Six critically endangered Mekong giant catfish, weighing up to 287 pounds each, were recently discovered and released back into the Mekong River Basin. This unprecedented event offers hope for the species' revival, as conservationists gain crucial information about their ecology and migrations through tagging.
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Japan's famed cherry trees are getting old, but a new AI tool that assesses photos of the delicate pink and white flowers could help preserve them for future generations. Hiroyuki Wada of the Japan Tree Doctors Association, who inspects cherry trees in major spots in Tokyo, helped supervise the AI tool.
India's central forest belt is undergoing a major conservation effort with the creation of new wildlife corridors linking key national parks in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. These corridors aim to enhance wildlife movement, improve gene flow for endangered species like tigers, and strengthen ecosystem resilience.
Earth's average temperature in 2024 reached a record high, surpassing the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement. This increase, linked to fossil fuel emissions and El Nino impacts, is the first full-year breach of this benchmark. Experts warn about the long-term implications, emphasizing urgent action against climate change.
Delhi residents experienced a partly cloudy morning with a minimum temperature of 15.2 degrees Celsius, slightly above the seasonal average. The India Meteorological Department forecasts the maximum temperature will range between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius. Wind speed is expected to be around 10 kmph in the afternoon. The air quality remains moderate with an AQI of 194.
A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake strikes near the Tibet-Nepal border, killing at least nine people. It causes building collapses and shakes regions across Bihar and North India. The quake's epicentre is in Tibet, about 93 km from Lobuche, Nepal. Two aftershocks were also recorded.
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.
2024 recorded the warmest year in India since 1901, with an average temperature of 25.75°C, surpassing 2016's previous record. Global temperatures also rose, marking 2024 as the hottest year globally. For January, the IMD forecasts slightly above-normal rainfall and warmer temperatures across most regions but anticipates colder nights in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh.
Europe's meteorological agency says cuts by US President Donald Trump's administration to a key American science agency had hindered the sharing of crucial observations used around the globe to monitor the climate and forecast weather. "It's important for climate monitoring -- any observation lost is a loss for climate monitoring, for calibration of satellite, for verification of forecasts," she said.
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.
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.