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Delhi sweltered under extreme discomfort on Thursday as a deadly combination of high humidity and moderate heat pushed the "real feel" temperature close to 49°C, even though the actual maximum temperature was recorded at 36.9°C one degree below normal. At 2:30 pm, the "real feel" soared to 48.9°C, while the wet-bulb temperature a crucial measure of heat stress on the human body hit 29.57°C by evening. For context, a wet-bulb reading above 32°C severely hampers the body’s ability to cool itself, and 35°C is considered a critical survival limit. Sweltering Day Despite Monsoon Onset Although the southwest monsoon officially arrived in Delhi on June 29, bringing 14 mm of rain on the first day, it has since fizzled. From July 1 to 3, only 3.8 mm of rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung, co...

A Delhi resident’s frustration over the city’s vehicle scrappage policy has sparked a heated debate online. Rattan Dhillon, a social media user, publicly criticized the government after his father's 16-year-old Mercedes E280 V6 was deemed “vintage scrap” under the new policy. Sharing pictures and praise for the luxury sedan, Dhillon posted on X (formerly Twitter): “This is my dad’s 16-year-old Mercedes E280 V6, still running stronger and cleaner than most so-called modern cars... Zero pollution, zero nonsense.” But, he added bitterly, “I have to label it ‘vintage scrap’ just because we live in a country where politicians have zero love for cars!” The post quickly went viral, drawing both support and criticism. Many users sympathized, calling the rule "outrageous" and questioning t...

In a landmark move, the European Commission has proposed a legally binding target to slash net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. Announced on July 2, 2025, the ambitious proposal is seen as a major step toward aligning the European Union with its long-term climate neutrality goals. However, at the heart of this new target lies a deeply divisive clause: the use of international carbon credits. Under the plan, EU member states would be allowed to offset up to 3% of their emissions using carbon credits purchased from developing nations through a UN-backed global carbon market. These credits would primarily come from projects such as forest restoration and land-use changes aimed at capturing or avoiding carbon emissions. EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoeks...

In the heartland of Jharkhand, tribal communities have long relied on the signs of nature to predict the weather. From bird nests to flower blooms, from black ants to bamboo ropes, these time-tested indicators once offered crucial guidance for farming seasons. But as climate patterns grow increasingly erratic, the deep-rooted ecological wisdom of generations is facing unprecedented challenges. In Chitramu village of Khunti district, Ashok Munda, the gram pradhan, watches the nesting behaviour of the common swift locally known as the lipi bird for clues about the coming rains. A larger-than-usual nest, according to him, signals a weak monsoon. In neighbouring Gumla, villagers track the flowering of amaltas and the appearance of kaash grass to understand when to sow or when the rainy seas...

Eastern China is reeling under an intense and unusually early heatwave, with large swathes of the country's economic and agricultural core experiencing searing temperatures between 37°C and 39°C and some areas bracing for highs above 40°C. The scorching conditions are being driven by a subtropical high-pressure system that has settled over the densely populated Yangtze River region, hitting provinces like Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, and Henan. This premature onset of the “Sanfu Season” the hottest period of the Chinese calendar, usually starting mid-July is raising fears of crop damage, industrial disruption, and mounting public health risks. Experts are linking the extreme temperatures to climate change, warning of compounding impacts on key sectors. Agricultural yields are at risk of d...

Union Minister and BJP National President JP Nadda has strongly criticized the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government for its slow response in utilizing disaster relief funds amid the ongoing monsoon havoc in the state. Speaking on Wednesday, Nadda pointed out that only 21.7% of the Rs 360.11 crore allocated for relief work has been used, despite the worsening disaster situation across the region. Nadda stated that the Central Government had provided substantial support to Himachal Pradesh between 2023 and 2025 including Rs 1,736 crore through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Rs 1,071 crore via the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), and Rs 339 crore to the State Disaster Mitigation Fund. "This shows that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Centre has cons...

In a significant move to improve air quality in Uttar Pradesh, the Airawat Research Foundation at IIT-Kanpur has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IBM to deploy artificial intelligence in air quality monitoring. The collaboration aims to provide real-time data and evidence-based solutions that can balance economic growth with environmental health. The agreement was announced at a workshop held in Lucknow on Scalable Air Quality Technology. The pilot project will begin in Lucknow, with plans to expand across the state and beyond. Professor Sachchidanand Tripathi, Dean of the Kotak School of Sustainability and Project Director at Airawat, said that the foundation has developed an AI-powered "airshed-based air quality stack" for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and neighbouring regio...

A grim United Nations report has revealed that escalating droughts, intensified by global warming, have caused widespread wildlife deaths across Africa and the Amazon Basin over the past two years. Released on July 2, 2025, the Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023–2025 report warns of starvation, heat stress, and human-led culling wiping out animal populations, altering ecosystems and deepening human-wildlife conflict. Published by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the US National Drought Mitigation Center, with support from the International Drought Resilience Alliance, the report links these extreme conditions to a combination of long-term climate heating and the El Niño phenomenon, which caused global temperature spikes in 2023. Wildlife Losses Across Africa Easte...

Eastern China is reeling under an intense and unusually early heatwave, with large swathes of the country's economic and agricultural core experiencing searing temperatures between 37°C and 39°C and some areas bracing for highs above 40°C. The scorching conditions are being driven by a subtropical high-pressure system that has settled over the densely populated Yangtze River region, hitting provinces like Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, and Henan. This premature onset of the “Sanfu Season” the hottest period of the Chinese calendar, usually starting mid-July is raising fears of crop damage, industrial disruption, and mounting public health risks. Experts are linking the extreme temperatures to climate change, warning of compounding impacts on key sectors. Agricultural yields are at risk of d...

The recent United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) in Nice, France, concluded with declarations and pledges but little tangible progress, especially for vulnerable coastal regions like Ennore in Chennai, which continues to face the devastating effects of erosion, mangrove loss, and unchecked industrialisation. In Ennore, the destruction is visible and worsening. Once protected by 889 hectares of wetlands and mangroves, the region has lost over 70% of that cover in just six years, leaving it exposed to rising seas and frequent flooding. A 2006 report already recorded the loss of 350 hectares of shoreline a crisis that has only grown. Despite these ground realities, SDG 14, the UN's goal to conserve oceans and marine resources, remains the least funded of all Sustainable Development G...