Month: August 2026

  India’s rapid expansion of solar power is reducing fossil fuel based electricity generation during the daytime but coal fired generation continues to rise after sunset as electricity demand remains high, according to an analysis by Ember. The analysis found that average fossil fuel generation at 1 pm fell to about 125 GW in the first half of 2026, compared with 135 GW during the same period in 2023. However, fossil generation between 5 pm and 7 am increased by 22 GW to an average of 168 GW. Ember said the growing gap highlights the need for battery storage and greater flexibility in India power grid. Batteries can store surplus solar electricity generated during the day and supply it during evening peak hours, reducing dependence on coal. On sunny days, coal plants are a...

  China has issued multiple weather and geological disaster alerts as heavy rainfall linked to Typhoon Dolphin continues to affect several parts of the country raising concerns over flooding, waterlogging and landslides. The National Meteorological Center issued an orange alert for heavy rain, along with blue alerts for severe convective weather and the typhoon, on August 11. The heaviest rainfall was forecast in parts of Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces. Some areas of Shandong and Henan were expected to receive between 250 and 350 millimetres of rain. As of Tuesday morning, Typhoon Dolphin was centred near Huanggang in Hubei province. The storm was moving west northwest at around 15 kilometres per hour and was gradually weakening. However, meteorolog...

  Climate disinformation is increasingly undermining climate action across Europe, with misleading claims being amplified through mainstream media and online platforms, according to an analysis in partnership with Climate Action Against Disinformation and QuotaClimat. The analysis says climate disinformation has become increasingly organised rather than remaining a collection of isolated incidents. It warns that repeated misleading narratives can influence public opinion, delay climate policies and weaken support for the transition to clean energy. According to the European Digital Media Observatory, climate was the most targeted topic by online disinformation campaigns across the European Union in August 2025. In several European countries misleading reports and claims ha...

  New Delhi, August 14: Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme rainfall events in the Himalayan region, while human related factors are also contributing to rising disaster risks, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said assessments by weather experts, scientific institutions and state authorities indicate that changing climatic conditions have intensified extreme rainfall across the Himalayan region. The government has constituted a Multi Sectoral Central Team (MSCT) to scientifically assess the growing incidence of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and other extreme weather events in Himachal Pradesh. The team includes experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)...

  August 14, 2026: Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, experiences a weather cycle unlike anything on Earth, with scientists suggesting that some of its equatorial regions can remain dry for decades before being hit by intense methane rainstorms. Titan is the only known world besides Earth where scientists have observed a complete weather cycle involving liquid falling from the atmosphere, flowing across the surface and collecting in lakes and seas. However, because Titan’s surface temperature is around minus 179°C, the liquid is not water but methane. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft provided important evidence of Titan’s unusual rainfall. In 2010, its cameras observed a large region near Titan’s equator darkening over several days. Scientists interpreted the change as evidence of clouds...

California, August 14: A restoration project in northern California has demonstrated how structures designed to mimic natural beaver dams can improve habitat conditions and significantly increase the survival of threatened coho salmon, particularly during dry periods. According to a July 2026 study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, mean juvenile coho salmon survival in French Creek increased from just 8% before restoration to 60% after beaver dam analogues (BDAs) were installed. The research focused on Sugar Creek and French Creek tributaries of the Scott River in California’s Klamath River watershed. The area historically supported extensive wetlands created by beavers, but trapping and land-use changes reduced these habitats over the past two centuries. To restore...

  New Delhi, August 14: The southwest monsoon is expected to remain active across several parts of India on Wednesday, August 12, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall across a number of states. East Rajasthan is likely to witness the most intense rainfall, with isolated extremely heavy showers also possible. Heavy to very heavy rain has been forecast at isolated places in Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha. East Rajasthan has already experienced intense rainfall. Bakani in Jhalawar recorded 27 cm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on August 11, while Pirawa received 26 cm. Several other locations in Jhalawar and Kota al...

  A new study has found that the strong El Niño events of 2014–2016 and 2023–2024 both contributed to increases in global mean sea level with water moving from land to the oceans accounting for most of the rise. Researchers found that global average sea level increased by about 9.16 mm during the 2014–2016 El Niño development phase and 7.70 mm during the 2023–2024 event. Terrestrial water storage changes accounted for around 68% of the earlier rise and 81% of the later increase. The 2023–2024 El Niño produced a faster rise over a shorter period, while warmer ocean water, particularly in the Indian Ocean, also contributed to sea level changes. Scientists linked this regional effect partly to the simultaneous positive Indian Ocean Dipole. The study also found that difference...

  Scientists studying Lake Erie have found that fish do not always flee areas affected by low oxygen. Instead, many gather along the boundaries of hypoxic zones where oxygen rich and oxygen depleted waters meet. Researchers found that these boundaries can shift rapidly as temperature, oxygen and water conditions change. For fish, the edges may provide a narrow zone of suitable habitat while allowing them to remain close to areas with different food and environmental conditions. The finding is important for understanding how climate change could affect fish communities in the Great Lakes. Warmer temperatures, changes in rainfall and nutrient levels can influence thermal stratification and oxygen depletion, potentially compressing the habitat available to fish. This “habitat...

  New Delhi: The Centre has redefined the active floodplain of the Ganga and its tributaries and introduced new regulatory and warning zones based on flood frequency, following an amendment to the rules governing the river. The Jal Shakti Ministry issued the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities (Second Amendment) Order, 2026, on August 7. The amendment removes the earlier wording referring to a “construction free zone”. Instead, it states that the banks of the Ganga, its tributaries and their floodplains should be maintained to reduce pollution sources and pressures and preserve their natural groundwater recharge functions. The amendment defines the “active floodplain” as areas that are inundated during floods with a one-in-five-year return per...