Climate Actions Archives - Page 15 of 78

May22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Delhi Breathes Easier: CAQM Lifts GRAP Stage-I as Air Quality Improves

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

In a breath of fresh air for Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has officially lifted Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) after the region’s Air Quality Index (AQI) showed a promising shift to the 'Moderate' category. The decision, rooted in favorable meteorological forecasts and sustained improvement in air conditions, marks a welcome pause in emergency pollution control measures that had been in effect since early April. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday announced the revocation of Stage-I restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi and its adjoining National Capital Region (NCR). The decision follows a review by the Sub-Committee on GRAP, which took into account the latest AQI trends and weather ...

May22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

When the Wind Hits Different: Why Downbursts Are More Destructive Than Hurricanes

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

In May 2024, downtown Houston saw a surprising twist in storm damage. A powerful downburst, part of a derecho storm, blew out windows and ripped away building facades damage that even Hurricane Beryl, with similar wind speeds, failed to cause just months later. Engineers now believe the reason lies not in the strength of the winds but in how they behave. What Is a Downburst and Why Is It So Dangerous? Downbursts are often mistaken for heavy rain from a distance, but their power lies in what happens at ground level. As cold, dense air from high altitudes plunges downward during a thunderstorm, it accelerates rapidly. Once it hits the ground, it has nowhere to go but outwards sending winds blasting horizontally in all directions. These horizontal gusts can reach over 150 mph on ...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Heat, Hunger & Harm: How the Climate Crisis Deepens Gender Inequality and Violence

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Thoughts & Talks

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is a present crisis that is widening gender gaps, increasing violence against women and girls, and reversing decades of progress in human rights and sustainable development. A UN Spotlight Initiative report reveals that rising global temperatures and related disasters are not just environmental concerns they are fueling gender-based violence, displacing communities, increasing food insecurity, and threatening the health and safety of millions of women worldwide. This article explores how climate change uniquely affects women and girls, why feminist climate justice is essential, and how women are leading transformative solutions. Climate Crisis: A Gendered Emergency The climate emergency is intensifying conditions that disproportionately h...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

PM Narendra Modi Encourages Use of Sachet App: All You Need to Know

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments

In the latest episode of his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promoted the ‘Sachet’ mobile application an innovative tool developed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to issue real-time alerts during natural disasters. Operable in 12 Indian languages, the app ensures wider reach and quicker response during emergencies. What is Sachet? A lifeline in your pocket The Sachet app is designed to provide early warning alerts for natural disasters like floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, forest fires, tsunamis, avalanches, and lightning. It operates using a geotagged, real-time notification system based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), offering timely and location-specific updates from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)....

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New disaster response panel formed to boost India’s emergency preparedness

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

In a major step to enhance India’s disaster resilience, the Central government has constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The panel, formed under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, aims to strengthen national preparedness and ensure coordinated response during emergencies such as floods, earthquakes, pandemics, and industrial accidents. The newly formed committee includes Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Bery as its members. According to a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the panel has been constituted by exercising powers under sub-section (2) of Section 8B of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. This high-level committe...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

May12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

Apr302025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

Apr302025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...