Breaking News

BERKELEY, CA – A new study from the University of California, Berkeley, provides compelling evidence that two key wildfire mitigation strategies home hardening and defensible space can drastically reduce the destructiveness of wildfires. The research, published in Nature Communications, shows that a combination of these measures can double a building's chance of surviving a blaze, potentially cutting structure losses by as much as 50%. The findings come as California communities grapple with the aftermath of devastating wildfires, including the recent fires in Los Angeles that caused billions in damages and displaced thousands. Actionable Data for a Fiery Future The study, led by Associate Professor Michael Gollner and postdoctoral scholar Maryam Zamanialaei, used a sophisticated ...

MONROVIA – In a new pilot program that could reshape forest conservation, Liberia is set to pay 28 local communities to protect their ancestral rainforests. The initiative, funded by the Irish government, is an example of a "non-market approach" to climate action, offering a direct financial incentive to communities that have traditionally relied on logging, mining, and agriculture for income. Liberia is home to half of West Africa's remaining rainforests, but in 2024, it experienced its highest rate of deforestation on record, losing over 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) of primary forest. The pilot project aims to reverse this trend by providing an alternative economic model for communities in the remote southwestern Sinoe county. The Payments-for-Protection Model The program, led...

NEW DELHI – A "high flood" alert has been issued for Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi after the water level at the Hathnikund barrage on the Yamuna River reached its highest point this monsoon season. Amid continuous heavy rainfall in catchment areas, the water flow at the barrage surged past the 3.50 lakh cusec mark on Monday, prompting officials to open the floodgates. According to the irrigation and water resources department, a flow exceeding 2.5 lakh cusecs is classified as a high flood. Authorities have warned that the massive discharge of water will take between 48 and 72 hours to reach Delhi, putting low-lying areas in the capital at risk of inundation. Officials have advised residents near the Yamuna to be on high alert and avoid venturing near the river. The India Meteorol...

CHANDIGARH – Punjab is facing a renewed threat of flooding as incessant rainfall has caused major rivers and dams to swell, pushing water levels close to or beyond danger marks. The Ghaggar River is in spate, while the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers are also seeing rising levels. Authorities are on high alert, urging residents to take precautionary measures as more rain is predicted. Dams and Rivers Near Critical Point The situation is particularly dire at key dams in the region. The Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River has reached 1,674 feet, just six feet shy of its danger mark of 1,680 feet. The Pong Dam on the Beas River has already surpassed its danger mark, standing at 1,390.56 feet. While the Shahpur Kandi and Ranjit Sagar dams are currently below their critical levels, their rising ...

KABUL – A powerful magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday, killing more than 800 people and injuring thousands in a remote, mountainous region. The tremors, followed by multiple aftershocks, flattened mud-brick homes and triggered a massive rescue and relief operation by Taliban authorities and the United Nations. The earthquake hit just before midnight, with its epicenter near Jalalabad in the Nangarhar province at a shallow depth of 8 kilometers. This shallow depth amplified the shaking, which was felt as far away as Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), more than 1.2 million people likely experienced strong or very strong shaking. A Rising Death Toll Initial reports from the Taliban government's chief spokesman, Za...

NEW DELHI – Following a record-breaking August for rainfall, India is bracing for an "above-normal" September, the final month of the monsoon season. In a press briefing on Sunday, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra announced that September rainfall is expected to be 9% more than the usual average of 16.7 cm. Mohapatra also revealed a concerning trend while traditional cloudbursts defined as 10 cm of rain per hour show no increasing trend, instances of "mini-cloudbursts," or 5 cm of rain per hour, are on the rise. He explained that these smaller, high-intensity events, though difficult to forecast, can still trigger deadly landslides, particularly in hilly regions. Record-Breaking Monsoon Continues The forecast for September continues a pat...

Hundreds of millions of years ago, Earth first forests played a pivotal role in a global environmental transformation, permanently oxygenating the deep oceans and sparking a revolution in marine life. A new study by researchers at Duke University and the University of Washington reveals that this "oxygen flood" enabled the expansion, diversification, and growth of large, jawed fish and other marine animals, fundamentally reshaping ocean ecosystems. This research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pinpoints a lasting oxygen boost in the deep seas during the Middle Devonian period, approximately 393-382 million years ago. This event coincided with a remarkable burst of diversity in jawed fish, the ancestors of nearly all modern vertebrates. Unloc...

Solid waste management (SWM) is the process of collecting, transporting, processing, recycling, and disposing of solid waste materials. It goes beyond simple garbage disposal, aiming for a systematic and integrated approach to minimize waste's environmental and health impacts. Key Categories of Solid Waste Solid waste is classified based on three main criteria: • Source: This categorizes waste by its origin. Examples include residential waste (from households), commercial and industrial waste (from businesses and factories), and agricultural waste (from farming activities). • Content: This classification focuses on the material composition of the waste. • Organic waste : Biodegradable materials, such as food leftovers and agricultural by-products. • Plastic waste : Non-bi...

SOUTH BEND – A new and innovative partnership between the City of South Bend and University of Notre Dame researchers is tackling the challenge of urban heat islands by using an unlikely tool: garbage trucks. A team of scientists and designers has equipped the city's fleet with specialized sensors to collect continuous data on temperature and humidity, providing a detailed, neighborhood-by-neighborhood look at where the city is hottest. Urban heat islands are a growing concern in cities nationwide. These areas, typically marked by dense pavement and a lack of trees, trap and intensify heat, leading to higher temperatures than in surrounding rural or greener areas. This effect disproportionately impacts lower-income neighborhoods, raising energy costs, increasing air pollution, and contr...

BENGALURU – Scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the global carbon cycle, identifying a crucial missing piece of data that could refine global climate change strategies. Their groundbreaking study, conducted in collaboration with Kaziranga forest officials, reveals that Indian ecosystems absorb the most atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) during the pre-monsoon season, not the rainy season as previously assumed. The findings, published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, challenge conventional wisdom and highlight a critical gap in global climate models, which have historically lacked ground-based data from regions like India. According to Pramit Kumar Deb Burman, the lead author of the study, this mis...