The world’s Arctic ice cap has shrunk to a new low, surpassing a record set only five years ago, and is expected to keep retreating for a few more weeks, according to U.S. data released on Monday.

Arctic sea ice at record low, expected to keep on melting

When India was hit by huge power cuts at the end of July, the residents of Patragonda, a tribal village in the eastern state of Jharkhand, remained blissfully unaware.
The reason is simple – the village, nestled in a dense forest, has never been connected to the national grid. Instead it gets its electricity from the sun.

India Could Do Better On Renewable Energy, Experts Say

A faceoff has developed between low-key environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan and Planning Commission deputy commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Jayanthi Natarajan and Montek Singh Ahluwalia in Face Off

The environment ministry has asked the Planning Commission to revise the 12th five-year plan climate change chapter and realign it with government’s existing domestic and international climate policy.

Environment Ministry Writes to Plan Panel, asks it to rework climate change chapter

The environment ministry has asked the Planning Commission to revise the 12th five-year plan climate change chapter and realign it with government’s existing domestic and international climate policy.

Environment Ministry Writes to Plan Panel, asks it to rework climate change chapter

 As farmers from Africa to India struggle with insufficient rainfall, the U.N. has sought consolidated efforts to combat climate change threat and counter its effects on global food security. “Climate change is projected to increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts, with impacts on many sectors, in particular food, water, and energy,” warned World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.

U.N. Calls for Integrated Drought Plan

Adverse weather events around the world, such as floods in China, the changing pattern of the monsoons in India, devastating drought in the United States and the resulting damage to local, national and regional economies, are stark reminders that climate change is not a fringe concern of environmentalists, but an issue of profound importance for economic development.

Warming signs for the economy

The Planning Commission’s attempt to rewrite the international and domestic obligations of the government on climate change in the 12th five-year plan, with a push for greater commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has miffed the environment ministry.

Plan Panel Seeks to Rewrite India’s Climate Change Stance

Peerumade, Kottayam, Punalur, Tiruvalla and Alappuzha are those stations in the State which have witnessed significant reduction in rainfall during the last century. Y.E.A. Raj, Deputy Director-General, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, revealed this during a special address at the Kerala Environment Congress 2012 here.

Reduction in rainfall across Kerala over past century

Downpours and heatwaves caused by climate change could disrupt food supplies from the fields to the supermarkets, raising the risk of more price spikes such as this year’s leap triggered by drought in the United States. Food security experts working on a chapter in a U.N. overview of global warming due in 2014 said governments should take more account of how extremes of heat, droughts or floods could affect food supplies from seeds to consumers’ plates.

Climate Change Poses Risks to Food, Beyond US Drought