South Asia

Solar in the foreground, wind turbines in the background

India now gets 50% of its energy from non-fossil sources

By / / Good News For Humankind

The world’s most populous nation has achieved the milestone of generating a majority of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources — five years ahead of its 2030 target under the Paris Agreement. India’s renewable power output rose at its fastest pace since 2022 in the first half of 2025, while coal-fired generation declined nearly 3%. The country added nearly 28 GW of solar and wind in 2024 and had already added 16 GW of wind and solar capacity by June 2025.

Indian Railways train

Indian Railways to achieve net zero targets in 2025 – 5 years ahead of schedule

By / / Good news links

Indian Railways operates roughly 12,000 trains daily, carrying over one billion tons of goods and more than 8.5 billion passengers annually. Now, over 90% of the nationwide railways’ traction energy comes from electric rather than fossil sources, with plans to increase this to 95% by 2030. This shift has led to a substantial decrease in operational costs and direct greenhouse gas emissions, with a reduction of 2.2 million tons of CO2 expected by the end of 2025.

Leopard

Sri Lanka’s Kumana National Park emerges as a stronghold for vulnerable leopards

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A new study reports a notably high density of Sri Lankan leopards in the country’s Kumana National Park. Using camera traps, the study recorded more than 90 leopard encounters, including 34 identified individual leopards, captured on film across a 16-month survey period. Since 2017, a citizen science program has also recorded 80 individual leopards in Kumana, using a naming system to identify each individual. The Sri Lankan leopard is tagged as a species “vulnerable” to extinction, according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

Indian young woman at computer

Women’s participation in India’s tech sector triples in last four years

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India’s tech workforce has seen a significant shift over the past four years, with female participation increasing from 10% in 2020 to 28% in 2024, according to a new report. This growth is driven by advancements in digital infrastructure, increased access to remote work opportunities, and the expansion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. However, despite improvements at the entry level, women’s representation in senior leadership positions remains low, growing only marginally from 11% in 2020 to nearly 14% in 2024.

Indian flag

India has treated 6.8 million cancer patients for free in seven years

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India’s Health Minister just reported that a national insurance program has treated an astonishing 6.8 million people for cancer, three-quarters of whom live in rural areas. The cost of the work amounted to $1.5 billion USD. Managed and paid for by the country’s flagship health insurance program called Ayushman Bharat, patients could get financial assistance to fight breast, oral, cervical, and lung cancers, as well as metastatic melanoma, chronic myeloid leukemia, and Burkitt’s lymphoma.

Flower floating on the water with lilies

New Delhi transforms degraded lands into biodiversity parks

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New Delhi, India’s capital city, struggles with numerous environmental challenges, including extremely poor air quality and heat waves. In response, since 2004, the city has created seven large “biodiversity parks” on previously degraded land. The Aravalli Biodiversity Park, a 692-acre park located near an upscale neighborhood, is now a thriving forest of native plants. The Neela Hauz Biodiversity Park is home to a lake that was once a dumping ground for untreated sewage. All seven parks were restored by the Delhi Development Authority and the University of Delhi and together span 2,026 acres.

Indonesian children smiling

Nine Asian nations have cut child mortality by more than half since 2000

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Child mortality in Asia has fallen sharply, especially in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Nepal, which have all seen a decline of at least 50% since 2000. This progress amounts to millions more children surviving through the crucial early years of life. Particularly noteworthy, India’s child mortality fell from 9% to 3% and China’s from 4% to just 1%. These huge strides have been made possible by improved nutrition, clean water, sanitation, vaccinations, and poverty reduction.

Solar farm from above

India adds record 24.5 GW of solar in 2024

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India added 24.5 GW of solar and 3.4 GW of wind capacity in 2024, doubling solar installations and increasing wind capacity by 21% from 2023, according to JMK Research & Analytics. These additions brought India’s total renewable energy capacity to 209.44 GW, with solar accounting for 47%. Utility-scale additions nearly tripled from 2023, while rooftop and off-grid installations rose 53% and 197%, respectively, driven by the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana program, which spurred 700,000 rooftop installations in 10 months.

A top view of solar farm

Solar power booms in Pakistan

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Sky-high power prices are fueling a massive solar buildout in Pakistan. Solar is gaining traction on farms and factories after the government cut electricity subsidies, causing prices to spike. In many places, electric bills cost more than rent, and blackouts are common. Panels purchased in 2024 amount to 17 GW of capacity, enough to raise Pakistan’s total power capacity by a third.

Aerial view of a high voltage substation.

India unveils whopping $109 billion transmission plan for renewable energy

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Transmission constraints have emerged as a key obstacle for the growth of renewable energy the world over, with a spurt in demand causing delayed deliveries and surging prices of grid equipment. Now, India’s power ministry has unveiled a plan to revamp its power grid to accommodate a large renewable expansion through 2032. The project, estimated to cost 9.15 trillion rupees ($109 billion), will help integrate 500 gigawatts of renewable power by the end of the decade, a more than two-fold increase from now.