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Asia experienced one of its most challenging climate years on record in 2025, with extreme heat, devastating floods prolonged droughts, shrinking glaciers and record breaking ocean temperatures affecting millions of people across the continent according to a new report released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report titled State of the Climate in Asia 2025 highlights how climate change is intensifying weather related disasters across the region and underscores the growing importance of early warning systems in reducing loss of life and economic damage. According to the WMO, Asia is warming faster than the global average. The region's warming trend between 1991 and 2025 was nearly twice as strong as during the period from 1961 to 1990. The year 2025 ranked between ...

Heat waves are playing a much larger role in fueling wildfires across the western United States than previously understood, according to a new study that examined wildfire activity from 2001 to 2024. Researchers found that although heat waves accounted for only 12% to 15% of warm season days they were associated with 42% of the total area burned by wildfires during the study period. The findings highlight the growing connection between climate change, extreme heat and wildfire activity. The study conducted by a team of fire and climate scientists analyzed two decades of wildfire data across the western U.S. and quantified the impact of heat waves on fire behavior for the first time. Researchers defined a heat wave as a period of at least three consecutive days with temperatures ranki...

Scientists warn a potential super El Nino in 2026 could disrupt fisheries damage coral reefs and leave seals sea lions and other marine wildlife struggling to survive. Scientists are warning that there is more than a 60% chance of a super El Nino developing by the end of 2026. If it occurs, the powerful climate event could have severe consequences for marine ecosystems, global fisheries and ocean wildlife. A super El Nino is the strongest form of El Niño and occurs when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius above average. The additional heat released from the ocean can increase global temperatures and intensify climate related impacts worldwide. Researchers say climate change is making El Niño events stronger and more frequent...

A new study has found that tropical rainfall patterns are shifting northward in ways that many climate models failed to predict, raising concerns about the future of monsoons and water supplies across some of the world's most densely populated regions. Researchers analyzing weather and satellite records from 1979 to 2024 discovered that the major tropical rain belts have gradually moved north over the past four decades. The findings suggest that changes in atmospheric circulation, driven partly by rapidly warming land areas, are reshaping rainfall patterns across India, Southeast Asia, West Africa and other tropical regions. The study, published in Nature Communications challenges the long-standing assumption that climate change would simply make wet regions wetter and dry regions dr...

Chandrapur, Maharashtra: What was once a migration-prone tribal village in Maharashtra has transformed into a model of community led development, thanks to legal rights over its ancestral forests and a thriving bamboo enterprise. Pachgaon a village in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district inhabited primarily by the Gond Adivasi community, has generated nearly Rs 3.4 crore in profits over the past decade through sustainable bamboo harvesting and forest management. The achievement follows the village's successful claim over 1,006 hectares of ancestral forest land under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in 2012. The Forest Rights Act, enacted in 2006, was designed to recognize the traditional rights of indigenous and forest dwelling communities over lands and resources they have depended on for g...

This summer the district of Banda in the drought prone Bundelkhand region recorded some of the highest temperatures in the country, with mercury repeatedly crossing 47°C and approaching 48°C during May. While climate change has intensified heatwaves across India, experts say another factor is making the crisis even worse: the steady loss of groundwater and traditional water systems. According to a recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), rising temperatures and shrinking water resources are creating a dangerous cycle that is increasing vulnerability in rural communities. As groundwater levels fall and ponds dry up, the land loses its natural cooling ability, causing temperatures to rise even further. For generations communities in Bundelkhand survived harsh summe...

Scientists have discovered that thawing permafrost may trigger a natural geological process capable of removing significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, partially counteracting greenhouse gas emissions released from melting frozen soils. The findings published in the journal Nature challenge the widely held view that thawing permafrost acts solely as a source of climate warming emissions. Researchers from Umea University in Sweden and East China Normal University in China found that as frozen ground thaws, it can accelerate rock weathering a natural process that absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide. Permafrost which stores vast quantities of ancient organic matter, is thawing rapidly due to rising global temperatures. When frozen soils melt, microbes decompose long preser...

More than 2.8 million trees on forest land across India were approved for felling or were already recorded as felled between July 2023 and May 2026, according to an analysis of official forest diversion records. The findings, published by environmental magazine Down To Earth (DTE), are based on minutes of meetings of the Advisory Committee constituted under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. The committee reviews proposals seeking the diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes. The analysis identified 288 unique forest diversion proposals considered during the three year period. Of these, 242 projects received approval, resulting in an approval rate of more than 80 percent. The approved projects led to the diversion of over 22,000 hectares of forest land ac...

The Delhi government has announced a new Proactive Winter Air Quality Management Framework aimed at reducing air pollution during the city's most challenging months. The framework, notified on June 19, lays out a series of measures that could be implemented between November and February if pollution levels begin to rise. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the plan is intended to provide advance notice to residents and businesses so they can prepare for restrictions and avoid disruptions during the winter season. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government is taking early action by clearly communicating the steps that may be required to manage worsening air quality. Valid PUC Certificate Mandatory for Fuel Purchase One of the key measures under the framework is the enforc...

A polluted lagoon in Portugal is showing remarkable signs of recovery after scientists successfully restored underwater seagrass meadows that had been destroyed by decades of industrial contamination. The restoration effort took place in Largo do Laranjo, part of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon, where mercury and arsenic pollution had severely damaged the ecosystem. Researchers say the project demonstrates how nature based solutions can help clean contaminated environments and bring degraded habitats back to life. According to the European Commission, the area was once covered with dense meadows of Zostera noltei seagrass. However, years of industrial pollution poisoned the sediments, leading to the disappearance of the underwater vegetation. Although water quality improved after stricter e...