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For decades Australia's Murray Darling Basin has been heavily regulated by dams and irrigation systems, reducing the amount of freshwater reaching the ocean by nearly 60% compared to a century ago. However massive Murray River floods during the summer of 2022-23 temporarily restored this natural connection delivering an enormous surge of water, nutrients and organic matter into the Southern Indian Ocean. Researchers found that the flood, the largest in 66 years, sent up to 168 gigalitres of water per day across the Victoria-South Australia border. The muddy flood plume stretched nearly 40 kilometres into the ocean, carrying more than 200,000 tonnes of organic carbon between July 2022 and June 2023 around 29 times more than during the same period in 2020-21. Floodwaters Created an Une...

Switzerland glaciers are set to reach "Glacier Loss Day" on June 29, marking the point when all seasonal snow has melted and any further melting directly reduces glacier ice. Scientists say the early arrival of this milestone reflects another difficult year for the country's glaciers driven by low winter snowfall, Saharan dust deposits and an intense early summer heatwave. According to researchers at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS), glaciers have been melting at nearly twice the average rate recorded between 2010 and 2020. The current pace of melting is approaching the record levels observed during the extreme summer of 2022, when glaciers lost around 6% of their total mass in a single year. Heatwaves and Low Snowfall Speed Up Glacier Melting This year...

As India works toward its climate goals while maintaining economic growth, Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) is emerging as a promising solution to reduce carbon emissions from industries that are difficult to decarbonise. Experts say the technology could become a major pillar of India's climate strategy if financial, technological and policy challenges are addressed. Climate change driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions, continues to increase global temperatures, trigger extreme weather events and threaten ecosystems, public health and economies. India faces a unique challenge because it must reduce emissions while continuing to meet the energy and development needs of its growing population. Since sectors such as power generation, cement and steel remain heavily depen...

Over 30 lakh metric tonnes of drain silt removed before monsoon, but authorities struggle to find safe disposal methods. As Delhi races to complete its annual desilting drive before the arrival of the monsoon, the city is facing an unexpected environmental problem. While authorities have removed record amounts of silt from drains to reduce flooding, they are now struggling to find space to safely dispose of the huge quantity of waste. Officials say the dredged material is no longer ordinary mud. Much of it is mixed with municipal garbage, sewage and other contaminants making it difficult to reuse or dump through conventional methods. Environmental experts warn that improper disposal could create new pollution risks even as the city prepares for heavy rains. According to the Delhi go...

For decades, the cold desert of Ladakh struggled with severe water shortages despite being surrounded by snow covered mountains. With annual rainfall of less than 100 millimetres, farmers relied on melting glaciers to irrigate crops such as barley, apples and vegetables. However glaciers usually began melting only in summer while crops needed water much earlier during the spring sowing season. As climate change accelerates glacier retreat and makes rainfall increasingly unpredictable region’s water crisis has become even more serious. Birth of the Ice Stupa To solve this seasonal water shortage, engineer and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk introduced an innovative idea known as the "ice stupa" around 2014-15. The concept stores excess water flowing from mountain streams during wint...

A new international study has found that the world's tropical forests are absorbing significantly less carbon dioxide than scientists had previously estimated, raising fresh concerns about the planet's ability to naturally slow climate change. The findings suggest that current climate models may be overestimating the role tropical forests play as carbon sinks, meaning more carbon dioxide could remain in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) analyzed atmospheric measurements collected during NASA's Atmospheric Tomography (ATom) mission between 2016 and 2018. Using a specially equipped NASA DC-8 research aircraft.scientists flew across the globe from the Arctic to Antarctica, gathering carbon ...

From cool roofs and urban forests to energy efficient cooling Singapore's climate adaptation model could help India tackle rising temperatures and delayed monsoons. Extreme heat grips large parts of Asia and Europe countries are searching for practical ways to protect people from rising temperatures. With a Super El Nino contributing to severe heatwaves and slowing the progress of India monsoon, experts say adapting to hotter conditions is becoming just as important as reducing emissions. Among the countries leading this effort is Singapore which has spent decades building a comprehensive strategy to stay cool despite its hot, humid climate. Located near the equator, Singapore experiences high humidity, intense sunshine and urban heat island effects throughout the year. Yet the city ...

The drying Ken River has forced farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district to cultivate crops on its exposed riverbed, highlighting the worsening water crisis across the drought-prone Bundelkhand region. Banda district in Uttar Pradesh which recently made headlines for recording some of the highest temperatures during the summer, is now facing another serious challenge as its main water source, the Ken River, continues to shrink. Large stretches of the river have dried up exposing fertile riverbeds where farmers have begun growing vegetables and seasonal crops to cope with the ongoing water shortage. The retreating river has left behind nutrient rich alluvial soil, offering farmers a temporary opportunity to cultivate crops close to the remaining water channels. While this practice he...

The Supreme Court's newly constituted High Powered Committee (HPC) to review the definition and protection of the Aravalli mountain range has drawn criticism from former Indian Forest Service officer Prakriti Srivastava, who argues that the panel's composition raises concerns about its independence and commitment to conservation. In an opinion article published on June 24, Srivastava said the committee offers "little reason for hope" for the long term protection of the Aravallis, alleging that its members are largely drawn from former government institutions and may not provide an impartial assessment. The Supreme Court constituted the five member committee on May 25, 2026, after staying its own November 20, 2025 order that had defined the Aravallis as areas rising at least 100 metre...

New Delhi: Rising temperatures and frequent heatwaves across India are not only disrupting education but are also creating serious challenges for working women, according to a recent report. As schools close for weeks and sometimes months due to extreme heat, many mothers are being forced to leave jobs, reduce working hours, or take on additional childcare responsibilities. In Delhi and several other states, schools have remained closed from mid May because of dangerous temperatures that have crossed 40 degrees Celsius. Many students have been shifted to online learning, but families say this arrangement has placed a heavy burden on parents, especially mothers. For Sakshi Katyal, a resident of Noida, repeated school closures changed her life completely. After months of juggling work ...