‘Really suffocating’: Pakistan emerges from record smog season

Lahore’s 14 million residents spent six months breathing concentrations of PM2.5—tiny particles that can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream—at levels 20 times or more than recommended by the World Health Organization.…Continue reading‘Really suffocating’: Pakistan emerges from record smog season

Climate crisis ‘wreaking havoc’ on Earth’s water cycle

The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report was produced by an international team of researchers from universities in Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Germany and elsewhere. The team used data from thousands of…Continue readingClimate crisis ‘wreaking havoc’ on Earth’s water cycle

‘Trapped inside’: The children suffocating in the smog of Lahore

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of pollution in the air, with higher numbers indicating greater health risks. Levels above 300 are considered dangerous. “Stuff I could never even…Continue reading‘Trapped inside’: The children suffocating in the smog of Lahore

Growing pollution in Pakistan has sickened 1.8M people in a month

Punjab with a population of 127 million has been struggling to combat smog since last month. “Over 1.8 million people visited hospitals and private clinics in the smog-hit districts in Punjab…Continue readingGrowing pollution in Pakistan has sickened 1.8M people in a month

Pollution level in Pakistan megacity hits new high

Air pollution in Pakistan’s second biggest city Lahore soared on Saturday, with an official calling it a record high for the smog-choked mega city. For days, the city of 14 million…Continue readingPollution level in Pakistan megacity hits new high

Smog in Pakistan megacity ends outdoor play for schoolkids

Schoolchildren in Pakistan’s second-largest city of Lahore have been banned from outdoor exercise until January because of hazardous smog levels, officials said Friday. The eastern megacity near the border with India…Continue readingSmog in Pakistan megacity ends outdoor play for schoolkids

Humans are pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year

The world creates 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year and spreads it from the deepest oceans to the highest mountaintop to the inside of people’s bodies, according to a…Continue readingHumans are pumping out 57 million tons of plastic pollution a year

Heavy rain in Switzerland and Italy causes flooding

Flash flooding and landslides swept away cars and houses, with at least one person known to have died, alongside widespread damage to transport infrastructure. Unsettled conditions persisted around the Alpine region…Continue readingHeavy rain in Switzerland and Italy causes flooding

Pakistan records ‘wettest April’ in more than 60 years

Pakistan has experienced its “wettest April since 1961”, receiving more than twice as much rain as usual for the month, the country’s weather agency has said. April rainfall was recorded at…Continue readingPakistan records ‘wettest April’ in more than 60 years

Lightning, downpours kill 65 in Pakistan, as April rain doubles historical average

At least 65 people have died in storm-related incidents including lightning in Pakistan, officials said, with rain so far in April falling at nearly twice the historical average rate. “In April,…Continue readingLightning, downpours kill 65 in Pakistan, as April rain doubles historical average

World’s coal power capacity rises despite climate warnings

A report by Global Energy Monitor found that coal power capacity grew by 2% last year, driven by an increase in new coal plants across China and a slowdown of plant…Continue readingWorld’s coal power capacity rises despite climate warnings

Here are the places that could become too hot for humans due to climate change

Heat waves have always been part of summer, but the familiar short periods of oppressive conditions have grown into weeks to months of sweltering heat. Research has shown that heat waves…Continue readingHere are the places that could become too hot for humans due to climate change

Students ordered to wear masks in smog-hit Lahore

Authorities in Pakistan ordered schoolchildren in the smog-smothered city of Lahore to wear masks during lessons starting Thursday, an effort to protect against hazardous levels of polluted air. The Punjab state…Continue readingStudents ordered to wear masks in smog-hit Lahore

Climate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans

If global temperatures increase by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, the 2.2 billion residents of Pakistan and India’s Indus River Valley, the one billion people living in eastern China and the 800…Continue readingClimate-driven extreme heat may make parts of Earth too hot for humans

A year on, the devastating long-term effects of Pakistan’s floods are revealed

The flooding in Pakistan in August and September 2022 – described by UN secretary general António Guterres as a “monsoon on steroids” – led to the deaths of more than 1,700…Continue readingA year on, the devastating long-term effects of Pakistan’s floods are revealed

At least 50 dead in Pakistan monsoon floods

At least 50 people, including eight children, have been killed by floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains that have lashed Pakistan since last month, officials said Friday. The summer monsoon…Continue readingAt least 50 dead in Pakistan monsoon floods

Why scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis

More and more scientists are now admitting publicly that they are scared by the recent climate extremes, such as the floods in Pakistan and west Africa, the droughts and heatwaves in…Continue readingWhy scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis

Why are Pakistan’s floods so extreme this year?

Pakistan is experiencing its worst floods this century. At least one-third of the country is under water. Scientists say several factors have contributed to the extreme event, which has displaced some…Continue readingWhy are Pakistan’s floods so extreme this year?

Pakistan declares floods a ‘climate catastrophe’ as death toll tops 1,000

Flash floods, which have intensified in recent days, have swept away villages, roads, bridges, people, livestock and crops across all four provinces. Pakistan has appealed for international help as soldiers and…Continue readingPakistan declares floods a ‘climate catastrophe’ as death toll tops 1,000

Asia goes nuclear

Japan has begun restarting nuclear plants that have been idle since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledging to get at least nine reactors up and running by…Continue readingAsia goes nuclear

Concerns as Pakistan glaciers melt

As dawn breaks over Javed Rahi’s mountain village, a loud boom shatters the silence and a torrent of water comes cascading down from the melting glacier nearby, followed by a thick…Continue readingConcerns as Pakistan glaciers melt

‘It seems this heat will take our lives’: Pakistan city fearful after hitting 51˚C (124˚F)

Muhammad Akbar, 40, sells dried chickpeas on a wheelbarrow in Jacobabad, and has suffered heatstroke three times in his life. But now, he says, the heat is getting worse. “In those…Continue reading‘It seems this heat will take our lives’: Pakistan city fearful after hitting 51˚C (124˚F)

Extreme temperatures compound poverty in Pakistan’s hottest city

Jacobabad in Pakistan’s arid Sindh province is in the grip of the latest heatwave to hit South Asia—peaking at 51˚C (124˚F). Canals in the city—a vital source of irrigation for nearby…Continue readingExtreme temperatures compound poverty in Pakistan’s hottest city

Pakistan city hits nearly 50˚C (122˚F) as blistering heatwave grips nation

Pakistan is in the grip of a blistering heatwave, with parts of the nation already scorched by temperatures of nearly 50˚C (122˚F) as officials warn of acute water shortages and a…Continue readingPakistan city hits nearly 50˚C (122˚F) as blistering heatwave grips nation

India, Pakistan must brace for even worse heatwaves

The devastating heatwave that gripped India and Pakistan over the last two months is unprecedented, but worse—perhaps far worse—is on the horizon as climate change continues apace, top climate scientists told…Continue readingIndia, Pakistan must brace for even worse heatwaves

Pakistan’s mission to plant 10 billion trees across the country

It’s all part of an effort that started in 2015, when Imran Khan — then a provincial politician and now Pakistan’s prime minister — backed a program dubbed a “Billion Tree…Continue readingPakistan’s mission to plant 10 billion trees across the country