Geography Current Affairs

“China has never recognised the so-called ‘Union Territory of Ladakh’ unilaterally and illegally established by India,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing in Beijing

The ‘cement’ is melting — retreating glaciers and thawing permafrost are heightening disaster risks in the Indian Himalayan Region

Tamil Nadu says 11.719 tmcft shortfall is hurting Samba cultivation; Karnataka cites water scarcity and drinking-water needs as court reserves order

Mines Secretary Keshav Chandra indicated that a policy on stockpiling critical minerals will be announced soon. This initiative is designed to support strategic sectors like defence, advanced electronics, and aerospace. The government plans to establish four dedicated critical minerals processing parks across various states to enhance value addition. A comprehensive list of over 30 critical minerals has been released for essential industry needs.

The article says major contributors include two centuries of plantation expansion, dams, roads and infrastructure development, now compounded by climate extremes, accelerating invasive species spread, and urbanisation and infrastructure

Citizen-led initiative breaks down the draft ESA notification for two districts to clear misconceptions about how it affects residents

Centre said formally identifying the sites on the Survey of India map of the UT of Ladakh aims to facilitate accurate recognition and greater public awareness

The Lower Ganga basin hosts 13-15 invasive alien species and could become a major source of invasives for the Mahanadi, home to 69 threatened species; water connections under the river interlinking project could also help aquatic pathogens to spread and flatten the unique biota that individual river basins boast today

The heaviest toll is expected in poorer countries, already struggling with food insecurity and high energy costs, partly due to climate change and the fallout of the war in Iran, the University of Chicago-based Climate Impact Lab says

The resolution has sought one year time to take up physical survey of areas; says a high-power committee led by a retired judge would be formed to suggest corrections to ‘lacunae’ in the report

Peak water, the point in time when river flows stop rising and ​start declining, could happen by mid-century

The disaster must come as a wake-up call to correct the courses and bring South Asia together as a post-nation-state and civilisational entity and place ecology at the centre of diplomacy

High-powered committee is tasked with evolving a uniform definition for the ecologically fragile Aravalli hills and range, and recommending measures to regulate mining in the region

A team from IISER Pune, the Wadia Institute, and IIT-Roorkee has estimated the rate of CO2 oxidation to be three-times higher than CO2 uptake by silicate weathering

Talks take place a few days before the BRICS Summit, which Xi Jinping is expected to attend, and amid reports of tension in the Taksing area of Arunachal Pradesh; the meeting indicates an expansion of the military dialogue mechanism

India's sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India's official map; any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable, said Randhir Jaiswal

Dubbed the ‘project of the century’ by Beijing, it has been included in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy; of concern to India is the impact it could have downstream, particularly in the aftermath of the recent devastating flash flood along the Nepal-China border

‘We have 172 countries which are parties to UNCLOS; this is near universal; even though the U.S. is not a party, it regards UNCLOS as the authoritative law of the sea,’ says Magsaysay award winner Tommy Koh

The World Meteorological Organization says prevailing El Nino conditions could intensify into a very strong event and persist through February 2027, threatening India with weaker rainfall, higher temperatures and greater risks of drought, floods and extreme heat. With August already recording a 16% rainfall deficit and the hottest August since 1901, El Nino could further stress crops and winter conditions.

States must move beyond a response-oriented approach and focus on preventive mitigation, risk reduction, and community-level readiness, says Home Secretary; stresses need for better early warning systems