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.
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A 5.1-magnitude earthquake, deemed 'unusual' by scientists, struck India's eastern coast. The epicenter was 91 kilometers deep beneath the Bay of Bengal, causing tremors in Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh. Experts from various institutions aim to study this rare seismic activity to understand potential hidden faults and future risks.
November is recorded as the second most polluted penultimate month, with an average AQI of 375, just below 376 in 2021. Delhi saw eight 'severe' days, including two 'severe-plus' days, with no rainfall to alleviate pollution levels. The CPCB emphasizes stringent year-round actions to tackle local and regional emissions.
Putricia, a rare corpse flower, bloomed at the Royal Sydney Botanic Garden, drawing over 13,000 fans. Known for its foul odor, the plant flowers every 7-10 years. A live stream garnered close to a million views. The event highlighted the flower's rarity and conservation efforts.
At least five people have died and over 1,000 structures have been destroyed by wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Fueled by Santa Ana winds, the fires led to extensive evacuations and poor air quality. The Palisades Fire is notably the most destructive in LA history, burning 25 square miles and affecting many homes and businesses.
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.
A long-abandoned Papua New Guinea mine once operated by Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto poses environmental and safety concerns for nearby communities, who live under the threat of landslides, a new report shows. Australia's Human Rights Law Centre, which helped organise legal action against Rio Tinto, said communities continued to live with the "devastating impacts of the mine".
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.
Five Hawaiian crows, or 'alala', extinct in the wild since 2002, were released on Maui on Wednesday in a bid to restore the species. This marks the first 'alala release on Maui and follows previous reintroduction attempts on the Big Island. The birds were carefully selected and assessed for their survival skills.
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.
The National Green Tribunal has asked the Forest Survey of India to submit a detailed report on the substantial loss of 23 lakh hectares of forest cover since 2000. This reduction, particularly severe in northeastern states, significantly impacts India's carbon balance and ranks the nation second globally in deforestation rates.