It’s not just India that is baking. Globally, this seems to be one of the worst summers in recorded history. The global average temperature for May was the second hottest ever since 1880 – the year records were first compiled — US National Climatic Data Centre (NCDC) has said. Only 2010 witnessed a worse May.  The NCDC said such a hot May was never recorded in the northern hemisphere. 

And so the saga concludes. A tired, weather-beaten group of States have retreated from Rio de Janeiro after a half-hearted attempt to rescue the world from a host of unsolved problems including climate change and unsustainable development. What unfolded was largely predictable. The Rio+20 declaration, ‘The Future We Want,’ is punctuated with old rhetoric around action and responsibility, laden with sweet murmurings on change, some affectionate recognition of imminent apocalypse and defined by absence of commitment.

Leatherback turtles, the largest sea turtle species on Earth, could be wiped out completely if global temperatures continues to rise unabated, a new study has claimed. According to the new study, published in journal Nature Climate Change, deaths of turtle eggs and hatchlings in nests buried at hotter, drier beaches are the leading projected cause of the potential climate-related decline. Leatherbacks are among the most critically endangered due to a combination of historical and ongoing threats, including egg poaching at nesting beaches and juvenile and adult turtles being caught in fishing operations.

The tranquil stretches of emerald green backwaters in Mumbai and Kerala are among several locales in the western and eastern coasts facing threat from the rising sea level due to climate change.  Deltas of the Ganga, Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery and Mahanadi on the east coast may also be threatened along with irrigated land and adjoining settlements, according to a Government report. 

The UNESCO has finally announced the Western Ghats as an ecological world heritage site. This paves the way for ecosystem conservation and will highlight the importance and significant role the Western Ghats plays on our climate system especially with the monsoons and create a stable climate environment. Th Ghats are the main source of water for South India and home to more than 3,000 endemic species of plants and animals .

The monsoon entered its second month carrying a big rain deficit of 31%, as on July 1, with Met officials still hopeful of good rains in July and August. The next few weeks are crucial as the monsoon’s performance in this period could dictate whether the government would need to respond with special measures. 

With monsoon yet to strike Northern parts of the country, unrelenting heat wave continued to bake the region, forcing authorities to order extension of the summer vacation of schools in several parts. The national capital recorded the maximum day temperature at 43.5 degree Celsius, six notches above normal, as authorities today ordered extension of the summer vacation of all city schools by one week.

Delayed Monsoon Extends Hot Spell in Northern Region 

Rising levels of aerosol in the atmosphere and rampant deforestation have ensured a steady decrease in the volume of rainfall every year in South Asian countries, especially in India, which is first in line for the South-west monsoons.

Worsening drought in western India is making it harder for men to find brides and pushing poor rural families to seek work in cities, as government policies to help them deal with crop failure and financial pressures fall short.

The environment department has come up with a grim picture of Kolkata and the rest of Bengal for the coming generations. Bizarre and alarming changes may begin as early as 2021 – hotter days and nights, more deaths due to malaria, less rainfall and a sharp rise in sea level that will wreak havoc on the Sunderbans. In fact, the majority of the unique mangrove forests may vanish underwater, the study says.