ClimateEdict #4: Floods in India, U.S. EPA Rollback, Wave Energy, and NASA's Data Risk
The biggest reason climate action stalls is simple: most people don’t know enough about the problem. Research shows that when awareness grows, so does action. But for many, climate change is still reduced to “bad weather,” and that shallow understanding delays real solutions.
That is why I started writing this blog. I studied environmental management in school and saw how fragile ecosystems can be, especially while diving. My aim here is to take research that often feels distant and connect it to the oceans and lives it directly affects.
Punjab and Himachal Floods: Monsoons Beyond Control
Since early September, northern India has been hit by devastating floods across Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. Continuous rainfall overwhelmed rivers like the Beas and Sutlej, triggering flash floods and landslides. Reports confirm hundreds of villages submerged, over 80,000 people displaced, and more than 150 lives lost so far. Damage to crops and infrastructure runs into the billions.
In 2023, Himachal’s floods were described as a “once in a century” event, yet this year’s disaster arrived even sooner and with greater force. Attribution studies link heavier monsoons in South Asia directly to warmer sea-surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean. Warmer oceans evaporate more moisture, which later falls as extreme rainfall when monsoon systems move inland.
What strikes me is not only the damage but how quickly these “rare” events are repeating. In South Asia, water security depends heavily on Himalayan rivers. When upstream floods intensify, they do not just destroy homes. They destabilize agriculture, groundwater recharge, and even delta systems like the Sundarbans.
Floods like these remind me that climate impacts are not isolated. They are tied into a larger ocean–monsoon loop that connects warming seas, Himalayan snowmelt, and millions of livelihoods.
EPA Proposal to End Greenhouse Gas Reporting
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rolling back mandatory greenhouse gas reporting rules. Since 2010, large emitters have been required to disclose their emissions data to the EPA. That database is used by city planners, insurers, and investors to track risks and plan reductions.
Ending this reporting would make disclosure voluntary, creating blind spots just as the world is supposed to be verifying Paris Agreement pledges. It is like trying to run a health system without hospital records.
Other regions are moving in the opposite direction. The EU is expanding its Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and India has rolled out mandatory Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reports for large companies. If the US pulls back, it signals to polluters that accountability is optional.
To me, this is one of the most dangerous forms of climate denial. It does not reject science outright, but it removes the tools that make science actionable. Without credible numbers, emissions cuts are just promises.
Wave Energy Pilot in Los Angeles
Solar and wind dominate renewable headlines, but another frontier is being tested off the coast of California. In early September, Los Angeles launched a pilot wave energy project in partnership with CalWave and state agencies. Unlike solar and wind, wave power can run day and night with fewer fluctuations, making it a promising steady renewable resource.
How does it work? Wave energy devices, often called oscillating water columns or point absorbers, convert the up-and-down motion of waves into electricity. The LA pilot involves floating buoys anchored offshore, feeding into the local grid. If it scales, researchers estimate California could meet around 10% of its power needs from wave energy.
Scotland and Portugal have run similar pilots with mixed success, often struggling with maintenance in rough seas. The LA project builds on those lessons and is designed for resilience.
For me, wave energy feels compelling because it is easy to picture. Standing on a beach or diving, the power of waves is constant. Harnessing it in a way that complements solar and wind feels like a practical step forward.
NASA’s Carbon Satellites at Risk
The US may soon lose some of its best tools for measuring emissions globally. NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory missions (OCO-2 and OCO-3), launched in 2014 and 2019, are at risk of being shut down due to budget cuts. The proposal would save only $16 million a year but discard more than $750 million already invested.
These satellites provide high-resolution data that lets scientists detect emissions from individual power plants and track carbon sinks like forests and oceans. In 2023, OCO satellites measured emissions from Poland’s largest coal plant and oil sands facilities in Canada. No other instruments worldwide match this level of detail.
Cutting these missions would not just weaken US science. It would make international climate verification harder. Without them, it becomes difficult to track whether countries are meeting their Paris targets or if corporate pledges are credible.
From my point of view, data is the foundation of accountability. Removing these satellites to save a small amount of money undermines our ability to monitor one of the biggest challenges we face.
Source: Ars Technica, New York Times
Coming Up
Looking ahead, three developments stand out:
- Brazil’s Senate will vote on whether to uphold or reverse President Lula’s environmental vetoes, a decision that could shape the future of Amazon protections.
- The UN will release new data on ocean acidification, which is key for understanding risks to fisheries and reefs.
- Several Asia-Pacific governments are expected to announce coastal protection policies, which will affect how vulnerable low-lying islands remain.
This blog exists to track how science, policy, and technology shape the oceans and ecosystems we all depend on. Floods in India, emissions rules in the US, pilot projects in California, and satellites in orbit may look like separate issues, but they are linked through the same reality: climate change is accelerating, and our choices determine how prepared we are.
Comments
Post a Comment