Air

The evidence from the study is unequivocal, researchers point out: air pollution is a direct threat to children’s intellectual growth, disproportionately affecting the vulnerable.

Public health advisories issued on days like these typically urge people to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, reduce outdoor activities, keep windows closed, and use air purifiers where possible. But for many living in low-income neighbourhoods without access to such safeguards, these recommendations offer little relief.

There is growing scientific support for including metabolic health in the cost-benefit calculations of air-quality interventions. A polluted city is not just a respiratory hazard – it may also be silently fuelling obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases at scale.

The new satellite-based assessment provides a stark, data-backed snapshot of air pollution across India – one that transcends city boundaries and illuminates the widespread nature of PM2.5 exposure.

The environment minister requested authorities from NCR states and union territories to submit concrete action taken reports on air pollution management efforts undertaken in...

Without urgent action, environmental collapse could lock Afghanistan into a vicious cycle of poverty, migration, and instability for generations to come. The war may have ended for now, but the battle to save Afghanistan’s environment, and the lives it sustains, is only beginning.

A landmark study and a sweeping legal move have thrust India’s air-quality crisis into the spotlight, urging policymakers and courts alike to treat polluted air not just as an environmental issue but a full-blown public health emergency.

In a decision that has reignited debate over the balance between tradition and public health, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the use of green firecrackers during the upcoming Diwali season in the Delhi-NCR region, under tightly controlled conditions.