Severe drought fueled intense wildfires across the Americas in 2024, leading to record carbon emissions in several regions, including Bolivia, Nicaragua, and the Pantanal wetlands. The Amazon, Canada, and the western US also experienced significant blazes, impacting air quality across the continent. Experts attribute the widespread fires to climate change and human activities like deforestation.
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Navigating a makeshift raft between drifting furniture and submerged cars, Rafael Quispe steers through his village in western Bolivia, where the streets were turned into rivers two months ago. Quispe, 54, is himself a miner and also used to run a bar out of his home.
The UN biodiversity conference in Rome will resume to finalize critical decisions on financing and resource mobilization. The goal is to raise and effectively distribute significant funds to preserve global biodiversity, building upon commitments made in previous accords despite financial challenges.
A Siberian Demoiselle crane, nicknamed Sukpak, has broken the record for the longest migratory flight to Rajasthan, India, covering over 3,676km. Tagged in the remote Tyva Republic of Russia, Sukpak's journey took an unusual route through Pakistan, reversing the typical migration path.
The frequency of floods in High Mountain Asia has significantly increased since 2000 due to climate change, causing increased risks in water cycles and unpredictable flood timings. The study links rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns to the sharp rise in flood events, particularly pluvial floods and snowmelt floods.
The year 2024 saw extreme weather conditions with the hottest month on record, intense wildfires, numerous hurricanes and typhoons, and devastating floods and cyclones impacting various regions worldwide. Agriculture, food production, and infrastructure were severely affected, highlighting the urgent need for immediate climate action to mitigate these disastrous effects.
Toni Boucher, a 70-year-old resident of Altadena, is concerned about the health risks of sifting through the toxic ashes of her wildfire-ravaged home. Experts warn that the ash contains harmful substances like asbestos, lead, and arsenic, posing significant health hazards to those exposed.
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.
Residents in the Northern Plains to Maine are preparing for dangerously low temperatures and heavy snowfall as a winter storm continues to hit the East Coast. The National Weather Service has issued warnings, predicting up to 3 feet of snow in areas like western New York.
The Purple line metro project in Kolkata has received clearance from the Central Empowered Committee to transplant 691 trees on the Maidan. This allows Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd to proceed with constructing key underground stations and structures. After delays due to tree conservation orders, work for the Purple line’s underground section will resume at full pace.
Nearly all nations missed the UN deadline to submit new targets for carbon emissions reduction, including major economies like China, India, and the EU. Only 10 countries met the February 10 deadline, with most G20 economies absent. Submissions are crucial to assessing climate plans before the COP30 summit.