Climate Change

Featured Articles
November 6, 2022 In 2020, 559 million children were affected by four to five heatwaves a year; numbers could increase four-fold by 2050, as per a report by UNICEF
Heat-related mortality is four times higher among children under 1 year of age than in persons aged 1–44 years (Image: Taqver, Wikimedia Commons)
August 11, 2022 This could lead to water quality crisis reinforcing the need for basin-specific management strategies
Around the world, more than a fifth of nitrogen released by human activity ends up in aquatic ecosystems (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
July 29, 2022 New study from the University of East Anglia challenges the widely held view that restoring areas such as mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass can remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere
Mediterranean seagrass (Image: David Luquet, CNRS-Sorbonne University)
July 10, 2022 People in India fleeing disasters like drought more likely to have experienced trafficking or modern slavery than those fleeing floods or cyclones
The country's climate change assessment suggests things are only going to get worse (Image: Saurav Karmakar, India Water Portal Flickr)
July 8, 2022 Indian rivers are experiencing rising temperatures, which can lower the oxygen carrying capacity of their waters and spell doom for living organisms, small and large living in the waters.
The Karamana river in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala (Image Source: India Water Portal)
June 15, 2022 The River Front Development project planned by the PMC is nothing but a cosmetic makeover for the already choked Mula Mutha river in Pune, argues Dr Gurudas Nulkar while speaking to the India Water Portal.
The highly polluted and encroached Mula Mutha river in Pune (Image: Alexey Komarov via Wikimedia Commons)
Droughts in Maharashtra: Lack of management or vagaries of climate change?
None of our policies seem to be designed keeping in mind the farmer and his convenience, says Suneel Joshi, State Coordinator for Jal Biradari, in an interview with India Water Portal. Posted on 18 Dec, 2014 08:24 AM

Recent news has been flooded with reports of the severe drought situation in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. Even more shocking are the reports of large-scale suicides by farmers due to crop losses.

Severe droughts (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Uttar Pradesh gears up to tackle climate change
Adequate budget, staff, capacity; a monitoring framework; interdepartmental cooperation - all need to be in place for effective climate change mainstreaming, according to UP officials. Posted on 16 Dec, 2014 03:26 PM

The people I was listening to challenged all my prejudices about government officials' tendencies to bury their heads in the sand.

Floods in cities will be increasingly common
Can we reverse the outcomes of climate change for India?
Heat extremes and groundwater scarcity are but two of the impacts of climate change affecting India. Technology, political will, and international cooperation are needed to reverse these impacts. Posted on 16 Dec, 2014 02:13 PM

The report title 'Turn down the heat: Climate extremes, regional impacts and the case for resilience' published by the World Bank, highlights the risks posed by climate

Droughts and climate change (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Budget 2015-16 likely to have huge cuts in social sector
Policy matters this fortnight Posted on 16 Dec, 2014 12:27 PM

Social sector likely to get less funds in Union Budget 2015-16

MNREGA workers building check dam in Gujarat
Invitation to the Science Academies’ Lecture Workshop on 'Climate Change', G B Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand
The workshop will provide an excellent opportunity to students, researchers, scientists and technologists to understand the science of climate change
Posted on 02 Dec, 2014 06:23 PM

Workshop Objectives: 

Science Academies' Lecture Workshop
Call for Entries for the green film competition 'Films for Change', Television Trust for the Environment and Microsoft
Films for Change competition is an online film competition to reflect on the issues of climate change, sustainable consumption and other development agendas
Posted on 28 Nov, 2014 03:09 PM

The competition serves as a tool spread awareness on environmental issues on a large scale. By using film making, you are encouraged to highlight those issues that greatly affect the environment and climate change in your society. There are these three main themes around which you may make your films: 

Dengue and chikungunya in India - High temperatures, humidity, rainfall and local practices to blame?
High temperatures, humidity, rainfall and local practices favour breeding and abundance of Aedes mosquito species increasing the risk of dengue and chikungunya Posted on 25 Nov, 2014 03:44 PM

Climate change has been predicted to have a tremendous impact on the health of populations leading to deaths as well as increase in the incidence of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Dengue and chikungunya have emerged as major public health problems making headlines in many states in India following the erratic monsoons.

Aedes aegypti mosquito (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Poachers turned protectors fight for their survival
Locals who protect the migratory birds that come to Chilka lake in Odisha struggle to make a living as the lake has shrunk, thereby shrinking their revenues from fishing. Posted on 23 Nov, 2014 01:46 PM

Nature and wildlife can be better conserved if local communities are duly educated and motivated. Nearly 70 km south of Bhubaneswar, the Mangalajodi village on the edge of Chilka lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, is a testimony to that argument.

Chilka lake, Odisha
The connection between weather and malaria explained
Combined daily values of temperature, rainfall and humidity were found to influence the mosquito load and the risk of malaria incidence. Posted on 22 Nov, 2014 04:30 PM

A recent World Bank report on climate change has predicted a grim outlook for India by outlining its impacts that include:

Mosquitoes and malaria (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Local weather stations greatly improve local crop production
Area- and crop-customised agro-advisories in Sangamner taluka of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, have helped farmers deal with weather-based events and minimise their related losses. Posted on 19 Nov, 2014 05:06 PM

“In gram crops to control gram-pod borers, use pheromone traps”. While a statement like that most likely won't make sense to average people, it does to the farming community in the Sangamner taluka of Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. They have been trained to make sense of the agro-advisory provided by Vasundhara Sewaks.

Onion seeds in farms (Source: WOTR)
×