The United States formally left the World Health Organization on 23 January 2026. The exit follows an executive order President Donald Trump signed at the start of his second term. The US still owes about US$260 million in dues, has stopped all funding and has withdrawn its staff.
UNEP's State of Finance for Nature 2026 report shows that money harming nature far exceeds money protecting it. In 2023, about US$7.3 trillion went to activities that damage nature, against roughly US$220 billion for nature-based solutions, almost 90% of it from public sources.
The Tamil Nadu government introduced a Bill in the Assembly to set up a Special Area Development Authority. It would plan places of historical, ecological, archaeological or tourism value. Mamallapuram and Kanniyakumari are the first areas chosen, and each will get a Special Area Master Plan for sustainable development.
A consortium led by Pixxel, with Piersight Space, SatSure and Dhruva Space, will build India's first privately owned Earth-observation satellite constellation with IN-SPACe under a public-private partnership. It plans 12 satellites with high-resolution optical, multispectral, hyperspectral and radar (SAR) sensors, plus the analytics to use their data.
On 23 January 2026, Odisha banned gutkha, pan masala and all tobacco and nicotine products in any form. The ban covers making, selling, storing, transporting and distributing them, packed or loose, under any brand name, in line with the Supreme Court's directions. Separately, higher GST and excise duties on tobacco take effect nationwide from 1 February 2026.
Mumbai will hold Mumbai Climate Week from 17 to 19 February 2026, described as India's first climate initiative led by a city. It focuses on solutions driven by citizens, especially children and young people, and links climate action to child rights. UNICEF India and YuWaah are partners.
The Ministry of Power published a draft National Electricity Policy 2026 for public comments. It would replace the 2005 policy and sets a plan for the power sector up to 2047. Targets include per-capita use of 2,000 kWh by 2030 and 4,000 kWh by 2047, and a 45% cut in emissions intensity of GDP from 2005 levels by 2030.
India came 6th out of 11 Asian economies in the Asia Manufacturing Index 2026, released by Dezan Shira & Associates, an advisory firm based in Hong Kong. The index compares how attractive countries are for manufacturing, using 8 pillars and 43 indicators such as infrastructure, labour, market access, regulation and supply-chain resilience. Malaysia was second and Vietnam third.
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