Thursday, October 9News That Matters

Climate Actions

River Yatra Rekindles Ancient Ties to Save a Dying Himalayan Lifeline to Vanishing

River Yatra Rekindles Ancient Ties to Save a Dying Himalayan Lifeline to Vanishing

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In the dense Himalayan folds of Uttarakhand, where the Nayar River once flowed with grace and abundance, there is now a troubling silence. Water thins, vegetation withers, and in some places, the once-lush slopes show little new plant growth. While grazing has been absent here for decades, signs of disrupted natural regeneration are everywhere. This ecological imbalance is not isolated. Scientific studies have long suggested that regulated grazing, rather than bans, plays a crucial role in ecosystem health. A 2010 paper in Ecology Letters found that controlled grazing helps maintain biomass balance, improve nutrient cycling, and support diverse vegetation. In the Valley of Flowers in Chamoli, a blanket ban on grazing led to a troubling shift dominant grasses took over, biodiversity shra...
Antarctic Ice Sheet Near Irreversible Melting Tipping Point, Study Warns

Antarctic Ice Sheet Near Irreversible Melting Tipping Point, Study Warns

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
A groundbreaking new study has revealed that the Antarctic Ice Sheet Earth’s largest contributor to potential sea-level rise may be dangerously close to an irreversible tipping point, beyond which melting will continue even if global temperatures are stabilised or reduced. Scientists from Norway’s NORCE Research, the UK’s Northumbria University, and Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) have confirmed that the ice sheet is showing signs of “hysteresis” a phenomenon where a system continues on its path regardless of changes to the initial conditions. In this case, it means that the melting of Antarctica’s vast ice reserves could continue even without additional global warming. Using sophisticated computer simulations known as Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), th...
Karnataka Governor Urges Collective Action on Sustainability at Bengaluru Summit

Karnataka Governor Urges Collective Action on Sustainability at Bengaluru Summit

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Thoughts & Talks
At the Bangalore Sustainability Summit held on Tuesday, Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot called for urgent and unified efforts to protect the environment, stressing that the time for action is now. Speaking at the event themed “Advancing Sustainable Development Goals: Enhancing the Impact of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships,” jointly organised by O.P. Jindal Global University and RV University, the Governor urged a lifestyle rooted in simplicity, nature, and reverence for forests. “We must awaken a renewed consciousness—rooted in love and respect for nature,” Gehlot said, highlighting the dangers posed by rising pollution and depleting natural resources. He noted that recent challenges, such as the oxygen crisis, have only underscored the pressing need for environmental preservation...
From Searing to Surreal: India’s Summer Ends Before It Began Amid Weather Whiplash

From Searing to Surreal: India’s Summer Ends Before It Began Amid Weather Whiplash

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a stunning contrast to the brutal summer of 2024, India in 2025 is experiencing an unprecedented early end to summer, upending expectations and raising fresh concerns about growing climate volatility. Last year, May and June were defined by relentless heatwaves, pushing thermometers to historic highs and placing immense stress on agriculture, power grids, and public health. The scorching summer of 2024, ultimately labeled the hottest year on record, had become emblematic of the global climate crisis. But in a dramatic reversal May 2025 has unfolded with unseasonably cool temperatures, widespread cloud cover, and scattered rainstorms offering rare relief from what is normally the year's harshest season. The shift has left meteorologists, farmers, and citizens both relieved and perp...
Assam Floods Affect 5.35 Lakh; Death Toll at 11, CM Warns of ‘Water Bomb’ Risk from Dam Release

Assam Floods Affect 5.35 Lakh; Death Toll at 11, CM Warns of ‘Water Bomb’ Risk from Dam Release

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
The flood situation in Assam has turned dire, affecting over 5.35 lakh people across 22 districts, as relentless rainfall and swollen rivers continue to wreak havoc. The death toll from floods and landslides has risen to 11, while two persons remain missing. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), a total of 5,15,039 people across 1,254 villages in 65 revenue circles have been hit. Sribhumi is the worst-affected district with 1.94 lakh people impacted, followed by Cachar (77,961) and Nagaon (67,880). Fifteen rivers are currently in spate, including the Brahmaputra flowing above danger level at Neamatighat and Tezpur and Barak, Subansiri, Dhansiri, Kopili, and others. Embankments have been breached in three locations and damaged in two more, while crop dama...
India Ramps Up Climate, Security Diplomacy in Central Asia with Strong Glacier Warning

India Ramps Up Climate, Security Diplomacy in Central Asia with Strong Glacier Warning

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a major diplomatic push through Central Asia, India has reaffirmed its climate leadership and regional cooperation agenda with a focused outreach led by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. During a high-level visit to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Singh participated in key multilateral forums on glacier preservation and biodiversity while also holding bilateral discussions on security, trade, and strategic collaboration. In Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, Singh addressed the High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation, placing the spotlight on the alarming rate of glacial retreat in the Himalayas. Stressing the urgency of the climate crisis, the Indian delegation showcased India’s scientific and technological efforts in glacier monitoring under th...
Tripura Schools Turn Relief Camps As Floods Displace Thousands

Tripura Schools Turn Relief Camps As Floods Displace Thousands

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
In the wake of severe monsoon flooding, schools across Agartala, Tripura have been transformed into emergency relief shelters for displaced families. Over 10,000 residents across the state have been relocated to safer grounds, with authorities scrambling to manage the crisis under persistent heavy rains. School Shelters in Action Ambedkar School: Hosting 130 families, totaling 464 flood refugees. Vivekananda School: Currently sheltering 220 individuals. The Tripura administration, guided by Chief Minister Manik Saha, is ensuring the availability of food, clean drinking water, electricity, medical care, and nutrition for children. Medical teams are actively monitoring the elderly and distributing essential medicines. Relief efforts have so far proceeded without disruption. ...
1500 Tourists Trapped as Rains Trigger Landslides, River Rescue Halted

1500 Tourists Trapped as Rains Trigger Landslides, River Rescue Halted

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
Rescue operations were brought to a halt and over 1,500 tourists remained stranded across North Sikkim on Saturday after continuous rains triggered multiple landslides and dangerously raised the Teesta River’s water level, officials said. Search teams had been racing to find eight missing tourists after a tragic accident on Thursday, when a vehicle plunged over 1,000 feet into the swollen Teesta River near Munsithang in Mangan district. One person died, two were injured, and eight others have been missing since. However, operations were suspended Friday due to rising river levels and relentless rain. The landslides have severed the critical road link connecting Chungthang to the tourist hubs of Lachen and Lachung. “Around 115 tourists are stranded in Lachen, and 1,350 are stuck i...
New Study Finds Doubling Glacier Preservation Possible If 1.5°C Climate Target Is Met

New Study Finds Doubling Glacier Preservation Possible If 1.5°C Climate Target Is Met

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
A landmark study published in Science reveals that limiting global warming to 1.5°C as outlined in the Paris Agreement could preserve twice as much of the world’s glacier mass compared to current warming projections. Conducted by an international team of researchers, the study examined more than 200,000 glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica using eight advanced glacier models. The findings arrive during the United Nations’ International Year of Glaciers' Preservation and offer a stark warning about the irreversible impacts of unchecked climate change. Despite a global average temperature increase of 1.2°C since pre-industrial times, the research shows that 39% of glaciers are already set to disappear even if temperatures stabilized today. This loss alone would add more than fo...
Climate Change Doubled Extreme Heat Days in Nearly Every Country, New Report Finds

Climate Change Doubled Extreme Heat Days in Nearly Every Country, New Report Finds

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
A new analysis shows that human-caused climate change made 67 extreme heat events between May 2024 and May 2025 more likely including record-shattering heatwaves in the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and South Sudan. All 67 events either broke temperature records, caused serious damage, or both. Using the Climate Shift Index, researchers found that every country and territory experienced more extreme heat days due to climate change. In 195 countries, the number of such days has at least doubled compared to a world without global warming. Nearly 4 billion people half the world’s population faced an extra month of extreme heat over the past year. The report, compiled by Climate Central, World Weather Attribution, and the Red Cross Climate Centre, points to a troubling global pattern. In ...