Environment

Toxic Threat: Northwest Delhi Residents Rise Up Against Proposed Waste Plant

Locals are particularly worried about the risk of chemical seepage affecting nearby agricultural land.

New Delhi: Northwest Delhi’s Sannoth village has become the epicenter of a growing protest against the proposed Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant in Bawana. Since December 19 residents have raised alarms over the potential environmental and health hazards posed by the project.

The proposed project, spread over 15-acre land, is expected to process around 3,000 tonne of waste per day, significantly addressing the waste generated daily in Bawana industrial area. However, if this plant comes up, the area will have the country’s highest concentration of incinerators, burning 6,000 tonne of waste daily. Nearby residents, already enduring the harmful effects of toxic fumes and fly ash, are concerned about facing repercussions similar to those experienced by the residents of Haji Colony located opposite the Okhla WtE plant.

Like thousands of other families, several generations of 85-year-old Kanwar Singh’s family have lived in Sannoth, a small village near the proposed WtE project site in Bawana on the outskirts of Delhi.

“I once played joyfully in this very field, and today, I find myself protesting here,” Singh, the only literate elder in the locality, said. He is among thousands of protesters participating in an indefinite protest against the government’s “developmental” plans.

The protesters highlight issues with the existing plant, which emits unpleasant odour during the monsoon, and fear the new plant could worsen the situation as the area would process 3,000 tonne more waste daily. Locals are particularly worried about the risk of chemical seepage affecting nearby agricultural land.

Health concerns

Despite being just a tiny portion of Maharashtra’s size, Delhi (10,990 tonne per day) produces almost half the waste generated by the former (22,632.71 tonne per day) on a daily basis. To tackle this waste disposal issue, Delhi already has plants at Okhla, Tehkhand, Ghazipur and Bawana processing about 8,000 tonnes of waste daily out of the 11,000 tonnes generated each day.

Amid controversies, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) approved another WtE plant in Bawana on December 19, elevating residents’ concerns. The authorities also plan to expand the processing capacity of the existing plants by 1,000 tonnes and the proposed plant’s capacity by 2,000 tonnes in the future.

However, the local residents are concerned about the possible health effects. Residents recall the experience of Haji Colony and Sukhdev Vihar in Okhla, where the Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Co Pvt Ltd, operated by the Jindal Group, has been in operation since 2012. The plant was found to be emitting large volumes of respirable pollutants, with confirmed presence of cadmium in the dumped ash, resulting in a substantial fine and severe criticism from the Supreme Court.

Political promises fall short

Many like 18-year-old Naman Kumar have dubbed the issue as “Kachra Rajneeti” (garbage politics), highlighting the underlying politics. In 2012, affected villages like Sannoth, Ladpur (near Kanjhawala), and Khera (near Kazipur) boycotted the MCD polls, protesting the negligence of both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which led the MCD and Delhi government, respectively.

It appears that history is repeating itself. This area, which falls under Narela constituency, reinforced the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP’s) foothold by supporting its candidate in the 2020 assembly elections and retaining the Bankner ward in the 2022 MCD elections. Locals have often praised the AAP’s efforts in improving water supply and reducing electricity bills.

However, in the recent 2024 general elections, the BJP dominated the Northwest Delhi constituency with the largest margin in the capital, exceeding two lakh votes. Despite this political back-and-forth, villagers remain deeply disappointed, holding both the AAP and the BJP accountable for neglecting the proximity of the proposed site to their villages.

“Our parents voted for a better future, for metro connectivity projects. But now, when the government introduces new plans, it’s just another mountain of garbage!” Naman said, expressing his frustration, as these college students have to travel 25 km by bus, back and forth, just to reach the nearest metro station for further travel. The locals are once again considering boycotting the upcoming assembly elections, viewing it as their last resort to register their protest.

Also read: The Human Cost of Delhi-NCR’s ‘Mountains of Waste’

As the local protest continues, Aruna Kumari, the nominated Congress candidate for Narela constituency in the upcoming elections, visited the local protest. When asked specifically about the project during her election rally, she acknowledged the issue but refrained from offering a clear commitment to resolve the villagers’ concerns.

While the BJP is yet to nominate a candidate for this constituency, Neeldaman Khatri, the former BJP MLA, attended the protest and assured the party’s support. However, this “support” has not alleviated the frustration and anger among villagers, as work on the electricity towers have already begun in the area. Both parties have promised action post-election but have not actively engaged in protesting alongside the village community.

AAP’s candidate, Dinesh Bhardwaj, is actively rallying in other regions of Narela but is yet to visit Sannoth village. When this author questioned the party members about this, they conveyed that they had written a letter to Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena requesting him to relocate the project site. However, when asked further about the involvement of the MCD, which is under the state government, they declined to comment further.

According to the villagers, a few gram sabhas have been conducted in recent days to inform the community and share their objections via email by December 26, 2024. However, the villagers complain that they are digitally illiterate, and the most active group – elderly residents – struggle to send emails as they lack access to mobile phones.

An additional public hearing was scheduled for December 27 to address the concerns of the villagers and mitigate their anger. But, according to the attendees, the actions taken did not align with the promises made. Villagers allege that an officer attempted to fraudulently obtain their signatures to falsely depict written consent for the project, taking advantage of the illiteracy among many locals.

Following this incident, tensions have heightened, with residents of nearby areas, including J.J. Colony and Sannoth, issuing stern warnings to the authorities. They have threatened to take drastic measures, such as contaminating a tributary of the Yamuna River, if any further progress is made on the project. This development could exacerbate the conflict between stakeholders and potentially impact a broader population in Delhi, given the Yamuna River’s critical role in supplying water to the city.

“At this age, migrating is not an option. We neither have the means to move nor the physical strength to do so,” says Singh, reflecting on the growing stench from the existing plant and the prospect of worsening conditions if the new plant is approved.

While some villagers considered migration due to the unbearable environment, most remained resolute in their protests, determined to protect their ancestral land and ensure a healthier future for the next generation. They have also appealed to the media and the people of Delhi for support in safeguarding their land and way of life.

Delhi’s escalating waste management crisis demands urgent and decisive action. The worst part is this waste, often unsegregated and low in calorific value, contains high moisture which requires more energy for incineration, making WtE plants more environmentally harmful. These landfills have transformed into towering mountains of untreated, foul-smelling waste, a clear reflection of the government’s failure to address the issue.

Some progress has been made, with waste now being repurposed for road construction under the Urban Extension Road Project-II. Yet, the gap between waste generation and disposal remains alarmingly wide and is unlikely to close anytime soon.

As a result, the towering “kude ka pahad” (mountains of garbage), initially intended as landfill sites, continue to grow unchecked. Without sustainable solutions that consider both public welfare and environmental impact, these waste heaps appear destined to rise indefinitely.

Salony is an independent journalist covering polity, governance and social issues.

Fire-hit LA Faces New Peril as Dangerous Winds Ramp Up

Officials insisted they were poised, with Los Angeles city fire chief Kristin Crowley telling reporters a huge firefighting operation was well-placed.

Hot, powerful winds Tuesday threatened to rekindle and whip up major fires that have devastated the hills and suburbs of Los Angeles, killing at last 24 people and changing the face of America’s second-biggest city forever.

A week after blazes erupted and spread uncontained, forecasters predicted “particularly dangerous” dry Santa Ana winds would spike the wildfire threat for already exhausted firefighters.

“Stay aware of your surroundings. Be ready to evacuate. Avoid anything that can spark a fire,” the National Weather Service (NWS) warned.

A large part of Southern California was under a Red Flag warning, indicating that intense dryness and furious winds would make conditions ripe for wildfire.

Part of Los Angeles county and much of neighbouring Ventura county were in a “Particularly Dangerous Situation”, according to the NWS, a designation that was also declared before last week’s deadly blazes erupted.

Officials insisted they were poised, with Los Angeles city fire chief Kristin Crowley telling reporters a huge firefighting operation was well-placed.

“I have strategically pre-positioned engine strike teams and task forces which are dedicated to rapid response for any new fire that breaks out,” she said.

The renewed danger comes with 24,000 acres (9,700 hectares) of the upmarket Pacific Palisades in ruins and 14,000 acres of the city of Altadena badly charred.

More than 90,000 evacuees are desperate to get back to their homes – or even just to see if anything at all survived.

“My house is gone, I know that. I’ve seen pictures and all that’s left is the chimney. But I need to see it by myself to believe it,” Fred Busche told AFP.

Among the desperation, there were stories of fortitude.

Jeff Ridgway told how he had refused to abandon the apartment complex he manages, defending it against the fires by hauling buckets of water from the pool.

“It was just a war,” the 67-year-old told AFP, pointing to a eucalyptus tree he extinguished when it caught fire and threatened the building last week.

“But I was just stubborn. I was like: ‘I’m not going to be defeated by you. I’m sorry, this is just not gonna happen.'”

A ‘different experience’

Search teams using cadaver dogs have been scouring the rubble for days, with Los Angeles county sheriff Robert Luna saying he expected more victims would be unearthed.

“Every day we’re doing this, we’re running across the remains of individual community members,” he said.

“I believe we’ll continue to find remains.”

With so many in dire straits, the city was clutching for any sliver of good news.

That was offered by the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the Minnesota Vikings in an NFL play-off game on Monday night to take them one step closer to the Super Bowl.

The game, which had been scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, was moved to Arizona to relieve pressure on stretched law enforcement.

Basketball fans also had a welcomed diversion from the fires when the Lakers played the San Antonio Spurs at home, although they lost 102-126.

The Lakers were among a dozen city sports clubs – also including the Dodgers baseball team – that have pledged $8 million toward wildfire relief.

The mainstay entertainment industry was also stepping up, with major studios and streamers including Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Warner and Universal parent company Comcast having all announced eight-figure donations to the recovery effort.

But there were also many stories of individual generosity.

At a converted parking lot in Arcadia, 600 people showed up in a single day to distribute donated supplies to evacuees, organisers said.

Many had been redirected from other shelters that also could not accommodate the extra help.

“It’s a very different experience than any other volunteering that I typically do. Because there’s really no difference between the people that are helping and the people that are being helped,” said 19-year-old student Gianna Karkafi.

“It’s just, like, luck.”

Can the Ganga Survive the Kumbh Mela?

Will it be able to heal or nourish anyone for very long afterwards?

As millions of Indians flock to the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), one needs to look at how the Ganga and Yamuna rivers are doing.

Can the river ecosystem take the shock of about 40 million people living and bathing in it?

It was only recently that the Yamuna in Delhi was frothing with toxic foam. The river is understood to be carrying industrial and city waste. And despite various National Green Tribunal orders against the discharge of untreated sewage water in the river, practically nothing has been done. I visited Allahabad recently and found that the stretch from the Bullua ghat to Rasoolabad ghat had many sewage creeks entering the river, which bore untreated waste. Most of these sewage lines are right next to designated bathing areas. If we look at the Aarel ghat on the other bank of the river, it tells the same tale. Countless sewage drains also enter the river right before the Triveni Sangam of the Ganga and the Yamuna. Most of this is for all to see, yet so many purported efforts made to stop the sewage from entering the rivers have apparently been fruitless.

The situation is so dire that the sight of dead fish floating in the Ganga and Yamuna is common now. One wonders what happened to the Rs 40,000 crore spent on the Namami Ganga programme in the past decade with Narendra Modi as prime minister. The public relations exercise has failed to clean the river. Far from cleaning the Ganga, the Modi government appears hell bent on further damaging it by allowing hydel projects on her tributaries, thus destroying her ecosystem.

Releasing of more water from dams at Tehri and other hydel projects is only a temporary solution, the health of the river is beyond fragile due to contamination and pollution in Allahabad. The city is ill-equipped to tackle its own sewage waste, so we wonder what will happen once 40 million come to it.

Also read: Supreme Court Panel Clears Five Hydel Projects on Ganga Despite Environmental Concerns

The answer is pretty straight forward, the Ganga will suffer another major blow to its ecosystem once the Kumbh Mela is over. The water of the Ganga is highly polluted and with no plans to reduce sewage and pollutants from entering the river, it will become more toxic. This will end up endangering plants, riverine communities and fishes. The city of Allahabad would have to suffer for months to come from the pollution and a diseased river system.

So what is all this being done for? Definitely not the river Ganga, because if Modi was serious about cleaning the river, then the last 10 years and Rs 40,000 crores is all he needed. If Modi adopted the double-engine approach towards the Namami Ganga programme, maybe there is a good chance the Ganga would be much cleaner and the cities of Allahabad and Kanpur would not be dumping millions of gallons of untreated sewage in the rivers everyday.

Most religious sects are also deeply concerned about the river system and also have been given an unfriendly treatment by the Modi government when it comes to inclusion in the planning process. This is also the first ever “corporate” Kumbh – it is being organised with the help of a firm, Ernst and Young.

Many Hindus treat the river Ganga as their mother. Even outside of religion beliefs, it’s a lifeline for a majority of Indians. All would have been deeply happy if the thousands of crores spent on public relations and posters was actually spent on cleaning the river and blocking the sewage drains. That was the real work that needed to be done. It is clear now that the Kumbh Mela 2025 is a religious event that Modi is exploiting for political mileage. The organisers care little for Hindu faith, spirituality or the health of the river Ganga.

Can the Ganga survive another Kumbh? It will, but her ecosystem will be destroyed for humans, plants and marine life alike. This could become a hot bed for infections and further pollute the river.

The river will survive, but I do not think it will be able to heal or nourish anyone for very long afterwards.

Indra Shekhar Singh is an independent agri-policy analyst and writer.

Western Ghats Among World’s 4 Regions Where Freshwater Species Are at Highest Risk of Extinction

The study recommends targeted action to prevent further extinctions and calls for governments and industry to use this data in water management and policy measures.

New Delhi: The Western Ghats mountain range, one of India’s four biodiversity hotspots, is among the four regions in the world where freshwater species are most threatened with extinction, as per a recent study published in the journal Nature on January 8.

The study, which is the largest global assessment of freshwater animals on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Species so far, shows that 24% of the world’s freshwater fish, dragonfly, damselfly, crab, crayfish and shrimp species are at high risk of extinction. Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List assesses the global conservation status of animal, fungus and plant species and lists them into nine categories based on their assessment levels and how threatened by extinction they are, based on criteria such as population declines, restricted ranges and more. These are “Extinct,” “Extinct in the Wild,” “Critically Endangered,” “Endangered,” “Vulnerable,” (the latter three list species threatened with global extinction in decreasing order of threats) “Near Threatened,” (which comprises species that will be threatened without ongoing conservation measures), “Least Concern,” (species that have a lower risk of extinction) “Data Deficient” (species whose conservation status cannot be assessed because of insufficient data) and “Not Evaluated.”

Key findings: Regions and species most threatened

The recent study found that at least 4,294 species out of 23,496 freshwater animals on the IUCN Red List are at high risk of extinction. Crabs, crayfishes and shrimps are at the highest risk of extinction of the groups studied, with 30% of all these species being threatened, followed by 26% of freshwater fishes and 16% of dragonflies and damselflies. And the greatest number of threatened species dwell in Lake Victoria (distributed across the African countries of Tanzania and Uganda, and on the border of Kenya), Lake Titicaca (in the Andes mountain range bordering Peru and Bolivia), Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone (in the central and southwestern region of the island nation) and the Western Ghats of India. The threatened species in the Western Ghats include the Saffron reedtail (Indosticta deccanensis), a dragonfly that is found only in some localities in the mountain range and is considered “Vulnerable” by the Red List, and the Dwarf Malabar Puffer (Carinotetraodon travancoricus), a species of freshwater puffer fish found in some streams of the Ghats and is “Data Deficient.” However, species like the Kani maranjandu, a spider-like tree crab discovered from the southern Western Ghats in Kerala in 2017, are not even currently assessed in the Red List – there is no data on its conservation status at all.

The reasons for freshwater species being the most threatened in these regions including the Western Ghats are not ones we are unfamiliar with – pollution, mainly from agriculture and forestry, impacts over half of all threatened freshwater animals, according to the study. Add to this land conversion for agricultural use, water extraction and the construction of dams, which also block fish migration routes. Other reasons also include overfishing and the introduction of invasive alien species.

Case study: The hump-backed mahseer

The study also found that although the threatened freshwater animals studied tend to live in the same areas as threatened amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles, they face different threats due to their specific habitats. Conservation action must therefore be targeted to these species, the study recommends. Take the case of the “Critically Endangered” hump-backed mahseer (Tor remadevii) that is found only in the river system of the Cauvery and its tributaries in south India, for instance. The fish, once thought to be widespread across the entire river (as per historical records dating back to the late 19th century), is now found in just five fragmented river and tributary stretches of the Cauvery, which is a shocking decline of around 90% in its distribution range, according to the IUCN Red List assessment.

“Although they live side by side in the Western Ghats, conservation action for tigers and elephants will not help the ‘Critically Endangered’ hump-backed mahseer, which is threatened by habitat loss due to river engineering projects and sand and boulder mining, poaching and invasive alien species. Active protection of the river and tributaries where the hump-backed mahseer lives is essential to its survival, in addition to fishing regulations and banning the introduction of further invasive alien species,” noted Rajeev Raghavan, South Asia chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Freshwater Fish Specialist Group and one of the co-authors of the study, in a press release.

The study also found that water stress and eutrophication are poor “surrogates,” or indicators, to be used in conservation planning for threatened freshwater species; areas with high water stress, where there is high demand and low supply, and areas with more eutrophication, where an excess of nutrients in the water leads to overgrowth of algae and plants, are home to fewer numbers of threatened species than areas with lower water stress and less eutrophication.

The study recommends targeted action to prevent further extinctions and calls for governments and industry to use this data in water management and policy measures. “Lack of data on the status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity can no longer be used as an excuse for inaction,” the study read.

The hump-backed mahseer, for example, badly needs a systematic conservation plan, Raghavan told The Wire. Despite being a “Critically Endangered” species (tigers across the world, in comparison, are only “Endangered” as per the IUCN Red List) and one of India’s mega fish as well as a transboundary species (found in tributaries of the Cauvery in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu), there have been no efforts to develop a conservation plan for the species yet, Raghavan said.

“Protection of critical habitats is the most important strategy. There is also need for some more research, as very little information is available on the ecology, movement and early life history of the species,” he added. “This could be a nice example of a flagship species that can bring all three states together (especially as a positive side to the Cauvery water dispute)… securing the future of this species requires an effort from all three states.”

Global implications and call to action

“Freshwater landscapes are home to 10% of all known species on Earth and key for billions of people’s safe drinking water, livelihoods, flood control and climate change mitigation, and must be protected for nature and people alike,” stated Catherine Sayer, IUCN’s freshwater biodiversity lead and lead author of the paper, in a press release. “The IUCN World Conservation Congress this October will guide conservation for the next four years, as the world works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets by 2030. This information will enable policy makers and actors on the ground to plan freshwater conservation measures where they are most needed,” she added.

“This report really drives home just how under threat freshwater species are globally as a result of human activities,” noted co-author Matthew Gollock, Zoological Society of London’s programme lead for aquatic species and policy and chair of the IUCN Anguillid Eel Specialist Group, in a press release. “The good news is, it’s not too late for us to tackle threats such as habitat loss, pollution and invasive species, to ensure our rivers and lakes are in good condition for the species that call them home.”

Note: This article, first published at 9.32 am on January 13, 2025, was republished at 8.20 am on January 14, 2025.

Assam: Wildlife Board OKs Oil Drilling in Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary Amid Conservation Concerns

The Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary serves as a crucial biodiversity haven, named after India’s sole ape species, the Hoolock gibbon.

New Delhi: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has greenlit exploratory oil and gas drilling in Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, sparking concerns about balancing energy needs with conservation of the endangered Hoolock gibbon and other unique wildlife.

The decision, made during the NBWL’s 81st meeting, involves a 4.4998-hectare project, including a well pad and access road, located 13 kilometers from the sanctuary. The site is part of the AA-ONHP-2017/4 block and falls within the sanctuary’s 264.92-square-kilometer eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), East Mojo reported.

A site inspection by government officials and wildlife experts – representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Assam’s Forest Department – last November found that exploratory drilling would have limited immediate environmental impact. However, they strongly opposed commercial drilling within the ESZ, citing the sanctuary’s critical role in preserving biodiversity and providing forest corridors, the report added.

Also read: Forest Cover Claims Mask Deeper Crisis: ISFR 2023 Reveals Large-Scale Forest Degradation

“The sanctuary is an important habitat of the Hoolock gibbon. The committee noticed that the exploratory drilling may not cause much damage to the area. However, commercial drilling may not be allowed. The user agency has given an undertaking that they would not carry out commercial drilling at the site,” the site inspection report stated, as per East Mojo.

The project proponents assured the NBWL that the drilling is solely for exploratory purposes and that any extraction, if hydrocarbons are found, would occur outside the ESZ. The NBWL has imposed strict conditions, including real-time monitoring, minimal tree felling, and pollution control measures, to ensure environmental safeguards. The NBWL has also explicitly banned oil or gas extraction within the eco-sensitive zone, regardless of whether any reserves are found.

The Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary serves as a crucial biodiversity haven, named after India’s sole ape species, the Hoolock gibbon. By providing vital forest corridors connecting to Nagaland’s habitats and the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest, the sanctuary underscores its significance as an ecological hotspot.

Death Toll from Los Angeles Fires Rises to 24, Dangerous Winds Incoming

The fires continued to rip through the United States’ second-largest city for the sixth day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes.

Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour mean a “particularly dangerous situation (PDS)” will be declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

The death toll from massive wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles rose to 24 on Sunday, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip the blazes up further.

The fires continued to rip through the United States’ second-largest city for the sixth day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands without homes.

Massive firefighting efforts have staunched the spread of the Palisades Fire, which was looming toward upscale Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley.

But conditions are set to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behaviour and life threatening conditions” over the coming days.

Winds up to 70 miles (110 kilometres) per hour mean a “particularly dangerous situation (PDS)” will be declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.

These gusts could fan flames and whip up embers from existing burn zones into new areas, firefighters warned.

Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Anthony Marrone said his department had received resources including dozens of new water trucks and firefighters from far afield and was primed to face the renewed threat.

Questioned whether hydrants could run dry again, as they did during the initial outbreak of fires last week, Mayor Karen Bass replied: “I believe the city is prepared.”

There was frustration for evacuees who were told they would not be returning home until at least Thursday when winds subside.

Some have queued for hours in the hope of getting back to homes they fled to pick up medication or a change of clothes.

Search for bodies

But Sheriff Robert Luna said escorts into these areas were being suspended Sunday because of the winds and dangerous conditions among the wreckage, as well as the need to retrieve victims’ bodies.

Teams with cadaver dogs were carrying out grid searches with the grim expectation that the confirmed death toll would rise.

Several more arrests of looters were made, including one burglar who had dressed as a firefighter to steal from homes.

Nighttime curfews in evacuated zones have been extended, and additional National Guard resources have been requested.

Prevented from entering an evacuation zone, Altadena resident Bobby Salman, 42, said: “I have to be there to protect my family, my wife, my kids, my mom and I cannot even go and see them.”

Fire tornado

The Palisades Fire has now consumed 23,700 acres (9,500 hectares) and was just 11 percent contained.

Video footage showed “fire tornadoes” – red-hot spirals that occur when a blaze is so intense it creates its own weather system.

The ferocious fire also left streaks of molten metal flowing from burnt-out cars.

But containment of the 14,000-acre Eaton Fire in Altadena had improved, figures showed, with 27 percent of its perimeter controlled.

The County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner published a list of fatalities without giving details of any identities. Eight of the dead were found in the Palisades Fire zone, and 16 in the Eaton Fire zone, the document said.

The total number of residents under evacuation orders dropped to around 100,000, from a peak of almost 180,000.

The sudden rush of people needing somewhere to live has posed a growing problem for the city, with reports of illegal price gouging from opportunistic landlords.

“I’m back on the market with tens of thousands of people,” said a man who gave his name as Brian, whose rent-controlled apartment had burned. “That doesn’t bode well.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed the city would rebuild, saying there would be a “Marshall Plan” — a reference to the US support that put Europe back on its feet after World War II.

“We already have a team looking at reimagining L.A. 2.0,” he said.

‘Worst catastrophes’

President-elect Donald Trump has accused California officials of incompetence.

“This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

A heroic firefighting operation that has operated 24/7 since the first flames erupted was bolstered Sunday with the arrival of crews from Mexico.

They join teams from all over California and across the western United States who have come to help out.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday even offered to send 150 personnel to California from his war-ravaged country.

“The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives,” he wrote on social media.

A huge investigation by federal and local authorities was underway to determine what caused the blazes.

While the ignition of a wildfire can be deliberate, they are often natural, and a vital part of an environment’s life cycle.

But urban sprawl puts people more frequently in harm’s way, and the changing climate – supercharged by humanity’s unchecked use of fossil fuels – is exacerbating the conditions that give rise to destructive blazes.

2024 Hottest Recorded Year, Crossed Global Warming Limit: World Meteorological Organization

The last two years saw average global temperatures exceed a critical warming limit for the first time, Europe’s climate monitor said Friday, as the UN demanded ‘trail-blazing’ climate action.

The last two years saw average global temperatures exceed a critical warming limit for the first time, Europe’s climate monitor said Friday, as the UN demanded “trail-blazing” climate action.

While this does not mean the internationally-agreed 1.5°C warming threshold has been permanently breached, the United Nations warned it was in “grave danger”.

“Today’s assessment from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is clear,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said. “Global heating is a cold, hard fact.”

He added: “Blazing temperatures in 2024 require trail-blazing climate action in 2025. There’s still time to avoid the worst of climate catastrophe. But leaders must act – now.”

The WMO said six international datasets all confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, extending a decade-long “extraordinary streak of record-breaking temperatures”.

The United States became the latest country to report its heat record had been shattered, capping a year marked by devastating tornadoes and hurricanes.

The announcement came just days before President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to double down on fossil fuel production, was set to take office.

Excess heat is supercharging extreme weather, and 2024 saw countries from Spain to Kenya, the United States and Nepal suffer disasters that cost more than $300 billion by some estimates.

Los Angeles is currently battling deadly wildfires that have destroyed thousands of buildings and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

‘Stark warning’

Another record-breaking year is not anticipated in 2025, as a UN deadline looms for nations to commit to curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

“My prediction is it will be the third-warmest year,” said NASA’s top climate scientist Gavin Schmidt, citing the US determination that the year has begun with a weak La Nina, a global weather pattern that is expected to bring slight cooling.

The WMO’s analysis of the six datasets showed global average surface temperatures were 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.

“This means that we have likely just experienced the first calendar year with a global mean temperature of more than 1.5°C above the 1850-1900 average,” it said.

Europe’s climate monitor Copernicus, which provided one of the datasets, found that both of the past two years had exceeded the warming limit set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Global temperatures had soared “beyond what modern humans have ever experienced”, it said.

Scientists stressed that the 1.5°C threshold in the Paris Agreement refers to a sustained rise over decades, offering a glimmer of hope.

Still, Johan Rockstrom of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research called the milestone a “stark warning sign.”

“We have now experienced the first taste of a 1.5°C world, which has cost people and the global economy unprecedented suffering and economic costs,” he told AFP.

On the edge

Nearly 200 nations agreed in Paris in 2015 that meeting 1.5C offered the best chance of preventing the most catastrophic repercussions of climate change.

But the world remains far off track.

While Copernicus records date back to 1940, other climate data from ice cores and tree rings suggest Earth is now likely the warmest it has been in tens of thousands of years.

Scientists say every fraction of a degree above 1.5°C matters – and that beyond a certain point the climate could shift in unpredictable ways.

Human-driven climate change is already making droughts, storms, floods and heat waves more frequent and intense.

The death of 1,300 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during extreme heat, a barrage of powerful tropical storms in Asia and North America, and historic flooding in Europe and Africa marked grim milestones in 2024.

‘Stark warning’

The oceans, which absorb 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gases, warmed to record levels in 2024, straining coral reefs and marine life and stirring violent weather.

Warmer seas drive higher evaporation and atmospheric moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and energising cyclones.

Water vapour in the atmosphere hit fresh highs in 2024, combining with elevated temperatures to trigger floods, heatwaves and “misery for millions of people”, Copernicus climate deputy director Samantha Burgess said.

Scientists attribute some of the record heat to the onset of a warming El Nino in 2023.

But El Nino ended in early 2024, leaving them puzzled by persistently high global temperatures.

“The future is in our hands – swift and decisive action can still alter the trajectory of our future climate,” said Copernicus climate director Carlo Buontempo.

11 Dead, 10,000 Buildings Gone: The Figures of the Los Angeles County Wildfires

With the destruction of luxury residences, the fires could end up being the costliest on record.

Eleven people dead, 10,000 buildings destroyed, 180,000 people evacuated, $150 billion in damage.

Here are the main figures showing the scale of the massive wildfires that have engulfed Los Angeles County since Tuesday.

Five blazes ongoing

Los Angeles is being ravaged by five different big blazes.

The largest, the Palisades Fire northwest of the nation’s second most populous city, has consumed 86 square kilometers (33 square miles).

It has ravaged the upscale Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, home to multimillionaires and celebrities.

The second, at 56 square kilometres, is the Eaton Fire in Altadena, an eastern suburb of Los Angeles. The fires are 8% and 3% contained, respectively.

Three much smaller blazes, the Kenneth Fire (four sq km), Hurst Fire (three sq km) and Lidia Fire (1.6 sq km), have been partly contained – by 50%, 70% and 98%, respectively.

150 square kilometres

The fires have ripped through more than 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares or 150 square kilometres).

Compared to other fires that have hit California in recent years and spread sometimes over several thousand square kilometres, the current blazes are smaller in size.

However, they are particularly deadly and destructive because they are located in residential areas.

11 dead

To date, at least 11 people are known to have died, the Los Angeles County coroner said Thursday.

At least two died in the Palisades Fire and at least five in the Eaton Fire, according to firefighters.

If one of the blazes ends up killing six people, it would become one of the 20 deadliest in California history, according to official data.

10,000 buildings destroyed

At least 10,000 houses and other structures have already gone up in smoke, including at least 5,000 in the Palisades Fire and between 4,000 and 5,000 in the Eaton Fire, according to Los Angeles County firefighters.

The two fires are already the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles County.

By comparison, the Camp Fire ravaged nearly 19,000 buildings north of Sacramento in November 2018, and the Tubbs Fire destroyed 5,600 north of San Francisco in October 2017.

180,000 people evacuated

Around 180,000 people have been ordered to leave their neighbourhoods. Authorities have been pleading with residents to heed the evacuation orders, as some residents stayed behind trying to save their properties.

The legendary neighbourhood of Hollywood, threatened at one point by the Sunset Fire, was also evacuated, but the order was lifted Thursday morning after the fire in its hills was brought under control.

20 arrests

The neighbourhoods hit by the fires face another danger: looting. Police have arrested at least 20 people for theft in the Los Angeles area since the first fires broke out Tuesday.

A nighttime curfew has been announced and the National Guard has been deployed to patrol affected areas.

$150 billion in damage

With the destruction of luxury residences, the fires could end up being the costliest on record. Private meteorological firm AccuWeather has estimated the damage at between $135 and $150 billion. And that could go up.

The Climate Reckoning: Who’s Accountable for the Future of the Planet?

India contends that “the best available science has not qualified ‘heat’ and ‘carbon dioxide’ as environment pollutants”.

As the historic International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings at The Hague concluded on December 13, a precarious world awaits the court’s advisory on accountability and the application of international law to secure a safe future for the planet.

The climate justice hearings were unprecedented in many ways, other than the record number of states and organisations which testified before it. It was an appeal from the youth of this world, led by Vanuatu, Fiji, and other Pacific Island nations, who will inherit a planet devastated by the ravages of “development” and excessive reliance on fossil fuels.

Battered by extreme events, the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu led the charge for an advisory opinion from the ICJ which culminated in the hearings held at the Peace Palace from December 2. Ninety-six states and 11 international organisations presented oral statements before 15 judges at the ICJ.

Fifteen-year-old Vepaia from Vanuatu, who has experienced many cyclones, said, “I wish every country could just switch to renewable energy and just stop using fossil fuels. That would definitely make a better world for our children.” Her fight for climate justice and gender equality was taken to the ICJ with training from the Save the Children’s NextGen programme.

Also read: Halfway Into COP29, Finance Deal Still Far Away; India ‘Dissatisfied’ With Progress

The request for an advisory opinion was the focus of a global campaign initiated five years ago in a classroom in Emalus, Vanuatu. Young people dared to take on the impossible by bringing the world’s biggest problem to the world’s highest court, according to Vishal Prasad, director of the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), which worked with a core group of UN member states to mobilise a consensus resolution being adopted by the UN General Assembly on March 29, 2023, which in turn, led to the seeking of the advisory from ICJ.

In his oral testimony to the ICJ, Prasad urged the court to apply international law to the conduct responsible for climate change and appealed to the court to ensure that their collective future was not further endangered. He also said that the “campaign for an ICJ Advisory Opinion was born out of frustration with the inability of the COP processes to deliver urgent climate action.”

The chronic fatigue and lack of progress with the annual UN climate summits was exemplified at Baku which was perhaps the most disillusioning one in terms of a lack of political will, finance and targets. The October 2024 report from the UN environmental programme, said that global greenhouse gas emissions continued to increase in 2023. The G20 countries (excluding the African Union) were responsible for 77% of all emissions; in comparison, the 47 least developed countries combined were responsible for just 3%.

Apart from oral testimonies, the ICJ will sift through 91 written statements and 62 additional written comments to address key questions:

(a) What are the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for States and for present and future generations; (b) What are the legal consequences under these obligations for States where they, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment, with respect to: (i) States, including, in particular, small island developing States, which due to their geographical circumstances and level of development, are injured or specially affected by or are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change? (ii) Peoples and individuals of the present and future generations affected by the adverse effects of climate change?

The states and various organisations presented incontrovertible scientific evidence to the ICJ, citing reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that outline what is necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting the average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

The Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) demanded a transition away from fossil fuels and that global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions be reduced by 43% below 2019 levels by 2030 and by 84% by 2050.

The Asian region is the most disaster-prone globally, experiencing frequent extreme events like typhoons and earthquakes. In the past 50 years, Asia has seen 3,612 disasters causing nearly a million deaths and $1.4 trillion in losses, nearly half of the world’s total. While the Indian oral testimony was naturally focused on loss and damage, it resonated with the developed countries’ notion of climate justice by asking for no new liabilities to be introduced other than the UN climate frameworks.

While Vanuatu and over 90 states argued for a wider application of international law including those on human rights for climate justice, in its oral submission, India stuck to its stand of holding developing countries responsible for climate change and called on the ICJ to refrain from ‘devising’ new or additional obligations beyond the existing climate change regime.

India’s contribution to climate change is less than 4% historically and its per capita GHG emissions are less than half of the global average. However, in its 65-page written submission, India took a startling position that “environmental pollution and climate change must not be conflated. While there is an overlap in some areas, the science is clear on what the differences are in the two phenomena both at temporal and spatial scales. The best available science has not qualified ‘heat’ and ‘carbon dioxide’ as environment pollutants. None of the reports of the IPCC, which have presented their findings on the impacts of climate change, has termed the impacts of CO2 on various sectors as environmental pollution.”

India contends that, while addressing the questions, the court, in the exercise of its judicial function, may consider that climate change issues cannot be treated as environmental pollution. Therefore, climate change cannot be dealt like the transboundary harm on environment, but rather governed by a distinct regime established under the UNFCCC and its two implementing instruments.

India opposed the application of international law to climate actions, arguing that the adverse effects of climate change do not fit the typical scenario of state responsibility. To support its assertion, India cited its case against Pakistan, noting that “the typical scenario covered here are disputes between States on the basis of an action clearly identifiable in terms of place and time, for instance damage to a ship (e.g. Corfu Channel case) and violation of consular rights (e.g. Kulbhushan Jadhav, ICJ 2019) and violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity (e.g. Nicaragua 1986)”.

Also read: ‘We Have Seen What You Have Done’: India Accuses COP29 Presidency, UN of ‘Stage Managing’ Decision

India squarely attributed the responsibility for climate change to the specific actions of other states over a long period. It emphasised that the primary responsibility for fulfilling obligations under the existing climate change treaty regime lies with developed countries. India maintained that, despite “not being historically responsible for climate change,” it has made ambitious voluntary commitments to climate action and implemented them. However, an independent analysis by Climate Action Tracker has found that India’s climate policy, targets, and actions are highly insufficient.

The main argument presented by countries severely impacted by extreme events is that existing legal obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other laws are applicable. Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate, emphasised in his opening ceremony speech that countries already have legal obligations under international law that extend beyond the frameworks of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

Regenvanu stated, “We will not be asking the Court to create new laws, but to affirm that existing international laws, which govern State responsibility in nearly every other context, must also apply to the climate crisis.”

However, this demand to expand legal and accountability frameworks has been met with contention, particularly from countries like the USA, Saudi Arabia, and the UK. These nations, along with the Nordic countries – Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Norway – have expressed faith in the UN climate regime, specifically the Paris Agreement. Some countries, including the USA, are hesitant to apply human rights to climate justice. This divergence in opinions highlights the complexities and challenges in addressing climate change through international law.

However, just as in the case of the advisory of the ICJ in the Chagos Islands case in 2019, after which the UK in October 2024 decided to return the islands back to Mauritius, Vanuatu and other countries hope that the powerful oral and written testimonies will lead to an advisory or a blueprint that places accountability, justice, human rights and reparation at the heart of the climate debate.

Meena Menon is a visiting fellow at the Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute, University of Leeds, UK and a journalist and author.

5 Dead in Raging California Wildfires, Posh LA Locality With Celebrity Homes Among Worst Hit

At least 100,000 Los Angeles residents have been urged to evacuate. The Critics Choice Awards, originally set for Sunday, is set to be postponed due to the fires.

Raging wildfires around Los Angeles have left five people dead and caused “a number of significant injuries,” fire officials said Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told radio station KNX that the death toll could rise further.

“I’m really praying we don’t find more [victims], but I don’t think that’s going to be the case,” he said, describing the situation as “very fluid.”

Three people have been arrested for looting in fire-affected areas, which Luna described as “100 percent unacceptable.”

Palisades fire is ‘growing’ as thousands of acres burned

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that 1,000 buildings have been destroyed due to one fire, which is mostly in the wealthy Palisades neighbourhood of the city.

“We have well over 5,000 acres that have burned, and the fire is growing,” Marrone said, while adding “we have no percentage of containment.”

The Palisades fire, considered the most destructive in Los Angeles’ modern history, is just one of the blazes around Los Angeles. The Eaton fire is raging in Altadena, north of the city, whereas the Hurst fire is near the northern Los Angeles suburb of Sylmar. A fourth fire broke out on Wednesday morning in the San Fernando Valley, known as the Woodley fire.

People living in the heart of historic Hollywood were ordered to evacuate as a new fire erupted just a few hundred metres from Hollywood Boulevard.

Marrone said the fire departments around Los Angeles were not equipped for “for this type of disaster.”

“There are not enough firefighters in LA county to address four separate fires of this magnitude,” he added.

Emergency services ‘stretched’ to their limits

Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the Palisades fire and the Hurst fire are “stretching the capacity of emergency services to their maximum limits.”

“We are absolutely not out of danger yet, with the strong winds that continue to push through the city and the county today,” Crowley said.

At least 100,000 Los Angeles residents have been urged to evacuate.

The Palisades are home to numerous Hollywood stars, such as Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks and Mandy Moore. Moore was among the celebrities who had to evacuate their home due to the fires. Actors Mark Hamill and James Woods also had to leave.

The house of Vice President Kamala Harris in nearby Brentwood was also under an evacuation order on Tuesday, but she was not at home.

US President Joe Biden has formally signed off on a federal disaster declaration. According to the White House, the declaration allows for federal funding to be made available to impacted individuals in Los Angeles County for temporary housing and home repairs, as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.

Biden also canceled his upcoming trip to Italy to tackle the wildfires.

LA mayor warns residents of poor air quality

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, in a Wednesday morning post on X, told city residents “there will be notable impacts to air quality with winds pushing smoke across the Los Angeles area.”

“Please limit your exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed and wearing a properly fit mask,” Bass said.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works Mark Pestrella called on residents to conserve water for firefighters. County officials said it is “difficult” to fight fires with urban water systems.

Closed venues, canceled events

Popular spots around the city, such as Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign, are also closed to tourists at the moment due to the fires.

The California Institute of Technology, known as CalTech, canceled classes on Wednesday due to the nearby Eaton fire.

The Critics Choice Awards, originally set for Sunday, will also be postponed due to the fires.

The organisation that puts on the Oscars has extended the voting window for the Academy Awards nominations and delayed next week’s planned nominations announcement.

Film studios canceled two movie premieres because of the fires and windy weather, while the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park closed for the day because of smoky, windy conditions.

This article was originally published on DW.