Approximately 4.86% of India’s land area is covered by wetlands – ecosystems that are often referred to as the “Earth’s kidneys” because they are crucial for maintaining an ecological balance. However, many of India’s wetlands are under threat due to urbanisation, domestic and industrial pollution, and unscientific land-use practices. Urban wetlands in major cities are particularly at a high risk due to rapid urbanisation and unchecked discharges from nearby dumpsites or sewage.

Driving cycles or drive cycles are plots of speed versus time used in vehicle testing to estimate fuel consumption and emissions. They are representative of a typical driving pattern of a vehicle type on a route (terrain). For developing drive cycles, the speed data of a vehicle are collected by the car chase method or using on-board devices (such as global positioning system devices); on-board devices provide more accurate speed data at second-by-second intervals than the car chase method. We used on-board diagnostic (OBD) devices to capture accurate speed–time profiles.

India’s ambitious national goals under the Viksit Bharat and Atmanirbhar Bharat programmes focus on continuous economic growth and alleviating equity and poverty issues. Energy, being the most important element driving economic growth, faces challenges like increasing demand, climate change, and pollution. The PAT mechanism under the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency aims to improve energy efficiency in industrial sectors. It involves setting energy-saving targets, implementing measures, and trading Energy Saving Certificates (ESC erts).

India is ranked fourth globally in installed renewable energy (RE) capacity. Yet, the country has achieved only 32% of its RE target (500 GW by 2030) as of 30 November 2024. While decisions and actions at the central level are crucial, there is a need to focus on sub-national efforts as India is a diverse country with each state having unique challenges and opportunities that are shaped by its geography, resources, and consumer mix.

The United Nations’ efforts to address critical environmental challenges hit multiple roadblocks this year, with four key summits — in Colombia on biodiversity, Azerbaijan on climate, Saudi Arabia on land degradation, and South Korea on plastics — failing to deliver meaningful outcomes.

The bioeconomy sector is gaining significant momentum globally. The World Bioeconomy Forum values the sector at approximately $4 trillion with the potential to grow to $30 trillion by 2050. Several economies worldwide increasingly invest in bio-based innovations to address their energy, food security, health, and climate mitigation and adaptation issues. India is one of the front runners in its global bioeconomy growth, with a projected bioeconomy worth $300 billion by 2030.

The textile and apparel industry, although a major contributor to global trade, is now becoming one of the most polluting industries worldwide. The rise of fast fashion, characterised by high consumption of low-cost, low-quality clothing, has aggravated the sector’s environmental footprint. Globally, around 92 million tonnes of textile waste end up in landfills annually, resulting in the leaching of harmful materials and leaking of valuable resources from the value chain. Alarmingly, only 12%–15% of this waste goes to recycling facilities, of which only 1% is recycled into new clothing.