
Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than 5% of their total ice volume in 2026 after a winter with very little snow and a summer with record-breaking heatwaves. The Aletsch Glacier, which is Switzerland’s largest glacier, recorded its biggest melt on record in 2026, while the Rhône Glacier and Clariden Glacier also recorded their greatest melt ever in the same year.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav launched the Guidelines for the implementation of the National Coastal Mission (NCM) 2.0 in New Delhi on 30 September 2026. NCM 2.0 is a Central Sector Scheme with an approved outlay of ₹767 crore and a scheduled implementation period up to 2030-31 across nine coastal states and four Union Territories.
Uttarakhand began installing its first glacial lake early-warning system at Vasundhara Tal in Chamoli district on 29 September 2026. The project is being carried out by a 22-scientist team led by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, with support from the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, under the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority and the National GLOF Risk Mitigation Programme.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) approved revisions to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the National Capital Region (NCR) on 28 September 2026. The revised schedule contains 48 actions across four stages and applies to vehicle emissions, dust control, and other pollution-control measures in the NCR.
The Indian Peafowl, scientifically known as Pavo cristatus, was recorded for the first time in Assam’s Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve on 28 September 2026. The sighting was documented inside the park after earlier field observations near the Rowmari and Hazaribagh Anti-Poaching Camps.
Gujarat restructured the Porbandar Forest Division on 29 September 2026 to strengthen forest administration and support lion rehabilitation in the Barda region. The reorganisation covers forest ranges, village boundaries, beat limits, and inter-divisional transfers for conservation management in western Gujarat.
A Chinese team set a Guinness World Record on 29 August 2026 for the most autonomous underwater vehicles operating simultaneously. The record involved 116 autonomous underwater vehicles, or AUVs, named TH-618s, which carried out autonomous underwater formation navigation without human intervention for 34 minutes over 500 metres.
The first consignment of 15,000 A-grade Lilium stems from Ladakh was flagged off on 29 September 2026 for major Indian flower markets. The consignment was flagged off at KBR Airport, Leh, and it included red, pink, white, yellow, and orange varieties grown in Choglamsar, Leh.
India issued its first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) on 29 September 2026. The certificates were handed over to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation and a bamboo farmer from Odisha.
India and Liberia launched the “Group of Friends on Safety & Security of Shipping & Seafarers” in New York on 25 September 2026. The initiative was announced during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, and India and Liberia will serve as co-chairs of the group.
India ranked 31st in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which assessed 110 economies and was published on 25 September 2026. India moved up nine places from 39th in the 2024 index, while Japan secured the first rank in the 2026 edition.
Maharashtra declared 265 of its 358 talukas drought-affected on 26 September 2026. The affected talukas account for about 74% of the state’s total landmass. The declaration followed a rainfall deficit of 18.8% between 1 June and 18 September 2026 and a two-month monsoon break linked with El Niño conditions.