Umbrellas Out in March

Umbrellas Out in March

West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh were among the six states that received rainfall exceeding their long-term averages between March 1 and March 12, 2020.

Holi, famously known as the festival of colours, is celebrated in the month of March every year. Typically the day involves playing with dry and wet colours to mark the beginning of the spring season. In 2020, however, things were different. Instead of a bright, sunny day that we are used to during Holi, we woke up to a morning that was cold and breezy. In some parts of the country, there was even fog! Winter had not ended.

 

2019 was a Bad Year for the Planet

Earth’s climate worsened in the last year, said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

WMO’s Statement on the State of the Global Climate (2019) revealed 2019 was the second-hottest year on record. The mercury was 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels in 2019. 2016 remains the hottest year recorded but the rise in temperature then was due to El-Nino 2010-2019 was the hottest decade on record. Since 1980 each decade has been hotter than the previous.

Reaping Losses

Reaping Losses

Extreme heat days caused by rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would adversely affect labour productivity and economic growth, particularly in developing countries like India.

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The gross domestic product (GDP) stands for the net value of all goods and services produced in the country. It usually indicates the health of an economy. A healthy GDP growth rate is considered to be a good sign as it indicates the creation of jobs and increased income. Also, businesses tend to invest more in a country where the GDP growth rate is high...

A Glacier's Funeral

A Glacier's Funeral

In August 2019, a funeral was held for the last patch of ice atop the Ok volcano in western Iceland. The ice patch belonged to Okjökull.

November 14, 2091

November 14, 2091

What kind of world will the younger generations inherit? Piu gets a hint.

No Moon, No Life!

No Moon, No Life!

A one-to-one conversation with the moon helps Piu understand why the celestial object is so important for our planet

Children in the Times of Climate Change

Children in the Times of Climate Change

It was a Friday of August 2018. The people of Stockholm saw a little girl sitting outside the Riksdagen, the Swedish Parliament, holding a hand-painted banner with "skolstrejk för klimatet" or "school strike for climate" written over it.

Sinking Sunderban

Sinking Sunderban

Rising sea level is the biggest threat to the world's largest coastal mangrove forests located in India and Bangladesh

Climate Change and Extreme Rainfall

Climate Change and Extreme Rainfall

As per the World Bank, changes in average temperature and precipitation would impact 600 million lives in India.

There is scientific evidence that global warming is leading to more moisture loading in the atmosphere, which, in turn, is causing more extreme precipitation events. Raghu Murtugudde, a professor at Maryland University, US, recently said that there is a clear link between extreme rainfall events and global warming. 

A Good Move by Climate

A Good Move by Climate

We eagerly wait for the monsoons, but without the Continental Drift, we may have never had this season

Think Green, Act Green

Think Green, Act Green

On World Environment Day, let’s find out what the Conference of the Parties (COP) is and its role in saving our environment.

Test the Thunder!

Test the Thunder!

Researchers say that global warming is a cause of frequent and high-intensity thunderstorms

The Perfect Environment for Pathogens?

The Perfect Environment for Pathogens?

Human-induced climate change has led to several extreme weather events, including excessive rainfall which causes disease pathogens to transmit easily and more rapidly through the floodwaters

Shrunk Beyond Recognition
Coming Together for Climate Justice
Seasons Turning a New Leaf

Seasons Turning a New Leaf

The season of festivals is here. But something feels different. My mother tells me that about 25 years ago, the winters would make a precise entry on Dussehra, which usually falls between September and October. A week before Dussehra, we would take the warm clothes out of an old trunk. "Now, it is late November when the weather becomes cold. Only a few days in December are cold enough to wear warm clothes," says my mother.

We read in books that India has six distinct seasons—Grishma seasons (summer), Varsha (monsoon), Sharata (autumn), Hemanta (pre-winter), Shishira (winter) and Basanta (spring)...

Making of a Storm

Making of a Storm

The sun's heat is the most important factor in the weather patterns around the globe. Warmer ocean temperatures due to human-made activities give storms a bigger battery which not only increases the intensity but also the frequency of hurricanes and cyclones.

Given the hurricane of catastrophic climate events that took place around the world, August and September should be renamed as tropical cyclone months. For the first time in seven years, the Atlantic Basin faced more than three hurricanes consecutively in the year 2017...

Story of Monsoon
Green Initiatives Begin at Home
The Planet's Story

The Planet's Story

On the event of World Environment Day Piu and Pom talk to our planet, Earth!

Evolving Climate Change
The Ride Home

The Ride Home

Archana and her father came out of the Chennai airport into what looked like a scene from an action movie. It was raining, but she could sense when the plane touched down. Now, at the airport, the cars stood honking one behind the other. Sridhar uncle was waiting in the car. They all got in and joined the long queue of cars waiting to enter the dark brown stream that formed the road out of the airport.