The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down to Earth magazine released the State of Indias Environment 2026: In Figures report on 4 June 2026, on the eve of World Environment Day, providing an integrated picture of India based on official government data. The report tracks trends across climate change and extreme weather, public health, forests, biodiversity, water, air pollution, waste and the performance of Indian states on key Sustainable Development Goal indicators.

A central warning of the 2026 edition is that seven of the nine planetary boundaries identified by Earth system scientists have now been breached, including climate change, biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater depletion, biogeochemical flows of nitrogen and phosphorus, novel entities such as plastics and chemicals, and ocean acidification. The report cites peer-reviewed research showing that the combination of extreme heat due to climate change and accelerating land use change threatens nearly 8000 species of vertebrates including amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles, with hotspots in South Asia.

For India, the report documents that around 97000 hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forest use between 2020 to 21 and 2024 to 25, with diversion rising across 26 states. The 2026 edition also focuses on climate induced floods, growing role of artificial intelligence in environmental governance, depopulation trends in some districts, and rising eco anxiety among youth. CSE has called for stronger Environmental Impact Assessment compliance, restoration of degraded ecosystems and convergence of climate action with state planning to keep India within safe planetary limits while pursuing development.