Climate Change & Environment
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More than 20 Indian soldiers missing in flash floods in northeastern Sikkim state

Twenty-three Indian army soldiers were missing Wednesday after a cloudburst triggered flash floods in the northeastern state of Sikkim, the army said in a statement.

The flooding occurred along the Teesta River in Lachen valley, the statement said, adding that some army camps and vehicles were submerged under watery mud and that search efforts were underway. The army said water released from a nearby dam also caused water levels to rise.

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More than 100 dolphins found dead in Brazilian Amazon as water temperatures soar

More than 100 dolphins have died in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the past week as the region grapples with a severe drought, and many more could die soon if water temperatures remain high, experts say.

The Mamiraua Institute, a research group of Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said two more dead dolphins were found Monday in the region around Tefe Lake, which is key for mammals and fish in the area. Video provided by the institute showed vultures picking at the dolphin carcasses beached on the lakeside. Thousands of fish have also died, local media reported.

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Pope to publish follow-up to landmark climate text

Eight years after warning in a landmark thesis of the devastation of man-made climate change, Pope Francis is publishing an update Wednesday to take stock and offer ideas for action.

The short follow-up to the 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si" ("Praise Be To You") comes just weeks before the next round of U.N. climate talks kick off in Dubai amid warnings that the world is perilously off course in meeting its goals on reducing carbon emissions.

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India's devastating monsoon season exacerbated by climate and poor planning

Sanjay Chauhan witnessed monsoon rains lash down over his home and farm in the Indian Himalayas this year with a magnitude and intensity he's never experienced before.

"Buildings have collapsed, roads are broken, there were so many landslides including one that has destroyed a large part of my orchard," said the 56-year-old farmer, who lives in the town of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. "I have not seen anything like this."

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Fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island cause smoky haze

More than 300 forest and peatland fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island caused hazy skies across the region on Monday, prompting government officials to ask people to work from home.

The military, police and local government were working together to extinguish the fires, which were burning in 316 places across South Sumatra province, but their work was complicated by the extreme dry weather, said Iriansyah, the head of the South Sumatra Disaster Management Agency.

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UAE holds annual oil and gas conference ahead of Dubai UN COP28 climate talks

The Emirati president-designate of the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks called on oil and gas companies on Monday to be "central to the solution" to fighting climate change, even as the industry boosts its production to enjoy rising global energy prices.

The call by Sultan al-Jaber highlights the gap between climate activists suspicious of his industry ties and his calls to drastically slash the world's emissions by nearly half in seven years to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times.

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Inside scientists' mission to save America's wine industry from climate change

The U.S. West Coast produces over 90% of America's wine, but the region is also prone to wildfires — a combustible combination that spelled disaster for the industry in 2020 and one that scientists are scrambling to neutralize.

Sample a good wine and you might get notes of oak or red fruit. But sip on wine made from grapes that were penetrated by smoke, and it could taste like someone dumped the contents of an ashtray into your glass.

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Storm eases in Greece but flood risk remains high amid rising river levels

Bad weather eased in central Greece on Friday leaving widespread flooding and infrastructure damage across the farming region that has been battered by two powerful storms in less than a month.

Divers located the body of missing pilot, a day after a helicopter flying in the bad weather crashed into the sea.

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4 environmental, human rights activists awarded 'Alternative Nobel' prizes

The Right Livelihood Award — known as the "Alternative Nobel" — was awarded Thursday to environment activists from Kenya and Cambodia, a human right defender from Ghana and a humanitarian group that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

The 2023 laureates "stand up to save lives, preserve nature and safeguard the dignity and livelihoods of communities around the world," the award foundation said, adding that they "fight for people's right to health, safety, a clean environment and democracy."

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Brazil's Amazon rainforest faces severe drought that may affect 500,000 people

The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is facing a severe drought that may affect around 500,000 people by the end of the year, authorities said.

Many are already struggling to access essential supplies such as food and water, because the principal means of transportation in the region is waterways, and river levels are historically low. Droughts also impact fishing, a means of subsistence for many riverside communities.

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