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Global glaciers recorded another year of net ice loss in 2025 marking the fourth consecutive year in which every major glaciated region experienced a decline in ice mass according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of Global Water Resources 2025 report. Between October 2024 and September 2025, glaciers worldwide lost an estimated 408 ± 132 gigatonnes of ice equivalent to about 1.1 ± 0.4 millimetres of sea level rise the report said. Six of the seven largest annual glacier mass losses on record have occurred within the past seven years. Central Asia, South Asia West, the Russian Arctic, Iceland, and Western Canada and the United States recorded some of their most negative annual mass balances in 2025. The WMO said mountain glaciers lost 6.2 per cent of their ice m...

  A new report by the Changing Markets Foundation has warned that the amount of wild caught fish used to produce feed for farmed fish and shrimp could rise substantially by 2040, depending on which aquaculture species drive future industry growth. The report produced with researchers from the University of British Columbia, examined several scenarios for the expansion of aquaculture. It estimates that around 13.3% of current global wild fish catches are used for aquaculture feed. If future growth is concentrated in species that require little or no fish-based feed, such as shellfish and carp, the share could remain around 13%-17%. However, if growth continues to include more carnivorous species such as salmon, shrimp, sea bream and sea bass the demand could rise to 29%-38% of...

Monsoon rainfall is intensifying pollution and increasing levels of antibiotic resistance genes in two heavily polluted rivers flowing through Dehradun, raising concerns about public exposure to antimicrobial-resistant pathogens according to a recent study. The Bindal Rao and Rispana rivers, tributaries of the Ganga pass through densely populated areas of Uttarakhand’s capital. Researchers found that monsoon rainfall was associated with a major increase in faecal pollution and antibiotic resistance genes in both rivers. The research was based on seasonal and multi location sampling carried out in 2019 by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and collaborators. Samples were collected before, during and after the monsoon. Bindal Rao is a seasonal river th...

  China’s Lianghekou Hydropower Station on the Yalong River in Sichuan Province has won the 2026 FIDIC Project of the Year award in the Megaproject category, becoming the only hydropower project among this year’s award recipients. Located in Yajiang county in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture the 3,000 megawatt facility is a major regulating reservoir in the cascade development of the Yalong River. Construction began in 2014 and the project passed completion acceptance in 2024. The station features a 303-metre high gravel soil core rockfill dam, which has been certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s highest rockfill dam. Built at an average elevation of about 3,000 metres, the project faced difficult construction conditions, including seasonally frozen gro...

A repeat of the catastrophic 1926 Great Miami Hurricane could cause more than $280 billion in economic losses if a similar storm struck South Florida today, according to catastrophe modelling cited by Yale Climate Connections. The Category 4 hurricane struck South Florida on September 18, 1926, with its eye passing over downtown Miami and Miami Beach. The storm killed about 220 people in southeastern Florida, injured more than 6,000 and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. It also contributed to the collapse of Florida’s 1920s land boom and triggered a severe economic downturn in Miami. The hurricane caused an estimated $105 million in damage at the time, equivalent to about $2 billion in 2026 dollars. However, Miami-Dade County has changed dramatically since then. Its populat...

A mysterious near perfect circle spotted in satellite imagery of Western Australia in 2007 was later confirmed to be a meteorite impact crater after scientific drilling and chemical analysis provided evidence of an iron meteorite strike. Arthur Hickman a geologist with the Geological Survey of Western Australia, noticed the unusual circular feature while examining satellite images of the outback. The structure, located in the Pilbara region, measures about 260 metres (850 feet) across and has been informally named the Hickman Crater. A study published in the Australian Journal of Earth Sciences found that the crater was likely created by an object roughly 10 metres in diameter. Researchers estimated that the impact excavated a crater that may have been around 80 metres deep and dated...

Five red panda cubs have survived at the Himalayan Zoological Park in Bulbuley, Sikkim marking an encouraging breeding season for the park’s nearly three decade old conservation programme for the endangered species. The park recorded six red panda births during the season with five cubs surviving. Three resident females Lucky-2 Kimo Reep and Songru Pundi gave birth between late June and late July in three separate litters. The cubs were fathered by resident males Mirak and Dokhbu. The successful births come after a difficult period for the park’s red panda conservation programme. Launched in 1997, the breeding programme suffered a major setback between 2012 and 2017, when three consecutive outbreaks of Canine Distemper killed 12 breeding animals. The park was subsequently left withou...

  Decades after Japan Minamata mercury disaster roughly 1.5 million cubic metres of contaminated seabed sediment remains sealed beneath a 58 hectare reclaimed landfill in Kumamoto Prefecture. Between 1974 and 1990 the prefecture dredged and contained sediment from Minamata Bay containing more than 25 parts per million of total mercury the removal threshold established for the cleanup. The project cost about 48 billion yen with Chisso, the company responsible for the industrial pollution, contributing about 30.5 billion yen. The contamination originated from Chisso’s chemical plant, where methylmercury entered wastewater and eventually accumulated in the bay. Although acetaldehyde production ended in 1968 and regulations were introduced soon after, mercury contaminated sedimen...

  MYSURU: Mysuru City police officials underwent a special training programme on disaster management and precautionary safety measures on Tuesday ahead of the upcoming Mysuru Dasara festival. The training was organised to strengthen preparedness for the large number of tourists and residents expected to participate in the celebrations scheduled from October 11 to 21, 2026. The programme focused on detailed safety guidelines and disaster management measures that police personnel may need to implement during the festivities. The training was conducted by Pradeep head of the Tejas Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre. According to a statement issued by the Mysuru City Police Commissioner office the programme was intended to help ensure the safety and well being of visito...

  The devastating floods in Nepal in August have drawn renewed attention to the growing risks posed by unstable glaciers and glacial lakes in the high mountains. The disaster, which followed a glacial collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border, killed around 1,400 people and caused extensive destruction along the Lhende Khola River. The event has also raised concerns about other mountainous regions where rising temperatures are destabilising glaciers and increasing the possibility of sudden floods. Glacial collapses can trigger powerful floods when large quantities of ice, rock and water suddenly move downhill. In areas where communities, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure are located in narrow valleys below glaciers, such events can leave little time for evacuation. S...