In a series of rain-triggered tragedies within 24 hours in Himachal Pradesh, flash floods have resulted in the loss of seven lives. A video from the Sambal village in the Mandi district vividly depicts the force of water rushing downhill, and a distressed voice can be heard repeatedly saying "oh God." Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu shared the footage, stressing ongoing rescue, search, and relief efforts in response to the "dreadful situation." The region has experienced over 50 fatalities in the past two days due to unrelenting rainfall.
Heavy monsoon rains have unleashed destructive floods and landslides in India's Himalayan region, resulting in a death toll of at least 41 people and leaving numerous others stranded. The states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have been particularly hard hit by days of relentless downpours, causing vehicles to be swept away, buildings to collapse, and bridges to be destroyed. The casualties are reported as 33 in Himachal Pradesh and 8 in Uttarakhand.
Around 50% of individuals who regularly engaged in discussions about climate and environmental issues on Twitter left the platform following its acquisition by Elon Musk and subsequent reduction in content moderation, according to recent analysis conducted by researchers. The study revealed that Twitter, now renamed "X," had previously been a significant platform for environmental dialogue, and this decline has raised concerns. Researchers termed this exodus of environmental users from Twitter as an "existential threat" to a crucial channel for educating people interested in climate action.
The Rivers Trust has introduced a real-time sewage discharge layer to its interactive Sewage Map, spotlighting combined sewer overflows and highlighting those that have released sewage in the last 48 hours. While this tool is a significant development for wild swimming enthusiasts and environmental advocates, its effectiveness depends on active involvement from water companies. Under the UK's 2021 Environment Act, all water suppliers are mandated to disclose real-time data on pollution incidents, but the act lacks a specific deadline for implementation. Currently, Thames Water is the only firm that has initiated the sharing of such data on the platform.
A thought-provoking documentary titled "The Need To GROW" raises the critical question of whether we can achieve global food security while adopting sustainable agricultural practices that respect the environment. The film delves into the potential of organic and circular approaches in agriculture to achieve high yields while supporting vital microorganisms.
In the town of Habbaniyah, Iraq, a distressing reality unfolds as the magnificent Lake Habbaniyah shrinks due to an unrelenting drought, drastically impacting its role as a tourist destination. The once-thriving lakeside retreat has been hit hard, with shrinking shorelines and dwindling water levels repelling holidaymakers who once flocked there during the summer months.
Farmers in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, are adopting climate-friendly agricultural methods under an initiative by Indonesia's Peat and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS). Since its inception in 2019, the program has brought transformative changes, ending land burning and fostering positive impacts.
New research indicates that the US municipal bond market exhibits systemic mispricing of risk. Specifically, the pricing of municipal debt within this market fails to consider local physical climate risks, while simultaneously demanding higher credit spreads from communities with a greater proportion of Black residents. The study, conducted by Erika Smull and colleagues from Duke University, sheds light on these findings, which are presented in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 9.
The United Nations weather agency, in collaboration with partners, has officially confirmed that July 2023 attained the highest global average temperature ever recorded, potentially reaching levels unseen for over 120,000 years. Samantha Burgess, Deputy Director at the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, emphasized that July's temperature exceeded the average for the period from 1815 to 1900, an era often considered as pre-industrial times, by around 1.5 degrees Celsius. She also pointed out the occurrence of widespread heatwaves across various regions during the month.
Researchers from the University of Bonn have harnessed cutting-edge technology and innovative methodologies to achieve an unparalleled understanding of global water distribution and its changes over the past two decades. By fusing the hydrological model WaterGAP with data from the GRACE satellite mission, the team, led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Kusche, has generated an intricate portrayal of Earth's water balance dynamics. Their groundbreaking findings, soon to be published in the Journal of Geodesy, illuminate the extent and impact of droughts and facilitate forecasts of climate change effects on water systems.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.