Wednesday, November 5News That Matters

Climate Actions

Indus Water Diversion May End North India’s Crisis, But Requires Years and Massive Investment

Indus Water Diversion May End North India’s Crisis, But Requires Years and Massive Investment

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
Suspending the Indus Water Treaty opens doors for irrigation, hydropower, and storage expansion but with steep costs, long timelines, and political hurdles. India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty could mark a turning point in tackling the chronic water scarcity of northern states but experts warn that large-scale benefits will take years of infrastructure upgrades, hefty spending, and tricky environmental trade-offs. The Treaty signed in 1960, granted unrestricted use of eastern rivers (Satluj, Beas, Ravi) to India and restricted use of western rivers (Chenab, Jhelum, Indus) to Pakistan. India was allowed only non-consumptive or agricultural use on western rivers, with no storage or diversion permitted. That could now change. With the Treaty suspended, India can immedi...
Extreme Weather Surges Cost Trillions, Exposing Insurance Gaps and Need for Climate Resilience

Extreme Weather Surges Cost Trillions, Exposing Insurance Gaps and Need for Climate Resilience

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
Rising losses from floods, fires and storms reveal urgent call for public-private action in climate risk management. Over the last decade, extreme weather events from tornados and hurricanes to floods and wildfires have inflicted a staggering toll on both people and economies worldwide. Between 2014 and 2023, these events caused around USD 2 trillion in economic losses globally, and the outlook is only becoming more concerning. Driven by shifting climate patterns, storms are growing more frequent and severe, with rising sea levels, erratic precipitation, and warming temperatures disrupting ecosystems, food production, and public health. The compounding impact of these changes threatens to cause long-term environmental and financial damage. Insurance supports recovery but cover...
New Study Links Rainfall Patterns to Deadly Humid heatwaves, opening door to early warnings

New Study Links Rainfall Patterns to Deadly Humid heatwaves, opening door to early warnings

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments
Researchers say improved forecasting could protect millions in tropical and subtropical regions as climate change intensifies risk. Scientists may have found a breakthrough in forecasting humid heatwaves a growing and dangerous threat in tropical regions by revealing how recent rainfall and soil moisture can signal when such deadly conditions might arise. In a first-of-its-kind study experts from the University of Leeds and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have identified clear links between rainfall patterns and the onset of extreme humid heat across the global tropics and subtropics. The findings, published on Tuesday, April 29 in Nature Communications, could pave the way for early warning systems that help protect vulnerable communities. a deadly but poorly understood da...
Coastal models show how island nations may adapt to sea level rise

Coastal models show how island nations may adapt to sea level rise

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
Scientists simulate real-world wave impacts on coral atolls to study future flood risks and explore limits of adaptation. New hope for vulnerable island communities A groundbreaking study using coastal models has revealed how natural coral atoll islands may respond to rising sea levels and more frequent wave-driven flooding. The research, led by Roelvink et al. [2025] and published in Earth’s Future, offers fresh insights into how sediment naturally accumulates on the ocean-facing side of islands, helping raise their elevation and reduce the impact of future overwash during extreme weather events. These findings are particularly relevant for rural, low-lying islands in the Maldives and Pacific Ocean, where communities depend heavily on coral reef protection and are among the first...
Climate crisis shortens window for global wildfire response as fire seasons start to overlap

Climate crisis shortens window for global wildfire response as fire seasons start to overlap

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Scientists warn that longer fire seasons in Australia and North America are overlapping due to climate change, challenging international emergency cooperation. Fire risk rising with the climate As global temperatures rise, wildfires are becoming more frequent, intense, and unpredictable. A new international study by scientists from Germany’s Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Australia reveals that fire weather seasons in eastern Australia and western North America are increasingly overlapping largely due to climate change. This shift threatens the long-standing mutual aid system between fire services in Australia the United States and Canada. The findings were published in the journal Earth’s Future. January 2025 LA wildfires past Australia bushfires show the c...
India Drafts Emission Intensity Rules for Industries to Power Carbon Trading and Meet 2030 Climate Goals

India Drafts Emission Intensity Rules for Industries to Power Carbon Trading and Meet 2030 Climate Goals

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Thoughts & Talks
India has released a draft framework to set mandatory targets for reducing industrial emissions under the Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI) Target Rules, 2025. The draft, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is aimed at accelerating India’s commitment to cut emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels. These rules will support the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), 2023, creating a structured system for reducing and trading greenhouse gas emissions in energy-intensive industries. The draft rules are currently open for public comments and suggestions for a 60-day period from the date of notification. What is Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI)? Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI) refers to the amoun...
Donald Trump Ends Climate Panel, Halts Key Reports, Future Research

Donald Trump Ends Climate Panel, Halts Key Reports, Future Research

Breaking News, Climate Actions
In a controversial move former US President Donald Trump’s administration has dismissed all authors of the National Climate Assessment (NCA) a crucial panel that has long shaped the country's understanding of climate change. The decision comes alongside a broader trend under Trump to cut climate research funding, withdraw from climate treaties, and promote fossil fuel development over green alternatives. The National Climate Assessment, launched under the US Global Change Research Program, is released every five years and provides scientific insight on the state of America’s climate from past observations to future predictions. Its findings have helped guide policies to protect the environment and vulnerable communities. The sixth report was expected in 2027, but that now appears to ...
Climate Disasters to Cost a Record $145 Billion in 2025, Warns Swiss Re Study

Climate Disasters to Cost a Record $145 Billion in 2025, Warns Swiss Re Study

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Climate disasters are set to cost $145 billion in insured losses globally in 2025 a sharp 6% rise from last year making it one of the costliest years on record, according to a new report by reinsurance giant Swiss Re. This projected figure surpasses the $137 billion loss in 2024 and is well above the historical average. The rise is driven by a growing number of extreme weather events which experts link to climate change, urban expansion, and increasing populations in high-risk zones. A major driver of this year’s spike is the wildfires in Los Angeles which alone are expected to cause $40 billion in insured damages, the report said. Total Damage Far Worse While insured losses are skyrocketing, the total losses from natural disasters including damages not covered by insurance...
Drought Heat & Dehydration: Kidney Disease Risk Rising in Colorado San Luis Valley

Drought Heat & Dehydration: Kidney Disease Risk Rising in Colorado San Luis Valley

Breaking News, Climate Actions
New research shows that prolonged heat and dryness in Colorado’s San Luis Valley significantly increased the risk of kidney disease between 1984 and 1998. The findings highlight a direct link between climate change and human health particularly for agricultural workers in arid, drought-stricken regions. Kidney Health Threatened by Climate in High-Altitude Desert The San Luis Valley, North America's largest high valley desert, is now at the center of a disturbing trend: rising cases of kidney damage and disease linked to low humidity, rising temperatures, and long-term drought. A 15-year study, recently published in Weather, Climate, and Society, tracked health data from agricultural workers in the region and revealed a worrying pattern a 10% drop in humidity led to a 2% increase in a...
New SFINCS Model Boosts Flood Forecasts, Speeds Up Storm Readiness for Coastal Areas

New SFINCS Model Boosts Flood Forecasts, Speeds Up Storm Readiness for Coastal Areas

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments
A revolutionary open-source flood model called SFINCS, developed by PhD researcher Tim Leijnse of Deltares and VU Amsterdam, is transforming how we predict and prepare for coastal flooding caused by tropical cyclones and extreme storms. A Faster, Smarter Way to Predict Coastal Flooding Tropical cyclones rising sea levels, and extreme rainfall have already impacted hundreds of millions in coastal communities across the globe. To safeguard lives and livelihoods, it's no longer enough to track just one factor like storm surges. Instead, experts must understand the complex interaction of waves, rain, and river flows all of which can combine into dangerous compound floods. That’s where SFINCS (Super-Fast INundation of CoastS) comes in. Developed by Tim Leijnse, who receives his ...