Could bird flu lead to the next pandemic?

The first case of H5N1 bird flu was reported in Australia this week. Is the world prepared for what could lead to the next pandemic?  

Bangladesh scarred by Super Cyclone Amphan even after four years, with displaced people still refugees & land uncultivable

Affected people are living in dire straits of housing and employment

Thailand poised to become first Southeast Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage

If upper house of parliament approves marriage equality bill, Thailand will be third Asian one to legalise gay marriage

South Asian cities need action on air pollution before next winter

Stringent measures, raising public awareness and promoting regional collaboration need of the hour

COP28: GLG members urge focus on prevention and global cooperation to address AMR

Idea of prevention needs to be hardwired into our system with good guidance, says CSE’s Sunita Narain

Study links climate change with wheat blast; warns crop yield could drop by 75% in South America, Africa by 2050

Wheat blast-prone locations could increase due to climate impact; global wheat production could drop by 13%

Why 40°C is bearable in a desert but lethal in the tropics

Heatwaves of similar magnitudes can have very different impacts depending on factors like humidity or how prepared an area is for extreme heat

Uzbekistan fallout: Union government issues ‘Ethylene Glycol (Quality Control) Order, 2022’

A joint inspection of the Noida facility of Marion Biotech has been carried out by a Uttar Pradesh Drug Control and CDSCO team

Loss and damage from climate crisis needs urgent intervention from rich countries: UN chief

Comments in light of Pakistan floods; Guterres urges G20 nations to up climate adaptation financing, emissions reduction targets

Homeless, displaced, devastated: People in Pakistan’s flood-hit Sindh narrate tales of horror & loss

Climate change-induced sea-level rise and heavy downpour behind this unprecendented calamity, say experts

Pakistan deluge: 500% more rain in some provinces

Around 200% departure overall from 30-year average till July 13; experts say more rain expected   

COVID-19 surge: Why has China not attained herd immunity despite high vaccination coverage?

Germany, South Korea, Vietnam are also reporting increase in COVID-19 cases despite extensive vaccination

CoP26 first draft not good enough; climate finance grossly insufficient: Climate scientist Saleemul Huq

Saleemul Haq, director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development, Bangladesh, speaks to DTE on CoP26 progress and performance

What the new IPCC AR6 report means for Indian cities

The Sixth Assessment Report recognises compound extremes, multiple climate change drivers working together to maximise disaster impacts

Climate crisis: Deforestation in southeast Asia mountains on the rise

Forests are being increasingly cut down on steeper slopes, which have a high forest carbon density relative to the lowlands 

World Environment Day: How our greed for palm oil is destroying tropical rainforests  

The rapid expansion of palm oil plantations has led to the destruction of huge areas of Indonesia and Malaysia’s tropical rainforests, …

Asia-Pacific’s automobile companies discussed EVs 28% more in 2022 than last year, data shows

Indian companies held the most discussions on electric vehicles, according to analytics company GlobalData  

Half of all snakebite cases in the world from India, finds study

ICMR finds only 30% of snakebite victims in rural India reach hospital

Every country exceeds new PM2.5 annual limit set by WHO: Report

The concentration in 93 per cent of the cities was 10 times the new guidelines

International Women’s Day 2024: How much unpaid labour do women take on in Asia-Pacific?

Meta asked Facebook users in 2021 how many hours they spent each day on unpaid domestic or care work   

UN warns surge of preventable child deaths in Gaza as malnutrition levels spike

1 in 6 children under the age of 2 is acutely malnourished

CMS COP14: Action plans for African-Eurasian migratory landbirds, other avian species adopted

India and Bangladesh submit joint proposal to list Indian skimmer under the CMS

CMS COP14: Expect listing of new species, action plans for conservation at Samarkand summit

Parties are expected to discuss draft to protect and conserve number of species and their habitats  

Hindu Kush Himalaya is a ‘biosphere on the brink’: ICIMOD

‘It is almost too late’ to stem losses in nature and habitat in the HKH region, says organisation at meeting in Kathmandu

Dam safety can no longer be ignored if we are to avoid a repeat of Himachal and South Lhonak Lake

Dam authorities have to be more transparent and vigilant; Flood plain zoning of rivers needs to be done on war footing if we are to manage floods …