Sunday, October 12News That Matters

Tag: climate action

India Urges Poultry Farms to Act Fast as Bird Flu Outbreaks Spread to Wildlife

India Urges Poultry Farms to Act Fast as Bird Flu Outbreaks Spread to Wildlife

Breaking News, Climate Actions
With bird flu cases rising across multiple states and now spilling over into wildlife, the Indian government has issued a stern directive to poultry farms clean up, register, and tighten biosecurity within a month or face consequences. The warning comes as avian influenza continues to spread across regions like Jharkhand, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh, affecting not just poultry but also wild birds and even big cats, signaling a worrying trend of cross-species transmission. At a high-level meeting led by Animal Husbandry and Dairying Secretary Alka Upadhyaya, officials emphasized the urgency of a three-pronged strategy: improve hygiene, enforce strict biosecurity protocols, and ensure all poultry farms are officially registered. Experts at the meeting also reviewed India’s preparedn...
Arctic Sea Ice Hits Lowest Ever Winter Peak in 2025 Raising Alarms Over Global Climate Shifts

Arctic Sea Ice Hits Lowest Ever Winter Peak in 2025 Raising Alarms Over Global Climate Shifts

Breaking News, Climate Actions
The Arctic winter sea ice has hit an unprecedented low in 2025, reaching 14.33 million square kilometres the smallest winter maximum ever recorded since satellite monitoring began in 1979, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). This year’s peak, reached on March 22 is lower than the previous record of 14.41 million sq km set in 2017 and a massive 1.32 million sq km below the 1981–2010 average. The "missing ice" area is larger than the entire state of California, a striking reminder of the planet’s rapid warming. At the same time, Antarctica clocked its second-lowest sea ice minimum 1.98 million sq km on March 1 making February 2025 the month with the least global sea ice coverage ever recorded. According to experts, this Arctic record is more than a s...
Experts Call for Unified Climate Strategy to Protect Kolkata and Sundarbans Push for Revival of Trams

Experts Call for Unified Climate Strategy to Protect Kolkata and Sundarbans Push for Revival of Trams

Breaking News, Climate Actions
The climate futures of Kolkata and the Sundarbans are deeply intertwined, and experts now warn that failing to address them together could worsen the vulnerabilities of both regions. In a recent meeting held in Kolkata, scientists, activists, and urban planners came together to issue the ‘Kolkata Declaration 2025’, calling for an integrated climate security strategy, particularly highlighting the revival of eco-friendly public transport like trams as part of the solution. The air and water pollution from Kolkata is degrading the Sundarbans mangroves, which in turn weakens the city’s natural shield against cyclones and extreme weather. Experts said that despite being just 100 km apart, Kolkata and the Sundarbans are often dealt with separately in climate policies a mistake that needs urg...
Telangana University Land Taken Forest Cut  2,000 acres at Kancha Gachibowli

Telangana University Land Taken Forest Cut 2,000 acres at Kancha Gachibowli

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a move that has sparked outrage the Telangana government has unveiled a grand plan to build one of the world largest eco parks by taking over 2,000 acres at Kancha Gachibowli land that includes the University of Hyderabad campus. But what’s being called an ‘eco dream’ by the state feels like a green disaster to many on the ground. Just weeks ago, 400 acres were marked for auction. But after protests and legal action, including intervention by the Supreme Court, the government didn’t back down it doubled down. The new plan? Remove UoH, shift it outside the city, and use the entire land for the park project. Students and environmentalists are calling this a cover-up for the damage already done. Large patches of green have been cleared, trees cut, and the local ecosystem visibly dist...
El Niño Now Lasts Longer Hits Harder Scientists Warn of Deepening Global Crisis

El Niño Now Lasts Longer Hits Harder Scientists Warn of Deepening Global Crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
El Niño, the notorious climate disruptor, is evolving and not in a good way. Once known for its irregular but relatively short-lived bouts of weather chaos, new research reveals that both El Niño and La Niña are now persisting longer, bringing amplified and prolonged destruction to ecosystems, economies and communities worldwide. Triggered by shifts in Pacific Ocean temperatures, El Niño and its cold-phase counterpart La Niña have long reshaped global weather drying out regions like Africa and Australia, flooding the Americas, and damaging agriculture and fisheries. The 1997-98 El Niño alone caused an estimated $5.7 trillion in global income losses. But what's emerging now is far more alarming. A recent study combining fossilised coral records and cutting-edge climate models revea...
Fungi Face Extinction Threat Climate Action Boosts Economies Weekly Nature & Climate Roundup

Fungi Face Extinction Threat Climate Action Boosts Economies Weekly Nature & Climate Roundup

Breaking News, Climate Actions
A third of the world’s most threatened fungi species are on the brink of extinction, climate action is set to boost global GDP, and extreme weather events continue to make headlines. Here’s your quick catch-up on the top climate and nature stories this week. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned that 411 of 1,300 threatened fungi species are at risk of extinction. These "unsung heroes of life on Earth" play a crucial role in ecosystems by nourishing plants, recycling nutrients, and supporting biodiversity. However, climate change, deforestation, illegal logging, and land conversion for agriculture are wiping them out. In the U.S. alone, more than 50 fungi species are endangered due to changing fire patterns. The IUCN is calling for better forest managem...
Wall St Bets on Hotter Future: US Banks Doubt Climate Goals, See Boon for AC Firms

Wall St Bets on Hotter Future: US Banks Doubt Climate Goals, See Boon for AC Firms

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Leading US financial giants now predict that global climate goals will fail but they’re eyeing big profits as the planet heats up. In a wave of new forecasts, Wall Street banks including Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase admit that the Paris Agreement’s aim to limit global heating is effectively out of reach. Instead, investors are being advised to prepare for a 3°C warmer world, well beyond the internationally agreed threshold of 2°C. The consequences? More deadly heatwaves, extreme weather, economic chaos and a massive surge in demand for air conditioning. Morgan Stanley’s March analysis predicts that the global AC market could jump 41% by 2030, reaching $331 billion, driven by the intensifying need for cooling in a hotter world. The report identifies dozens of air conditioning fir...
L.A Wildfires Leave 700,000 Children Displaced from Schools Experts Urge Urgent Focus on Mental Health

L.A Wildfires Leave 700,000 Children Displaced from Schools Experts Urge Urgent Focus on Mental Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check
The devastating wildfires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025 destroyed more than 15,000 buildings in just a few days. Among them were 11 schools and 30 child care centers. As a result, over 700,000 children had their education and daily routines suddenly disrupted. The fires started on January 7 in Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon, near Altadena. Strong winds pushed the flames through neighborhoods, making it one of California’s five worst wildfires ever. While much of the news focused on property damage and loss of life, the challenges faced by children after the disaster received very little attention. Two experts from the University of Southern California one a disaster epidemiologist, the other a disaster planner say that when a disaster hits your own community, it ...
Four Hurricane Names Retired After Storm Destruction Across Americas WMO Replaces

Four Hurricane Names Retired After Storm Destruction Across Americas WMO Replaces

Breaking News, Climate Actions
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially retired four hurricane names from the 2024 season Beryl, Helene, Milton, and John after these powerful storms caused major destruction and loss of life across the Americas. These names will never be used again due to the severe damage they brought to countries like the U.S., Mexico, and Caribbean nations. In their place, new names have been chosen: Brianna, Holly, and Miguel for the Atlantic region, and Jake for the eastern Pacific. Hurricane names are retired when a storm is so deadly or expensive that using the same name again in the future would be disrespectful to victims or confusing to the public. This is part of a global effort to improve public safety and disaster communication. Michael Brennan, Chair of the WMO Hu...
Women Bear the Brunt of Climate Disasters: Experts Call for Gender-Disaggregated Data to Shape Better Disaster Response

Women Bear the Brunt of Climate Disasters: Experts Call for Gender-Disaggregated Data to Shape Better Disaster Response

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Experts have said that women are more affected by climate disasters like floods, droughts, and heatwaves but there is not enough data to show exactly how. Without proper gender-wise data, it’s hard to make good plans and policies to help women during such disasters. At a recent workshop in Delhi, experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and UN Women said that collecting data on how disasters affect women differently is very important. For example, during a flood or cyclone, we often don’t know how many women got hurt, lost their income, or were displaced. Susan Ferguson from UN Women said that most rural women work in farming or informal jobs and suffer more when disasters hit. “We need clear data about women so that governments can make better plans and provide...