Recent Current Affairs related to Climate

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a unit of the ISRO, has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) to jointly develop indigenous technology for next-generation, environmentally sustainable blowing agents.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has signed an MoU with Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd (MAHAPREIT) to jointly finance and promote green, climate-resilient, and sustainable infrastructure projects across rural India, with an initial focus on Maharashtra.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled the roadmap for 'Viksit Krishi and Samruddh Kisan' as a key pillar of 'Viksit Bharat 2047' during the 98th Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi.

During the event, 43 new crop varieties, 17 technologies/products, and 14 publications were released, and over 70 MoUs were signed.

ICAR aims to establish 100 'Climate Smart Villages' before its centenary. Under 'Mission ICAR-100', Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) will be transformed, with each KVK mandated to cover at least 100 villages. Additionally, under the 'One Institute-One Grand Innovation' initiative, every ICAR institute is tasked to develop at least one transformational innovation within 2 years.

The India-led Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) has launched its flagship Global Biofuel Champion Fellowship (GBCF) programme at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

The GBA has selected 15 early-career researchers from leading global universities and research institutions to serve as GBA Ambassadors for a tenure of 2 years. Each fellow will receive a research grant of $15,000. The selected cohort includes 2 researchers from India: Ruchi Agrawal from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Delhi, and Abhishek Sahoo from the IIT Delhi.

Global wind day

Day - June 15

Theme 2026 - Our Wind, Our Community

Observed since - 2007

The World Economic Forum (WEF), in collaboration with Accenture, has released the “Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026: Insight Report June 2026”. India is ranked 70th in the index with an overall score of 54.9.

Sweden topped the index with a score of 75.3, followed by Finland, Denmark, Estonia, and Norway. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is ranked last at 120th place.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune has signed an MoU with the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital to conduct collaborative research on climate change.

Under this MoU, a Climate Observation Station will be established at ARIES, Devasthal, as a part of the Bharat Climate Observation Network (BCON).

Vinai Kumar Saxena, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, has approved the formation of the ‘Snow Leopard and High-Altitude Nature’ (SHAN) Conservation Society to protect the endangered snow leopard and its habitat. This is the first initiative of its kind in the region.

It is to be noted that according to the ‘2024 Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India’, there are 718 snow leopards in the country, with 477 of them located in Ladakh.

India and Japan have adopted the 'Rules of Implementation' for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.

Announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), this initiative establishes the first operational framework for India to trade bilateral carbon credits to facilitate the achievement of global climate goals.

The Himachal Pradesh government has signed an MoU with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to promote climate-resilient development, environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and inclusive growth in the state.

Additionally, CM Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has launched the ‘Safai Mitra Scheme’ to empower informal waste management workers.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated India’s 7th Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Jammu. The centre will provide specialized weather, disaster, and climate services for Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh.

He also announced the upcoming establishment of an 8th RMC in Lucknow, which will manage services for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched the 'Khet Bachao Abhiyan' in Ramsiya village of Raisen, Madhya Pradesh.

The campaign aims to promote sustainable agriculture, improve soil health, and raise awareness regarding climate-resilient farming practices.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the ‘Clean Mobility Scheme’ with a financial outlay of ₹9,585 crore to replace old trucks and buses in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). This 2-year fleet modernization initiative aims to reduce vehicular emissions and winter air pollution in the region.

The scheme is funded by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and will be implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG). It involves a central share of ₹5,041 crore and ₹1,601 crore in tax concessions from participating states.

The scheme targets the modernization of 2.07 lakh older commercial vehicles registered across Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. To encourage participation, the government offers a 5% interest subsidy on vehicle loans and monthly fuel vouchers worth up to ₹4,800 provided by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Valluvan, a farmer from the Pollachi district of Tamil Nadu, has been honoured as a ‘Soil Farmer Hero’ by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN.

He has received this recognition for transforming his 11-hectare landholding into a profitable enterprise. He achieved this through the implementation of multi-crop, tree-based farming techniques, generating revenue of ₹2.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh per acre.

The UK-based British International Investment (BII) has partnered with Denmark-based Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to launch “North Star”, a $300 million Renewable Energy (RE) platform to support the clean energy transition of India.

Under the partnership, BII and CIP, through the Growth Markets Fund II (GMF II), will each invest up to $150 million in the platform to support solar, wind, hybrid, and storage RE projects in India. The platform is projected to generate over 4 million Megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean energy annually while preventing 4 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year.

The first solar-powered ‘Algae Tree’ in India has been installed at Swami Vivekananda Park in Bhopal under the Smart City initiative to mitigate urban air pollution. Developed by the Mushroom World Group, this 3-metre-tall climate tech device uses microalgae-based photobioreactor technology to function as an artificial lung. It is capable of absorbing 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) and generating about 1 tonne of pure oxygen annually.

The United Nations (UN) has launched a report titled “The Global Forest Goals (GFG) Report 2026” during the 21st session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) in New York.

The report states that global forest cover decreased from 4.18 billion hectares (ha) in 2015 to 4.14 billion ha in 2025, representing an annual net loss of 4.12 million ha. It is to be noted that 16 million ha of primary forests were lost between 2015 and 2025. South America accounted for the most share of primary forest losses recorded during the decade.

India and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized United Nations (UN) agency, have launched an 8-year Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) for the 2026–2033 period.

The initiative, announced during the ‘IFAD–India Partnership for Rural Prosperity’ event at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, aims to strengthen the rural economy of India and promote inclusive, climate-resilient development.

Additionally, IFAD and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) have signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen rural finance systems and support innovation in the agriculture and allied sectors.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated the first Integrated Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) field laboratory facility in India at the IIT Bombay.

The facility is established under the ‘Bharat Innovates 2026’ initiative to advance research and development in carbon management. It is to be noted that the CCUS technology used in the laboratory is being promoted by UrjanovaC.

International Mother Earth Day:

Day – April 22

Theme 2026 – “Our Power, Our Planet”

Observed by – UN

Observed since – 2009

Proposed by – John McConnell (American peace activist)