Wednesday, January 28News That Matters

Climate Actions

Delhi Air Quality Crisis: Emergency Steps Trigger Political Feud as Pollution Surges

Delhi Air Quality Crisis: Emergency Steps Trigger Political Feud as Pollution Surges

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
Delhi NCR is once again grappling with a severe air pollution episode, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to enforce Stage-I measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on May 16. The decision follows a rapid rise in the city’s pollution levels, driven by strong winds that carried dust from distant regions, pushing the Air Quality Index (AQI) to a concerning 278. Forecasts by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) indicate that these poor air quality conditions are likely to persist at least through May 17. Despite recent official claims of progress, with only two ‘poor’ air days recorded in the first half of May 2025 the lowest in four years the sudden spike has reignited political fault lines. Th...
Born in the Heat: How Climate Change Is Putting Pregnant Women and Babies at Risk

Born in the Heat: How Climate Change Is Putting Pregnant Women and Babies at Risk

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
As climate change continues to drive extreme weather events around the globe, pregnant women are emerging as one of the most vulnerable populations. A groundbreaking new report from US-based research group Climate Central paints a disturbing picture: global warming is drastically increasing the number of “pregnancy heat-risk days” days when dangerously high temperatures threaten maternal and fetal health. The consequences are already being felt in hundreds of countries, especially in the Global South, where access to healthcare is limited. Heatwaves and Pregnancy: A Global Health Crisis Between 2020 and 2024, the number of high-heat exposure days for pregnant women more than doubled in 222 of the 247 countries and territories analyzed by Climate Central. These pregnancy heat-risk days ...
India Braces for Heatwave Surge as Monsoon Pushes Forward

India Braces for Heatwave Surge as Monsoon Pushes Forward

Breaking News, Climate Actions
India is bracing for intensified weather conditions as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts heatwave spells and advancing monsoon activity across several regions. Warm night conditions are likely to affect parts of eastern Madhya Pradesh on May 15. Simultaneously, heatwave conditions are expected to grip isolated pockets of western Uttar Pradesh from May 15 to 18, and eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Rajasthan from May 15 to 17. Hot and humid weather will persist in Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, and Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on May 15. Bihar will experience similar conditions from May 16 to 18, while Odisha faces the heat on May 15 and 16. Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds (30–50 kmph) are foreca...
Dust Drift from Pakistan Dims Delhi Skies as Heat, Pollution Intensify

Dust Drift from Pakistan Dims Delhi Skies as Heat, Pollution Intensify

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
A new wave of dust from northern Pakistan has begun sweeping into Delhi-NCR raising fresh concerns over the capital’s air quality amid rising heat. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) strong lower-level westerly winds are carrying the dust through Punjab and Haryana into the heart of Delhi threatening to reverse recent gains in pollution control. While visibility in areas like Palam has improved to 4,000 meters far above the threshold that defines a dust storm the increase in airborne particulates has pushed Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) back into the ‘poor’ category. The Central Pollution Control Board reported an alarming AQI of 350 in Punjabi Bagh with several neighborhoods following suit. This resurgence of pollution comes after a short-lived improvement that...
South Africa E-Waste Revolution Begins in North West Province

South Africa E-Waste Revolution Begins in North West Province

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a decisive move to confront South Africa’s mounting electronic waste crisis, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has launched a groundbreaking community-based initiative in the North West Province. Announced during a Service Delivery Imbizo in Rustenburg, the initiative is a bold step toward building an environmentally responsible culture of electronic recycling. Understanding E-Waste: A Modern Toxic Threat Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to discarded electrical or electronic devices. These include common items such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, printers, batteries, cables, microwaves, fridges, and even broken light bulbs. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the world due to rapid technological advancement and co...
Lightning Strike Kills Three in Odisha’s Koraput District

Lightning Strike Kills Three in Odisha’s Koraput District

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
Three members of a family lost their lives after being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm in Kandha Putabandha village, under Pottangi block of Odisha's Koraput district. The incident occurred around 12:30 PM on Wednesday, when the victims took shelter under a tree while working in nearby fields. The deceased have been identified as 49-year-old Gamel Krishna, his 13-year-old daughter Gamel Kami, and a 35-year-old relative Gamel Tumbai. Local authorities reached the spot and recovered the bodies. Immediate financial assistance of ₹10,000 has been sanctioned for each affected family, with further compensation to follow under government norms. The tragic incident adds to growing concerns over extreme weather events during the pre-monsoon season in the region. From News Desk ...
How Indigenous Fire Practices Can Restore Ecosystems and Reduce Wildfire Risks in British Columbia

How Indigenous Fire Practices Can Restore Ecosystems and Reduce Wildfire Risks in British Columbia

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
As wildfires intensify across British Columbia (BC) and much of the world, a growing body of research is pointing to a powerful, time-tested solution: fire itself. A new report from the POLIS Wildfire Resilience Project at the University of Victoria urges a fundamental shift in how society views and manages fire. Titled “Beneficial Fire in British Columbia: An Exploration of How Fire Can Contribute to Wildfire Resilience,” the report emphasizes that not all fire is destructive some fire is essential. This concept of beneficial fire marks a transformative approach to wildfire resilience. Beneficial fire refers to planned or naturally occurring wildland fires that improve ecosystem health without posing unacceptable risk to human communities. It includes cultural burning led by Indigenous...
Heat Rising, Risks Rising: Climate Change Threatens Global Maternal Health

Heat Rising, Risks Rising: Climate Change Threatens Global Maternal Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Fact Check
A new global analysis reveals that extreme heat, intensified by climate change, is endangering maternal health and birth outcomes around the world especially in vulnerable regions with limited access to healthcare. According to data from Climate Central, rising temperatures over the past five years have dramatically increased the number of high-risk heat days for pregnant women across the globe. The report assessed daily maximum temperatures between 2020 and 2024 in 247 countries, territories, and dependencies, as well as 940 major cities. It focused on what researchers call “pregnancy heat-risk days” those with maximum temperatures warmer than 95% of all historical temperatures at a given location. These conditions are closely associated with heightened risks of preterm birth and pregn...
NOAA Ends Tracking of Billion-Dollar Climate Disasters Amid Cuts

NOAA Ends Tracking of Billion-Dollar Climate Disasters Amid Cuts

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Key Disaster Dataset Discontinued the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on May 8, 2025, that it will stop updating its widely used Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database. The decision is part of broader changes under the Donald Trump administration, including staff reductions and shifting priorities that have impacted the agency’s climate operations. Critical Resource for Climate Costs Retired NOAA has played a central role in tracking the financial toll of floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters for over four decades. Its data, used by governments, insurers, and researchers, estimated trillions of dollars in damages across the US. The agency stated that all reports from 1980 to 2024 will remain...
Industrial Boilers Responsible for 7% of India Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Reveals New Report

Industrial Boilers Responsible for 7% of India Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Reveals New Report

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
A comprehensive study has revealed that industrial boilers across India contribute nearly 7% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting a critical and under-addressed source of pollution. With more emissions of particulate matter and sulphur dioxide than the entire automobile sector, the report calls for urgent reforms, including a proposed nationwide “Green Boiler Mission.” The findings underline the importance of overhauling aging industrial systems to achieve India’s climate goals, improve air quality, and enhance energy efficiency. India’s Boilers: A Hidden Climate Challenge India industrial growth has long depended on the power of boilers, especially in sectors like food processing, textiles, and chemicals. However, a new study released during the National ...