ENVIRONMENT
Focus on climate change, extreme weather at IMD's 150th year celebrations
Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union minister Kiren Rijiju spoke on the role of weather forecasting in climate change mitigation and climate resilience.
ENVIRONMENT
Future with AI: Artificial intelligence will be a weapon in the fight against climate change
Many climate scientists feel artificial intelligence can play a key role in the battle against climate change. Others warn it is not a magic pill and has its limitations.
ENVIRONMENT
Delhi AQI: Delhi NCR should not depend on rain alone to tackle pollution
Rain and winds blew away the smog and brought down the AQI from an alarming 437 on November 9 to a ‘poor’ 279 on November 10 and 220 on November 11. But Delhi can't bank on rain to fix its yearly air quality crisis - only strict, long-term, regional plans can help tackle this.
ENVIRONMENT
Uneven monsoon sparks climate change concerns
Monsoon patterns are changing every year, and weather forecasters are worried.
ENVIRONMENT
Why a late Diwali coinciding with peak stubble burning may spell bad news
Delhi AQI: The National Capital Region's air quality is touching hazardous levels now. So much so that the Delhi chief minister has asked schools to remain closed for two days.
ENVIRONMENT
Robust and transformative adaptation measures can make our cities climate-resilient, say urban experts
Integrated urban planning where climate change adaptation is woven into urban development plans and not seen as an add-on should be the way ahead if we want our cities to be resilient by 2047.
ENVIRONMENT
Bullish on India | An air pollution-free India by 2047 is not a Utopian dream
Airshed-level planning where the fight against air pollution crosses state boundaries and urban-rural divides, strict enforcement of emission standards, switch to renewables, building green infrastructure could help to significantly improve air quality nationwide in the next 24 years to India@100.
INDIA
We’re Toast: Hotter days ahead but India seems ill-prepared to deal with heatwaves
As the IMD predicts above-normal heatwave days in April, May, and June, a CPR analysis points to lacunae in the heat action plans of states.
ECONOMY
Spring cut short: Warmer days ahead for India but no heatwave likely in March
Temperatures are likely to settle above normal from March to May as a whole for most parts of India, barring southern parts of the country, says IMD.
INDIA
El Niño scare, a hot February and monsoon worries
The forecast of an El Niño year has generated a lot of buzz and caused anxiety over its likely effect on the southwest monsoon, which is crucial for the farming sector and the entire economy.
INDIA
Why Mumbai is hitting the headlines for air pollution
Experts say meteorological reasons could be behind the recent surge in Mumbai air pollution, but man-made factors cannot be underplayed or ignored.
INDIA
Lower day temperatures are making the cold wave in north India more intense
The chill is biting more because both cold wave and cold day conditions are prevailing at the same time, which in turn is being triggered by icy cold winds from the Himalayas and a dense layer of fog that is blocking sunshine.
TRENDS
Budget travel | Budapest, a modern city that keeps its past grandeur alive
One of Europe's hottest tourist destinations, the historical Budapest, originally two cities, the hilly Buda and the flat Pest, located on opposite sides, along the river Danube, is also one of Europe’s cheapest places and can be covered well under Rs 3 lakh.
TRENDS
Budget travel | Croatia: Where history blends into nature
Located in the Balkan Peninsula, the almost unnoticeable, thin strip of land, Croatia, is a land of many wonders, including being the location for the TV series 'Game of Thrones', and a week’s tour there can be done well under Rs 3 lakh.
TRENDS
Budget travel | Exploring coastal Konkan: Seafood, forts and water sports
As Goa gets awfully crowded and more expensive, the Konkan belt offers the budget and family traveller an equally enthralling experience with full value for money.
TRENDS
Budget travel | Meghalaya, India: To be walking on the clouds
No trip to the Northeast is complete without Meghalaya. If you can steel through heavy monsoons, then that's the freshest time to visit, but October to March is preferred by majority.
TRENDS
Budget travel | Pondicherry: A melting pot of cultures, past and present
Beaches such as Paradise and Karaikal have jet skiing, boating, backwater sailing, canoeing, and kayaking. If birdwatching interests you, the Ousteri Wetland and National Park is just 10 km away.
TRENDS
Why are people still changing their names through newspaper ads?
Even if someone does change their name for some reason, what is the need to announce it in a newspaper? Well, it is more of a legal compulsion than a personal choice.
BUSINESS
Is Bt cotton a success? Government’s GM mustard move reignites 20-year-old debate
Some agriculture experts and activists claim rising distress among farmers due to stagnating yields and increase in costs due to Bt cotton but government officials say Bt is a yield-saving variety which is still effective against a major bollworm
INDIA
Few air quality experts on pollution control boards in North India, potential polluters crowd positions
Potential polluters such as local authorities, industries and PSUs formed the majority of members at 10 state pollution control boards in North India while scientists, medical practitioners and academics constituted only 7 percent, according to a report
INDIA
Diwali was cleaner but there’s no reason to celebrate, say experts
The poor air quality in the National Capital Region this year, as opposed to the severe air quality in previous years, is little reason to celebrate as the tide could turn any moment, especially if farm fires, which had a low count in the runup to Diwali, go up.
INDIA
Late rain reduces monsoon deficit in northern plains but damages crops
Climate change is exacerbating intra-seasonal spatiotemporal variability as well as extreme weather episodes. And this makes the prediction of regional distribution of monsoon rainfall more challenging, say meteorologists.
ENVIRONMENT
Intense rain, choked infrastructure: Why urban India sinks every monsoon
An urban plan that takes into account changing weather patterns, and strictly implements existing building laws and guidelines as well as environmental rules, is what Indian cities need to become flood-resilient.
INDIA
At 41.5 mn, India tops the list of disaster-related displacements in South Asia, says a new report
Annual economic losses caused by disasters in the Asia-Pacific were estimated to be around $780 billion as of 2021, equivalent to 2.5 percent of the regional GDP. In the worst case scenario, these losses could mount to $1.4 trillion
