Climate & Earth

CHILLING new telescope photos of the “city killer” asteroid hurtling towards earth at 30,000mph have been released. The chance of the space rock smashing into Earth when it loops around in 7 years’ time is estimated at a 1-in-48 chance – or just over two per cent. The striking new images of asteroid YR4 2024 were captured…

Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius — the fallback target of the Paris climate accord — is now “impossible,” according to a stark new analysis published by leading scientists. Led by renowned climatologist James Hansen, the paper appears in the journal “Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development” and concludes that Earth’s climate is more…

President Donald Trump once again withdrew the United States from the Paris climate deal on Monday, removing the world’s biggest historic emitter from global efforts to fight climate change for the second time in a decade. The move places the United States alongside Iran, Libya and Yemen as the only countries in the world outside the 2015…

Climate change didn’t start the wildfires that are ravaging Los Angeles County this week. But the big swings in weather patterns that have accelerated over the past two decades serve as rocket fuel that intensifies the flames and spreads the devastation. Environmental experts and scientists warn that Southern Californians will have to come to grips with hard…

Delhi AQI Today: The Union government’s Centre for Air Quality Management on Monday decided to reimpose Stage 4 curbs under GRAP in the National Capital Region. Delhi woke up to an ‘severe’ category air quality on Tuesday, with the overall AQI at 421 at around 8 am, according to the central government’s Sameer app, which provides hourly…

When it comes to climate change, a new study finds that our fear over the planet’s health may be “greatly overestimated.” For the first time, researchers have found oceans help cool global temperatures more than anyone previously thought. Specifically, sulfur gas produced by marine life emits a second compound that significantly cools the planet. The discovery will…

This year will be the world’s warmest since records began, with extraordinarily high temperatures expected to persist into at least the first few months of 2025, European Union scientists said on Monday. The data from the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) comes two weeks after U.N. climate talks yielded a $300-billion deal to tackle climate change,…

Vivek Menon, founder of Wildlife Trust of India and Councillor IUCN, said the jump in the number in the last few years was also because of a major push in getting trees as taxa listed in red list and the work done by many groups to red list trees Bengaluru: As many as 301 species of plants…

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that Delhi’s daily average AQI will remain in the ‘very poor’ category in the upcoming days due to unfavourable weather conditions. The CAQM has implemented stage two of the anti-pollution plan. With the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi worsening in the past few days, the Commission for Air Quality Management…

The death toll in Gujarat due to rain-related incidents has risen to 28, after days of incessant downpours and waterlogging have led to a flood-like situation across the state. 17,800 people have been evacuated from flood affected regions and according to Gujarat health minister Rushikesh Patel more than 5000 people were rehabilitated and over 12,000 people rescued…

A large fissure has opened on the Reykjanes peninsula 2.42 miles (3.9km) wide. Lava is already spreading over a large area. Police in Iceland have declared a state of emergency after a volcano erupted, forcing homes to be evacuated. The eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in southwest Iceland, is the sixth outbreak since December. Iceland’s meteorological office…

The nature-based technology, biochar, could help save the planet. The work it takes to grow crops produces greenhouse gases that trap carbon in the atmosphere and would speed up the planet’s heating. New research finds biochar’s potential to eliminate large amounts of greenhouse gases could make farming more climate-friendly. Biochar is a charcoal-like porous substance made by…

Delhi is nearing its normal July rainfall with significant showers expected today and tomorrow due to a cyclonic circulation. The monsoon trough will bring heavy rains on 31st July, continuing into early August, marking a wet end to July and a rainy start to August. Delhi: The national capital is catching up with its normal rainfall for…

In June, the city received the highest rainfall recorded in 88 years. According to the IMD, Delhi experienced 228 mm of rainfall from 8: 30 a.m. on June 27 to 8:30 a.m. on June 28. Residents of the national capital woke up to heavy rains and thunderstorms early Friday morning, bringing much-needed relief from the persistently humid…

The IMD has forecast moderate rainfall for Wednesday in Delhi. The maximum and minimum temperatures might hover around 34 and 26 degrees Celsius, respectively. Several parts of Delhi and Noida received a light spell of rain in the wee hours of Wednesday, July 24. Rain lashed RK Puram and its nearby areas in south Delhi, as the India…

When the Earth’s ice masses melt, the way the planet rotates also changes. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now been able to show how climate change is altering the Earth’s axis of rotation and the length of the day. The speed of rotation, which was hitherto mainly influenced by the moon, will now also depend much more…

Light to moderate rainfall lashed parts of Delhi NCR in the early hours of Saturday, July 13, while rain is expected to to continue till July 17. The residents of Delhi and NCR regions experience further respite from the heat in mid-July as light to moderate rain lashed parts of the national capital and neighboring Noida in…

Weather updates: The IMD has issued an ‘orange alert’ for heavy rainfall in Bihar, with a ‘red alert’ for very heavy rainfall predicted for Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted increased rainfall activity in north and northeast India, including East Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, and other regions, in the coming days. The weather body has further…

Delhi monsoon: The India Meteorological Department has predicted more rain in Delhi during the day. Heavy rain in parts of Delhi today brought relief from record heat and sultry weather. Visuals shared by the news agency ANI showed heavy showers in Munirka, Sarita Vihar, and other parts of the national capital with the India Meteorological Department (IMD)…

As temperatures and humidity soar outside, what’s happening inside the human body can become a life-or-death battle decided by just a few degrees. The critical danger point outdoors for illness and death from relentless heat is several degrees lower than experts once thought, say researchers who put people in hot boxes to see what happens to them.…

Prolonged and intense heat waves in northwest India, with high day and night temperatures, cause heat stress and health emergencies. This year’s arduous summer, which has led to oppressive conditions for millions of people across the country, has sparked what is perhaps the most prolonged spell of heat ever recorded in at least 50% of northwest India…

According to the IMD, Delhi will experience slight relief from Wednesday. The national capital is expected to be on ‘yellow’ alert on Wednesday and Thursday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘red’ alert for Delhi on Tuesday, June 18, due to a severe heatwave sweeping the national capital, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 45 degrees…

Inside the bodies of giant humpback whales are clues about how climate change is transforming Antarctica. As sea ice continues to decline at an alarming rate in the fragile Antarctic Peninsula, scientists working with the wildlife charity WWF are carrying out up-close health checks on the massive marine mammals there. The BBC’s Victoria Gill and Kate Stephens…

Delhi weather updates: The maximum temperature dropped from 44°C the previous day to 41.2°C on Thursday, relieving residents from intense heat. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light rain for the national capital on Friday, June 7. This will be accompanied by dust storms or thunderstorms and strong surface winds blowing at speeds of 25 to…

Expert panel formed by state govt has warned that several pockets of the town are sinking due to man-made and natural causes. Locals say report did not factor in Tapovan tunnel. Dehradun: An expert panel set up by the Uttarakhand government has found that several pockets of Chamoli district’s Joshimath town — a gateway to the Badrinath…