A recent study by scientists indicates that the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region is experiencing increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events due to climate change, including rapid glacial melting and changing rainfall patterns. However, the research also cautions against solely blaming climate change, highlighting that human factors like population growth, commercial activities, and non-enforcement of regulations contribute significantly to the vulnerability and impact of these disasters. The study points out that many devastating floods originate from small glaciers and rain-fed streams, exacerbated by encroachment on unstable slopes and floodplains.
A World Cup game between Paraguay and France in Philadelphia is at risk due to extreme heat and humidity, linked to climate change and fossil fuel use. A heat dome over the U.S. and Canada has pushed temperatures beyond safe play recommendations, raising concerns about player safety and future tournament scheduling.
A new study projects that by the end of the century, hot days could experience an additional four hours of extreme heat, with low and middle-income countries being disproportionately affected. The research highlights that traditional daily temperature metrics often overlook shorter, intense periods of heat, and hourly assessments are crucial for effective heat risk management and public health planning in a warming climate.
Climate experts explain how El Nino and climate change are intricately linked, with El Nino delaying monsoon onset and climate change intensifying rainfall. This new reality is altering the Indian monsoon's behaviour, leading to short-duration, high-intensity rain spells, especially in western and northwestern regions.
Nepal's devastating flash floods have claimed 1,127 lives, with thousands still missing a week after the disaster. Rescuers are intensifying efforts to find survivors and recover bodies across affected regions, while police work to identify victims and relocate families from high-risk areas.
'People told me to go back to school and leave climate issues to adults. But if adults had done their job, I wouldn't be here protesting.' At just 14, climate activist Licypriya Kangujam says children are paying the price for a crisis they did not create, while governments continue to make promises without delivering meaningful change.
India abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution concerning climate change obligations, citing concerns that it undermines the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). India believes climate obligations should be negotiated through the UN climate framework, emphasising differentiated responsibilities.
Researchers have discovered that Delhi's urban forests are significant carbon sinks, storing substantial amounts of carbon in trees and soil, with the potential to generate revenue through carbon credits. The study highlights the importance of preserving and expanding these forests to combat climate change.
Window for fast marathons closing because of climate change, report finds
The head of the UN's climate science panel, Jim Skea, has expressed concern over the accelerating pace of climate impacts, saying scientists have been surprised by the speed of temperature rise. Skea attributed the worsening situation to inaction on climate change and highlighted the need for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He also addressed concerns about the scientific messaging and the perception of imposed climate policies, emphasizing the importance of involving societies and people in climate change action.
A preliminary government report reveals that devastating flash floods in Nepal have affected over 32,000 people, caused 1,295 deaths, and severely damaged infrastructure including roads, bridges, schools, and healthcare facilities. Senior Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsing KC has criticised the government's coordination of rescue and relief operations and called for international action on climate justice.
Nepal has launched a diplomatic initiative to secure climate-related compensation from major greenhouse gas emitters, asserting that post-disaster assistance for recent deadly flash floods should be viewed as a moral and legal liability, not charity. Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal highlighted Nepal's disproportionate suffering from global warming despite negligible emissions, citing rapid glacier melt and extreme mountain disasters. The country has formally approached the Loss and Damage Fund board for urgent financial aid following a catastrophic flash flood in the Bhotekoshi river basin.
Frequent weather shocks caused by climate change pose challenges for the monetary policy as well as downside risks to economic growth, a Reserve Bank report said. Global average temperatures are on a rise, with accompanying increase in extreme weather events (EWE), and the economic and social impact of global warming is becoming increasingly evident, said RBI's Monetary Policy Report - April 2024. The report said that climate change has increased the frequency and ferocity of weather shocks, posing challenges for monetary policy.
'The trigger for the flood was definitely natural, but the damage that it caused was human-made.'
The death toll from devastating flash floods in Nepal has surged to 1,252, with more bodies recovered and fresh flood risks emerging due to continuous rainfall in the Bhotekoshi River's upstream areas. The disaster, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche, has also left 4,875 people missing and prompted calls to address climate change's impact on the Himalayan region.
The deadly landslides in Kerala's ecologically fragile Wayanad district were triggered by a heavy burst of rainfall, made 10 per cent heavier by climate change, according to a new rapid attribution study by a global team of scientists.
'We need to value lives and also put a value on our lives.'
A scientist from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology highlights how climate change, including glacial retreat, shifting precipitation patterns, and rising nighttime temperatures, is exacerbating the risk of flash floods and landslides in the Himalayas, as seen in recent disasters in Nepal and Uttarakhand.
The Ministry of External Affairs reported that 275 Indians remain missing following devastating flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, while 166 others have been rescued. India has supplied 95 tonnes of relief material and deployed 54 personnel, including rescue and forensic experts, to assist Nepal. The death toll in Nepal has reached 1,295, with thousands still missing, and significant infrastructure damage reported. India has also highlighted the need for developed countries to lead in climate change action.
'If learning to read changed our brain in a good way and we gained remarkable knowledge that we shared with each other then, by the same logic, won't lack of reading also change our brain? Won't it reduce the valuable knowledge we acquire and share with each other,' asks reading coach Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta on National Reading Day.
Climate scientists warn that climate change is intensifying heatwaves in India, with the cooling effects of La Nia potentially becoming less effective in a warmer future. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts an early summer with above-normal temperatures and intense heatwave spells, following an unusually dry winter and the warmest February since 1901. Experts emphasize the role of human-caused climate change, along with natural climate drivers like El Nio and La Nia, in shaping weather patterns. While La Nia typically brings cooler temperatures, scientists suggest that under climate change, its ability to mitigate heatwaves may be diminished.
Following devastating flash floods in Nepal, experts are calling for systematic scientific assessments of glaciers to understand and mitigate hazards, alongside the development of a robust land use policy for the Himalayan region. The floods, which killed over 460 people and left thousands missing, are believed to be linked to climate change impacts on glaciers and permafrost.
India should encourage the second coming of SAARC with climate change as an urgent agenda and keeping Indian security concerns in mind as the subtext, suggest Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
India has rescued three more nationals, including a child, from Nepal's flood-hit Trishuli Bazaar, bringing the total evacuees to 169, while 275 Indians remain missing. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that 1,907 Indians safely crossed into Nepal from China and India continues to provide extensive relief materials and expert teams to assist Nepal in its recovery efforts following the devastating flash floods.
Nepal's former Forest and Environment Minister Madhav Prasad Chaulagain has expressed concern over the lack of timely information exchange with China ahead of the devastating floods, stating that the disaster's scale could lead to an 'unbelievable' rise in the death toll.
Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) suggest that an ice-rock avalanche originating in a high-altitude area likely triggered the devastating flash floods that swept across central Nepal districts, killing at least 95 people and leaving nearly 500 missing.
India has highlighted 13 key outcomes from the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, focusing on enhanced cooperation in security, counter-terrorism, and addressing transnational threats. These outcomes include the establishment of a Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats to Security, a strong stance against state-sponsored terrorism, and agreements on narcotics control, climate change, and artificial intelligence, reinforcing India's engagement in the Eurasian region.
'It appears to be a combination: A glacier breaking away, and a dam-like formation downstream reaching capacity and releasing water suddenly.'
Dominic Xavier offers his take on the UN's climate conference, COP26 in Glasgow, where top world leaders -- barring Xi Jinping and Vladmir Putin -- will discuss how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change and altering our planet forever.
The Environment Ministry has removed its private secretary and two additional private secretaries through three separate orders issued on July 3. While one was removed on "administrative grounds" and another "prematurely repatriated," the appointment of the third was terminated, with no specific reasons publicly stated for these significant personnel changes.
A new study by IIT Kharagpur researchers, published in Nature Communications, reveals that urban growth patterns significantly influence future cooling demand in cities. The research highlights that a city's "thermal memory," shaped by decades of development decisions, impacts its heat burden and energy requirements, independent of global temperature rises. The study analysed 88 Indian cities and a global sample of 52 cities over two decades.
Modi thanked Seychelles for the honour and dedicated it to the nations which are fighting the challenges of climate change.
A heated exchange occurred in the Maharashtra assembly between Speaker Rahul Narwekar and Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray regarding the "act of God" defence for heavy rains and related incidents. The debate escalated to include climate change and alleged embezzlement at the Ram temple, leading to a brief adjournment.
'Since there is no photo-op, or quick fix solutions, politicians do not want to address climate change. It is very unfashionable.'
India has over 22,000 wild elephants. May their tribe increase.
The overwhelming feeling at the end of COP 27 was that despite decades of meetings and landmark accords, like the Paris Agreement, the world was still not doing enough to slow the climate crisis, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'There needs to be a monitoring of glaciers in high altitude areas and one needs to check regularly how geological changes are taking place.' 'We can mitigate that by regular monitoring but unfortunately, hardly any monitoring is happening.' 'And without monitoring those higher altitudes of Himalayas, people are suffering.'
'When there is a change in the wind speed or the stress exerted on the surface, it will change the ocean currents.'
The renowned Indian sand artist became the first Indian recipient of the Russia Grand Sand Master Cup 2026.
A new study reveals that extreme climate hazards, typically associated with higher levels of global warming, could occur even under a moderate warming of 2 degrees Celsius, posing significant threats to food production, forests, and urban areas.
