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Russia has moved ahead with the first stage of its massive Vostok Oil project in the Arctic, a development estimated at 10 trillion roubles ($118 billion), as state owned oil giant Rosneft seeks to expand production in the country’s Far North despite tighter Western sanctions. The first stage includes a 790-kilometre pipeline and a new export terminal at Bukhta Sever on the Taimyr Peninsula. The project was formally opened on September 5 when Russian President Vladimir Putin joined Rosneft chief Igor Sechin by video link for the ceremony. Putin described the development as an important event for Russia Arctic region. Vostok Oil is designed to develop a large group of oil fields in northern Russia and establish infrastructure to transport crude to Arctic export routes. The project is ...

A new regional disaster preparedness initiative is drawing on experiences from communities in Honduras Sula Valley, where repeated hurricanes and tropical storms have exposed gaps in early warning, evacuation and emergency response systems. The first field visit for the Pre Evacuation Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean was conducted this month in Honduras by the Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR) together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and GNDR member Terram Pacis. Supported by Innovation Norway, the project aims to strengthen disaster preparedness through evidence and data beginning with Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. The delegation visited San Pedro Sula Choloma and Tela in northern Honduras, areas co...

  A new study has found that inaccuracies in the temperature data used in climate impact research could lead scientists to underestimate the effects of extreme heat by 15% or more. Published in the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, the study by researchers from Wake Forest University and the University of California, San Diego examined how temperature estimates are constructed when direct weather station measurements are unavailable for specific cities, neighbourhoods or agricultural areas. The researchers found that these temperature “proxies” can contain substantial errors, particularly in areas with complex geography. In mountainous Boulder, Colorado, for example, estimated temperatures differed from actual temperatures by nearly 15°F on ...

  Juneau in Alaska is using real time flood forecasting and public information tools to help residents prepare for recurring glacial outburst floods linked to meltwater and rainfall around the Mendenhall Glacier. The US city has experienced repeated flooding from the basin beside the Mendenhall Glacier since 2011. The floods remained relatively limited for years, but the river reached record levels in 2023, followed by new benchmarks in 2024 and 2025. Scientists expect similar floods to continue occurring in the coming decades. The recurring floods have caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure. In one case, a resident home was inundated by a roughly 3-foot wave, causing damage estimated at $150,000. Another resident reported 16 inches of water in a garage and sev...

Nearly 1,000 acres of Delhi’s Southern Ridge are set to receive Reserved Forest status after the Delhi government approved the move, taking the total area of the Delhi Ridge with such protection to around 13,000 acres once the notification process is completed. The decision is part of a wider effort to strengthen legal protection and restore degraded sections of the Ridge, one of Delhi’s most important natural green areas. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said legal protection alone would not be sufficient and that the government would also focus on reviving the ecosystem. The Southern Ridge covers around 6,200 hectares and forms the largest section of Delhi’s Ridge system. The Ridge itself is an extension of the Aravalli range and plays an important role in the capital’s natural environme...

  Researchers from the University of Manchester have developed a computer model showing how rooftop rainwater harvesting tanks combined with smart sprinkler systems could help reduce extreme heat in cities. Using Tokyo as a case study, the study found that the system could lower rooftop and outdoor air temperatures while also reducing heat exposure inside buildings during heat waves. The proposed system collects rainwater in rooftop tanks and automatically sprays it over roofs when outdoor temperatures reach a specified threshold. As the water evaporates, it cools the roof surface and can reduce heat entering buildings. Researchers say the approach could provide an additional way for cities to manage rising temperatures without putting extra pressure on municipal water supplies....

Ancient volcanic rocks in Western Australia are providing evidence that Earth may have been recycling surface water into its mantle about 3.1 billion years ago, potentially through a primitive geological process that existed before modern plate tectonics developed. An international research team led by Adelaide University geochemist Eric Vandenburg studied the exceptionally well-preserved Whundo Group in the Pilbara Craton. The volcanic rocks formed between 3.13 and 3.10 billion years ago and preserve evidence of ancient volcanic activity despite having survived billions of years of geological change. Researchers sampled a roughly 10-kilometre thick sequence of volcanic rocks and identified three major types: tholeiites, calc-alkaline basalts and boninites. The boninites are particul...

Human activity is now contributing more nitrogen to about one in four coastal waterways worldwide than all natural sources combined, according to a new study led by Washington State University. Published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles the research examines how agriculture, wastewater, urban runoff and fossil fuel emissions are changing nutrient balances in coastal ecosystems, with the Gulf of Mexico identified as one of the major hotspots. Nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon are essential for marine ecosystems. They support plankton, seagrasses and other organisms that form the foundation of aquatic food webs. However, excessive nutrient inputs can cause rapid algae growth followed by oxygen depletion as the algae decompose. This can create oxygen starved areas known as dead zones where f...

  The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant has completed the first permanent transfer of processed solid radioactive waste to a dedicated near surface disposal facility, marking a major step in the decades long cleanup of the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Seven sealed packages containing low and intermediate level radioactive waste were transported to the engineered near-surface disposal facility at the Vector complex, located about 130 kilometres north of Kyiv and around 20 kilometres from the Belarusian border. The shipment was the first delivery from the newly commissioned Industrial Complex for Solid Radioactive Waste Management (ICSRM), which received an operating licence from Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate in May 2026. The facility was developed with sign...