Month: December 2025

A coalition of twenty-eight low-income countries has called for a greenhouse gas pricing mechanism targeting industrial livestock production in wealthy nations. The appeal was made during the thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Belem, Brazil, where developing countries argued that high levels of meat consumption in rich economies are driving disproportionate climate damage. The group, made up of seven African countries and twenty-one Pacific island nations, signed a “Belem Declaration on Greenhouse Gas Emission Pricing on Agri-Food Systems.” The declaration urges high-income countries, the European Union, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states and China to impose greenhouse gas pricing on their...

A new national assessment has found that India’s groundwater quality is generally strong, but several states continue to face significant contamination challenges. The Annual Groundwater Quality Report 2025, released by the Central Ground Water Board last week, analysed 14,978 groundwater samples collected during 2024 and offers a detailed picture of drinking water safety across the country. According to the report, more than 71 percent of samples meet permissible drinking water standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Some states and Union Territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Jammu and Kashmir, recorded one hundred percent compliance with safety norms. However, 28.3 percent of samples exceeded limits on at least one quality parameter, indicating the ...

Gangtok - In direct response to the escalating climate crisis impacting the Eastern Himalayas, the government of Sikkim is taking extensive measures to fortify its disaster preparedness and management framework. The devastating Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) from the South Lhonak Lake in October 2023 which tragically destroyed the Teesta-III dam and caused the River Teesta's water level to rise by up to 20 feet downstream has driven the state to focus on building resilience through advanced warning systems, specialized rescue training, and deep community involvement. The state is prioritizing enhanced operational readiness for high-altitude emergencies. This includes specialized training in ropeway rescues being conducted regularly, even outside the usual monsoon season, in collabor...

A new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) identifies India as one of five Asia-Pacific countries where the agriculture sector faces a consistently "high risk" from rising temperatures. The 2025 Asia-Pacific Disaster Report warns that the impacts including reduced crop yields, lower livestock productivity, declining labor capacity, and deepening rural poverty remain high under both low- and high-emissions climate scenarios. India joins Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh in this high-risk category, underscoring the severe threat to the South Asian region. The Looming Threat to Food Systems Agriculture is central to the region's food security and employment, contributing more than a quarter of the region GDP and employing the m...

Sydney - The Asia-Pacific region energy systems are edging towards systemic failure as extreme heat intensifies, according to the latest 2025 Asia-Pacific Disaster Report from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The report warns that climate-driven heat will push the region power infrastructure past its breaking point precisely when billions of people need cooling the most. ESCAP projects that the share of power plants exposed to days above 40°C is expected to more than double to 8 per cent by 2099 across the region, with the surge expected to be most extreme in South and South-West Asia, where exposure could climb to more than 20 per cent. Under a high-emissions pathway, the share of power plants exposed to days above 45°C could rise to n...

The United Kingdom’s latest budget did not present itself as climate-focused, yet almost every major decision inside it will influence the country’s climate future. On November 26, 2025, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered a budget centred on economic growth, productivity and cost of living. Climate change and Net Zero targets hardly appeared in her speech. The word “climate” was mentioned only a few times. But a deeper look at the budget documents shows a very different picture. The government decided to end the Energy Company Obligation, a long-running scheme that funded home insulation and low-carbon upgrades. A new per-mile tax on electric vehicles was announced for 2028. The budget extended the current 5 pence fuel duty cut, kept the 78 per cent windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas...

A new national report has revealed concerning levels of uranium contamination in India’s groundwater, highlighting the need for immediate monitoring and mitigation. The Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025, released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and prepared by the Central Ground Water Board, shows that 13 to 15 percent of tested water samples contain uranium levels higher than permitted safety standards. The findings, based on groundwater samples collected during 2024, point to several regions in India where contamination is particularly severe. Northwestern states including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh recorded uranium concentrations above limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Experts attribute this rise to natural geological conditions as well as exc...

Global eel populations, long considered essential to the sushi industry and deeply rooted in cultural traditions, are facing severe decline. Overfishing, habitat loss and the accelerating impacts of climate change have placed several eel species under increasing pressure, raising alarms among conservation groups worldwide. This week, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) held discussions on whether international trade restrictions should be introduced to help protect vulnerable eel populations. Despite growing scientific evidence of population collapse and widespread illegal poaching, member countries voted against adopting new protections. The decision has sparked renewed debate among governments, conservationists and seafood industry stakeholders. Coun...

The current widespread and early outbreak of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) sweeping across Europe and North America is predominantly caused by the highly pathogenic strain H5N1. This subtype of the influenza A virus has been responsible for unprecedented damage to poultry flocks and has increasingly been reported in various wild bird species across continents. Economic and Agricultural Fallout The economic costs of a severe bird flu outbreak are far-reaching and can impact entire economies, not just the poultry sector. The primary economic impacts include: • Direct Losses to the Poultry Sector: This involves the loss of poultry due to the disease itself, and massive losses due to mandatory culling of birds as a control measure. This directly affects farmers and leads to reduced produ...

An unprecedented and early wave of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) is sweeping across Europe and North America, impacting both wild bird populations and commercial poultry farms and triggering widespread global concern. The severity and unusual geographical breadth of the outbreak are alarming experts, prompting fears of significant economic repercussions reminiscent of past crises, which involved mass culling of birds and subsequent soaring food prices. Widespread Impact Across Continents The outbreak has seen a significant increase in cases in key agricultural regions: • In the United States, the number of outbreaks has risen, with states like Minnesota confirming cases earlier than typical. • Canada is experiencing a similar rapid spread, prompting immediate preventive action fro...