The 2023 State of India’s Environment report

• 24 Mar 2023

The 2023 State of India's Environment report, published by Down To Earth, the magazine of the Centre for Science and Environment, highlights the reversal of gains for the energy transition and the overwhelming impact of climate change, which is now a real threat.

• Over 30,000 water bodies have been encroached upon, and India generates 150,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, with more than half of it dumped in landfills or remains unattended.
• Rural India is losing 35% more years of life to air pollution-related health issues than urban areas.
• Environmental crimes continue unabated, and India's overall global rank in meeting United Nations-mandated sustainable development goals has slipped by nine places.
• Between January and October 2022, India experienced extreme weather events on 271 days, leading to over 2,900 deaths.
• The report aims to present a balanced perspective on the state of India's environment, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities to meet them.
• The report emphasizes the need for corrective measures to ensure a sustainable development trajectory.
• The report has been published annually for almost four decades, providing an essential insight into India's development pathways and pointing out where the country is going wrong, what has worked, and what has not.