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New Zealand has taken a major step toward marine conservation with the passing of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act. This landmark legislation nearly triples the size of protected marine areas, marking the country most significant environmental reform in more than a decade. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka called the new law “a bold new era for ocean conservation,” saying it would help reverse years of damage caused by overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. The Act designates 19 new High Protection Areas (HPAs) across 800 square kilometres of the Hauraki Gulf, restricting commercial and recreational fishing to allow marine life to regenerate naturally. Turning the Tide on Ecological Decline The Hauraki Gulf, located along New Zealand North Island, has long ...

As climate change fuels more intense storms, floods and heatwaves across Asia, countries from Bangladesh to the Philippines are confronting escalating risks. South Asia, home to nearly two billion people, remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions where the poorest communities often face the harshest impacts. The Bay of Bengal alone accounts for nearly 80 per cent of global cyclone-related deaths, making resilience-building not just urgent, but vital for survival. In this context, Odisha has emerged as a global example of how preparedness, governance and community participation can turn tragedy into resilience. Once one of India’s most cyclone-affected states, Odisha transformation began after the devastating 1999 super cyclone, which claimed over 10,000 lives and exposed ma...

A new McGill University-led study has issued a stark warning that more than 100 million buildings across the Global South could face regular flooding in the coming centuries if fossil fuel emissions are not reduced rapidly. The research is the first of its kind to assess the long-term impact of sea level rise on a building-by-building scale across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Using advanced satellite mapping and elevation data, scientists estimated how many structures would be inundated under different scenarios of sea level rise ranging from 0.5 to 20 metres. The results reveal an alarming picture of future coastal vulnerability particularly for densely populated and low-lying regions. Rising Seas, Growing Threat “Sea level rise is a slow but unstoppable...

Australia vast road network stretching nearly 900,000 kilometres across the continent is buckling under the strain of climate change. More than 80% of these roads run through rural and remote areas, where maintenance has always been difficult and expensive. Now, with floods heatwaves and bushfires intensifying, the challenge has become critical. Over the past few years record-breaking disasters have exposed the fragility of this lifeline network. In 2023, catastrophic flooding destroyed a key bridge at Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia, cutting off communities for months. In 2024, bushfires closed the Eyre Highway the only sealed route connecting South Australia and Western Australia and floods soon followed, turning key transport links into disaster zones. “Climate change is acc...

A new study by Imperial College reveals that climate change has significantly increased both the intensity and economic damage potential of Typhoon “Ragasa,” providing a clear example of how global warming is exacerbating tropical cyclone hazards. Using advanced climate models and satellite data, researchers quantified the human influence on extreme rainfall and wind-driven destruction. The study employed the metric of Fractional Attributable Risk (FAR) to estimate how much climate change has contributed to the probability of Ragasa-type events. FAR is calculated as the difference between the probability of an event occurring in today’s climate versus the pre-industrial climate, divided by the probability in today’s climate. For Ragasa, the FAR was determined to be 0.49, indicating that...

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has drafted comprehensive Solid Waste Management and Handling Bylaws, 2025, aimed at overhauling the city sanitation system and ensuring stricter accountability for residents, institutions, and commercial establishments. The draft has been sent to the state government for approval, with citizen feedback invited over the next week through the MCG website or in writing at the corporation’s headquarters in Civil Lines, Gurugram. MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya emphasized that the initiative is part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and is intended to strengthen waste management across the city. A key feature of the new framework is the introduction of a five-bin segregation system, replacing the existing two-bin approach. Residents will now...

A growing reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) across Asia could backfire, potentially adding nearly 25 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a new report by Climate Analytics released on October 6, 2025. The study warns that while CCS aims to reduce fossil fuel emissions by capturing carbon dioxide from power plants and industrial facilities and storing it underground, its widespread deployment could undermine the Paris Agreement and expose economies to financial and environmental risks. The report assessed current and prospective CCS efforts across key Asian economies including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, which together account for more than half of global fossil fuel use and emissions. I...

Plastic pollution continues to choke our planet, with billions of single-use bottles ending up in landfills, rivers, and oceans every year. In Europe alone, each person consumes hundreds of bottles annually, creating waste that can take centuries to decompose and introducing microplastics into soil, water, and even the food chain. Despite awareness campaigns and recycling efforts, single-use plastics remain a persistent global problem. Enter Ooho!, the edible water bubble developed by Skipping Rocks Lab and promoted by London-based startup Notpla. These innovative capsules made from brown algae extracts, offer a revolutionary alternative to bottled water. Using a technique called sphérification, the water is encased in a thin, flexible, biodegradable membrane that can either be eaten or...

The short film 'My Responsibility,' directed by structural engineer Devegowda, is gaining international recognition for its message on the mindful disposal of plastic waste. The film, which was shot in a single day and cost over 1.2 lakh was inspired by the crucial, yet often overlooked role of rag-pickers in the environmental ecosystem. Film Core Message and Setting The movie is set against the backdrop of a World Environment Day celebration at a government school. The plot features a rag-picking child who walks into the school amidst competitions and debates. He highlights the stark contradiction between the students' theoretical discussions about the environment and the actual, indiscriminate plastic disposal that occurs in reality. Devegowda stated that the film is an attempt ...

In a major environmental cleanup, the Jammu and Kashmir government has started removing over 11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste from the Achan landfill, Srinagar’s largest dumping ground that has long caused distress to nearby residents. Officials say the waste, piled up over three decades, will take around two years to be fully cleared. Spread across nearly 75 acres and located eight kilometres from Srinagar commercial centre, the landfill has been a constant source of foul smell that made daily life unbearable for those living nearby. The stench led to distress sales of property and a rise in diseases, forcing many families to relocate. 30 Years Of Waste, Now A Scientific Cleanup Set up in 1985 as an open dumping site close to SKIMS Soura, Anchar Lake, and several residential...