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    Perched high in the eastern Andes of Peru, La Rinconada stands at nearly 5,000 metres above sea level, making it the world’s highest permanent human settlement. Life here unfolds at the edge of human endurance, where oxygen levels are almost half of what people breathe at sea level and basic services like running water and sewage systems simply do not exist. Despite the harsh environment, nearly 50,000 people continue to live and work in this remote mining town, driven largely by one powerful force: gold. Life at an altitude where breathing itself is a challenge Located on a steep mountainside beneath a retreating glacier known locally as La Bella Durmiente, La Rinconada sits roughly 650 kilometres from the Bolivian border. The thin air at this altitude makes ...

    Global warming is set to redraw the world energy needs, creating a widening gap between rich and poor countries, a new study has found. As temperatures rise, colder and wealthier nations are expected to see a sharp fall in heating demand, while warmer and largely developing countries will face a steep surge in the need for air conditioning. The research published in Nature Sustainability, warns that most of these shifts will happen sooner than expected, even before the planet crosses the critical 1.5°C warming threshold. Richer cold countries to save energy, poorer hot nations to pay more According to the study, countries such as Canada, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway will experience the steepest declines in heating demand as winters become milder. In contr...

    Nearly half of the global population could be exposed to extreme heat conditions by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford. Climate scientists say this warming scenario is increasingly likely, with serious consequences for human health, energy systems and economic stability. Extreme heat exposure likely to double compared to 2010 levels The study estimates that the share of people living under extreme heat will rise sharply from 23 per cent in 2010, about 1.54 billion people, to 41 per cent by 2050, affecting nearly 3.79 billion individuals worldwide. The largest populations exposed to dangerous heat are projected to be in India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Bangla...

    Iran ongoing wave of protests is widely linked to inflation, corruption and political repression. While these factors are central, new analysis suggests they tell only part of the story. Beneath the country’s political unrest lies a deeper and more destabilising crisis the collapse of Iran environmental systems. Across Iran’s largest protest centres, citizens are confronting not a single ecological emergency but a convergence of multiple breakdowns, including chronic water shortages, land subsidence, extreme air pollution and recurring energy failures. Together, these pressures have made daily life increasingly unlivable for millions. Environmental breakdown intensifies daily life struggles Between 2003 and 2019, Iran lost an estimated 211 cubic kilometres of g...

    In a significant boost to India’s botanical record, researchers from Nagaland University have discovered a previously unknown species of flowering plant in a community-protected forest in Nagaland. The discovery highlights both the region’s rich biodiversity and the crucial role local communities play in conserving fragile ecosystems. New species named Hoya nagaensis after Nagaland The newly identified plant has been named Hoya nagaensis and belongs to the Hoya genus, commonly known as the wax plant family. The species was found during systematic botanical surveys in the Kavunhou Community Reserved Forest in Phek district, around 110 kilometres from Kohima. Researchers say the plant produces distinctive star-shaped, waxy flowers and releases a milk-like latex, ...

    Several parts of Noida witnessed a hailstorm on Tuesday after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for multiple cities across the Delhi-NCR region, warning of thunderstorms, lightning and hail activity. Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Faridabad were also placed under an orange alert, while Delhi remained on a yellow alert, according to the IMD. Visuals shared by residents on social media showed hailstones scattered across roads in Noida, with sudden weather changes catching commuters off guard. Earlier in the day, parts of Delhi experienced light to moderate rainfall, prompting the IMD to issue a red alert for some areas and an orange alert for others due to ongoing rain and possible disruptions. The weather alerts were valid until 1:30 pm, dur...

    The world’s largest known lithium deposit, buried beneath Bolivia’s iconic Salar de Uyuni salt flat, is emerging as a site of growing environmental concern as demand for the metal surges globally. While lithium is central to the transition toward electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, new scientific findings suggest that its extraction may quietly amplify toxic risks that extend well beyond mining zones. The Salar de Uyuni, famous for its vast white landscape and mirror-like reflections during seasonal rains, holds highly saline groundwater rich in lithium. Mining operations pump this brine from depths of up to 50 metres into large evaporation ponds, where sun and wind concentrate lithium by removing water and crystallising unwanted salts. The final concentr...

    China has proposed a draft legislation titled the Antarctic Activities and Environmental Protection Law to regulate all China-linked activities in Antarctica, signalling a move to formalise its growing presence on the southern continent. The draft law was submitted for first reading to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on December 23, 2025, according to media reports. The proposed legislation consists of seven chapters and 57 articles and seeks to establish a comprehensive domestic legal framework governing expeditions, scientific research, fisheries, tourism and shipping activities in Antarctica. It applies not only to Chinese citizens and organisations but also to foreign entities that organise Antarctic activities from within China or depart...

    The Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed a compact, portable seawater desalination system that can convert saline water into safe drinking water without the use of electricity, offering a critical solution for soldiers deployed in remote and coastal regions. The system, called the Sea Water Desalination System, was unveiled in early January 2026 by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory in Jodhpur following requirements raised by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Designed to support troops operating far from established water sources, the system can process seawater as well as brackish water and make it potable at the point of use. DRDO officials said the technology is aimed at improving logistical self-sufficiency in challenging terrains such as coastal...

    Africa’s forests, long regarded as one of the world’s most important natural carbon sinks, are now releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than they absorb, according to a new international study led by scientists at the University of Leicester. The findings suggest that large-scale forest loss across the continent has pushed African forests past a critical threshold, weakening their role in slowing global climate change. The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports analysed changes in aboveground forest biomass across Africa using satellite observations, machine learning techniques and field measurements collected over more than a decade. Scientists found that while African forests gained carbon between 2007 and 2010, the trend reversed sharply after ...