Over 200 citizens, resident groups, environmental organisations and civil society groups have urged the Karnataka government to roll back its decision to amend the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, which would allow portions of parks and gardens to be used for concrete-heavy infrastructure projects. Gathering at Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru, the groups showcased a banner saying: NOT 5%. NOT 1 INCH. LEAVE OUR PARKS ALONE. "Bengaluru is becoming hotter and more climate vulnerable, yet the Karnataka government is making it easier to take away one of the city’s most important forms of natural infrastructure. Parks help cool neighbourhoods,…

On hot summer afternoons in the western part of Chennai, while many adults retreat indoors, a group of children are out on the streets with thermo-hygrometers, fluke instruments, notebooks and pens. They record heat and humidity at different times of the day, surveying residents about their experiences and identifying how heat is distributed across their locality. Trained through a joint initiative by the Chennai Climate Action Group (CCAG)'s Youth Climate Resilience Movement and the Pudiyador Learning Centre, children in Ramapuram are monitoring hyperlocal temperatures, mapping urban heat hotspots, and documenting how extreme weather impacts their community.  The exercise began after…