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A new study has warned that by 2030, cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Surat, Thane, Hyderabad, Patna, and Bhubaneswar will see a two-fold rise in heatwave days, worsening the already severe risks from climate change. The report, released on June 10, 2025, by IPE Global and GIS technology leader Esri India, highlights the alarming future facing India’s urban centres as temperatures soar and extreme weather events become more frequent. The study Weathering the Storm: Managing Monsoons in a Warming Climate was unveiled at the International Global-South Climate Risk Symposium in New Delhi. It offers detailed district-level assessments of how erratic rainfall and extreme heat are intensifying across India, putting both urban and rural regions at risk. One of the report's most strik...

Delhi may soon get a break from the relentless heat as the southwest monsoon is expected to arrive nearly 10 days ahead of schedule, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Traditionally, the monsoon reaches the capital around June 30, but this year it might set in as early as the third week of June. After a brief lull of almost 10 days, the monsoon has picked up pace again, especially over South India. States such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Konkan, and Maharashtra have been experiencing heavy to very heavy rainfall since Wednesday. This fresh surge in the monsoon system indicates that it is moving swiftly northward, ready to cover other parts of the country soon. In its latest update, the IMD said the second phase of the monsoon will spread to eastern India ne...

The entire Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is expected to witness a summer monsoon that is both hotter and wetter than average, warned the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in a new climate outlook released on June 11, 2025. According to the analysis of global and regional meteorological data, temperatures across the HKH zone could be up to 2°C higher than usual, while rainfall is also projected to exceed normal levels in large parts of the region. “The forecasts we’ve studied are unanimous in predicting a hotter monsoon across the entire HKH, with a trend towards higher-than-normal rainfall in major parts of the region,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, senior advisor at ICIMOD and one of the report's reviewers. Almost the Entire Region to Be Affec...

Countries across the world are embracing carbon pricing as a key tool to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and boost public revenues, according to the World Bank’s State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2025 report released on June 12, 2025. The number of carbon pricing systems worldwide has surged dramatically from just five in 2005 to 80 active systems today covering almost two-thirds of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). India, Brazil, and Türkiye are among nations developing new carbon pricing frameworks. Carbon pricing mechanisms are designed to make polluters pay for the environmental damage their emissions cause, such as crop failures, health costs from heatwaves, property loss from floods, and sea-level rise. By putting a price on carbon emissions, these systems aim to ho...

A new satellite study has revealed that emperor penguin numbers in Antarctica are dropping much faster than previously feared, sparking fresh concerns about the species' survival as climate change worsens. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, publishing their findings in Nature Communications: Earth & Environment, found a 22 per cent decline in emperor penguin numbers over the past 15 years across key regions the Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, and Bellingshausen Sea. This data covers nearly 30 per cent of the continent’s emperor penguin colonies, raising fears that the problem could be just as severe across the entire Antarctic region. Dr Peter Fretwell, one of the lead scientists, warned that while there is some uncertainty in satellite-based wildlife counting, the ...

Delhi is likely to get an early break from the ongoing heatwave as the southwest monsoon could reach the city nearly 10 days ahead of schedule. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon may arrive in the national capital by the third week of June, instead of its usual onset date around June 30. The weather department confirmed that after a brief lull of almost 10 days, the monsoon has gathered pace again, especially over South India. Since Wednesday, states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Konkan, and Maharashtra have been receiving heavy to very heavy rains. This renewed monsoon activity is expected to push the rainy system northwards rapidly, spreading across other parts of the country soon. In its latest report, the IMD predicted that the second phase ...

A new study has revealed that climate disasters like Superstorm Sandy may be quietly shaping the brains of babies even before they are born. Scientists at The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center and Queens College have found that children whose mothers were pregnant during the devastating 2012 storm show distinct differences in brain development, which could impact their emotions for years to come. The research, published in PLOS One, suggests that climate events especially when combined with extreme heat can alter the growth of critical brain areas that control how emotions are processed. “We are seeing how climate change might already be affecting the next generation before they even take their first breath,” said Donato DeIngeniis, the study’s lead author and a psyc...

Disagreements continue as developed and developing countries struggle to agree on funding pathways to meet global climate targets. At COP29, countries failed to reach a breakthrough on climate finance for developing nations. The much-anticipated New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) fell short of expectations. Developed nations promised to raise climate funding from $100 billion annually to $300 billion by 2035 but this is far less than the estimated $1.3 trillion needed every year to help poorer nations fight climate change, adapt to its impacts, and reduce emissions. As part of the NCQG deal, the Baku to Belém Roadmap was launched by the COP29 and COP30 Presidencies. Its purpose is to figure out how to raise the $1.3 trillion required annually by 2035 to support developing countries’...

A devastating wave of floods has swept through South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, claiming at least 49 lives in what officials are calling one of the region’s worst natural disasters in recent memory. The toll may rise further as rescue teams continue to search for the missing amid the wreckage. The floods, driven by relentless rain and rare snowfall, have left a trail of destruction. Homes, schools, and hospitals across the province have been damaged or destroyed, forcing hundreds to flee to temporary shelters. Entire communities are struggling to cope with the aftermath as roads remain washed out and essential services disrupted. Premier Oscar Mabuyane confirmed the grim figures, warning that more bodies may yet be found as the search continues. “The situation remains precarious...

As the monsoon approaches, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has reassured residents that the city is better prepared to handle floods this year, learning from the devastation caused by last year’s severe waterlogging and inundation. Chairing a meeting of the Flood Control Committee, Gupta outlined the government’s measures, which include extensive drain desilting and the full activation of emergency response centers across the capital. However, while the city gears up for flood risks, another issue has stirred public debate. A demolition drive in the Kalkaji area has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders. AAP’s Atishi has accused the government of breaking promises to low-income residents by clearing out nearly 370 structures in the Bhoomihini camp. She questioned the role of th...