Page 2 - Climate Change

El Nino may turn 'very strong' by late 2026, raising risks for India: IRI

The El Nino weather pattern is strengthening and is likely to become "very strong" in late 2026 and early 2027, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI) at Columbia University said, raising concerns over elevated climate risk for India. In its latest ENSO forecast, published on September 21, the IRI said the Nino 3.4 index, a key gauge of Pacific Ocean temperatures, reached +3.0 degrees Celsius in mid-September. All 22 models it surveyed, 13 dynamical and nine statistical, forecast "very strong" El Nino conditions through the 2026-27 winter. The IRI put the probability of El Nino at 100 per cent through February 2027, falling to 61 per cent by mid-2027. It said the event could rank among the strongest on record. The institute also expects the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) to become strongly positive from September through December 2026 before returning toward neutral conditions in early 2027. A positive IOD often occurs alongside El Nino, though the two can ..

Super El Nino report: Co-author explains '451K excess deaths' estimate

The University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute's report that claimed that the 'super El Nino' might cause around 15,800 additional heat-related deaths in India over the next six months, was measured using two components, seasonal temperature forecasts, and temperature-mortality relationships, a co-author of the study said. Emily Grover-Kopec, a co-author, told PTI that temperature-mortality relationships were assessed using "one of the most commonly referenced seasonal forecasts" from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF SEAS5). The recently published report claimed that the climate phenomenon could push global land temperatures 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal in the coming months, resembling the higher temperatures that climate change is projected to deliver in the next 20 years. "When considering a wide suite of seasonal forecasts that are available, the ECMWF SEAS sits in the middle in terms of the projected temperature anomalies, so this presents a

The importance of 'blue-green' infrastructure

As the tragedy in Nepal reminds us, water and forests cannot be taken for granted. This book offers policymakers a practical guide to building resilience against extreme weather

Climate risks may widen India's milk demand-supply gap, says CII paper

Milk production growth has slowed to 3.5-3.7 per cent, while climate risks could raise procurement costs, squeeze margins and affect value-added dairy products

India's heat risk rises as El Nino threatens 450,000 lives globally: Report

The developing climate pattern could intensify heat stress worldwide, adding pressure on health systems and vulnerable communities

COP31: Can the Antalya summit bridge the global climate finance divide?

The question of finance tends to drive a wedge between the wealthy Global North and the developing world at climate summits. Will November's Antalya summit be any different?

What the Himalayas need

Protecting the Himalayan ecosystem is crucial for the 2047 goals, and it's time India adopted an integrated approach to safeguarding its fragile ecology

Himalayan glaciers melting 65% faster, 80% volume at risk by 2100: Study

The study done by global consultancy Systemiq said that about one-third of Himalayan glacier mass loss is linked to South Asian black carbon

The cost of rising sea

Where coastal land is sinking at the same time as oceans are rising, the effective increase in relative sea level is considerably greater

Climate change takes back seat as US Democrats focus on Trump, costs

Climate change has been the backdrop to Charles Hughes' entire life, from kindergarten lessons about disappearing habitats to wildfire smoke billowing through the air he breathed while growing up in Colorado. But now that he's a college student in Massachusetts, he said global warming is rarely a top issue. "Honestly, it doesn't come up as much," said Hughes, who chairs the state's chapter of the College Democrats. What a difference six years makes -------------------------------------- During President Donald Trump's first term and especially during the Democratic primaries to determine who would run against him in 2020, Democrats spoke constantly about climate change. They used it to rally young voters such as Hughes, fuelling protests and sweeping demands to remake the economy with proposals like the Green New Deal. But there has been a national shift in the conversation that is sharp enough for some researchers to coin the term "climate hushing" to describe it. The Searchlight

CJI Surya Kant flags unequal burden of global shift to clean energy

CJI Kant said the global shift towards clean energy must account for the differing circumstances of countries and ensure that the burden of transition is distributed fairly

Climate change may be making El Nino events stronger, suggests study

A new study suggests that El Ninos - the natural climatic chaos agent that pops up periodically and spikes global temperatures - are getting stronger because of human-caused climate change. El Ninos are more than 36% stronger than they were before the industrial age began in the mid 1800s, with a 16% jump in just the last 40 years showing that the increase is accelerating, according to a study in Thursday's journal Science. The findings come as a strong El Nino that formed a couple months ago is forecast to be the biggest on record in coming months. El Ninos, which are a temporary warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific, warp weather worldwide and increase extreme events, including heat waves, floods in some places and droughts in others. They can cost trillions in damage. "That's important because strong El Ninos have much stronger impacts on climate hazards and extremes worldwide. When we set out to answer the question of why this might be happening, we set our data up against

RMSI's new tool to offer localised climate risk intelligence to enterprises

RMSI is a tech company delivering advanced solutions in geospatial intelligence, AI, and smart automation to help enterprises address complex challenges such as climate change and disaster management

Best of BS Opinion: Limits of 'Economic D-Day' lie at China's gates

Today's Best of BS Opinion examines US sanctions on Iran, H1N1 risks, aviation regulation, hard-to-abate sector transition plans and India's software product journey.

2026 likely the hottest year on record driven by El-Nino, say experts

El Nino brings powerful consequences for the globe, drying out some regions, like Western and Southern Africa, Australia and India, while potentially raising rainfall in others, such as southern US

Assam floodwaters recede, but losses to homes and livelihoods still endure

Floods have displaced more than 140,000 people in Assam, damaging homes, crops and livelihoods as climate change, river flows and erosion deepen the state's vulnerability

Households in India, Asia-Pacific regions vulnerable to El Nino shocks: S&P

Asia-Pacific economies, like India, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, are seeing a surge in prices, with households remaining highly vulnerable to further weather-related supply shocks, including those triggered by the El Nino, S&P Global Ratings has said. S&P said the effects of the El Nino period starting in 2026 will reach Asia-Pacific mainly through weaker rainfall and climate disruption, and the macroeconomic impact is likely to be manageable. Key transmission channels include reduced agricultural output, higher food inflation, diminished hydropower generation, and vegetation fires and haze. S&P said many economies have expanded food buffer stocks, improved import planning and strengthened market management mechanisms to cushion supply disruptions. At the same time, investments in reservoir management, irrigation infrastructure and water governance have strengthened resilience to periods of reduced rainfall. "In India, strong food and grain buffers for affected .

Best of BS Opinion: India must hold the line on climate action

Today's opinions examine India's climate diplomacy lessons, vaccine resistance amid medical advances, AI's real-world limitations, RSS outreach to Gen Z and the growing threat of cognitive warfare

Island nation's golden passport: $90,000 buys access to 85+ nations

Naoero's citizenship scheme promises global mobility while helping finance the country's climate change response

The economics of survival in an era of worsening climate extremes

The fact is that green technology is now making inroads into countries not for climate mitigation but because it makes more energy and economic sense