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  A vacant plot in southeast Houston, Texas, has been transformed into a vibrant public park filled with mosaics, sculptures and creative installations made from discarded materials. Since work began in 2010 more than 300 artists have contributed to Smither Park, turning broken dishes, bottle caps, shells, keys and discarded tiles into a unique outdoor art space. The half acre park on Munger Street was developed on land owned by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. It was created in memory of John Smither, a collector and supporter of outsider art. His wife, Stephanie Smither, helped advance the vision while artist and builder Dan Phillips brought his experience working with reclaimed materials to the project. Construction began in 2010 with the creation of what would be...

More than 6 per cent of the Amazon’s floodplain forests and other wetland areas have been converted for human use over the past four decades with nearly one third of the total destruction occurring between 2015 and 2024 according to a new study. The converted area is roughly equivalent to the size of Belgium, highlighting the growing pressure on one of the world’s most ecologically important tropical regions. Amazonian wetlands are seasonally flooded by rivers that overflow their banks for months each year. These ecosystems cover around 30 per cent of the Brazilian Amazon and support diverse wildlife as well as riverine communities that depend on fishing, agriculture and other forest resources. Many families live in houses built on stilts to adapt to changing water levels. The stu...

  Adding trees to a lake can do more than provide shelter for fish it can help support the entire aquatic food web. Researchers in northern Wisconsin United States, found that introducing 140 trees into Sanford Lake approximately doubled the lake’s capacity to support fish production highlighting the importance of natural shoreline habitats for healthy freshwater ecosystems. The long term research project was conducted at Sanford Lake, a 92 acre lake in northern Wisconsin. Scientists placed 140 whole trees, mainly conifers along with some deciduous species into the water to investigate whether the added structures would simply attract fish already present or increase the amount of fish the lake could support. According to Greg Sass who leads the Wisconsin Department of Natura...

Editor:Vaishali Verma, Delhi 21, October, 2026: India has scored just 2 out of 32 in a global assessment of how effectively countries integrate public health into their climate action plans, highlighting major gaps in addressing air pollution climate related health risks and the health benefits of emissions reductions. The Healthy NDC Scorecard assessed the climate commitments of 132 countries under their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline national targets and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change under the Paris Agreement. The assessment found that India’s latest climate plan, submitted in April 2026, gives limited attention to health. India ranked joint bottom with Japan and New Zealand, while Colombia topped the list wit...

Restoring native vegetation, protecting seabird populations and removing invasive rats could help vulnerable atoll islands maintain their natural defences against rising sea levels according to an international study published in Science Advances. The research led by marine ecologist Nick Graham of Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, examined ecosystem resilience across 28 atoll islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The findings suggest that healthy interactions between seabirds land vegetation and coral reefs can strengthen the natural processes that help islands build and stabilise their land. Atolls are low lying islands formed from coral reef systems and are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, coastal erosion and extreme weather. However, researchers found that...

  The number of people exposed to both heat waves and wildfire smoke on the same days has increased by 287 million worldwide over two decades highlighting the growing health risks posed by overlapping climate extremes, according to a study by researchers at Monash University in Australia. Published in the journal Science Advances, the study examined global patterns of exposure to heat waves and pollution from landscape fires between 2000 and 2019. The research was led by Dr Yao Wu, alongside professors Yuming Guo and Shanshan Li. The findings show that more than half of the global population experienced exposure to these combined events during the 20 year study period. In populated areas 52.4% of people experienced increasing exposure while the proportion was nearly 56% acros...

Rising temperatures declining snowfall and shrinking glaciers in Kashmir’s Pir Panjal range are placing increasing pressure on the Doodh Ganga river, a vital source of drinking water for uptown Srinagar. The resulting supply disruptions are affecting household routines, increasing expenses and adding to the emotional burden on women who often manage their families’ daily water needs. For Mehak, 28, a resident of Bagh-e-Mehtab in Srinagar, unreliable water supply has become a persistent challenge. Despite installing three storage tanks at home, her family continues to struggle with uncertain supply timings insufficient water for basic activities and concerns about water quality. The situation has also affected her mother’s emotional well being as the daily uncertainty over water avail...

  A neglected stretch of land in Madison County, Iowa, has become a conservation success story after a couple discovered rare native ecosystems beneath thick invasive vegetation and began restoring the landscape. John and Sheri Paule initially purchased 40 acres of overgrown land, but the discovery of surviving native habitats inspired them to expand their conservation efforts across a property spanning more than 300 acres. When the couple first examined the land, its hillsides were covered with invasive plants, including multiflora rose and prickly ash. However, surviving bur oak trees suggested that the area might once have supported an oak savanna, a habitat characterised by scattered oak trees and grassland vegetation. The ecological value of the property became clearer w...

  Artificial mangrove root structures are showing promising results in reducing coastal erosion along Thailand’s upper Gulf coastline, where rising seas and sinking land threaten communities, farms and livelihoods. A study of the technology’s first year of deployment found sediment accumulation at 10 of 11 sites, suggesting the structures could help stabilise vulnerable shorelines while creating conditions for natural mangrove recovery. The trial was conducted in Phra Samut Chedi district and other parts of Samut Prakan province, along the Chao Phraya River Delta. Published in the journal Ocean & Coastal Management the study examined the performance of the artificial structures over a 15 month period. Researchers recorded sediment buildup ranging from 16 to 88 centimetres...

NASA satellites are tracking a potentially powerful El Niño developing across the Pacific Ocean in 2026 revealing changes in sea surface temperatures ocean height and marine ecosystems that could influence weather patterns around the world. In October, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimated an 83 per cent chance that the event would become the strongest El Niño since 1950. The outcome remains uncertain, but satellite observations are providing scientists with detailed information about the changing ocean conditions. El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern that typically develops every two to seven years. It is characterised by unusually warm surface waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific and changes in atmospheric circulation th...