DFAG

Why #India lags behind in #electricvehicle revolution? Via @htTweets @kumkumdasgupta #EVs #emissions #environnement #regulations m.hindustantimes.com/analysis/why-i…

In the scorching heat of Rajasthan, where stepping out can feel unbearable, a native tree quietly offers relief. Locals call it Mithi Jal. Science calls it Salvadora oleoides. And many now call it a natural “desi AC.” With its dense, evergreen canopy, this hardy desert tree creates its own microclimate, with temperatures under its shade recorded to be up to 5–8°C cooler than the surroundings. In regions where water is scarce and electricity isn’t always reliable, this natural cooling isn’t just comfort, it’s survival. For generations, people and livestock have rested under its shade, finding relief in the middle of extreme heat. In a world racing to build climate solutions, Mithi Jal stands tall as a reminder: Some of the most powerful innovations don’t need to be invented, they need to be protected. Credits: Om Godara [om_rajasthani29 on IG] #ClimateSolutions #SustainableLiving #HiddenIndia Disclaimer: The reproduced video or photo content is used under the fair dealing provisions of Section 52(1)(B) of the Indian Copyright Act, 1957, which permits the use of copyrighted material for the purpose of reporting current events, teaching, research and news. Our sole objective is to inform the public, not to exploit the creator’s identity or content. We do not claim ownership of the material, full credit is attributed to the original creator or artist. Should you still wish to request the removal of the content, we’d be happy to assist you at social@thebetterindia.com - The Better India

Have you ever noticed what happens if a wild animal or plant disappears ? Most of us will never know. And even if we do, we rarely realise that our own survival and infact the survival of all life forms on Earth is deeply tied to species diversity. When a species disappears, it shakes this balance in ways we may not immediately see. Global assessments by @IUCNssc @WWF and @UNEP warn that species are vanishing faster than ever. UNEP notes that nearly one million species are now at risk of extinction, many within decades. This is why species revival programmes matter. We need sustained efforts to rebuild populations of species facing decline before it is too late. In this context, Project Nilgiri Tahr assumes great significance as it aims to restore the population of this endangered iconic species endemic to Western Ghats. We just concluded the four-day population estimation exercise of the Nilgiri Tahr. It was inspiring to walk along with my hardworking TN Forest Department team across the rugged mountains and grasslands that are the Tahr’s abode, alongside Thiru Yash Veer @IndiaIucn & @collrnlg. Using the Varudai app, we captured field data with greater precision under Project Nilgiri Tahr, now in its next phase with the Third synchronised survey across 14 divisions, 43 ranges, 124 beats, and 177 blocks, covering over 3,100 km with 800 staff. From 1,031 Tahrs in 2024 to 1,303 Tahrs in 2025, this iconic State Animal of Tamil Nadu is showing great signs of recovery.

Your roof could be the reason your room feels like an oven this summer… In a city battling rising heat, one simple idea is quietly cooling down 4,000+ homes—no AC, no heavy bills, just something we’ve always overlooked. It starts with an empty rooftop… and turns into something far more powerful. Watch how one man transformed roofs into cooling green spaces—and why this might be the smartest summer fix you haven’t tried yet. Hit play & see the change for yourself. Would you turn your rooftop into a mini farm? Credits: livinggreensorganics on IG #RooftopFarming #SustainableLiving #BeatTheHeat #UrbanFarming

#WATCH | Thenlay Nurboo from Ladakh highlights the World Cheese Competition held in Brazil, where around 30 countries participated and over 2,700 varieties of cheese were showcased. India participated for the first time and secured 4 medals, including one from Ladakh. He congratulated the achievement and expressed gratitude after PM @narendramodi mentioned it in Mann Ki Baat. @PMOIndia #MannKiBaat #PMModi #MannKiBaat

India is currently the hottest large region on Earth by a huge margin with 95 of the world’s 100 warmest cities right now. Large parts of northern and eastern India are experiencing extreme heat much earlier than usual, with dozens of cities in the 43–47°C range while most of the rest of the world is far cooler.

A boy named Mohammad, single handedly cleaned an entire stretch near the river in Gujarat using his own hands. It's a matter of shame for our municipality 😭

Look at this map. Nagpur 45°. Ahmedabad 44°. Prayagraj 43°. Delhi 42°. The entire country is a single dark red mass. This is not a heatwave. This is a country that was told its forests were fine. And this is April. Not May. Not June. The hottest months have not even arrived yet. The past few days have been hell. So I did what I always do when something bothers me. I went looking for answers. What I found was a policy con job that has been running for over two decades. But before I explain what happened, let's clear some definitions. A garden is not a forest. An orchard is not a forest. A plantation is not a forest. A forest is a living system. Soil, water, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, decades of accumulated complexity, specific to its land and climate. It cannot be designed. It cannot be harvested. It regulates water, cools land, shelters hundreds of species. It takes decades to become what it is. You can plant a forest. But it will take decades to become one. In 2001, India's forests were disappearing. The Indian state, led by the Vajpayee government, faced a choice. Protect what remained, or change what the numbers said. It chose the numbers. The Forest Survey of India quietly changed the definition of what a forest means. Any land with 10% tree canopy cover and more than one hectare in area was now a forest. Your mango orchard. A coconut plantation in Tamil Nadu. A tea garden in Assam. Lodhi Garden in Delhi. All forests, on paper. The FSI will tell you that 10% canopy cover follows international norms. The FAO also uses 10% as its threshold. But the FAO's definition comes with a crucial exclusion that India's FSI quietly dropped.  The FAO explicitly states that fruit tree plantations, oil palm plantations, olive orchards, and agroforestry systems are not forests. The World Bank says the same. India adopted the number but discarded the exclusion.  It took the cover of international legitimacy while gutting the standard that gave it meaning. The government will also tell you this was never hidden. That it was publicly stated in every report, disclosed in Parliament. That is technically true. But a disclosure buried in a technical government document is not transparency. It is the appearance of transparency.  I did not know any of this until I went looking. Neither do most Indians whose forests, whose land, whose air this directly concerns. The con is not in what was hidden from experts. It is in what was never explained to the people it was done to. This is not a technicality. This is the con. It was a trick as old as power itself. If you cannot fix the problem, fix the measurement. For ten years after 2001, Congress governed India. Two terms, two environment ministers, including Jairam Ramesh, one of the more serious ones. They saw the numbers. They knew what the numbers meant. They did nothing. Because the lie was convenient. India looked good in international climate negotiations. The fiction of a greening India served everyone in power, so everyone in power kept it. Congress did not create this lie. It simply chose, year after year, to live inside it. The BJP is different. When they returned to power in 2014, they came with something Congress never had. An absolute majority, and no coalition compulsions. They did not merely inherit the lie. They built on it. And in 2023, they legislated it. The Forest Conservation Amendment Act of 2023 removed legal protection from "deemed forests." Forests that existed outside the official definition but were ecologically real.  Forests that Adivasi communities had lived in and depended on for generations. Forests that cooled land, held water, sheltered species. They were not on the right list. Since the amendment, forest destruction on Adivasi land has accelerated.  The people who knew these forests best, who had protected them longest, now watch them being cleared. Legally. CONT++

This ₹300 cloth bag can keep your water cool in 45°C heat, no electricity needed. Using a simple evaporation technique, it naturally chills water just with air and moisture. Once a common Indian practice, it’s now been revived as a portable solution by Digambar Gaikwad. For farmers, travellers, or anyone battling extreme heat, this is more than a hack — it’s survival. Would you try this? Contact details: +917507699199, +917720099399 Credits: digusai123 on IG #SummerHeat #CoolWater #SustainableLiving #IndianInnovation #EcoFriendly

This speech will go down as one of the best written and spoken by Jeff Daniel. These words are as important and as relevant today as when he said them.

A single mango seed holds the power to change streets, schools, and farms into a wave of green change — see how simple actions promote a nationwide movement. #Sustainability #ClimateAction #GreenInitiatives #EnvironmentalImpact #CommunityChange [Mango Seed Initiative, Citizen Led Sustainability, Carbon Reduction Efforts, Urban Green Movement, Environmental Conservation India] thebetterindia.com/sustainability…

Details of how Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was “pursued” and killed by Israeli forces have been released by the network she worked for. Here’s what happened ⤵️

They once hunted them for lakhs. Today, they tear their own nets to set them free. Along India’s coast, a quiet revolution is unfolding, where fishermen became protectors, and the ocean got a second chance. 1,029 whale sharks saved… and counting. Scroll down to see how communities turned from hunters to heroes 👉 @wti_org_india #WhaleShark #OceanConservation #CoastalCommunities #WildlifeIndia #WildAtHeart [Whale shark conservation, Gujarat, Marine Life, Wildlife India, Wild At Heart]

China is testing a vacuum high-speed train that can travel over 1,000 km/h. This ultra-fast vacuum tube magnetic levitation system could reduce the travel time between Shanghai and Hangzhou (distance: 200 km) to just 9 minutes.

Frustrated with tourists ruining her village with garbage, she decided to act. When Agonda’s streets were choking with plastic, cows were eating waste, and dumps were catching fire, 28-year-old sarpanch Prettal Fernandes didn’t wait for change—she created it. From going door-to-door on a rickshaw with a mic, to introducing QR-coded waste tracking, solar-powered CCTVs, and a full-fledged local waste workforce—she rebuilt Agonda’s broken system from the ground up. Today, cleanliness here isn’t enforced. It’s a shared responsibility. If a young sarpanch can transform an entire village, what’s stopping our cities?🌱 #Sustainability #CleanIndia #WasteManagement #EcoFriendly #CommunityAction [Sustainable Living, Waste Management Systems, Clean India Initiative, Environmental Conservation, Community Leadership]

Luxembourg has become the first country in the world to make all standard public transport completely free, covering buses, trams, and trains nationwide. Funded through taxes instead of fares, the policy aims to ease heavy traffic and cut emissions by encouraging people to leave their cars behind. By removing ticket costs and barriers, public transport is treated more like an essential public service, simple, accessible, and open to everyone, including visitors and cross-border commuters. The results have been noticeable: more people are using public transport, roads are less congested, and urban air quality has improved. While premium first-class rail still requires payment, everyday travel is now seamless, just get on and go. This bold approach has positioned Luxembourg as a global example of how making transport free can help shift habits toward greener, more sustainable travel.

Over 1,700 dairy farm families spread over #Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, that supply milk to Akshayakalpa, an organic milk player, have installed biogas plants. These families generate more biogas than they need for their kitchen. ✍️@satishshile thehindu.com/news/national/…

Israel carried out an unprecedented wave of attacks across Lebanon, saying it launched 100 air strikes in a span of 10 minutes. Al Jazeera’s @heidipett reports from the scene of a strike in Beirut.

BYD's new flash charging tech lets their EVs add 400+ km of range in just 5 minutes about as fast as pumping Petrol

🚨 YOUNG DOCTOR : I am quitting my job. "I was asked by my female boss to admit nearly every patient, even when it was not required" 😳 "ICU stays were stretched to increase hospital bills" "No salary is bigger than ethics & patient safety"

BREAKING: 🇫🇷🇺🇸 France has officially withdrawn all its gold reserves from the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. Macron silently sold 129 tons of French gold stored in New York and bought an equivalent amount of gold in Europe. France is preparing for the end of the petrodollar.