This bird’s eye view shows the severely contaminated Adyar river flowing into the Bay of Bengal after cutting through Chennai’s Marina beach. Less than half a kilometre on either side, the river mouth is flanked by urban settlements. | Photo Credit: Google Earth Through history, human civilisations almost always erupted near bountiful rivers. The waters … Read more
Several districts of South Bengal witnessed heavy rainfall and overcast skies through the day. Kolkata experienced light to moderate showers, accompanied by strong winds and cooler temperatures on May 29, 2025. | Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri A deep depression over the Bay of Bengal crossed the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast on Thursday (May 29, 2025), prompting … Read more
A cargo ship that capsized off the Kerala coast has triggered fears of a chemical and environmental disaster. Containers from the MSC Elsa 3, some carrying calcium carbide—a highly reactive and flammable chemical—have washed up on beaches in Kollam and Alappuzha. An oil spill has also been reported from the wreck site. As the state … Read more
Green Humour | Photo Credit: Rohan Chakravarty Green Humour | Photo Credit: Rohan Chakravarty Rohan Chakravarty is a cartoonist and illustrator from Nagpur. His series, ‘Green Humour’, consists of cartoons and comics on wildlife, nature conservation, environmental issues, sustainability, and all things green. Published – May 29, 2025 03:46 pm IST
This year’s theme is ‘Ending Plastic Pollution’, aligning with global efforts to tackle one of the most pressing environmental challenges. | Photo Credit: Photo for representation only BENGALURU In a bid to promote environmental awareness among the youth, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) will organise a series of drawing and essay writing competitions for … Read more
Image used for representational purpose only. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery, and uncomfortable extremes, two of the world’s top weather agencies forecast. There’s an 80% chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five … Read more
There is an 86% chance that for at least one year during this period, the temperature will be more than 1.5 degrees higher than the 1850-1900 average. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu There is a 70% chance that the average global temperature for the 2025-2029 period will exceed pre-industrial levels by more than 1.5°C, according … Read more
The story so far: Last week, the India Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on May 24, a week ahead of its normal onset. Since 1975, the earliest monsoon onset over Kerala occurred on May 19, 1990, 13 days ahead of schedule. Is there a secret sauce to the monsoon’s early … Read more
Waving meadows of emerald grasses part as a portly shape drifts through the shallow waters. Like a blimp led astray, the creature uses its front flippers to paddle gently as it nibbles on the seagrass that makes its home. Silt stirs from the shallow seafloor, coral reefs reveal themselves in a riot of colours, with … Read more
Representational image. File | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai, on Tuesday (May 27, 2025), said that a low pressure area has formed over northwest Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast at 8.30 a.m. The system is likely to move slowly northwards and become more marked during the next … Read more
Image used for representation only. | Photo Credit: AP GUWAHATI A new study has shown that stingless bees, which produce a high-value honey with a distinct flavour, can increase the yield and quality of crops. Researchers from Nagaland University’s Department of Entomology identified Tetragonula iridipennis and Lepidotrigona arcifera, two species of stingless bees, as the most efficient among … Read more
From dehydration and heatstroke to exacerbated chronic illnesses, extreme heat is pushing the health system to its limits. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy At a national conference on climate and health titled ‘India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future’, recently, a trade union leader shared the lived reality of garment workers in sweltering factories, while a … Read more
Bangladesh is one of the most polluted countries in the world. According to an IQ Air assessment, the country had the second-worst air quality in 2024 worldwide, with PM2.5 concentration more than 15-times the World Health Organisation’s suggested limit. Brick kilns are a major contributor to this air pollution crisis. Previous efforts to improve the … Read more
Schistura densiclava, a loach newly described from Meghalaya. Photo: Special Arrangement An underground cave in Meghalaya, in focus for a conflict over a Shivalinga-like stone formation, has yielded a new-to-science fish that adapts to streams overground. A team of zoologists, led by Kangkan Sarma of Gauhati University’s Department of Zoology, has recorded Schistura densiclava as a new … Read more
File image of an Asiatic Lioness with her two Seven-month-old cubs at Sakkarbaugh Safari breeding centre in Junagadh | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji The story so far: The Gujarat Forest Department this week released results from the 16th Lion Population Estimation, popularly referred to as the ‘lion census.’ This was the first such census since … Read more
“I fainted on the garment factory floor yesterday.” That’s how Thivya Rakini, a trade union leader and worker rights advocate, began recounting her visit to a garment factory in Dindigul. She had gone to meet women workers suffering from heat rashes, dizzy spells, and extreme exhaustion. But two hours in, Thivya collapsed inside the factory. … Read more
As you enter the arched gate of the Kambalakonda Eco-Tourism Park, a soothing symphony of cicadas and birds replaces the din of the city. A trail meanders under a leafy canopy, where the scent of damp earth lingers after the morning spell of pre-monsoon showers. The park opens up gradually, revealing a stretch of meadows … Read more
The Indian tent turtle. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Nagshankar, in northeastern Assam’s Biswanath district, has been designated a model temple for turtle conservation. Local MLA Padma Hazarika acknowledged the temple on behalf of the local authorities and communities at an event on its premises to mark World Turtle Day on Friday (May 23, 2025). … Read more
Members of the biodiversity conservation group Aaranyak and a local joint forest management committee are planting saplings to replenish a degraded forest in Assam’s Udalguri district bordering Bhutan. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement GUWAHATI After a year, a mission to re-green a 100-hectare degraded Assam forest on the border with Bhutan to mitigate human-elephant conflicts has resumed. Members of … Read more
Women in Lucknow use scarves as a shield themselves from the sun. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu A survey conducted across Indian cities found that 71% of Indians have experienced severe heatwaves. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and CVoter (an international survey company headquartered in New Delhi) surveyed 10,751 people above … Read more
Villagers of Siang, East Siang and Upper Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, to be affected by the 11,500 MW Siang Upper hydroelectric project, protesting security buildup for a pre-feasibility study on May 23, 2025. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement GUWAHATI Villagers from three districts of central Arunachal Pradesh, on Friday (May 23, 2025), launched an … Read more
The story so far: One of Hyderabad’s last remaining urban forests, Kancha Gachibowli, faced the threat of extinction when the Telangana government decided to give away 400 acres of its land for industrial development. Justifying its move by claiming ownership over the forest, the government alleged that protesting students were misled by real estate interests. … Read more
Key bird species observed in wetlands include the Greylag Goose, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Curlew, Pied Avocet, and Lesser Crested Tern. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR A total of 397 bird species were recorded in the wetland bird survey, while 401 species were identified in the terrestrial bird survey this year, according to the synchronised … Read more
Daily Quiz: on biodiversity The extremely beautiful sub-Himalayan Manas Tiger Reserve (Assam) is a biodiversity hot spot that has extensive alluvial grasslands and tropical evergreen forests, with a wide variety of floral and faunal species. Image for representational purposes only. START THE QUIZ 1 / 8 | The variety of life found on Earth, ranging … Read more
Green Humour | Photo Credit: Rohan Chakravarty Green Humour | Photo Credit: Rohan Chakravarty Rohan Chakravarty is a cartoonist and illustrator from Nagpur. His series, ‘Green Humour’, consists of cartoons and comics on wildlife, nature conservation, environmental issues, sustainability, and all things green. Published – May 22, 2025 04:12 pm IST
Trained only on historical data, Aurora was able to correctly forecast all hurricanes in 2023 more accurately than operational forecasting centres [File] | Photo Credit: REUTERS Microsoft has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that beats current forecasting methods in tracking air quality, weather patterns, and climate-addled tropical storms, according to findings published Wednesday. Dubbed … Read more
The clownfish were popularised by the Disney film ‘Finding Nemo’. | Photo Credit: Getty Images In 2023-2024, the world suffered a devastating coral bleaching event during which 84% of the world’s reefs spanning 83 countries and territories were affected. Scientists have since linked the event to ocean warming and marine heatwaves — extended periods of … Read more
Cyclones are among the earth’s most powerful storms. Like forest fires and lightning strikes, they are natural — yet their effects are becoming more destructive thanks to climate change. In a new study published by researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, the world’s cyclones can be expected to wreak more havoc in new ways if … Read more
The Persian long-tailed desert lizard specimen at the Zoological Survey of India’s museum in Kolkata. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have removed confusion over the Persian long-tailed desert lizard, 153 years after it was first described from Sindh in present-day Pakistan. This desert lizard, called Mesalina watsonana zoologically, … Read more
Biodiversity, which refers to the variety and the variability of living organisms on this earth — and fundamental to human well-being, a healthy planet, and economic prosperity for all— is under peril. About 25% of species are facing the threat of extinction. The theme for International Day for Biological Diversity this year (observed annually on … Read more