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    For decades, scientists have expected that rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would make forests grow faster. After all, trees absorb carbon dioxide, combine it with water using sunlight, produce sugars for growth, and release oxygen. More carbon in the air should mean more growth, more carbon storage, and a natural brake on climate change. But long-term measurements from real forests have stubbornly refused to follow that logic. A new study led by researchers from Duke University and Wuhan University offers a compelling explanation for this puzzle. The research shows that carbon dioxide alone does not control how fast trees grow. Water, and how trees manage it, plays an equally critical role. Over the past several decades, atmospheric carbon dioxid...

    A team of international scientists has found a practical and affordable way to reduce locust damage to crops, offering fresh hope to farmers who have long struggled against these destructive pests. The breakthrough study, led by researchers associated with Arizona State University, shows that improving soil nutrition can dramatically cut locust numbers, reduce crop damage and even double yields under real-world farming conditions. Locust swarms, often compared to biblical plagues, continue to devastate crops across large regions, wiping out livelihoods and worsening food insecurity. Swarms can stretch across hundreds of square kilometres, consuming nearly every green plant in their path. While chemical pesticides have traditionally been used to control outbreaks, the...

    The true cost of climate change is far higher than previously estimated, with new research showing that damage to oceans almost doubles the global economic burden of greenhouse gas emissions. A landmark study by scientists at the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography has, for the first time, included ocean-related losses in calculating the social cost of carbon, fundamentally reshaping how climate damage is valued worldwide. The study estimates that ocean degradation caused by climate change, including coral reef loss, disruption of fisheries and damage to coastal infrastructure, results in nearly two trillion dollars in losses every year. Until now, most economic models assessing climate impacts had effectively assigned zero value to...

Women unpaid care work is the invisible force sustaining families, communities, and even national economies as climate change accelerates disasters and social stress across the globe. New research highlighted on PreventionWeb reveals that while climate debates focus on emissions, finance, and technology, the real shock absorbers of climate crises are women whose labour remains unpaid, uncounted, and largely ignored by policy. The authors, Ezgi Canpolat and Katy Aní, draw from personal histories and years of development research to show how care work forms the foundation of resilience. Canpolat recalls growing up in a Turkish coal-mining town where her father worked underground while her mother managed everything above ground. From caring for children and elderly relatives to stretching ...

    China significantly expanded its ecological footprint in 2025, completing land greening work across 127 million mu, or 8.47 million hectares, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. The effort included large-scale afforestation and restoration of degraded grasslands, pushing the country forest coverage rate to 25.09 percent and total forest stock volume to nearly 21 billion cubic metres, reflecting China accelerating shift towards greener development. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period from 2021 to 2025, the country completed greening of 549 million mu of land, with afforestation accounting for 185 million mu. Each year, more than 46 million mu of degraded grassland were restored, keeping overall vegetation coverage above 50 percent. Healt...

    More than half of India major river deltas are sinking faster than global sea levels are rising, putting millions of people at growing risk of floods, land loss and displacement, a new global study has found. Published in the journal *Nature*, the research points to excessive groundwater extraction as the single biggest driver accelerating land subsidence across several densely populated delta regions. The study identifies the Ganga–Brahmaputra, Brahmani, Mahanadi, Godavari, Cauvery and Kabani deltas among those experiencing rapid sinking of land. Researchers warn that in many of these regions, the pace of subsidence now exceeds the rate of sea-level rise, compounding flood risks even without extreme climate events. River deltas may occupy just about one per cent ...

    As the United Nations prepares to mark 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, a new scientific study has raised serious concerns about the future of Africa’s grasslands. Published in Nature Communications the research finds that nearly half of the continent’s rangelands are now being grazed beyond safe ecological limits, largely due to rapidly rising livestock numbers combined with mounting climate stress. Pastoralism remains central to Africa’s food security, culture and rural economies, but researchers warn that the pace of livestock growth is outstripping the capacity of grasslands to recover. Of Africa’s 49 countries, 25 are already facing severe overuse of grasslands, with northern regions emerging as the most heavily affected. Livesto...

    In a small village of Bihar Nawada district, two brothers have quietly built a recycling venture that is redefining how plastic waste is viewed in India and beyond. Named ‘Minus Degree’, the startup recycles nearly 120 tonnes of plastic every year, transforming discarded wrappers and scrap into tiles, furniture, medals, trophies and souvenirs that have reached the Rashtrapati Bhawan and global markets. Founded by Vikas Kumar and his younger brother Rahul Kumar, the company processes around 10 tonnes of plastic waste every month and has achieved an annual turnover of ₹1.25 crore. What began as a modest experiment during the COVID-19 lockdown has now grown into a sustainable business supplying eco-friendly products to corporate giants and government institutions alike....

    North India is bracing for a sharper spell of winter from January 19, with temperatures expected to dip further as two western disturbances move towards the region in quick succession. Weather experts say the change in wind direction and approaching systems will intensify cold conditions across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Bihar over the next few days. According to the India Meteorological Department, the western disturbances will primarily affect the Western Himalayan region through the coming week, increasing the likelihood of rain and snowfall in the hills by January 23. Meteorologists have also warned that dense to very dense fog will continue to disrupt visibility across northwest India and Bihar for at least the next two to thre...

    A high-capacity dredger imported from Finland has begun operations at Delhi’s Najafgarh Drain, identified by authorities as the single largest source of pollution flowing into the Yamuna. The deployment marks a renewed push by the Delhi government to address river pollution through continuous and technology-driven interventions. The multipurpose Watermaster Amphibious Dredger was launched on Friday by Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh along with three self-propelled hopper barges. Officials said the Najafgarh Drain alone contributes nearly 70 per cent of the total pollution load entering the Yamuna, making it a critical focus area in the river-cleaning effort. Equipped to operate seamlessly on land and water, the dredger features four stabi...