In an era of climate change driving extreme weather patterns, natural disasters seem to be becoming the norm. Indeed, recent months have seen the eyes of the world captivated by wildfires ravaging Australia – the country’s worst in decades. India is no stranger to environmental catastrophes and extreme weather patterns, witnessing calamities ranging from heatwaves […]
climate change
Child health: How climate change will affect it
“A child born today will experience a world that is more than four degrees warmer than the pre-industrial average, with climate change impacting human health from infancy and adolescence to adulthood and old age,” reads a report published yesterday by The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change – lending a chilling insight into the […]
The hunger of a nation: What the GHI tells India
India has slipped on the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Global Hunger Index (GHI), ranking 102nd out of 117 countries. Countries are scored by the GHI between zero and 100, with India scoring 30.3 – worse than the score for the South Asia region as a whole, which the GHI puts at 29.3. India fares […]
Rising sea levels: What they mean for India
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released another report warning of the dangers of our changing climate. This time, the body has warned that the trend of rising sea levels is ocurring faster than we first thought – news which carries significant implications for India. “The ocean is warmer, more acidic […]
Climate strike: Students protest across India
The youth climate strike hit India once more yesterday, with students missing school to protest for their future across Delhi, Mumbai and Kochi among other cities. “We know climate crisis is real, it’s a fact and not a myth or a belief,” 29-year-old Mumbai-based climate activist Pooja Domadi told CNN. “We’re having multiple events through […]
Guterres calls for action on climate change
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has called for action on climate change, deeming it an “emergency”. Speaking ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit, which will take place in New York next week, Guterres warned of seven million deaths a year due to climate change if action is not taken. The former Portuguese Prime […]
WHO urges action on health effects of climate change
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on world leaders to take action on the health effects of climate change, calling it “one of the world’s most urgent health threats.” In a statement, Tedros said “only when countries can provide health services to all, including those in greatest jeopardy from climate […]
India makes emergency preparedness pledge
India will make a significant financial contribution to help the World Health Organization (WHO) with emergency preparedness, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has announced. Speaking at the 72nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Southeast Asia (WHO-SEARO), Vardhan said “I am very happy to announce that India will contribute $2,00,000 towards implementation of […]
Heavy flooding continues to ravage India
Amidst the heavy flooding plaguing eastern and northern India, a tiger displaced from Assam’s flood-ravaged Kaziranga National Park sought refuge in a nearby house – much to the shock of residents. The tiger fled the park where 92 animals have drowned. Many are still trapped by the floodwaters. In a viral photo shared by an […]
Energy infrastructure: Why we need to rethink it
![A thermal powerplant situated @ 20 kms away of raichur [own work, CC license]. Energy infrastructure example.](https://i2.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/800px-Raichur_Thermal_Power_Station.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Energy infrastructure: Why we need to rethink it")
Energy infrastructure needs to be seriously rethought if global warming targets are to be met, research published in the journal Nature reveals in a stark warning. Last year, a groundbreaking report issued by the UN body on climate change announced that “rapid, [far-reaching] and unprecedented changes” are necessary if the pace of global warming is […]