Satellites flag declining vegetation in Uttarakhand hills amid climate change

February 9, 2026 3:39 PM

Satellites flag declining vegetation in Uttarakhand hills amid climate change

Satellite observations spanning more than two decades have revealed a gradual decline in vegetation cover across Uttarakhand’s Himalayan regions, raising concerns over the growing impact of climate change, pollution and human activity on fragile mountain ecosystems. Researchers analysing satellite data from 2001 to 2022 found that while Himalayan vegetation continues to respond to seasonal cycles—reviving after the monsoon and weakening before it—these natural rhythms are increasingly bei...

Supreme Court to widen scope of Himalayan ecological crisis case

September 15, 2025 9:23 PM

Supreme Court to widen scope of Himalayan ecological crisis case

The Supreme Court on Monday voiced concern over the growing risk of natural disasters in the Himalayan region, following recent landslides and monsoon-related devastation across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir.   A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the court will expand the scope of its suo motu case on ecological imbalance beyond Himachal Pradesh to cover the entire Himalayan range. “It isn’t going to be limited to Himachal only, but the entire Hima...