Month: October 2025

Lahore has reclaimed its grim title as the world’s most polluted city, with air quality levels soaring well beyond World Health Organization (WHO) safety standards. The latest data from IQAir shows the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 312, while PM2.5 levels reached 190.5 micrograms per cubic meter over 25 times higher than the permissible limit. The thick layer of smog hanging over Lahore stems from a combination of vehicular emissions, industrial smoke, and widespread crop residue burning across Punjab. Despite the Punjab government Smog Emergency Plan being in effect, the pollution crisis continues to worsen. The plan includes tighter restrictions on vehicle emissions, bans on open waste burning, and curbs on industrial discharge. Authorities have also urged residents to sta...

Nature is emerging as one of the most powerful and cost-effective allies in building resilience against disasters across Africa. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) has highlighted six innovative, community-led examples of nature-based solutions showcased during the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025). These success stories demonstrate how restoring ecosystems can simultaneously address floods, droughts, heatwaves, and soil erosion while improving livelihoods and biodiversity. In Mauritania, the revival of the traditional “village re-bushing” practice is regenerating vast stretches of degraded land. By blending indigenous methods with modern technology such as drones for seed dispersal and geospatial monitoring, communities are restoring thousands of ...

Jamaica is facing one of its most powerful storms in history as Hurricane Melissa barrels toward the island, threatening catastrophic flooding, landslides, and storm surge impacts. The country has never recorded a landfall this strong, not even during the devastating Hurricane Gilbert of 1988, which crossed the island as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph winds. Meteorologists warn that Jamaica faces extreme inland flood risk, with 20 to 30 inches of rain expected to trigger flash floods and deadly mudslides. The mountainous terrain, combined with the volume of rain forecasted, could lead to widespread destruction across both rural and urban areas. Although Jamaica is not typically vulnerable to high storm surges, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts 9 to 13 feet of inundation t...

A groundbreaking study published in Nature Communications reveals that the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a major driver of global climate variability, could undergo a dramatic transformation as the planet continues to warm. Scientists from South Korea, the USA, Germany, and Ireland warn that ENSO may intensify sharply and synchronize with other global climate systems by the end of the century, reshaping global temperature and rainfall patterns. Using advanced high-resolution climate models, researchers found that within the next 30 to 40 years, ENSO could shift from its current irregular El Niño and La Niña cycles to a more stable, rhythmic pattern marked by stronger sea surface temperature swings. “In a warmer world, the tropical Pacific can reach a tipping point, switching from...

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences introduces a groundbreaking forecasting method called “epimodulation,” which could help health systems better predict and prepare for epidemic peaks. Developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the approach gives models a more intuitive understanding of how epidemics naturally evolve improving accuracy when predicting the most critical stage of an outbreak. During an epidemic, decision-makers often struggle to determine when infections will peak, how many people will need care at once, and how long hospitals will remain under strain. Traditional models tend to falter at these turning points. The new method addresses this by embedding basic epidemiological principles such as how immunity build...

In an astonishing paleontological breakthrough, miners in Alberta, Canada, have unearthed a 110-million-year-old dinosaur fossil so remarkably preserved that it includes skin, armor, and even internal organs. The discovery, belonging to a nodosaur named Borealopelta, has left scientists stunned at the level of detail, providing an unprecedented glimpse into dinosaur biology and fossilization processes. The fossil was discovered by accident at the Suncor Millennium Mine near Fort McMurray. Instead of hitting rock, miners stumbled upon what appeared to be the stony outline of a massive creature. When paleontologists examined it, they realized they had found one of the best-preserved dinosaur specimens ever. Now displayed at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, the nodosaur an armored p...

A new study has shed light on how offshore wind turbines and marine infrastructure may threaten millions of migrating birds crossing open ocean routes in North America. Using radar data from U.S. coastal weather stations, researchers found that songbirds migrate over narrow windows of time in spring and fall, flying at lower altitudes than they do over land sometimes within the height range of turbine blades. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology analyzed radar data from 16 weather stations between 2014 and 2023. It revealed that 20–40% of bird traffic occurs below 300 meters the height range of many offshore turbines suggesting that collisions could be a real risk. However, scientists say this danger can be reduced with “dynamic management,” meaning wind farms could te...

India has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest contributor to forest carbon removals, absorbing an average of 150 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide per year between 2021 and 2025, according to the latest Forest Resources Assessment by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Forests across the globe continue to play a vital role in mitigating climate change, collectively removing about 3.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually during the same period. Despite ongoing deforestation averaging 10.9 million hectares per year global forest loss has slowed compared to the 1990–2000 period when it stood at 17.6 million hectares annually. Russia, China, and the United States lead the world in carbon sequestration from forests, with mean annual removals of 1,150 Mt CO₂, 840 Mt CO₂, and ...

As the number of visitors to Uttarakhand’s revered Char Dham shrines Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri continues to rise each year, a new study has cautioned that these fragile Himalayan sites can sustain only a limited number of tourists per day to prevent ecological damage. Published in the journal Scientific Reports the study estimates the maximum sustainable daily visitor capacity at 15,778 for Badrinath, 13,111 for Kedarnath, 8,178 for Gangotri, and 6,160 for Yamunotri provided the government implements strict sustainability measures such as proper waste management, restricting vehicle access, and developing eco-friendly infrastructure. The researchers from institutions including the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, recommend that the government...

The Union government has undertaken restoration and conservation of around 22,560 hectares of mangrove land under the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) in the last two years, according to official data. Launched on June 5, 2023, MISHTI aims to restore degraded mangrove forests, promote afforestation, and enhance the resilience of India coastal ecosystems. The scheme was first announced in the Union Budget for 2023–24 to strengthen coastal biodiversity and support sustainable livelihoods. As per the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, the initiative has covered 22,560.34 hectares across 13 states and Union Territories during 2023–24 and 2024–25 through collaborative plantation and restoration efforts. Gujarat has emerged as th...