Europeans Get Baked In Scorching Temperatures; Heatwave Emergency In Germany, France, UK, Spain
/ Jul 03, 2025, 03:00AM IST
Scientists say factors like drought and melting Arctic ice are driving Europe to warm at twice the global average. The baking heat is putting health at risk, especially for the elderly, children, and those with existing conditions.
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Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Experts deliberate on ways to protect nature
Patna: Experts at a seminar on World Nature Conservation Day on Tuesday highlighted the environmental concerns and deliberated on strategies to protect mother nature. The seminar titled 'Conservation strategies: Bihar's path to ecological balance', was organised by Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) and hosted by Patna University and Patna Science College's geology department. Mousumi Gupta of ADRI expressed concern over consistent Covid-19 virus loads and unpredictable spread pattern of the virus. She advocated for cleaner cooking fuels, improved ventilation and launch of cancer awareness programmes, citing her collaborative study with Mahavir Cancer Sansthan on female lung cancer. Discussions on global warming also featured at the seminar. Gopal Sharma, interim director of the National Dolphin Research Centre, said there has been a 68% reduction in biodiversity due to 1°Celsius global temperature rise since 1970. He proposed rainwater harvesting and rooftop gardening to combat urban heat islands. Syed Md Saalim of Patna University illustrated Arctic sea ice shrinkage since 1984, linking it to global warming impact on monsoons and agriculture in India. Sunil Kumar Gupta of EIACP at CSEC-ADRI lauded Bihar's govt for providing integrated 'chullahs' and LPG cylinders to curb air pollution. Atul Aditya Pandey of Patna University's geology department highlighted the university's research on the flood-prone Kosi river and water conservation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses In Pagerwojo Container House | Search Ads Search Now Undo Dr Alka, principal of Patna Science College, urged a return to traditional Indian practices. Bhavuk Sharma said one out of four cities globally face water crisis. He expressed concern that north Bihar was experiencing rapid groundwater depletion, suggesting that rainwater harvesting was the need of the hour. The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Sunil Kumar Gupta.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Scientists warn over new forever acid in rain: All you need to know about it
A surge in global rainfall contamination with a persistent chemical, trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), is dividing scientists and regulators over its threat to the environment and human health. Once regarded as a minor byproduct of industrial emissions, TFA is now found everywhere—from Arctic ice cores to bottled water and everyday food products—raising calls for urgent action as research reveals its rapid and seemingly unstoppable accumulation. What is TFA and why is it in our rain? TFA is an ultra-short-chain PFAS (" forever chemical ") notable for its extreme stability and resistance to natural degradation . It enters the environment from a variety of sources, including: Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Operations Management others Data Analytics Degree Others Leadership Technology Cybersecurity Public Policy Data Science Management MCA CXO Healthcare Project Management Digital Marketing Finance PGDM Design Thinking healthcare Artificial Intelligence MBA Data Science Product Management Skills you'll gain: Quality Management & Lean Six Sigma Analytical Tools Supply Chain Management & Strategies Service Operations Management Duration: 10 Months IIM Lucknow IIML Executive Programme in Strategic Operations Management & Supply Chain Analytics Starts on Jan 27, 2024 Get Details Industrial discharges from chemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical production. Atmospheric breakdown of widely used fluorinated gases—especially refrigerants and insulation materials. Decomposition of other PFAS-related compounds, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and anesthetic gases. Once in the environment, TFA does not break down and is highly mobile, traveling with water and accumulating in rain, surface water, groundwater, food crops, animal tissues, and even human urine and blood. In the last 40 years, TFA levels have increased five- to ten-fold in the leaves and needles of German trees, and rising concentrations are also documented in Arctic ice and groundwater in Denmark. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pirates Climb Aboard Cargo Ship - Watch What The Captain Did Next Tips and Tricks Undo Recent analyses in European cereals found TFA in all products tested, with conventional items showing three times higher contamination than organic products. Is TFA harmful? Human health risks Current data suggest most people are exposed to levels thousands of times lower than acute toxicity thresholds in animal studies. TFA is metabolized and rapidly excreted, and does not bioaccumulate in humans as long-chain PFAS do. Emerging evidence, including unpublished industry studies, points to toxicity at very high exposure: rats and rabbits dosed with large amounts had offspring with lower birth weights and deformities, but these doses were hundreds of thousands of times higher than what's found in drinking water. However, recent food monitoring in Europe showed that daily TFA intake from cereal products alone could exceed tolerable limits for children, potentially posing reproductive health risks and exceeding safety thresholds used by regulators in the Netherlands and Belgium. Environmental and ecosystem risks TFA is extremely mobile and persistent, making it a particular threat to aquatic ecosystems where it accumulates, disrupts biodiversity, and has no known pathway for removal. Its accumulation in soils is rising, particularly in agricultural areas, with plants absorbing large quantities that do not dissipate through transpiration, causing TFA to get "stuck" in plant tissues. Ecotoxicity studies are limited, but several scientists warn TFA meets criteria for a "planetary boundary threat," raising the possibility it could irreversibly disrupt earth system processes if accumulation is not curbed.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Beijing at US' doorsteps: Tensions flare as China's Xue Long 2 moves into US waters — here's what happened next
Chinese research icebreaker enters U.S. extended continental shelf waters near Alaska- In a new display of growing maritime tensions in the Arctic, the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long 2 entered the waters north of Alaska's coast, prompting a swift and visible response from the U.S. Coast Guard. The incident occurred on July 25, 2025, when the Chinese vessel was detected approximately 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska—well within what the United States claims as its Extended Continental Shelf (ECS). While not within territorial waters, the ECS grants the U.S. exclusive rights to explore and manage natural resources on or beneath the seafloor, such as oil, gas, and minerals. According to U.S. officials, the Xue Long 2's activity within this sensitive Arctic zone triggered deployment of a C-130J Hercules aircraft from Air Station Kodiak as part of Operation Frontier Sentinel, a U.S. operation designed to monitor and respond to foreign activity near American maritime claims. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science MCA healthcare Data Analytics Management Data Science Finance others Cybersecurity Product Management Design Thinking Leadership Digital Marketing Others PGDM Project Management Degree CXO Healthcare Technology MBA Public Policy Skills you'll gain: Strategic Data-Analysis, including Data Mining & Preparation Predictive Modeling & Advanced Clustering Techniques Machine Learning Concepts & Regression Analysis Cutting-edge applications of AI, like NLP & Generative AI Duration: 8 Months IIM Kozhikode Professional Certificate in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Interpretation Programming Proficiency Problem-Solving Skills Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT MSc in Data Science Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details Why the U.S. extended continental shelf matters more than ever? The Extended Continental Shelf is an increasingly critical geopolitical space as climate change opens new Arctic shipping lanes and exposes previously unreachable mineral and energy deposits. While the ECS lies outside of the U.S. 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), it is recognized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as an area where coastal nations have sovereign rights to seabed resources. Although the U.S. has not ratified UNCLOS, it adheres to its principles in practice and has spent years mapping the Arctic seafloor to support its ECS claims. The Xue Long 2's presence within this area is seen by American officials as a challenge to those claims and part of a broader strategy by China to establish itself as a legitimate Arctic player—despite being a 'near-Arctic' nation geographically. Coast guard sends aerial surveillance to monitor Chinese vessel Rear Admiral Bob Little, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District, stated that the Coast Guard acted quickly to "establish presence with presence", echoing its policy of proactive enforcement of U.S. rights and responsibilities in the Arctic. Live Events The aircraft performed a flyover and established visual contact with the Xue Long 2 but made no physical attempt to alter its course or intervene directly. The response was largely symbolic but strategically important—it demonstrates to both domestic and international audiences that the U.S. will defend its maritime claims, especially amid rising tensions in the polar regions. This aerial deployment was not an isolated incident. The Coast Guard regularly patrols Arctic waters during the summer season, when ice levels retreat and allow for increased shipping, research, and exploration activity. Canada joins monitoring effort as Arctic cooperation gets tested Canada also closely followed the Xue Long 2's movements. Using a CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft operating from Alaska under joint agreements, Canadian forces confirmed the vessel did not enter Canadian territorial waters. This collaboration reflects a growing U.S.-Canada security alignment in the Arctic, especially as both nations navigate increasing foreign interest from Russia and China. This comes just weeks after U.S. officials tracked Chinese and Russian navy vessels conducting joint exercises in the Bering Sea, another hot-button region where geopolitical interests are overlapping. Such moves are seen as part of a larger effort by China and Russia to test boundaries, provoke reactions, and gather intelligence in the Arctic theater. China defends its presence, claims lawful scientific activity China's state-run Global Times responded critically to the U.S. reaction. In its editorial, the newspaper accused the U.S. of 'hyping the China threat' and insisted that the Xue Long 2 was engaged in lawful scientific research, conducted in line with international norms. Beijing has long maintained that its Arctic research program is peaceful and focused on climate, oceanography, and marine biodiversity. However, Western analysts remain skeptical, pointing to the dual-use nature of many Chinese maritime platforms and the strategic data that such missions can gather. The Global Times also challenged the legitimacy of the U.S. ECS claim, noting that it is a 'unilateral assertion' not recognized globally, and highlighted that the U.S. has yet to formally join UNCLOS—the very treaty underpinning its shelf claim. U.S. icebreakers step up presence in key Arctic zone Interestingly, the incident occurred while the USCG Cutter Healy, the Coast Guard's most advanced icebreaker, was deployed about 500 nautical miles east of the Chinese vessel, conducting its own Arctic science missions. Another key vessel, the USCGC Storis, had also just arrived in Alaska for its Arctic commissioning scheduled in August 2025. These deployments reflect Washington's effort to modernize its Arctic capabilities. The Coast Guard has publicly acknowledged that it is behind in icebreaker capacity when compared to Russia and even China. The arrival of the Storis is part of a broader modernization push to ensure the U.S. has credible and constant Arctic access as interest in the region skyrockets. The strategic significance of the Arctic continues to grow This incident isn't isolated—it is part of a much broader geopolitical contest over the Arctic. As melting sea ice opens up new routes and access to untapped energy reserves, nations like the U.S., China, Russia, and Canada are intensifying their efforts to assert control over vast, resource-rich areas that were once largely inaccessible. The presence of Chinese vessels—particularly dual-use scientific and research ships like the Xue Long 2—is now a regular point of concern for U.S. defense and maritime agencies. These operations often blur the line between civilian science and strategic surveillance, raising questions about long-term Chinese intentions in the region. Operation frontier sentinel becomes more important for Arctic security The U.S. Coast Guard's Operation Frontier Sentinel has become a critical tool in deterring foreign incursion and ensuring American visibility in contested maritime zones. Established to monitor and respond to foreign research and military vessels operating near or within U.S.-claimed waters, the program plays a vital role in projecting American sovereignty and defending national interests. While no confrontation occurred during the flyover of the Xue Long 2, the message was clear: the U.S. is watching and will not allow unmonitored foreign activity in its claimed zones—especially those as strategically vital as the Arctic. What's next: Arctic diplomacy or growing confrontation? As Arctic maritime activity continues to increase, incidents like this are likely to become more frequent. The U.S. will need to strike a delicate balance between enforcement of maritime rights, scientific cooperation, and avoidance of direct conflict. At the same time, nations like China will keep pushing for influence in the region, using scientific missions as soft-entry tools into geopolitically sensitive waters. Ultimately, the real challenge may lie in forming multilateral Arctic agreements that prevent escalation and promote transparency, while still respecting national interests and resource rights. But as the ice melts, competition for the Arctic's riches is heating up—and so is the race for influence. FAQs: Q1: Why did the U.S. Coast Guard respond to the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long 2? Because it was operating inside the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf near Alaska. Q2: What was the Chinese vessel Xue Long 2 doing near Alaska? China says it was doing legal scientific research in Arctic waters.
