PlanetandClimate

North Atlantic hurricanes, the most notorious of the winds of the world, showed their real ferocious face to recorded history in 1780. That year, the Americas and the Caribbean Islands reeled under the worst-ever storms in history, the death toll of which rose to more than 20000 in a couple of weeks. These hurricanes prompted many settlers to abandon their plantations in the Americas and sail back to the safety of European shores.

Sometimes, humans intentionally transport a plant or seed to a new location when they travel. Seeds can also travel by attaching themselves to a human body or a vehicle, reaching new environments.

Discovering the hidden processes and connections within nature reminds us of how much we take it for granted and the countless ways it is vital to our well-being. It is astonishing to realize the monetary value of the ecosystem services nature provides us!

The Western Ghats house 50% of the total amphibian species of the whole of India. Thirty percent of the world population of Asian elephants resides in this forest stretch. This wilderness is also home to 17% of the tigers that the world is left with.

Half an hour before sunrise on a Friday morning, 3rd August 1492, three ships set sail from the port of Palos in Spain. The people who assembled to see the ships off were gloomy, and some were even crying as they bade goodbye to their friends and relatives traveling aboard the ships, as if they were never to meet them again. The names of the ships were Santa Maria, Pinta, and Nina. The captain of the fleet was Christopher Columbus.

Tropical rainforests are akin to multi-story buildings, each layer hosting distinct species and interactions. Sometimes there are give and take relations between the populations of each stratum but sometimes a member species of a stratum will never meet a member species of another stratum. Generally, the stories are counted as five.

The circular economy is a powerful and revolutionary framework for living life and economic activity. One key premise of this concept is a critique of waste in a modern economy. Our civilisation has reached a point where we consume all essential and non-essential materials, water, and energy in such great abundance that they are becoming scarce on the planet at an alarming pace. We must recycle these resources rather than throw them away after a single use.

The story of rice can be seen as a mirror image of the story of human civilization itself. The domestication of wild animals and plants was key to humans transforming their nomadic habits and settling down in certain locations.

Owing to climate change, Himalayan glaciers are melting, escalating the threat of drought in thousands of square kilometres of land.

1-3 billion people could find themselves outside the comfortable mean temperature in a short time of 50 years.

The Aral Sea nowadays is the skeletons of fishing vessels protruding from its exposed sandy bottom like ghosts of another world.

Climate Doomism is spreading roots into the social psyche. Climate Doomism leads to climate inaction and a depressed and anxious worldview.

This third study proved that our greenhouse gas emissions impact Earth's climate.

Certain food crops have shown signs of being affected by climate change. If their production declines, we may abandon mundane food habits.

The world is witnessing not only black storks but many migratory birds altering their flight routes owing to strange changes in the climate.

Greenpeace called it toxic colonialism. Businesses found it cheaper to dump e-waste in Africa than to process it in their home country.

In the European Parliament elections held in June 2024, the Green Parties suffered a setback and were reduced to a 7% vote share.

The city of Adelaide in Southern Australia now operates on 100% renewable energy.

The COP 28 summit succeeded in including the terms 'energy transition' and 'fossil fuels' in the official document

The rising need to integrate sustainability into doing business led to the concept, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).