Climate crisis drying out land twice the size of UP every year, satellite reveals
Launched in 2002 and 2018, respectively, the GRACE and GRACE-FO satellites measure changes in the Earth's gravity field to track underground water storage and ice mass, offering an unprecedented look into the planet's water balance.Many regions are experiencing rapidly changing weather events, leading to increasingly severe droughts, floods, and wildfires.WHY ARE DRY REGIONS GETTING DRIER?Several regions across the globe have become significantly drier compared to earlier decades. One major zone spans from southwestern North America to Central America, where prolonged dry spells are becoming the norm.Even in places where rainfall remains relatively steady, climate change-induced shifts in global weather patterns are making conditions drier. For example, a prolonged La Nia phase from 2020 to 2023 placed Eastern Africa under sustained drought stress.The spread of the European drought has now created a mega-drying region stretching from North Africa through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, northern China, and Southeast Asia. WET AREAS ARE ALSO CHANGINGResearchers also found that wet areas are getting wetter, particularly in East Africa and western Sub-Saharan Africa, driven by global warming and urbanisation.As the Earth warms, more water vapour enters the atmosphere, leading to heavier rainfall in some regions, depending on their geography. But researchers caution that the pace at which dry regions are drying is outstripping the pace at which wet regions are getting wetter.With global warming surpassing the Paris Agreement threshold, July 2025 recorded a temperature anomaly of 1.53C, well above the target limit. Widespread deforestation, unplanned urbanisation, and rising emissions are pushing climate systems toward irreversible change.To avoid further devastation, experts stress the need for strict policy enforcement, sustainable development, and coordinated global action to slow down climate change and its impacts.- EndsMust Watch
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Hans India
a few seconds ago
- Hans India
India to soon become space superpower, industry grew multi-fold in last 5 years: Experts
New Delhi: India is soon set to become a space superpower, and the industry has grown multifold in the last five years, said experts on Friday, lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech on the space sector. In his address to the nation from the Red Fort, PM Modi said the nation is proud of its space sector. The Prime Minister stated that India is working towards becoming self-reliant in the space sector. Citing several space missions, like Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan, and Mangalyaan, space scientist Dr P K Ghosh, told IANS: 'I think we are very near to becoming a space superpower with all these projects coming up'. Ghosh lauded the PM for acknowledging the space sector, which 'has achieved a lot of technologies on our own, capabilities'. One such example is the Cryogenic Engine technology. Another is the Gaganyaan mission -- India's flagship human spaceflight programme -- for which preparations are underway, he said. Notably, the space feats have been achieved on a 'frugal budget and they have produced results'. Now 'other countries want to collaborate with us', Ghosh told IANS, while mentioning the recent NISAR mission conducted in collaboration with NASA, and other impending missions with Japan's space agency JAXA, as well as other countries. The PM had also mentioned plans to build our own space station -- Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) -- and underscore the need to become self-reliant in the space sector. 'The BAS, which will come around after 2030, would be a major step. I think each of our 1.4 billion people should be very proud of it. Currently, we have the International Space Station and the Chinese Tiangong,' Ghosh said. 'Our youth have been really motivated to join the space sector,' the space scientist said, citing the 300 space startups in the country. Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt (retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA) lauded the government's policy to open up the space sector to the private industry in 2020. He credited the policy behind the surge in space startups in the country. 'Our Hon'ble Prime Minister's visionary plan to open up India's space sector has been a true game-changer. Backed by progressive reforms such as the Space Policy, liberal FDI push, and strong government support, the industry has grown multi-fold in just five years,' Bhatt said. 'The surge in space startups and their achievements reflects an unprecedented wave of innovation and ambition among our youth. With this momentum, we are confident of achieving the goal of $44 billion space economy by 2033 and cementing India's position among the world's leading spacefaring nations. This is not just growth, it's a national movement inspiring every Indian to aim higher and reach for the stars,' he added.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
US says ties with India good despite Trump's tariff tantrums
TOI correspondent from Washington: The Trump administration on Friday maintained that the "historic relationship" between India and the US is "consequential and far-reaching" despite taking punitive steps over trade issues that shaken and undermined ties. The upbeat message came from the State Department on the occasion of India's Independence Day. While such statements are typically pro-forma, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two countries are "united by our shared vision for a more peaceful, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific region" and described the partnership as spanning industries, promoting innovation, pushing the boundaries of critical and emerging technologies, and extending into space. "Working together, the United States and India will rise to the modern challenges of today and ensure a brighter future for both our countries," he said. The statement, with its reference to Indo-Pacific security and a broader agenda, seemed to confirm the impression that the wide berth given to China by the Trump White House and its sudden embrace of Pakistan is largely tactical, and US-India ties remain on solid footing. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Kharadi's Only Fully-Automated Homes Codename Kharadi Plus Learn More Undo Key Indian officials have said on background that the White House and rest of the administration don't seem to be in sync because outside of the trade and tariff issue, it is business as usual on all other fronts, including close cooperation in critical security and mil-tech areas. Among other things, right in the middle of the trade spat, India and US conducted a joint space mission involving ISRO and NASA, launching the satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) on July 30 to monitor changes on Earth's land and ice surfaces and generate data for understanding natural hazards and climate change. Indian companies are also on track -- barring more mishaps -- to receive from nVidia advanced Blackwell chips for AI that the US has been blocked for China. The State Department issued a similar statement a day earlier on Pakistan's independence day but it was conspicuously narrower in scope, focusing on counterterrorism, trade, and exploiting Pakistan's purported resources. "The US deeply appreciates Pakistan's engagement on counterterrorism and trade. We look forward to exploring new areas of economic cooperation, including critical minerals and hydrocarbons, and fostering dynamic business partnerships which will promote a prosperous future for Americans and Pakistanis," the message said. According to knowledgeable sources, the White House's tactical embrace of Islamabad is largely driven by private business interests aimed at exploiting Pakistan's purported natural resources, including oil, gas, and minerals. A Trump family-backed firm with ties to the "Pakistan Crypto Council" that Islamabad drummed up out of the blue reportedly fired up new ardor in Trump White House for a country that President once said was a haven for terrorists. While the outreach is ostensibly aimed at drawing Pakistan out of the Chinese stranglehold, another new argument is that Washington needs Islamabad to counter Iran, the new US bogey now that Afghanistan has returned to the dark ages. But the American commentariat is largely unanimous in saying the White House move has badly damaged US-India ties, possibly irreparably despite the State Department's buoyant message on Independence Day. "Even if Trump again reverses course, the damage has been done. Indians believe that the United States has shown its true colors: its unreliability, its willingness to treat its friends badly. They will understandably feel that, to hedge their bets, they need to stay close to Russia — and even make amends with China," Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN's GPS program said on Friday, adding that the country is "united in its shock and anger at Trump's insulting behavior. "
NDTV
7 hours ago
- NDTV
Gaganyaan Loading... Shubhanshu Shukla To Be Back In India Soon
New Delhi: India's 21st-century space hero, astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is on his way back to India. Mr Shukla spent 18 days at the International Space Station on the Axiom 4 commercial space mission. Very soon, he would be back in India, announced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address this morning. While Group Captain Shukla was in space, PM Modi had given him a "homework" - that he should document the entire sequence of his training and stay at the space station, for what would become the handbook for India's own Gaganyaan program, or its first human spaceflight program. The ambitious program aims to launch an Indian astronaut on an Indian rocket from Indian soil, where the countdown will also be Indian. This program is called Gaganyaan, and the astronauts Gaganyaatris. Mr Shukla, who has had more than a year of training in the US, has laid the first steps for the program. During this time, he has trained at NASA, Axiom, and SpaceX facilities. Now that he is on his way back to India, he will help India prepare for the human spaceflight. PM Modi reiterated from the ramparts of the Red Fort today India's plans to have a Bharatiya Antariksh Station (or the Indian Space Station), which is likely to come up by 2035, and to land an Indian on the moon by 2040. Group Captain Shukla and three other astronaut-designates were chosen a few years back, and they were all training to be part of Gaganyaan. The NASA-ISRO human space mission, called Axiom 4, came up in between, and Mr Shukla was chosen as the prime astronaut. He flew to the International Space Station on a Falcon 9 rocket and a Crew Dragon, both made by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Group Captain Prashant Balakrishna Nair was the standby astronaut, who, in a way, was to act like a sponge and get all the wisdom of the training. For Gaganyaan, the Launch Vehicle Mark 3 has been made human spaceflight ready, but India is still struggling with the crew module. The environment life control system is taking longer to master, simply because the components cannot be imported. Now that Group Captain Shukla has undertaken a flight to the space station, he must have learned the basics of human spaceflight. While in space, he conducted seven India-specific experiments. Those have now been brought back to the principal investigators in India; the results are expected soon. Now, all eyes are on when PM Modi gets to meet Mr Shukla. It may be recalled that in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma had flown to the Russian or the USSR Space Station and created history by becoming the first Indian astronaut to go to space. Group Captain Shukla, who follows in his footsteps, will now play a critical role in the Gaganyaan program. He is just 39 years old and has a long career ahead during which he can contribute to the program. Whenever India succeeds in sending an Indian to space using indigenous technology, the country will become the fourth nation in the world to achieve the feat. The first was the USSR, followed by the US, and then China. China did it in 2003, and no other country since has succeeded in sending humans to space using their own technology. Now, the real work begins for Mr Shukla as he gets down to make the Gaganyaan program successful. His colleagues have said that he is a superbly intelligent person, cool and calm, and that he would be able to contribute to the human spaceflight program in a big way. The Group Captain is expected to begin the work for Gaganyaan very soon. On August 23, India will be celebrating the second National Space Day, and Mr Shukla is expected to interact with Indians while on Earth on the occasion.
