Wisdom, a 74-year-old Laysan albatross and the world's oldest known wild bird, has laid another egg at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. This is believed to be her 60th egg and her first in four years. While her longtime mate Akeakamai is missing, Wisdom has been seen with a new partner.
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In the newly designated Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, two rare caracals were photographed, marking the first sighting in over two decades in this region. Caracals, now critically endangered in India, face severe habitat loss, with their range shrinking significantly since 1948. Rajasthan has reported the highest sightings of caracals since 2001.
Global environmental talks are facing a crisis, with recent UN negotiations on climate change, plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, and desertification yielding disappointing results. Experts and activists warn of a "broken" multilateral system hampered by consensus requirements, fossil fuel industry influence, and geopolitical divisions. Despite some progress on climate finance, the overall pace of change is deemed too slow to address the scale of the environmental challenges.
Greenpeace activists boarded a tanker off South Korea on Saturday in an action intended to draw attention to calls for a treaty to curb plastic pollution, the environmental group said. Attempts to reach an agreement on curbing plastic pollution have stalled over several key sticking points, including whether to cut new plastic production.
The Indian Biogas Association urges the finance ministry to grant corporate tax holidays for compressed biogas production in the upcoming Budget to attract investment. The proposal aims to promote renewable energy, reduce pollution, support agriculture, and generate revenue through carbon credits.
The past decade has been the hottest on record, with 2023 marking the warmest year ever, according to a UN report. Rising carbon dioxide levels, record ocean temperatures, and extreme weather events signal a worsening climate crisis. The report attributes global heating mainly to human activities and warns of severe consequences. Amidst policy rollbacks by the Trump administration, experts and activists urge immediate action to curb emissions and transition to clean energy.
Rich nations' unfulfilled promises on climate finance might force developing countries to reconsider climate targets. The Economic Survey highlights India's vulnerability and advocates focusing on adaptation over emission mitigation. Key measures include climate-resilient seeds, urban resilience, early warning systems, mangroves, sea walls, and water management. Developed countries falling short of their commitments make low-carbon transition challenging.
Two destructive wildfires in Los Angeles have caused significant damage due to human-induced climate change. The study highlights how warmer temperatures and altered weather patterns have increased the frequency and intensity of such events, predicting more severe fires in the future.
An orca named Tahlequah was seen carrying her dead newborn calf in Puget Sound, Seattle. This is the second time she has exhibited such behavior, previously doing so in 2018 for 17 days. This recent loss marks the second of her four documented calves. Another healthy calf has joined her endangered pod of about 70 members.
Japan's new energy policy aims to increase renewables to up to 50% of electricity needs by 2040 while maximizing nuclear power use, reversing post-Fukushima phaseout. The strategy includes next-gen reactors, solar batteries, and will face extensive anti-nuclear sentiment and safety challenges in achieving these goals.
At the foot of Pakistan's impossibly high mountains whitened by frost all year round, farmers grappling with a lack of water have created their own ice towers. "The water must be propelled so that it freezes in the air when temperatures drop below zero, creating ice towers," said Zakir Hussain Zakir, a professor at the University of Baltistan.