In South Asia, a region facing rapid economic growth, immense population pressure, and high climate vulnerability, the circular economy (CE) has become a critical imperative for sustainable development. This study provides a comparative overview of the CE landscape across eight South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The analysis reveals the CE transition is nascent region-wide, though India has advanced its policy landscape through a comprehensive suite of rules and missions and Pakistan is developing a national policy. The primary focus remains on waste management, evidenced by programs like Bhutan’s ‘Zero Waste by 2030’ vision, the Maldives’ Single-Use Plastic Phase-Out Plan, and Sri Lanka’s Clean Sri Lanka Programme. While Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is emerging for plastics and e-waste in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, a significant “policy-practice gap” persists, undermined by weak enforcement and governance fragmented across priority sectors like plastics, food systems, and textiles. Most major CE initiatives are catalyzed by international development partners, with regional programs playing a key role in funding innovation. Finally, while the informal sector is the backbone of material recovery, ensuring a just transition that improves working conditions and secures livelihoods remains a critical challenge. The absence of a cohesive regional framework limits collaboration. Scaling the circular economy in South Asia requires integrated national strategies, prioritizing a just transition for the informal sector, and establishing a regional platform for policy harmonization to create self-sustaining system through multi-sectoral involvement, including the business sector.

Booking for the EIG 2026 Conference in Liverpool is now open: https://www.eigconferences.com/ There will be the usual plenary opening session, including an introduction to the geology of North West England by Professor Peter Burgess, University of Liverpool, and the Ansel Dunham Memorial Lecture by Fiona McEvoy of NWS. This will be followed by parallel sessions, from a variety of geotechnical and quarry design case studies and overviews of professional practice to prospecting, geomorphological quarry restoration, low carbon resources and the water environment. Conference programme can be downloaded here: https://www.eigconferences.com/s/EIG-2026-Liverpool-Programme-May6th.pdf Delegate booking, trade stands and sponsorship opportunities are here: https://www.eigconferences.com/2026-conference NB Delegate Early Bird deadline 30th June 2026.

This Landcare Week, we are celebrating the work of Goonellabah Tucki Landcare. The group is restoring 10 hectares of creek-side land. The site is along Upper Tucki Creek in Lismore, New South Wales. The Australian Government's Urban Rivers and Catchments Program funds the project. Community members are transforming weed-infested creek-side land into native subtropical rainforest. The work is improving habitat for native wildlife, including the platypus. It is also supporting Macadamia tetraphylla, a vulnerable native rainforest tree. The project had 2 main goals: remove invasive weeds plant 16,000 locally native rainforest plants. The community has already exceeded that target. Volunteers have planted more than 28,000 plants, with over 18,000 of these grown by the volunteers. Community members have contributed hundreds of volunteer hours. Local schools have helped with mulching. Volunteers continue to collect seed and propagate native plants. Recently the group held a community open day. The event celebrated the project's progress. After 18 months, the work is already delivering benefits: restoring native rainforest habitat stabilising creek banks improving water quality improving habitat for native plants and animals. The project shows how community action can restore and protect local waterways. Get involved this Landcare Week This year's Landcare Week theme is Experience Landcare. People are encouraged to join their local Landcare group. Landcare groups across Australia: plant native vegetation remove invasive weeds restore waterways create habitat for native wildlife. Read more Urban Rivers and Catchments Program Landcare Week | Landcare Australia(external link)

Australia’s Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program (RRAP) is one of the world’s largest collective efforts to help a significant ecosystem become more resilient to climate change. RRAP has delivered world-leading solutions to help reefs adapt, recover and be more resilient. This includes solutions to: cool and shade areas of the Reef assist coral species to adapt to a changing environment support natural restoration of damaged and degraded reefs. This work was delivered through the RRAP Research and Development (R&D) phase. The R&D phase commenced in 2020 and involved more than 300 Australian and international experts. These solutions are now transitioning to the next phase. This involves testing real-world deployment on the Reef at scale. This work is being delivered through the RRAP Pilot Deployments Program (PDP). The PDP launched in 2025. Two RRAP interventions are currently undergoing pilot deployment through the PDP: seeding of coral larvae in the wild seeding of corals propagated by aquaculture. Work delivered through the PDP is providing exciting prospects for coral reefs. During the mass spawning event in 2025, millions of corals were reared and deployed on the Reef to test survival, growth, and resilience for future restoration. In the May Budget, the Australian Government announced $30 million to support the PDP. This funding will ensure the RRAP mission continues to progress and accelerate through the PDP. RRAP is funded by the partnership between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Australian Government’s Reef Trust. The PDP is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Read more Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program(external link) Reef Restoration and Adaption Program Synthesis Report 2020-2025(external link) UNESCO's World Heritage Review magazine(external link) (RRAP feature on page 158)

Release Date: August 3, 2026 BOTHELL, Wash. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for the Tartar Fire burning in Washington County, Idaho. The state of Idaho’s request for a declaration under FEMA’s Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) program was approved by FEMA Region 10 Acting Regional Administrator Vincent J. Maykovich on Sunday, Aug. 2, at 5:51 a.m. PT. He determined that the Tartar Fire threatened to cause such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. This is the first FMAG declaration in 2026 to help fight Idaho wildfires. At the time of the state’s request, the wildfire threatened homes in and around the community of Weiser. The fire also threatened water and power utility infrastructure, the Weiser School District, and local businesses. FMAGs make funding available to pay up to 75 percent of a state’s eligible firefighting costs for fires that threaten to become major disasters. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization and demobilization activities attributed to fighting the fire. These grants do not provide assistance to individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.  ### Follow FEMA Region 10 on X and LinkedIn for the latest updates and visit FEMA.gov for more information. FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters. Download Press Release PDF Accessible TXT Tags: Region 10 Idaho Fire Fire Management Assistance Grants Wildfire

Pharmaceutical residues enter the environment worldwide through excretion after use and improper disposal and can cause significant ecotoxicological effects while also contributing to the pollution of water resources used for drinking water production and food production. Although pharmaceuticals are indispensable for public healthcare, their environmental impacts are rarely considered during prescribing or dispensing. A newly developed Environmental Pharmaceutical Index (EPI) aims to integrate environmental information systematically into pharmaceutical and medical decision-making. The objective is to balance therapeutical needs and environmental impacts by supporting the selection of therapeutically equivalent medicines with lower environmental impacts without compromising patient care. A practical environmental information, classification and dissemination system The proposed Environmental Pharmaceutical Index consists of three interconnected components: an environmental information system, an environmental classification system, and a dissemination system. The information system is designed to collect substance-based environmental information, primarily from Environmental Risk Assessments (ERA) conducted during the European marketing authorisation process. The authors propose using the German Environment Agency's ChemInfo database as the central information platform. Based on the outcomes of the ERA risk assessment and hazard assessment, the system introduces a practical traffic light classification with the categories red, yellow, green and grey. This classification enables healthcare professionals to compare active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) within the same indication group and to identify substances of environmental concern while maintaining transparency regarding the underlying scientific evidence. International experience informed the German concept The concept builds on an evaluation of existing environmental information and classification systems in Sweden, Finland and Scotland. The study combined scoping literature reviews, qualitative stakeholder interviews, expert panel meetings, stakeholder workshops, and a feasibility analysis. The results demonstrate that environmental information is most effective when it is integrated directly into existing therapeutic decision-making processes rather than requiring additional information searches during routine clinical practice. Accordingly, the proposed dissemination strategy includes integration into pharmacy and doctors' office management software, therapeutic guidelines, formularies, and other established healthcare information systems to support environmentally informed prescribing and dispensing. Supporting eco-directed pharmaceutical prescribing The Environmental Pharmaceutical Index is intended to complement established therapeutic decision-making rather than replace it. Environmental aspects should only influence the choice of treatment where multiple therapeutically equivalent treatment options are available. Therapeutic efficacy, patient safety and clinical appropriateness remain the primary considerations. In the long term, the authors identify opportunities to integrate environmental information into market authorisation, reimbursement decisions, discount agreements of health insurance companies, labelling, and therapeutic guidelines. By combining a scientifically robust environmental information system with practical dissemination approaches, the proposed concept aims to facilitate eco-directed pharmaceutical prescribing and reduce the environmental burden of pharmaceuticals in Germany. The study "Environmental Pharmaceutical Index – a practical information, classification and dissemination system for medication in Germany" was carried out by researchers from Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), the Ecologic Institute, and Augsburg University.