Fact Check Archives - Page 2 of 13

May262025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Forests Flip from Climate Heroes to Carbon Villains as Wildfires Rise

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

Forests long hailed as nature’s best defense against climate change are fast becoming major climate threats. A new policy brief released by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) warns that wildfires are transforming boreal, Amazonian, and Australian forests into powerful carbon emitters undermining global climate targets and exposing critical flaws in current forest-based carbon offset policies. Titled Beyond Planting Trees Taking Advantage of Satellite Observations to Improve Forest Carbon Management and Wildfire Prevention, the report urges a radical rethink of global carbon sequestration strategies. It reveals how climate change, rising temperatures, and droughts are altering forests so profoundly that planting trees alone may actually ...

May242025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India Sets Carbon Targets to Kickstart Domestic Market, Faces Design Challenges Ahead

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

In a significant move toward launching its domestic carbon market, the Indian government has announced the first set of emission reduction targets under the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS). While the initial compliance year opts for relatively modest reductions, the government has signaled a steeper decarbonisation trajectory in the years ahead. The strategy appears calibrated to avoid cost shocks in the early phase while nudging industries toward energy efficiency and cleaner technologies. Gradual Targets, Long-Term Vision The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has adopted a cautious approach for the first year, easing industries into the compliance regime. However, starting in the second year, targets are expected to become more stringent, comp...

May232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Europe Faces €28.3 Billion in Annual Agricultural Losses Due to Climate Change 70% Uninsured: Study

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

A new report reveals that climate change is causing direct and escalating damage to Europe’s agriculture, with annual losses averaging €28.3 billion roughly six per cent of the continent’s total agricultural and livestock output. Startlingly, nearly 70 per cent of these climate-related losses are uninsured or uncompensated, leaving farmers financially exposed to disasters like droughts, floods, and hailstorms. Published jointly by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission the report marks the first comprehensive review of agricultural insurance systems across all 27 EU member states. It paints a grim picture: unless rapid reforms are enacted, uninsured losses in European agriculture could rise from 42 per cent to as high as 66 per cent by 2050. Insurance and risk...

May222025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Supreme Court Seeks Govt Response on Plea Over Heatwave Deaths, Demands Accountability on National Guidelines

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Fact Check

Taking serious note of rising fatalities due to heatwave conditions in India, the Supreme Court has asked the central government to respond within two weeks to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that alleges negligence in enforcing existing national guidelines meant to manage and mitigate extreme heat events. The case, brought before a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih, points to the death of more than 700 people due to heatwave and heat stress in the previous year alone. Filed by environment activist Vikrant Tongad, the petition seeks urgent implementation of nationwide Heat Action Plans (HAPs) in accordance with the guidelines framed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in 2019. The plea has highlighted that despite clear m...

May222025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Heat Risks Surge for Pregnant Women in India Amid Growing Climate Crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check, Learning & Developments

A new global study has revealed a startling rise in dangerously hot days for pregnant women, with India recording some of the sharpest increases over the past five years. The analysis confirms that climate change is significantly contributing to health risks during pregnancy by increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat exposure. Between 2020 and 2024, India experienced an average of six additional "pregnancy heat-risk days" annually that can be directly attributed to climate change. These days are defined as periods when daily maximum temperatures exceed the 95th percentile of historical local records, a threshold associated with increased risks of preterm birth and other adverse health outcomes for both mother and baby. The report, compiled by Climate Central, analyzed ...

May222025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Broken roads, empty plates: How transport failures fuel Africa’s hunger crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

In a powerful new report, the World Bank warns that the battle against hunger in Africa is being lost not in the fields, but on the road. The problem isn’t just about growing more food it’s about getting it to where it’s needed. Titled “Transport for Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa,” the report sheds light on a broken supply chain that causes 37% of locally produced food to spoil before it reaches consumers. Across the continent, food meant to feed millions is left to rot in trucks stuck at dilapidated ports, jammed at chaotic borders, or delayed on potholed roads. For a region where 58% of people already face food insecurity, such losses are devastating. Supply Chain Strain Compared to Europe, Africa’s food supply chains are four times longer translating into higher transport...

May192025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Disasters Could Trigger Billions in US Mortgage Losses by 2035

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

A new report by risk-modelling firm First Street has revealed that climate-related disasters are rapidly emerging as a critical threat to the US housing market, with the potential to cause over $1.2 billion in mortgage-related credit losses in 2025 alone and up to $5.4 billion annually by 2035. The findings come as the Midwest reels from the deadly tornadoes that struck Missouri and Kentucky, killing at least 25 people and further exposing the vulnerabilities of American communities to intensifying climate extremes. Rising global temperatures are fueling more frequent and destructive weather events, leading to mounting insurance losses, higher premiums, and significant property value depreciation. According to First Street, nearly 19,000 properties could be foreclosed this year due t...

May162025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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 ...

May162025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...

May152025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

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...