April 2025 - Page 4 of 13 - Disasters News

Apr242025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Istanbul Residents Run For Life As 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake Jolts Turkey

A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Istanbul Turkey's largest city early Wednesday afternoon shaking buildings and prompting residents to flee to the streets in panic. The Earthquake struck at 12:49 local time (09:49 GMT) in the Marmara Sea, with its epicenter near Istanbul’s Silivri district according to the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, as per the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) and was strongly felt across Istanbul and neighboring regions, including Izmir, over 550 kilometers away. Eight aftershocks, ranging between 3.5 and 5.9 magnitude, followed the main tremor. Streets Flooded With People in Panic As the earth shook residents ran out of buildings, many still on alert after the ...

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Unpredictable Temperature Changes Could Kill Low-income Countries: Report

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

A new study published in Nature Communications has raised alarms over the increasing frequency of rapid temperature shifts abrupt swings between extreme heat and cold across the globe with low-income countries expected to bear the brunt of the consequences. The research, jointly led by scientists from Sun Yat-sen University (China) and Princeton University (USA) found that over the past six decades, more than 60% of the world's regions have experienced a significant uptick in these extreme temperature "flips." The most affected zones include South America, Western Europe, Africa, South and Southeast Asia. If current high emission trends continue these fluctuations are projected to become even more intense and frequent by the end of the century posing serious threats to human health,...

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New Zealand Unveils Major Environmental Reporting Changes to Support Its Net-Zero Goals

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

In a bold move to elevate its environmental governance New Zealand has announced sweeping reforms to its national environmental reporting framework aiming to deliver more accurate, accessible and actionable climate and ecological data. Environment Minister Penny Simmonds unveiled the changes this week describing them as a crucial shift from reactive crisis management to proactive evidence based environmental decision-making. These reforms are set to align New Zealand with global best practices while helping communities and businesses plan for an increasingly unpredictable future. At the core of the reforms is an amended Environmental Reporting Act, replacing the current six-monthly reporting cycle with a more strategic annual model. The new framework also integrates analysis of envir...

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

AI in Climate Fight Will Tech Bridge Divide or Deepen Climate Injustice?

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

The world stands at a critical crossroads where climate action is no longer just about policies, but also about algorithms. As AI becomes central to predicting disasters, managing emissions, and building climate resilience, questions of fairness and access grow louder. Will artificial intelligence empower vulnerable nations, or leave them even further behind? This debate gained urgency in January 2025 when UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world risked splitting into AI "haves" and "have-nots". The concern: wealthy nations and tech corporations might monopolize AI advancements while the Global South is sidelined especially in the climate fight. At the COP29 climate summit in Baku, nations signed the Baku Climate Unity Pact, a bold commitment to provide $300 billio...

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Underwater Waterfalls Detected from Space Reveal Climate’s Hidden Currents

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Far beneath the waves of the stormy Southern Ocean, cold, salty water plunges off Antarctica’s continental shelf like a silent underwater waterfall, fueling a vast ocean current system that helps regulate Earth’s climate. Long hidden and nearly impossible to observe, these dense water cascades are finally being seen not by ships or divers, but from space. In a groundbreaking study, researchers have used satellite data to track these powerful underwater flows by spotting tiny dips in sea level often just a few centimetres. These subtle signals, detected by satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometres above Earth, mark the sinking of cold, heavy water as it plunges to the ocean floor. This discovery opens up a low-cost, carbon-free way to monitor one of the ocean’s most important but elusiv...

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Feeling the Heat & Knowing the Science How Education Shapes Climate Concern

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments

When people feel climate change in their own backyards warmer winters, earlier springs, more extreme heat they tend to take it more seriously. But simply experiencing the weather shift isn't always enough. A new study shows that higher education plays a crucial role in helping people make sense of the warming they’re experiencing, especially in colder regions where changes are more noticeable. Anthropologist and social scientist R. Alexander Bentley, along with colleague Ben Horne, analyzed data across over 3,000 U.S. counties to explore how education levels and real-life temperature changes interact to shape climate concern. The findings suggest that it’s the combination of both perceptible warming and education that leads to a deeper awareness and concern about climate change. Educ...

Apr222025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Himachal Pradesh Ramps Up Forest Fire Readiness Calls for Community Vigilance

Breaking News, Climate Actions

With forest fire season underway Himachal Pradesh is stepping up its preparedness efforts, combining technology, ground-level action, and public cooperation to safeguard its extensive forest cover. Chief Conservator of Forests, Shimla Circle, K Thirumal, announced on Monday that while recent rainfall has delayed major fires, the threat remains high due to the state's 68% forest cover well above the national average. Thirumal said during a press briefing “Thanks to good rainfall, fire incidents are still low, with only 90 cases recorded statewide, He noted that Himachal typically sees 1,500 to 2,000 fire incidents annually, with last year recording nearly 2,500 cases. Authorities have launched awareness drives and deployed fire personnel in vulnerable areas. “Community participation i...

Apr212025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Himalayan Snowfall Crisis Major River Basins Record Sharpest Decline in Snow Persistence

Breaking News, Climate Actions

In a concerning climate signal all three major river basins of the Indian Subcontinent the Ganga Indus and Brahmaputra are witnessing their steepest declines in snow persistence, a new report warns. The findings, released by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on April 21, 2025, reveal that the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is experiencing its third consecutive below-normal snow year. Snow persistence defined as the duration snow remains on the ground after snowfall is a key indicator for seasonal water availability. A drop in this metric threatens water security for millions, as snowmelt feeds major rivers across South Asia. The Ganga basin, which saw its highest snow persistence of +30.2% in 2015, has plummeted to a 23-year low of -24.1% in 2025...

Apr212025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Karachi Faces Sweltering Heatwave as Temperatures Soar Past 40°C

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Karachi is bracing for a punishing heatwave beginning Sunday, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasting temperatures as high as 41°C around 4 to 6 degrees above seasonal norms. The warning comes as parts of Sindh have already been enduring extreme heat for over a week. The Met Office has issued a public advisory urging residents to avoid direct sunlight, remain indoors during peak hours, and stay hydrated. Vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women have been asked to take extra care during this period of intense heat. Health risks are on the rise as the heatwave coincides with prolonged power outages across Sindh, further straining public health systems. Hospitals in districts including Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, and Naushahro Feroze are repo...

Apr212025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Lightning Near North Pole Rare Arctic Thunderstorm Linked to Warming Climate

Breaking News, Climate Actions

In a groundbreaking discovery scientists have revealed new evidence that climate change is altering the weather dynamics of the Arctic triggering rare thunderstorms in one of the coldest and driest regions on Earth. A study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China has analyzed a unique thunderstorm event that occurred from August 12–13, 2019. The storm traveled across the Arctic Ocean, coming within just 44 kilometers of the North Pole the closest lightning ever recorded near the top of the world. Jianqiu Zheng a corresponding author of the study "This thunderstorm was unlike anything we typically see in the Arctic, developed during an Arctic warming event when warm, moist air surged northward over the ice cap...