Month: August 2026

  New Delhi: Climate change is increasing the risk of foodborne diseases by altering temperatures, rainfall patterns, water quality and agricultural practices. Foodborne diseases occur when people consume food contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites or harmful substances such as mycotoxins, pesticide residues and heavy metals. The World Health Organization estimates that foodborne diseases cause around 866 million cases and 1.52 million deaths globally each year. Rising air and water temperatures can create conditions that allow disease causing organisms to multiply and spread more rapidly. Salmonella, for instance, has been linked to higher temperatures, which can accelerate bacterial growth. Changes in rainfall and farming practices can also affect the movement of pathoge...

New Delhi: Florida wildlife managers successfully used grass carp to control a severe infestation of hydrilla, an invasive aquatic weed in Lake Baldwin in the Orlando area, reducing the plant coverage from about 95% of the lake to less than 1%. According to a documented case study cited by the Times of India, the treatment cost about $8,499, or roughly $43 per acre. The result has made Lake Baldwin a notable example of biological control being used against invasive aquatic vegetation. Hydrilla is not native to Florida and spread through the state's waterways after entering the aquarium trade. The rapidly growing plant can form dense mats near the water surface, displacing native vegetation and obstructing boating, swimming and fishing. To control the weed, managers introduced gras...

  The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has opened submissions for its Global Integrated Flood and Drought Management Competition for Youth Led Projects 2026–27, seeking innovative ideas that can strengthen disaster resilience and advance early warning systems. The initiative comes as floods and droughts become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world threatening lives, food and water security and putting additional pressure on vulnerable communities. The programme aims to give young people a greater role in developing practical solutions to these challenges. Two Projects to Receive CHF 3,000 Each The competition will select two youth led initiatives, with each winning project receiving a prize of CHF 3,000. Selected project leaders will have nine months t...

  Nigeria has improved its ability to forecast floods, but many vulnerable households still struggle to turn warnings into timely protective action. A new analysis focusing on Kogi State highlights the “last-mile” gap between receiving a flood warning and having the resources and support needed to respond. In 2026, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) identified more than 14,000 communities across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory as being at risk of flooding. In Kogi State, 10 local government areas were placed on high alert. The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet), NIHSA, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and state authorities have strengthened coordination and forecasting. However, warnings alone cannot protect families that lack the m...

  Restoring degraded peatlands in Indonesia reduced wildfire hotspots by up to 22% in restored areas during the 2019 El Niño. Indonesia’s peatland fires have repeatedly intensified during El Nino related droughts, with major fire seasons recorded in 2015, 2019 and 2023. The 2015 fires burned around 2.6 million hectares and caused billions of dollars in economic losses. Researchers compared restored and unrestored peatlands in Sumatra and Kalimantan. They found that rewetting measures, including canal blocking and deep wells, helped reduce fire risk across nearly 4,000 square kilometres of effectively restored peatland. Deep wells were generally more effective because pumped water could directly rewet dry peat and help fight fires. Canal blocking can also work but requires sui...

  Researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have developed a cement based paint that cools buildings by absorbing and evaporating water, similar to how human sweat cools the body. Called CCP-30, the paint combines three cooling mechanisms: reflecting sunlight, releasing heat as infrared radiation and evaporating stored moisture. It contains a porous cement like material that can hold water and gradually release it through evaporation. In tests, a model house coated with CCP-30 remained nearly 4.5°C cooler than houses covered with conventional white paint and a commercial cooling coating. The paint reportedly reflected 88%–92% of sunlight and could hold water equivalent to about 30% of its own weight. The researchers also tested the coating on model houses...

  The Hindu Kush Himalaya region could experience a below normal monsoon in 2026, but scientists warn that lower rainfall will not necessarily mean lower disaster risk. The Hindu Kush Himalaya Monsoon Outlook 2026, released by ICIMOD, forecasts below normal rainfall across parts of Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, along with above normal temperatures across much of the region. Scientists caution that long dry spells followed by short periods of intense rainfall could increase the risk of flash floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas. Erratic rainfall could also worsen drought conditions and put additional pressure on water resources. Rising temperatures and weaker snow cover add to water stress Warmer conditions are expected to increase heat stress an...

Google WeatherNext AI model has achieved a major improvement in cyclone forecasting, providing more than 24 hours of additional predictive lead time for cyclone tracks intensity and wind structure, according to research published in Nature. The model’s three day forecasts are reportedly as accurate as earlier forecasting systems were for only two days. Researchers say the improvement is roughly equivalent to a decade of progress in cyclone forecasting. WeatherNext Cyclones was tested against historical storms from 2023 and 2024 and trained using nearly 20 terabytes of atmospheric data and records of almost 5,000 historical storms. It can generate a 15 day forecast in less than a minute and produce 1,000 possible scenarios for each cyclone to capture uncertainty and rare high impact e...

  Hotter, drier and windier conditions driven by climate change could dramatically increase the area affected by wildfires across Europe, according to a study led by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Researchers estimate that under a low emissions scenario around 39% more land could burn annually by the end of the century compared with the current average. Under a high emissions scenario, the increase could reach about 192%. The study compared projected fire activity for 2070–2100 with the 2000–2030 reference period. Even with warming limited to around 1.8°C, researchers expect widespread increases in burned areas. At around 3.6°C of warming, fire activity could rise sharply, particularly around the Mediterranean and across Western and Central Europe. Bett...

  A major environmental restoration project at Minnesota’s Spirit Lake has transformed a heavily contaminated waterway into a recovering aquatic ecosystem, following decades of industrial pollution. The $186 million cleanup project began in 2020 under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) partnering with U.S. Steel. By 2024, the project had remediated around 1.3 million cubic yards of contaminated material and restored important aquatic habitat. Spirit Lake, part of the St. Louis River system upstream from Lake Superior, had been severely affected by pollution from the former U.S. Steel Duluth Works plant. Industrial activity left sediments contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals including lead zinc ...