climate change Archives - Page 15 of 40

Mar12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Experts Warn of Rising Urban Heat and Extreme Weather at Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2025

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Thoughts & Talks

At the Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2025, climate experts painted a grim picture of India's worsening extreme weather, highlighting urban heat, rising nighttime temperatures, and the growing impact of climate change on agriculture. Urban Heat and Warm Nights on the Rise In the session titled "In the Red: Why Are Our Cities Heating Up?", experts discussed how increasing urban heat islands and warm nights are endangering public health and livelihoods. Climate scientist Roxy Mathew Koll from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, explained that India is highly vulnerable to extreme weather due to its tropical location and rapidly warming oceans. “The Indian Ocean may enter a permanent heatwave state by 2050,” Koll warned, adding that oceanic heatwaves could increase from 20–50 ...

Feb272025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Change Threatens Thames with Increased Algal Blooms Despite Phosphorus Reduction 80%

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

A new study has warned that climate change could fuel a rise in algal blooms in the River Thames, even though phosphorus levels an essential nutrient for algae have significantly decreased over the past four decades. Led by Helen Jarvie, a professor at the University of Waterloo, the research found that phosphorus loads in the Thames have dropped by 80% due to improved wastewater treatment and agricultural practices. Despite this progress, rising river temperatures driven by climate change are increasing the risk of both spring diatom blooms and summer cyanobacterial blooms. These algal blooms can harm aquatic ecosystems by suffocating marine life, depleting oxygen levels, and releasing potentially toxic cyanobacteria. Water Quality Management at Risk Jarvie emphasized that while ...

Feb272025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Change Intensifies Extreme Rainfall Behind Brazil’s 2022 Deadly Floods

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters

A rapid attribution study has confirmed that human-induced climate change played a significant role in the catastrophic floods and landslides that struck Eastern Northeast Brazil in May 2022, leading to severe human and material losses. The study analyzed daily rainfall patterns over the region, focusing on 7-day and 15-day mean rainfall events. Findings revealed that the 2022 extreme rainfall events were exceptionally rare, with a 1-in-500 chance of occurring in any given year for the 7-day period and a 1-in-1000 chance for the 15-day period under current climate conditions. Using a multi-model ensemble of climate simulations, researchers found that global warming had significantly increased the likelihood and intensity of such extreme rainfall. By integrating observational data wit...

Feb272025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Africa Faces Climate Crisis as Warming Threatens Burn Agriculture

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

Despite contributing less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions Africa is bearing the brunt of climate change. A new study warns that the continent is “highly likely” to surpass 1.5°C of warming by 2040, worsening extreme weather and threatening agriculture-based livelihoods. Africa’s annual average temperature has been rising at over 0.5°C per decade for 30 years. Southern Africa has already warmed by 1.2°C since pre-industrial times, with North, Southern, and West Africa expected to experience the most intense temperature increases. While rainfall patterns remain unpredictable, many regions especially in the north and west are seeing significant declines. Meanwhile, East and Central African highlands have recorded more frequent heavy rains and floods. Coastal regions also face...

Feb262025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Tree Rings Reveal Climate Change’s Role in Intensifying Drought Across Eurasia

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Scientists have long struggled to distinguish natural hydroclimatic variability from human-induced climate change when analyzing shifting drought conditions worldwide. While complex computer models can simulate past climate fluctuations, they often carry biases that affect regional drought estimates. Now, a groundbreaking study using tree rings provides compelling evidence that global warming is driving 21st-century drought patterns across Europe and Asia. A team of researchers, led by Kate Marvel and colleagues, turned to the Great Eurasian Drought Atlas (GEDA) a vast collection of tree ring records spanning 1,000 years to reconstruct historical drought trends. Because tree rings grow wider in warm, wet years and thinner in dry, cold years, they serve as a natural climate archive, offe...

Feb252025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Study Links Extreme Weather to Rising Power Outages Across U.S. Frequently

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

A new study published in PLOS Climate reveals that power outages are becoming increasingly frequent alongside extreme weather events in the U.S., highlighting regional differences in outage causes and the urgent need for preparedness. Researchers analyzed county-level data from 2018 to 2020 and found that 73% of counties experienced at least one day where a severe weather event coincided with a power outage. In 54% of counties, two simultaneous weather hazards such as hurricanes and heavy rain occurred alongside outages, raising the risk of widespread disruption. Hurricanes were the leading cause of outages, followed by snowstorms and heavy rain. However, the impact varied by region: heavy rain was a major factor in the Northeast and Gulf Coast, while extreme heat and power failures ...

Feb252025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Raging Infernos Forest Fires Surge $30 billion loss as Climate Change Fuels Destruction

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Forest fires have become a global crisis, unleashing destruction on ecosystems, air quality, and biodiversity while intensifying climate change. The growing frequency and severity of wildfires from Russia to Australia highlight the urgent need for better fire management strategies and stronger climate action. In Los Angeles, wildfires recently caused losses of $30 billion, burning over 57,000 acres and destroying 16,000 structures. Between 2001 and 2023, wildfires wiped out 138 million hectares of tree cover worldwide, with Russia, Canada, and the U.S. suffering the highest losses. Meanwhile, global wildfires have emitted five to eight billion tonnes of CO₂ annually, worsening air pollution and health risks. India, too, faces escalating wildfire threats. With nearly 1.65 million hect...

Feb242025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate Change Alters Crocodile Behavior as Temperatures Rise

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Fact Check

A new study has revealed that climate change is pushing estuarine crocodiles in Australia to their limits, forcing them to change their behavior in response to rising temperatures. The research, published in Current Biology, suggests that higher temperatures are reducing the reptiles’ diving ability and increasing their need to cool off. Crocodiles Struggling in the Heat Crocodiles are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, meaning they rely on external environments to regulate their body temperature. While they usually thrive in warm climates, rising global temperatures are pushing them closer to dangerous thermal limits. Researchers analyzed 203 crocodiles and found that since 2008, their highest body temperatures have risen by 0.55°C. The study noted that many of these crocodiles ...

Feb222025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

UK Peatland Fires Release Massive Carbon Emissions, Set to Rise with Climate Change temperatures rise by 2°C

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Peatland fires in the United Kingdom have released an estimated 800,000 tonnes of carbon over the past two decades, with emissions set to rise dramatically as global temperatures increase, a new study has revealed. If the planet warms by just 2°C, emissions from these fires could surge by at least 60%, reaching an annual average of 3.8 million tonnes of carbon, according to findings published in Environmental Research Letters. The study highlights the severe environmental impact of peatland fires, equating the projected emissions increase to those produced annually by 133 commercial aircraft, 820,800 passenger vehicles, or 414,000 homes. Peatlands, a type of wetland, cover about 9% of the UK’s land area and are among the world’s most effective carbon sinks. In a healthy state, they a...

Feb222025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Climate change harsh challenges to Ladakh Changpa pastoralists impacting livestock and resources

Breaking News, Climate Actions

For centuries, the Changpa nomads of Changthang, Ladakh, have led a semi-nomadic lifestyle, herding pashmina goats, sheep, yaks, and other livestock across the region’s rugged terrain. However, climate change is now threatening their age-old way of life, making survival in the harsh Himalayan landscape increasingly difficult. Dwindling Pastures and Water Scarcity The finest pashmina wool in the world comes from the Changpa’s goats, whose soft undercoat is a prized luxury. But rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns are drastically altering the high-altitude ecosystem. Water sources are drying up, grasslands are shrinking, and extreme cold spells are becoming harsher, leaving the nomads and their livestock struggling for sustenance. In the past, Changpa herders followed s...