Environment & Weather

Ocean temperatures that have gone “crazy haywire” hot, especially in the Atlantic, are close to making the current global coral bleaching event the worst in history. It’s so bad that scientists are hoping for a few hurricanes to cool things…

The team of scientists, called the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, emphasized that heatwaves intensified by climate change are making life much tougher for people living in poverty across Asia.

The CWC's analysis also indicated a week-on-week decrease in storage levels, affecting not only the southern region but also the nation as a whole.

Hot and humid weather very likely to prevail in isolated pockets over Coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe during next 4-5 days, predicts IMD.

The trend of warmer weather has already been observed, with April recording 40% more heatwave days than the historical average.

Experts termed the INC-4 as another missed opportunity to take up upstream measures i.e. regulating production of plastic and making fossil fuels industry accountable to it while focusing on downstream i.e. managing the plastic waste.

Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and the United Nations weather and climate agency said Tuesday that Asia was warming at a particularly rapid pace.

These hazards include excessive heat, UV radiation, air pollution, vector-borne diseases and agrochemicals. Those working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated spaces are also at risk.

It said seasonal rainfall will be on the higher side of above-normal, with over 106% precipitation in the long-period average (LPA) of 87 cm.

India ranks at the bottom of 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) of 2022.

Heat wave conditions are expected in isolated pockets of Odisha, Gangetic West Bengal, north Konkan, Saurashtra, Kutch, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Telangana.

The monsoon is critical for India's agricultural landscape, with 52 percent of the net cultivated area relying on it.

The study published in the One Earth journal, focused on heat impact on worker health, their well-being, productivity...

The IMD warned of damage to plantations, horticulture, and standing crops due to strong winds, and injury to people and cattle in open places due to hail.

“This is a turning point,” said Corina Heri, an expert in climate change litigation at the University of Zurich.

Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have also detected early signs of a favourable monsoon season this year with fading El Nino conditions and reduced snow cover over Eurasia.

The region is set to receive moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail storms.

The civic body has already released guidelines for control and prevention of heat stroke.

It forecast hot and humid conditions in Odisha, with the mercury likely to soar to 40°Celsius.

As per an analysis, the state recorded 85,307 forest fire incidents between 2001 and 2022, averaging 3,877 fires annually and showing a general upward trend in forest fire occurrences.