Akshit Sangomla

👉Salix alba, commonly known as ‘white willow’, is a tree that grows in the Kashmir Valley. 👉The quality of its wood makes it the primary species used for making cricket bats. 👉Sangam, about 50 kilometres south of Srinagar on the border of Pulwama and Anantnag districts, is the centre of the bat manufacturing industry in the Valley. 👉Kashmir willow is as good as the English one. But climate change, shrinking plantations and lack of policy support are pushing both livelihoods and tradition to the edge. 🖊️A report by Arjumand Wani downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

WATCH | First crewed moon mission of the 21st century, Artemis II launched successfully For the first time in over 50 years, humans are leaving Low Earth Orbit and heading back to the Moon. @bluewrit explains the importance of the mission in space exploration

The Artemis II mission launched successfully from the John F Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, United States around 6:35 pm EDT April 1 (4:05 am IST April 2). @bluewrit has more downtoearth.org.in/science-techno…

The weather conditions between April and June 2026 could be a mixture of warm nights throughout the country, hotter than normal days in the eastern, northeastern and northernmost regions accompanied by above normal duration of heat waves, according to the latest forecast from the IMD 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

The winter sea ice extent in the Arctic region reached a record low since 1979 for a second consecutive year, according to data from the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

‘𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺’ As we approach the World Water Day (March 22), it is vital to rethink how we talk about water. A new report by @UNUINWEH introduces the concept of “water bankruptcy”, a state where our rivers, aquifers, and wetlands have been so overused and degraded that recovery to past “normal” conditions is no longer possible. In this interview with @down2earthindia's Akshit Sangomla (@bluewrit), Kaveh Madani (@KavehMadani), Director, @UNUniversity Institute for Water, Environment & Health explains why solving water problems starts with understanding diversity. Read here: downtoearth.org.in/water/first-th… #WorldWaterDay2026 | #WoldWaterDay

🌡️ Warmer ocean, more rain, more deaths. The pattern is consistent across 40 years of data. New research links marine heatwaves to a 20–30% surge in extreme coastal rainfall and 30% more flood fatalities – most in developing countries. ⛈️ Dive deeper ➡️ ow.ly/QjY350YuSHW

WATCH | Forest fires are reaching higher altitudes in the Indian Himalayas, with incidents reported up to 3,000-4,000 metres. @bluewrit explains why 🔗youtube.com/watch?v=kd9mqy…

Global greenhouse gas emissions reached an all-time high of 60.63 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (BtCO2e) in 2025, 0.5 per cent or 303.19 Mt CO2e more than in 2024, according to the latest update from Climate TRACE 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

The India Meteorological Department forecasts a hotter-than-normal summer in 2026 for India's hilly regions. The areas may face drought, wildfires risks & health challenges, writes @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

@rohinikrish9 @bluewrit Here is a look at the main ecological crises confronting Iran at the moment.

@rohinikrish9 In our recent cover story, @bluewrit analysed why countries like Iran had gone ‘water bankrupt’ downtoearth.org.in/water/great-dr…

What led to extreme rain that deluged the Western Mediterranean this past month? Climate change, says WWA Scientists able to ascertain that series of fierce storms caused by a blocking pattern in the upper atmosphere correlated to warming and consequent climate change 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

A new research paper has shown that timings and locations of moist heatwaves are controlled by the active and break periods of the southwest monsoon. These can be predicted weeks in advance for better adaptation by people, especially to the adverse health impacts of the events. 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

The world’s oceans absorb the largest share of carbon dioxide emitted by human activities, but humans do not completely understand how oceans absorb and store carbon, according to a new report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

India’s cold wave events shifting or expanding geographically, no longer confined to core winter months, a new analysis by @down2earthindia finds 🚨2026 winter season set to close with second lowest number of cold wave/cold days in five years; no cold wave or cold day event in February in a first 👉Read the report by @KiranPande4976 downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

The extreme rainfall and flash floods in Valencia, Spain in October 2024 were intensified by climate change. New research highlights how increased atmospheric moisture and warming have amplified rainfall events 🖋️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

Parts of Antarctic ice sheet have different tipping points, some may have already been crossed, writes @bluewrit #Antarctica #IceSheet #SeaLevelRise #GlobalWarming downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

New research suggests that desert winds from the west and northwest of India can be used to predict monsoon break periods, offering a potential early warning system for farmers 🖊️ @bluewrit downtoearth.org.in/climate-change…

Climate change made Chile and Argentina wildfires up to three times more likely, study finds A World Weather Attribution @WWAttribution analysis says drier-than-normal conditions behind January’s fires were made 2.5 to three times more likely by human-induced warming ➡️The affected regions are experiencing 20–25% less rainfall than in a world without fossil fuel emissions ➡️Fires burned tens of thousands of hectares, destroyed homes and threatened 3,000-year-old Alerce trees in a UNESCO-listed park ➡️Scientists say extreme heat, strong winds, prolonged drought, La Niña and flammable pine plantations compounded the risk ➡️Researchers warn that drying landscapes are no longer projections, but a growing crisis for communities and biodiversity. By Akshit Sangomla [@bluewrit] Read the full report on how climate change intensified the South American wildfires downtoearth.org.in/climate-change… #ClimateChange #Wildfires 🌍