Month: July 2026

  Tokyo, July 25 : More than 450 people were hospitalised in Tokyo in a single day due to heat related illnesses as an intense heatwave continued to grip Japan marking the highest number of heatstroke cases recorded in the capital since records began in 2010. According to the Tokyo Fire Department, 453 people required hospital treatment on Wednesday while emergency callouts reached their highest level since at least 1963. Authorities said the number of patients increased sharply as temperatures climbed earlier this week. The heatwave has claimed at least 14 lives nationwide over the past week, with the Fire and Disaster Management Agency describing the extreme weather as a "disaster." More than 11,000 people have sought emergency medical care for heat-related illnesses across...

  Europe's ongoing heat and drought crisis has been significantly intensified by human induced climate change with rising temperatures making severe drought conditions far more likely across the continent, according to a new scientific assessment by the World Weather Attribution (WWA). The study found that the summer of 2026 has been marked by exceptional heat, widespread rainfall deficits and prolonged drought stretching from Portugal to southern Finland. Combined with successive heatwaves, these conditions have triggered severe agricultural losses, unusually low river levels and extensive wildfires particularly in Spain and France, where more than 116,000 hectares and 42,000 hectares have burned, respectively. Researchers from 13 countries assessed how climate change influe...

  Australia's new national emergency warning system, AusAlert, is being hailed as a major upgrade to the country disaster alert infrastructure but researchers are warning that the system will not fully protect vulnerable communities unless it becomes more accessible and easier to use. AusAlert uses cell broadcast technology to send emergency warnings directly from mobile phone towers to all compatible devices in a specific area, without requiring phone numbers or apps. The system is designed to avoid the network congestion that can affect SMS alerts and is expected to become fully operational in October after a national test on July 27. While experts say the technology is a significant improvement for warning people about bushfires, floods and cyclones, they argue that receiv...

  New Delhi, July 24: The future protection of the Aravali mountain range has come under renewed focus as a Supreme Court-appointed high powered committee seeks public suggestions and expert opinions on defining the Aravalis. The committee constituted in May 2026, is expected to submit its report by August 31, and its recommendations could shape future policies on mining, conservation and land use across the region. The debate centres on a uniform definition approved by the Supreme Court in November 2025, based on recommendations from the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Central Empowered Committee. Under the proposed criteria, a hill would qualify as part of the Aravalis only if it rises at least 100 metres above the surrounding terrain, wh...

  Erode, July 24: The Forest Department has strengthened efforts to mitigate human elephant conflict in villages surrounding the Parabetta Reserve Forest under the Kadambur Forest Range of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Tamil Nadu. The measures include clearing roadside vegetation installing AI enabled surveillance cameras and deploying special night patrol teams to improve public safety and wildlife monitoring. The 1,250 hectare reserve forest is home to more than 15 adult male elephants and is surrounded by agricultural lands. Forest officials said elephants frequently venture out of the forest at night in search of food and water, often entering nearby farmlands and villages, leading to crop damage, property loss and occasional human casualties. To reduce elepha...

  London, July 24: The chemical recycling industry is witnessing a slowdown across Europe and the United States as several recycling plants shut down, projects are postponed or cancelled and companies cite policy uncertainty and weak commercial viability as major challenges. Chemical recycling, which converts plastic waste into oils or raw materials for manufacturing new plastics, has struggled to scale despite technological progress. Industry experts say inconsistent regulations, high production costs and limited investment certainty are slowing the sector growth. According to industry representatives, the broader plastics recycling sector is facing structural challenges, resulting in slower recycling growth, increased exports of sorted plastic waste and continued dependence...

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture has reaffirmed the importance of afforestation as a natural solution to rising summer temperatures, emphasizing that expanding tree cover can cool urban areas improve air quality and enhance overall quality of life. The ministry's remarks came during the 20th meeting of the executive committee of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI), where member states reviewed progress toward regional goals of planting 35.4 billion trees and rehabilitating 99.4 million hectares of degraded land. According to the ministry, trees reduce heat by providing shade and limiting heat absorption from roads and pavements. Through transpiration, they also release water vapour that helps cool surrounding air, making cities, parks and public ...

  Hanoi: Decades of coffee driven expansion have contributed to extensive deforestation in Vietnam Central Highlands, with tropical forest cover in the region declining from 42.8% in 1990 to 19% in 2020 according to a new investigation by Berlin based watchdog Coffee Watch. Vietnam, the world's second largest coffee producer and supplier of nearly 40% of global Robusta coffee exports, grows about 95% of its coffee in the Central Highlands. The report, based on satellite imagery and government records, found that forest loss accelerated between 1995 and 2010 before stabilizing at lower levels in the 2020s. Most remaining tropical forests are now restricted to higher elevations, steep terrain and protected areas. Coffee Watch said historical government policies and internationa...

  New Delhi: The Central Government is monitoring 2,485 glacial lakes across the Himalayan river basins using remote sensing technology, with 56 lakes classified as "very high risk" due to their potential to trigger Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), the Centre informed Parliament. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors glacial lakes larger than 10 hectares across four Himalayan states and two Union Territories from June to October every year through satellite based monitoring. The minister said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in collaboration with national scientific agencies, carried out a scientific assessment of 189 high risk glacial lakes across the...

Antalya: As preparations gather pace for COP31, delegates at the Road to Antalya: Zero Waste as Climate Action forum in Türkiye called for a broader approach to waste management, arguing that zero waste should be treated as a climate, resource efficiency and sustainable production strategy rather than being limited to recycling. Representatives from around 183 countries stressed that tackling waste requires addressing its root causes, including overproduction, product design, reuse systems and producer responsibility, instead of focusing solely on collection, recycling and disposal. Speaking at the forum, Zero Waste Forum President and COP31 Climate High Level Champion Samed Ağırbaş said zero waste is about managing production and consumption patterns, not just waste management and r...