Month: July 2025

In response to a string of devastating natural disasters, the Himachal Pradesh government is turning to scientific institutions like IIT Mandi, IIT Roorkee, and ISRO to help decode the causes and develop preventive strategies. The move comes in the wake of a deadly cloudburst in Mandi district that claimed three lives and left dozens missing or feared dead. Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, who visited the flood-ravaged areas of Mandi on Monday night alongside local MLA Anil Sharma and Mayor Virendra Bhatt Sharma, said that the state is witnessing an alarming frequency of disasters 21 deaths in Mandi alone this monsoon, with 17 linked to cloudbursts and 27 people still unaccounted for. “These recurring tragedies demand expert intervention,” Singh said, emphasizing the governm...

Gujarat has rolled out a large-scale plantation campaign, planting over 7.6 lakh saplings under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to enhance green cover across the state. Spearheaded by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” movement and aims to bolster climate resilience through tree cover expansion. Launched by the State Forest Department, the drive targets roadside stretches, coastal highways, and unused public land, creating what officials describe as a “green corridor” for ecological balance and long-term sustainability. The campaign also supports Gujarat’s pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A major boost to the effort came with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Gandhinag...

Evacuations ordered in Chile, Ecuador and Peru as tsunami waves hit coastlines; U.S. and Japan scale down warnings. A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30, setting off tsunami alerts across the Pacific and prompting evacuations in parts of South America. The quake among the six strongest ever recorded, was centered just 78 miles from the regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Violent shaking shook the city with Kamchatka’s governor calling it the most intense in decades. Soon after the tremor, 19-foot tsunami waves surged into the port town of Severo-Kurilsk, sweeping away shipping containers, boats, and infrastructure. Remarkably, even as buildings trembled, doctors at a local cancer center continued surgery, later earning praise ...

Ethiopia is fast-tracking its transition to a climate-resilient green economy, unveiling bold policies and massive infrastructure projects in response to intensifying climate threats. As the country grapples with floods, droughts, and erratic rainfall, authorities are doubling down on renewable energy, sustainable farming, and climate finance advocacy. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), set for completion in September 2025, will be Africa’s largest hydroelectric project with a 5,000 MW capacity. Already supplying over 2,300 MW, GERD is the centerpiece of Ethiopia plan to meet all its power needs through renewables primarily hydropower, wind, and geothermal. Facing rising economic risks climate-related losses could hit 5% of GDP by the 2040s Ethiopia is implementing a $6 bill...

In a worrying climate signal global gas flaring surged to its highest level since 2007 releasing an estimated 389 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions in 2024. The new data, published in the World Bank Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, reveals a sharp uptick in both carbon dioxide and unburnt methane pollution from oil extraction activities worldwide. Of the total emissions, 46 million tonnes came from unburnt methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than CO₂. The total volume of gas flared reached 151 billion cubic metres (bcm) a 3 bcm jump from 2023 wasting gas equal to nearly the entire annual consumption of the African continent. The rise poses a major threat to the Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 goal set by the World Bank and United Nations. Achieving this target will now ...

In a bold conservation push, the New Zealand government has announced a $10 million investment over three years to control invasive weeds threatening the country world-famous natural landscapes and $3.4 billion conservation tourism sector. Unveiled by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka and Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard, the initiative aims to safeguard biodiversity boost rural livelihoods, and secure the future of nature-based tourism by targeting some of the country most ecologically sensitive and visited areas. Weeds on the Rise, Ecosystems at Risk Invasive species like wilding pines marram grass, spartina, and pampas grass are expanding rapidly, disrupting native ecosystems, degrading farmland, and even endangering icons like Aoraki/Mount Cook and Stewart Island. Wilding p...

Madhya Pradesh is reeling under intense monsoon fury as incessant rainfall over the past three days has triggered flooding and structural collapses across Guna, Shivpuri, Ashoknagar, and Gwalior. At least four people have died, while over 250 residents have been rescued in swift joint operations by the Indian Army, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). In Guna district, two people died due to wall collapses, while nearly 150 stranded residents were rescued from Fatehgarh and Bamori areas. Guna SP Ankit Soni confirmed the activation of a control room and full coordination between police and civil authorities. Collector Kishore Kumar Kanyal described the situation as critical, with multiple areas submerged and rescue efforts continuing round th...

A sweeping expansion of oil exploration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has triggered alarm across the global environmental community. With 52 new oil blocks auctioned in 2025 bringing the total to 55 over 53% of the country's land and inland waters are now covered by oil licenses, according to a damning new report from Earth Insight and local civil society groups. This aggressive move threatens 124 million hectares of ecologically sensitive land, including the Cuvette Centrale peatlands, one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks. These peatlands hold 30 gigatons of carbon, equivalent to 20 years of U.S. fossil fuel emissions, and their disturbance could release vast amounts of CO₂ and methane, accelerating climate change irreversibly. “These peatlands take thousands of ...

As India prepares to roll out the next phase of its National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) experts warn that without decisive industrial reforms, cities will continue to choke on polluted air. A recent commentary by Anirban Banerjee, a senior associate at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), calls for a targeted strategy to reduce emissions from both formal and informal industries. Nearly 37% of India most polluted cities are clustered around industrial zones thermal power plants, smelters, brick kilns, and small-scale manufacturing units. In over 20% of these cities, industries are the primary contributors to air pollution. Yet, just 0.6% of NCAP and Finance Commission funds are currently allocated to controlling industrial emissions. One of the biggest hurdl...

Once known as the ‘Abode of Clouds’ Meghalaya now leads the country in monsoon rainfall deficit, sparking concerns over its climate future. Meghalaya, long revered for its relentless rains and lush green landscapes, is witnessing a stunning shift. This monsoon, the state recorded the highest rainfall deficit in India a staggering 56% threatening its rain-fed agriculture, fragile biodiversity and water security. Between June 1 and July 28, the state received just 690.7 mm of rainfall against a seasonal normal of 1,555.4 mm. Surprisingly, even drier states like Jharkhand saw more rainfall during the same period, with Jharkhand recording 732.6 mm a 53% surplus. The trend isn’t just seasonal. Long-term analyses show a worrying decline in rainfall across central and northern Meghalaya, e...