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Mauritius small island nation in the Indian Ocean, is facing its worst water crisis in years. A dangerous mix of less rainfall, rising temperatures, and a growing population has put the island’s water supplies under severe strain. The country’s main reservoirs once nearly full are now holding just 38% of their capacity, a steep fall from the 92% levels seen in early 2024. At the same time, Mauritius’s population has tripled since the 1950s, pushing water demand higher than ever before. The droughts are becoming more frequent and severe, threatening not just daily life but also the island’s economy, farming, and industries. Restrictions are now in place: people are fined if they wash cars or water gardens. Even the watering of sugarcane crops, vital to the island’s economy, has been s...

  In Fairbanks Alaska, under the bright summer sky that stays lit for nearly 22 hours a day meteorologist Ciara Santiago stood by the thermometer as it climbed steadily into the 80s. For the first time in the state’s history, Santiago had to issue an official heat advisory a warning unheard of in this part of the world, where cold weather is usually the main concern. This may sound like a minor event elsewhere, but for Alaska where permafrost keeps the ground frozen, homes are built to trap warmth, and air conditioning is rare the heat warning is a sign of a fast-changing climate. Scientists say Alaska is warming at more than twice the global average rate. Until this month, weather offices in Fairbanks, only 120 miles south of the Arctic Circle, didn’t even have the option to...

New Delhi: A recent ruling by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Karnataka’s Honnavar Port project has raised deep concerns about the future of environmental governance and public participation in India. In a controversial decision, the NGT allowed the reuse of a public hearing held 12 years ago in 2012 for approving a fresh environmental clearance granted in 2024, sidestepping the need for new community consultation. This move, environmental experts argue, has undermined constitutional rights, environmental protections, and the voices of coastal communities who fear the irreversible damage this port may cause. The Rs 607 crore Honnavar Port project a public-private partnership between Karnataka Maritime Board and Honnavar Port Pvt Ltd was first cleared in 2012 after a thinly atten...

New Delhi: In a discovery that sheds fresh light on India’s ecological history, scientists have unearthed fossilized leaves in Assam’s Makum Coalfield that reveal a long-forgotten connection with the biodiversity of the Western Ghats. These leaves, dating back around 23–24 million years to the late Oligocene epoch, belong to the Nothopegia genus a group of tropical trees now found only in the lush rainforests of the Western Ghats. The breakthrough study, led by researchers from the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP) in Lucknow, has been published in the Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. It marks a major advance in understanding how India’s northeastern and southwestern ecological zones were once directly linked. For decades, the Makum Coalfield has been known as a t...

Ahmedabad: Gujarat is reeling under the impact of relentless monsoon rains that have claimed 18 lives and triggered severe flooding across major districts. The state government has swung into action, deploying National and State Disaster Response Force (NDRF and SDRF) teams to manage the unfolding crisis. According to State Emergency Commissioner Alok Pandey, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired an emergency meeting on Tuesday, connecting with District Magistrates from 25 districts to coordinate rescue and relief operations. Authorities are racing to limit damage and protect lives as the situation grows critical. The worst-hit regions include Botad, Amreli, Surendranagar, and Bhavnagar, where continuous downpours have inundated towns and farmlands. In Botad district’s Gadhada area,...

The recent twin shipwrecks off Kerala's coast have raised serious concerns over the safety of aging vessels and the loopholes in global maritime governance. The incidents, involving the Liberian-flagged MSC Elsa 3 and Singapore-flagged Wan Hai 503, have caused severe environmental damage and disrupted the livelihoods of coastal communities. Both ships, well past 20 years of age, sank in the Arabian Sea, releasing diesel, furnace oil, and hazardous cargo into marine waters. Volunteers and marine biologists reported plastic nurdles small plastic pellets used in manufacturing washing ashore. These pose a grave threat to marine life as they resemble fish eggs, are nearly impossible to clean, and can carry harmful pollutants across the ocean. Additionally, sunken oil droplets are likely to s...

As global climate discussions unfold in Bonn, Germany ahead of COP30 in Brazil, India has a crucial chance to shape how agriculture fits into the climate action agenda. These talks, while quieter than the high-profile COP summits, are where the real groundwork for future climate policies is laid. For India, the stakes are high. The country is home to nearly 120 million smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on climate-sensitive agriculture. Their voices, however, rarely shape these discussions. Agriculture is becoming central in climate talks, not just as a source of emissions but as part of the solution. Yet the focus remains skewed towards cutting emissions a risk for countries like India where farming emissions are about survival, not luxury. India’s agriculture sector contr...

Ahmedabad: Gujarat is reeling under the impact of relentless monsoon rains that have claimed 18 lives and triggered severe flooding across major districts. The state government has swung into action, deploying National and State Disaster Response Force (NDRF and SDRF) teams to manage the unfolding crisis. According to State Emergency Commissioner Alok Pandey, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired an emergency meeting on Tuesday, connecting with District Magistrates from 25 districts to coordinate rescue and relief operations. Authorities are racing to limit damage and protect lives as the situation grows critical. The worst-hit regions include Botad, Amreli, Surendranagar, and Bhavnagar, where continuous downpours have inundated towns and farmlands. In Botad district’s Gadhada area,...