Cities may heat up disproportionately faster than rural neighbours, even at 2°C warming

Even under a 2°C scenario, the annual average temperature of 81% of 104 tropical cities across the world will warm much faster compared to villages around them, a new study found, Mongabay reported.

The analysis said India is a hotspot for increased urban warming, influenced by climate change. Medium-sized cities such as Patiala and others in north India show substantially higher warming than regional projections, raising concerns that conventional climate models may underestimate urban heat exposure, the outlet said, citing the study. 

India’s cold wave events shifting, no longer confined to core winter months: DTE analysis

February 2026 is “the first [such month] in five years when a cold wave has not been recorded” in India, reported DTE. India recorded 24 cold wave/cold day events in January 2026, with no such conditions reported in February, an analysis by Down To Earth (DTE) found. With the winter season officially ending on February 28, the total is unlikely to rise further, especially as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast maximum and minimum temperatures to remain 2-4°C above normal across most parts of the country.

The highly salty Southern Indian Ocean is getting fresher due to global warming: Study

The Southern Indian Ocean off the southwest coast of Australia, one of the saltiest parts of the global ocean, is turning fresher at the surface and losing its salinity, which is reducing food availability in shallow waters, with implications for ocean biodiversity, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder, DTE reported.

The salty area has decreased by 30% over the past six decades, representing the most rapid increase in freshwater observed anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the study. The amount of freshwater flowing into this ocean area is enough to supply the entire U.S. population with drinking water for more than 380 years, the study’s lead author said.

The freshening is not the result of local precipitation changes; rather, global warming is altering surface winds over the Indian and tropical Pacific Oceans. These wind shifts are pushing ocean currents to channel more water from the Indo-Pacific freshwater pool into the Southern Indian Ocean.

The implications are grim. For one, it could transport fresher water into the Atlantic, the outlet said. Reduced mixing could also impact marine ecosystems. “When nutrients from deeper waters fail to reach the sunlit surface, organisms living in shallow waters have less food. Weaker mixing also prevents excess heat in the surface waters from dissipating into deeper layers, making shallow waters even hotter for organisms already under stress from rising temperatures,” the statement said.

Overshooting 1.5°C could heighten tipping point risks, review warns

Since emission reductions have slowed in recent years, it is increasingly likely that global warming will exceed the 1.5°C temperature limit in the late 2020s or 2030s, which could cause several Earth system tipping elements to temporarily surpass their tipping points, posing profound risks, a new study found. The study added that minimising the magnitude and duration of any temperature overshoot beyond 1.5°C could decrease tipping risks.

Tipping elements with fast response times, such as warm-water coral reefs, are especially vulnerable to overshoot. In contrast, those with slow response times, such as polar ice sheets, may be less sensitive to temporary overshoot. Potential interactions between tipping elements and additional human pressures, such as deforestation in the Amazon or pollution and overfishing of coral reef habitats, may further lower tipping points, narrowing the range of overshoot trajectories that can still avoid it.

Integrated strategies can boost soil health, curb antibiotic resistance and strengthen food security: Study

A new study explored the interconnected challenges of climate change, soil health and human health, stressing the need for integrated strategies that address ecosystem resilience and public health protection simultaneously. It said that efforts to improve soil health, reduce antibiotic resistance and promote sustainable agricultural practices can also help tackle the climate crisis, offering benefits such as increased food security and improved public health.

The researchers added that key measures to improve soil health include the use of organic amendments, crop rotation, reduced tillage and antibiotic stewardship. Collectively, these approaches offer tangible benefits, including stronger food security and better public health outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of integrated management practices to ensure ecosystem resilience and sustainable development amid escalating climate pressures, the study said.

Amazon deforestation on pace to be the lowest on record, says Brazil

According to the latest satellite data, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has continued to fall into early 2026, extending a downward trend, Mongabay reported. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) found that 1,325 square kilometres of forest clearing took place between August 2025 — the start of the country’s deforestation year — and the end of January 2026.

The outlet cited Environment Minister Marina Silva, who attributed the decline to strengthened enforcement and municipal cooperation, saying Brazil could record the lowest Amazon deforestation rate since record-keeping began in 1988 if current efforts continue.

The report said that while the data is positive for conservation advocates, short-term satellite data can fluctuate seasonally, and long-term outcomes will depend on economic pressures, infrastructure expansion and climate-driven risks such as drought and fire.

Meanwhile, another study found that the country has lost 1,400 million tonnes of soil carbon due to the conversion of natural areas into agriculture, and that over the past 30 years, native Brazilian biomes have lost an amount equivalent to 5,200 million tonnes of CO₂.