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    Intensifying floods are emerging as a major and rapidly growing threat to global rice production, placing food security for billions of people at serious risk. New research from Stanford University shows that prolonged flooding is wiping out millions of tonnes of rice every year, with the damage accelerating as climate change fuels heavier rainfall across key agricultural regions. Published in the journal Science Advances the study finds that global rice yields declined by an average of 4.3 per cent annually between 1980 and 2015, translating to nearly 18 million tonnes of lost grain each year. Since 2000, the pace of losses has increased as extreme flood events have become more frequent and intense. Flooding emerges as an overlooked threat to rice production R...

    A devastating combination of extreme ocean heat and a rare coral disease has killed seventy-five per cent of Goniopora corals at One Tree Reef on the Great Barrier Reef, marking one of the most alarming coral losses recorded in recent years. Scientists say the event shows how rapidly climate change is weakening even the hardiest coral species. Fourth global bleaching event hits 84 percent of reefs The die-off occurred during the world’s fourth global mass bleaching event, which has already affected eighty-four per cent of reefs worldwide. Researchers examining one hundred and twelve coral colonies at One Tree Reef found that severe bleaching caused by record-breaking temperatures was followed by an aggressive outbreak of black band disease, a fast-spreading bacter...

Recent alerts from Japan about the possibility of a massive earthquake have renewed concerns in India about a similar threat in the Himalayan region. Japan sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is prone to powerful earthquakes, but scientists say the Himalayas, too, remain one of the world’s most dangerous seismic zones. What is the Great Himalayan Earthquake? The term “Great Himalayan Earthquake” refers to a potential, extremely high-magnitude quake along the Main Himalayan Thrust the major fault line running beneath the Himalayas. This is the zone where the Indian tectonic plate continues to push underneath the Eurasian plate, building up stress deep underground year after year. When this stress finally releases, scientists warn that it could trigger an earthquake of magnitude ei...

    For years, rainforest travellers in Central and South America have heard a curious story: a mysterious “walking tree” that slowly moves across the forest floor in search of sunlight. The tale appears in guidebooks, travel blogs and tourist conversations, describing a tree that can shift a few centimetres a day or even metres in a year. The truth, however, is far more scientific and even more interesting than the myth. Where the legend began The myth centres on a palm species called Socratea exorrhiza widely known as the walking palm. It grows in the rainforests of Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and other tropical regions. The belief that the tree “walks” comes from its unusual structure: a set of long, stilt-like roots that grow above the ground...

Western India’s vast savannas often dismissed as bare or degraded land are much older and more ecologically important than previously believed. Western India’s vast savannas often dismissed as bare or degraded land are much older and more ecologically important than previously believed. A new study based on medieval Marathi literature reveals that these open, grassy landscapes have existed for centuries and should be protected in their natural form rather than targeted for unnecessary tree-planting. Ancient savannas hiding in plain sight Savannas cover nearly a tenth of India’s land area. These ecosystems include short grasses, thorny trees, drought-resistant shrubs and support pastoral communities as well as wildlife such as the Indian wolf and the Great Indian bustard. More than 20...

    The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) is moving beyond its traditional NCR-focused approach and has proposed a major shift in tackling industrial emissions. The panel has asked Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab to prepare action plans to eliminate the use of coal in industries located outside NCR districts, signalling an expanded strategy aimed at cutting pollution across a wider region. Coal-free industry plan sought within three months In a note submitted before the Supreme Court on November 19, the CAQM directed neighbouring states to draft plans to phase out coal from all industries operating in non-NCR districts. The proposal must be submitted within three months. Until now, most regulatory attention outside NCR had centred on stubble bu...

    Global forests remain under severe pressure even as countries promise to reduce deforestation. A new analysis released after the UN climate summit in Belém shows that the world is far off track from the goal of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030. The findings highlight a widening “forest gap” and underline the need for urgent, equitable and accountable global action. Why forest protection is back in focus Before last month’s climate summit, Brazil’s President Lula da Silva urged world leaders to commit to clear roadmaps for phasing out fossil fuels and stopping deforestation. However, after countries failed to reach consensus, the plans were announced only as a voluntary initiative. Brazil will now report back on progress at COP31 next year, where Turkey wi...

    Air quality in Patna turned worse than Delhi on December 10, according to the latest figures from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The Bihar capital recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 335 on Tuesday morning, placing it in the ‘severe’ and ‘unhealthy’ category. At the same time, Delhi’s Dwarka recorded an AQI of 326, making Patna’s air even more polluted than the national capital’s. Samanpura marked as Patna’s biggest red zone Samanpura, a densely populated locality in central Patna, registered an AQI of 335 at 7 am. The Bihar Pollution Control Board (BPCB) has already identified Samanpura and its neighbouring areas Ashiana, Khajpura and Raja Bazaar as red zones for continuously recording dangerously high pollution levels. These localities are barely...

The New Zealand Government has unveiled a comprehensive set of transition measures designed to ensure a fair, smooth and orderly shift from the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) to the country’s new planning and environmental management framework by 2031. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Under-Secretary Simon Court reaffirmed that these steps will provide certainty for consent holders, councils and communities during one of the most significant planning reforms in decades. Urgent Legislation to Extend Existing Consents To prevent disruption during the transition, Bishop confirmed that legislation will be introduced and passed under urgency in the coming days. The new law will automatically extend the expiry dates of existing consents, sparing thousands of consent holders from co...