It is raining lizards and geckos

South Asia

Meet Michael Beard

NOVEL - SOLAR - by Ian McEwan - Jonathan Cape - Rs 650

Change of cast

Two shifts in diplomatic climate

The Anthropocene is not an epoch − but the age of humans is most definitely underway

The proposal to add an Anthropocene Epoch to the geological time scale was rejected for a variety of reasons, none of them related to the fact …

Chile forest fires: Why does Chile face deadly forest fires every year?

Chile has been undergoing a decade-long drought season since 2010

Icon of the Seas: Is the world’s largest cruise ship environment friendly?

It runs on LNG and can leak some of it directly into the atmosphere as methane, a greenhouse gas worse for the climate in the short term …

Ice storms, January downpours, heavy snow, no snow: Diagnosing ‘warming winter syndrome’

What we are experiencing in warming winter syndrome is a consistent and robust set of symptoms on a fevered planet; overall, people just about …

Climate disaster movies resonate in ways that news never will

As we face the escalating challenges of climate catastrophe, embracing diverse and emotionally engaging storytelling in mainstream media becomes …

Albatrosses are threatened with extinction — and climate change could put their nesting sites at risk

Marion and Prince Edward islands support about half of the entire world’s wandering albatross breeding population, estimated at around 20,…

Nearly a billion children globally exposed to extremely high water stress: UNICEF report

Released days ahead of COP28, the report sees global event as a critical opportunity to finally put children on the climate change agenda

Australia’s offer of climate migration to Tuvalu residents is groundbreaking – and could be a lifeline across the Pacific

Under the treaty, Australia will implement a special visa arrangement to allow Tuvaluans to work, study and live in Australia

Wildfire burn scars can intensify and even trigger thunderstorms, leading to catastrophic flooding. Here’s how

Lack of vegetation, reduced soil moisture and lower surface albedo contribute to the potential for burn scars to fuel thunderstorms

"Snow leopard habitat may be lost due to climate change"

The snow leopard is facing a huge threat from climate change and a hostile human population in Pakistan. Muhammad Ali Nawaz, an authority on the …

UNCCD COP14: Experts stress the need to assess long-term drought impacts

World Bank, Water Global Practices release framework to assess benefits of proactive action vis-à-vis drought

Climate change an indirect cause of whale strandings, say experts

Extreme weather events like cyclones and torrential rains disrupt the echolocation mechanism of the cetaceans and cause them to land on beaches …

Global climate finance flows for 2015-16 increased by 17%: UN report

The report highlights that a large part of climate finance continues to go towards efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions

BASIC ministerial meeting on climate change: Countries miss IPCC’s point

Developing countries, especially from BASIC, must shift away from committing to engaging in climate action depending on what has been committed …

BASIC Ministerial on Climate Change: India calls for developed countries to step up at Katowice

Government argues for a just implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement that incorporates the principles of equity and common but differentiated …

Sikkim, the land blessed by Guru Rinpoche, is being destroyed by anthropogenic activity: Yishey Doma

The author of several books on Sikkimese religion, folklore and culture speaks with Down To Earth in the light of the South Lhonak Lake disaster

Sikkim: Chungthang dam breach another reminder of climate risks associated with hydropower

As parts of the dam washed away due to glacial lake outburst, it reportedly released an alarming 5.08 million cubic metres of water from its reservoir

Dengue: Heavy rains during July 2023 led to outbreaks across India

Down To Earth analysis suggests climate factors to have contributed to vector-borne disease outbreaks 

Australia heatwave: New South Wales authorities report facing worst bushfire risk since ‘Black Summer’

Australia officially declares El Nino is underway as Sydney set to break September temperature records

‘We still know very little about the cryosphere’

Down To Earth speaks to Rodica Nitu, head, Global Cryosphere Watch at the World Meteorological Organization

How climate change is killing languages

Forced migration is a major cause of language extinction. Environmental disasters are driving these displacements in the very regions richest in …