The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down to Earth magazine released the State of India's Environment 2026 report on February 25, 2026, at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue — an annual event named after CSE's founder.
Key findings of the report:
1. Planetary Boundaries Crisis: Seven of the nine planetary boundaries — the safe operating limits for Earth's systems — have now been breached globally. These boundaries cover areas such as climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use, land-system change, novel entities (chemical pollution), and biogeochemical flows (nitrogen and phosphorus cycles).
2. Extreme Weather in India (2025): Extreme weather events occurred on more than 99% of days between January and November 2025 — that is, 331 out of 334 days. These events caused 4,419 deaths and affected 17.4 million hectares of crops, representing severe agricultural and human losses.
3. Air Pollution and Life Expectancy: Air pollution cuts the average Indian's life expectancy by 3.5 years. This reflects the persistent and widespread nature of particulate matter (PM2.5/PM10) pollution across Indian cities and rural areas.
4. Air Quality Monitoring Gaps: Only 15% of India's population lives within 10 km of an air quality monitoring station, exposing a major gap in environmental surveillance infrastructure that prevents accurate assessment of pollution exposure for most citizens.
The report underscores the urgency of climate adaptation, pollution control, and ecosystem restoration as interlinked priorities for India's sustainable development.