climate change Archives - Page 21 of 40

Jan112025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

L.A. 27,000 Acres Burn Wildfires Unprecedented Devastation Grips City

Los Angeles is reeling from some of the most destructive wildfires in its history. As flames rage on, five lives have been lost, 27,000 acres have burned, and 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders. The magnitude of the disaster is revealing vulnerabilities in the city’s infrastructure and policies, while experts point to climate change as a driving force behind the escalating crisis. Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, explains the factors fueling these devastating fires. Prolonged drought, low humidity, and the powerful Santa Ana winds have created the perfect conditions for the inferno. “When winds hit speeds of 100 miles per hour, even a small spark can quickly spiral out of control,” Schlegelmilch said. The geography of L.A.’s hi...

Jan102025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Rising Temperatures and Warnings: Latest Climate Research Highlights Urgent Action Needed

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

As global temperatures soared to record highs in 2024, the urgency to address climate change is intensifying. New research underscores how rapidly the planet is warming and reveals unexpected consequences of climate shifts, from ocean changes to wildfires and ecosystem transformations. Recent findings suggest Earth may have already reached 1.5°C of warming above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold that could lead to irreversible climate impacts. A November 2024 study based on 2,000 years of atmospheric gas data from Antarctic ice cores indicates that warming hit 1.49°C in 2023. Unlike previous calculations, which used a baseline from 1850-1900, this analysis extends the pre-industrial baseline back to 13 CE, offering a broader historical perspective. The warming Atlantic Ocea...

Jan42025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India Forest Cover Growth Comes at a Cost: Biodiversity Hotspots Face Decline

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released by the Forest Survey of India, paints a picture of paradoxical progress. While India's total forest and tree cover has shown a marginal increase, the ecological cost is hard to ignore. Biodiversity-rich areas, which are critical for sustaining ecosystems, continue to see worrying declines. India's forest and tree cover now stands at 8,27,357 square kilometres, covering 25.17% of the country's geographical area. Forests account for 21.76% (7,15,343 sq km), while tree cover constitutes 3.41% (1,12,014 sq km). Since the last report in 2021, forest and tree cover has grown by 1,446 sq km, with a modest 0.2% rise in forest cover and a 1.16% jump in tree cover. However, deeper analysis reveals a troubling reality: several states with r...

Jan22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

The Sea That Vanished: The Tragic Fall of the Aral Sea

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Once a vast expanse of shimmering blue the Aral Sea was the pride of Central Asia. Straddling Kazakhstan to the north and Uzbekistan to the south, it was the world’s fourth-largest inland water body. It was a lifeline for the region, teeming with fish, bustling ports, and vibrant communities thriving along its shores. But the mid-20th century marked the beginning of its decline. As part of Soviet-era irrigation projects, the waters of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers once the Aral’s lifeblood were diverted to grow cotton and other crops. The Aral began to shrink rapidly, leaving behind parched landscapes and ghostly shipwrecks marooned in desert sands. By the early 21st century, it was a shadow of its former self, its once-abundant ecosystem shattered and its communities struggling to...

Dec262024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

What Do Insects Do All Winter?

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment, Learning & Developments, Thoughts & Talks

As winter envelops forests in snow and icy temperatures the familiar buzz of insects disappears. Yet, contrary to appearances, insects don’t vanish they hibernate, hidden in the bark of trees, buried in the soil, or nestled under the insulating blanket of snow. This incredible survival strategy, known as diapause, allows these cold-blooded creatures to endure months of freezing conditions. Not all insects hibernate instinctively. While some species naturally enter diapause every year, others rely on environmental cues, particularly day length, to prepare for winter. For example, the speckled wood butterfly senses shorter days during its larval stage, triggering it to gain weight and transition into a hibernating pupa. This timing is crucial misjudging winter’s arrival could result in...

Dec162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

North India Freezes Coldwave Grips Delhi, Punjab, Haryana with Dense Fog Predicted

Breaking News, Disasters, Environment

New Delhi: A severe cold wave swept across North India on Sunday, with temperatures plunging to as low as 1°C in some regions. Punjab’s Faridkot recorded the lowest at 1°C, while Haryana’s Hisar followed at 1.7°C. In the national capital, Delhi residents woke up to a frigid morning as Safdarjung reported 4.9°C, marking a sharp 3-degree drop in 24 hours. Palam recorded a slightly higher 6.2°C. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold wave conditions will persist in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir from December 15 to 19. Rajasthan will experience similar weather from December 17 to 20. Dense fog is likely to blanket Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Northeast India on December 16 and 17, reducing visibility. Ground frost is also exp...

Dec162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Tepary Beans Offer Hope for Climate Resilient Crops

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Idea & Innovations

As climate change intensifies heat and drought conditions worldwide, the cultivation of common beans a staple food for millions is becoming increasingly challenging. Scientists are turning to the tepary bean, a desert-native legume, to develop more resilient bean varieties that can thrive under extreme conditions. The tepary bean, native to the Sonoran Desert, is uniquely adapted to hot and dry environments. “They are able to grow under drought and high heat conditions,” says Carlos Urrea, a dry edible bean breeding specialist at the University of Nebraska. Urrea and his team are working to harness the drought and heat tolerance of tepary beans by identifying and transferring their resilient genes into common beans. They’re also integrating disease resistance traits, creating hybrid ...

Dec162024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Super Typhoon Man-Yi Caps Unprecedented Month of Extreme Weather in the Philippines

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters

On Saturday, November 16, 2024, Super Typhoon Man-Yi struck the Philippines with sustained winds of 195 km/h, marking the sixth typhoon to impact the nation within 30 days. This relentless series of storms underscores the mounting challenges posed by extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. November 2024 shattered records for tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific. It witnessed four simultaneous named storms, a first since records began in 1951, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Typically, November averages just three named storms in the basin, with only one attaining super typhoon status. The storm barrage began with Tropical Cyclone Trami in late October, causing over a dozen fatalities and a month’s worth of rain in northern Philippines. This was followe...

Dec142024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Greenland Experiences One of the Largest Documented Glacial Lake Outburst Floods

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Environment

A massive glacial lake outburst flood, among the largest ever recorded, has been documented in East Greenland, releasing over 3,000 billion litres of meltwater. The event, which occurred between September 23 and October 11, was caused by the sudden release of water from Catalina Lake into the Scoresby Sound fjord, as reported by researchers at the University of Copenhagen's Niels Bohr Institute. Notably, this marks the first time such a phenomenon has been observed in real-time. The flood was triggered when meltwater from Catalina Lake, held back by the Edward Bailey Glacier for over 20 years, carved a 25-kilometre-long tunnel beneath the glacier. This process caused the lake’s water level to plummet by 154 metres. Researchers equated the released volume of water to three times Denmark'...

Dec142024 by Editor DeskNo Comments

La Niña Fails to Arrive Weather Models Miss the Mark

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

BENGALURU: As 2024 edges closer to its end it is on track to become the warmest year ever recorded, surpassing 2016. Among the key factors driving this record-breaking warmth is the unexpected absence of La Niña, a climatic phenomenon that global weather models had predicted to emerge earlier this year. Despite repeated forecasts, La Niña has failed to materialize, leaving experts scrambling to understand what went wrong. La Niña, a cooling phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), typically brings colder sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, stronger trade winds, and increased rainfall in regions like India. This phase is part of a larger cycle that includes El Niño, a warming phase, and the neutral phase, characterized by average sea surface temper...