due to a Lack of Expertise, Resources: Report Despite national air pollution commitments, little investment has been made to empower control boards. By Devrupa Rakshit