Breaking News Archives - Page 106 of 206

May22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Korea Deadliest Wildfires: Climate Change, Old Forests, and a Deadly March Inferno

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

In March 2025, southeastern South Korea faced its most destructive wildfire disaster in recorded history. More than 48,000 hectares were consumed by flames, 32 lives were lost, and nearly 37,000 people displaced driven by record-breaking weather conditions linked to human-induced climate change. Over a dozen wildfires erupted on March 22nd and 23rd, 2025, and rapidly spread due to scorching temperatures, dry conditions, and fierce winds. By the time the flames were contained, the fires had incinerated more than 48,000 hectares over 20,000 more than South Korea’s second-largest wildfire event in April 2022. Uiseong County suffered the worst, recording 26 of the 32 deaths, with Sancheong reporting four more. In total, 45 people were injured and over 5,000 buildings including homes, far...

May22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Delhi Breathes Easier: CAQM Lifts GRAP Stage-I as Air Quality Improves

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

In a breath of fresh air for Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has officially lifted Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) after the region’s Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a promising shift to the 'Moderate' category. The decision, rooted in favorable meteorological forecasts and sustained improvement in air conditions, marks a welcome pause in emergency pollution control measures that had been in effect since early April. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday announced the revocation of Stage-I restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi and its adjoining National Capital Region (NCR). The decision follows a review by the Sub-Committee on GRAP, which took into account the latest AQI trends and weather ...

May22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

When the Wind Hits Different: Why Downbursts Are More Destructive Than Hurricanes

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

In May 2024, downtown Houston saw a surprising twist in storm damage. A powerful downburst, part of a derecho storm, blew out windows and ripped away building facades damage that even Hurricane Beryl, with similar wind speeds, failed to cause just months later. Engineers now believe the reason lies not in the strength of the winds but in how they behave. What Is a Downburst and Why Is It So Dangerous? Downbursts are often mistaken for heavy rain from a distance, but their power lies in what happens at ground level. As cold, dense air from high altitudes plunges downward during a thunderstorm, it accelerates rapidly. Once it hits the ground, it has nowhere to go but outwards sending winds blasting horizontally in all directions. These horizontal gusts can reach over 150 mph on ...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Heat, Hunger & Harm: How the Climate Crisis Deepens Gender Inequality and Violence

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Thoughts & Talks

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is a present crisis that is widening gender gaps, increasing violence against women and girls, and reversing decades of progress in human rights and sustainable development. A UN Spotlight Initiative report reveals that rising global temperatures and related disasters are not just environmental concerns they are fueling gender-based violence, displacing communities, increasing food insecurity, and threatening the health and safety of millions of women worldwide. This article explores how climate change uniquely affects women and girls, why feminist climate justice is essential, and how women are leading transformative solutions. Climate Crisis: A Gendered Emergency The climate emergency is intensifying conditions that disproportionately h...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

PM Narendra Modi Encourages Use of Sachet App: All You Need to Know

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments

In the latest episode of his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promoted the ‘Sachet’ mobile application an innovative tool developed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to issue real-time alerts during natural disasters. Operable in 12 Indian languages, the app ensures wider reach and quicker response during emergencies. What is Sachet? A lifeline in your pocket The Sachet app is designed to provide early warning alerts for natural disasters like floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, forest fires, tsunamis, avalanches, and lightning. It operates using a geotagged, real-time notification system based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), offering timely and location-specific updates from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)....

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New disaster response panel formed to boost India’s emergency preparedness

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

In a major step to enhance India’s disaster resilience, the Central government has constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The panel, formed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, aims to strengthen national preparedness and ensure coordinated response during emergencies such as floods, earthquakes, pandemics, and industrial accidents. The newly formed committee includes Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery as its members. According to a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the panel has been constituted by exercising powers under sub-section (2) of Section 8B of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This high-level committe...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Disasters Cause Economic Losses in Billions For India, Urgent Need for District-Specific DRR Solutions

Breaking News, Opinions

Climate change is intensifying disasters globally, with India ranking among the most affected countries. With rising economic losses and vulnerability, India urgently needs proactive, localised disaster management strategies, resilient infrastructure, and tech-driven solutions. Strong public-private partnerships and community engagement are vital to mitigate risks and safeguard the nation’s future. Climate change is killing us in unimaginable ways at far more intensity and scale than the kind of responses we deploy to deal with the crisis. Almost all credible studies and reputed institutes indicate alarming levels of rise in climate disasters and natural calamities across the world. Despite global climate action efforts and some level of concerted efforts, economic implications of clim...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Indus Water Diversion May End North India’s Crisis, But Requires Years and Massive Investment

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

Suspending the Indus Water Treaty opens doors for irrigation, hydropower, and storage expansion but with steep costs, long timelines, and political hurdles. India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty could mark a turning point in tackling the chronic water scarcity of northern states but experts warn that large-scale benefits will take years of infrastructure upgrades, hefty spending, and tricky environmental trade-offs. The Treaty signed in 1960, granted unrestricted use of eastern rivers (Satluj, Beas, Ravi) to India and restricted use of western rivers (Chenab, Jhelum, Indus) to Pakistan. India was allowed only non-consumptive or agricultural use on western rivers, with no storage or diversion permitted. That could now change. With the Treaty suspended, India can immedi...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Extreme Weather Surges Cost Trillions, Exposing Insurance Gaps and Need for Climate Resilience

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

Rising losses from floods, fires and storms reveal urgent call for public-private action in climate risk management. Over the last decade, extreme weather events from tornados and hurricanes to floods and wildfires have inflicted a staggering toll on both people and economies worldwide. Between 2014 and 2023, these events caused around USD 2 trillion in economic losses globally, and the outlook is only becoming more concerning. Driven by shifting climate patterns, storms are growing more frequent and severe, with rising sea levels, erratic precipitation, and warming temperatures disrupting ecosystems, food production, and public health. The compounding impact of these changes threatens to cause long-term environmental and financial damage. Insurance supports recovery but cover...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New Study Links Rainfall Patterns to Deadly Humid heatwaves, opening door to early warnings

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments

Researchers say improved forecasting could protect millions in tropical and subtropical regions as climate change intensifies risk. Scientists may have found a breakthrough in forecasting humid heatwaves a growing and dangerous threat in tropical regions by revealing how recent rainfall and soil moisture can signal when such deadly conditions might arise. In a first-of-its-kind study experts from the University of Leeds and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have identified clear links between rainfall patterns and the onset of extreme humid heat across the global tropics and subtropics. The findings, published on Tuesday, April 29 in Nature Communications, could pave the way for early warning systems that help protect vulnerable communities. a deadly but poorly understood da...