Asia: Environment

In India’s legal lexicon, “nuclear power” is more than a technological marvel, it is a complex category of activity defined, licensed, and overseen by statute. Under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, “nuclear installations” encompass any reactor, plant or facility in which radioactive substances are produced, handled or stored. The same atom whose controlled fission heats our turbines can, if misused has the power to detonate cities, as Albert Einstein, Oppenheimer, Homi J Baba and several notable scientists have warned us.

The Central Pollution Control Board (“CPCB”) has issued guidelines under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 (“BWM Rules”) governing the collection, handling, storage and transportation of waste batteries across the country. The guidelines anchor compliance to the hazardous waste regime, prescribe chemistry-specific storage and transport protocols, and restrict who may operate collection centres, thereby seeking to prevent mishandling and illegal operations in the handling of waste batteries.

The entire territory of Delhi has been facing severe winter air pollution for years. From a seasonal inconvenience, it has now turned into a recurring environmental and regulatory challenge.

The Ministry of Forestry (“MoF”) has recently promulgated MoF Regulation No. 6 of 2026 on Procedures for Carbon Trading Through Forestry Sector Greenhouse Gas Emission Offsets (“MoF Reg. 6/2026”) on 13 April 2026, which substantiates the government's commitment to establishing a firmer framework for controlling and trading greenhouse gas emissions (Gas Rumah Kaca or “GRK”), as governed by President Regulation No. 110 of 2025 on Implementation of the Carbon Economic Value Instrument and National Greenhouse Gas Emission Control.

India's Carbon Credit Trading Scheme faces a critical gap as the first compliance year approaches in April 2026. While the Energy Conservation Act established the carbon market framework and the Income Tax Act was completely revamped in 2025, the legislature failed to connect these two pieces of legislation, leaving carbon credit certificate transactions in a tax limbo that threatens to undermine the country's ambitious net-zero 2070 goals.

Kazakhstan has made significant strides in sustainable development and carbon neutrality, yet faces critical challenges in implementing its climate strategies. The country's heating sector reforms, renewable energy targets, and decarbonization roadmap reveal tensions between ambitious environmental goals and structural dependence on coal and hydrocarbons, raising questions about the enforceability of climate commitments and the adequacy of investment frameworks.

In India’s legal lexicon, “nuclear power” is more than a technological marvel, it is a complex category of activity defined, licensed, and overseen by statute. Under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, “nuclear installations” encompass any reactor, plant or facility in which radioactive substances are produced, handled or stored. The same atom whose controlled fission heats our turbines can, if misused has the power to detonate cities, as Albert Einstein, Oppenheimer, Homi J Baba and several notable scientists have warned us.

The Ministry of Forestry (“MoF”) has recently promulgated MoF Regulation No. 6 of 2026 on Procedures for Carbon Trading Through Forestry Sector Greenhouse Gas Emission Offsets (“MoF Reg. 6/2026”) on 13 April 2026, which substantiates the government's commitment to establishing a firmer framework for controlling and trading greenhouse gas emissions (Gas Rumah Kaca or “GRK”), as governed by President Regulation No. 110 of 2025 on Implementation of the Carbon Economic Value Instrument and National Greenhouse Gas Emission Control.

The Central Pollution Control Board (“CPCB”) has issued guidelines under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 (“BWM Rules”) governing the collection, handling, storage and transportation of waste batteries across the country. The guidelines anchor compliance to the hazardous waste regime, prescribe chemistry-specific storage and transport protocols, and restrict who may operate collection centres, thereby seeking to prevent mishandling and illegal operations in the handling of waste batteries.

The Central Pollution Control Board (“CPCB”) has issued guidelines under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022 (“BWM Rules”) governing the collection, handling, storage and transportation of waste batteries across the country. The guidelines anchor compliance to the hazardous waste regime, prescribe chemistry-specific storage and transport protocols, and restrict who may operate collection centres, thereby seeking to prevent mishandling and illegal operations in the handling of waste batteries.

In Vanashakti v Union of India, 2026 INSC 761 a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court pursuant to review proceedings settled the long-contested issue of ex post facto Environmental Clearance (EC) granted under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 (EIA Notification, 2006). The Court held that the prior EC regime is mandatory in nature and upheld the validity of the 2017 Notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) as a time bound amnesty scheme, and struck down the 2021 Office Memorandum (2021 OM) as an impermissible administrative action with prospective effect. The Court passed a common judgment and order in a group of petitions.

The entire territory of Delhi has been facing severe winter air pollution for years. From a seasonal inconvenience, it has now turned into a recurring environmental and regulatory challenge.