Environment Archives - Page 5 of 48

Aug272025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Why the BBNJ Treaty Could Be a Game Changer for the Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea covering less than 1% of the world oceans, holds more than 18% of all known marine species. Yet this ecological jewel faces mounting threats from climate change and overfishing to pollution and overlapping territorial disputes. Experts say the recently adopted UN treaty on ocean biodiversity known as the BBNJ Agreement could be the breakthrough the region urgently needs. A Global Treaty With Local Stakes In June 2023, after nearly two decades of negotiations, the global community adopted the “Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction,” or the BBNJ Agreement. Hailed as a milestone in ocean governance, the treaty cr...

Aug262025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India to Seek Relief on EU Climate Trade Rules After US Wins Concessions

Environment, Interviews

With the European Union (EU) offering concessions to the United States on contentious climate linked trade measures India is preparing to demand similar treatment in the next round of negotiations on the India EU trade deal scheduled in Brussels next month. At the heart of the talks lies the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) a carbon tax set to take effect in January 2026. The measure will require importers of carbon-intensive goods, such as steel, cement, and aluminium, to pay a levy reflecting the carbon cost of production. While Brussels argues that CBAM ensures a level playing field for EU industries already subject to strict carbon rules many developing economies see it as discriminatory and protectionist. According to a senior Indian government official, New Delhi wi...

Aug82025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Ethiopia Endangered Walia Ibex Faces Sharp Population Decline

Environment

The Walia ibex Ethiopia’s iconic wild goat found only on the cliffs of the Simien Mountains, is once again on the brink of extinction after a steep drop in numbers over the past decade, a new study warns. Researchers recorded a decline from 865 individuals in 2015 to just 306 in 2024, with fewer than 250 mature animals remaining a threshold that qualifies the species as critically endangered under IUCN Red List criteria. The fall has been linked to the combined impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021–2022 Tigray war, which disrupted park protection efforts, cut tourism income, and strained community relations. This, experts say, has opened the door to poaching, with snares and carcasses discovered in recent years. Once listed as endangered, the Walia ibex had been downlisted...

Jun52025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Heat Rising, Warnings Failing: Why Early Action Is Crucial to Combat Global Heatwaves

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

As scorching temperatures shatter records with alarming frequency, a new era of climate danger is unfolding across the globe. From the U.S. to South Asia, heatwaves are no longer rare occurrences they're becoming the new normal. Today, on Heat Action Day, as communities around the world raise awareness of the dangers of extreme heat, it is clear that awareness alone is not enough. Action must follow swiftly, inclusively, and equitably. Across every continent, extreme heat is quietly claiming lives and overwhelming systems. It spares no part of daily life: hospitals overflow, energy grids collapse, outdoor labor becomes perilous, and students struggle to learn inside sweltering classrooms. In Nepal’s rural Madesh region, a recent study by Mercy Corps lays bare the educational conseque...

Jun52025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Wildfire smoke blankets one-third of U.S., raising health alarms

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

June 5, 2025 A dense blanket of wildfire smoke from more than 200 fires burning across Canada has shrouded nearly one-third of the United States, triggering widespread air quality alerts and renewed concerns about public health. The smoke, drifting from blazes in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, has turned skies hazy and pushed toxic pollution levels to hazardous highs in parts of New England, New York, and the Midwest. According to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center, the smoke has spread from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley and into the Northeastern states, reaching as far south as Georgia. While much of the smoke remains suspended in the upper atmosphere, areas like New York and Connecticut are experiencing a heavier concentratio...

Jun42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

From Ashes to Action: How 175 Years of Bushfires Shaped a World-Leading Disaster Response System

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

In the searing aftermath of bushfires, Victoria has forged not just scars on its landscape but a legacy of learning. From the ferocity of Black Thursday in 1851 to the horror of Black Summer beginning in 2019, bushfires have been central to Victoria's settler history shaping its forests, institutions, communities, and consciousness. For nearly two centuries, the state’s relationship with fire has transformed from fragmented firefighting efforts to one of the most integrated and forward-looking emergency management systems in the world. The Slow Awakening: 19th Century Firefighting In the 19th and early 20th centuries, bushfires were seen as inevitable acts of nature. Local landholders and loosely organized brigades bore the burden with limited coordination or governmental oversigh...

Jun42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

Jun42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

Jun42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

Jun32025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...