Key developments
South Asia heatwave drives Karachi past 44C
Pakistan and India are enduring a prolonged pre-monsoon heatwave, with Sindh repeatedly running at 44C to 46C and several Indian states issuing heat alerts as cities topped 45C. Karachi hit 44.1C, its highest reading since 31 May 2018, while electricity outages and water shortages hit coastal neighborhoods such as Ibrahim Hyderi. At Ibrahim Hyderi government hospital, pediatric outpatient visits rose from about 50-60 on normal days to more than 200 a day, mostly for diarrhoea, stomach infections and dehydration.
Why it matters
The heatwave is already overwhelming health services and basic infrastructure in one of the region’s most exposed urban areas.
Sources & driving stories
THE GUARDIAN · Asad Mumtaz Rid
The Guardian coverageGlobal study finds rivers losing oxygen
Researchers analyzing 21,439 river reaches worldwide from 1985 to 2023 found widespread deoxygenation, with 78.8% of reaches declining and an average oxygen loss of -0.045 mg/L per decade. The study, published in Science Advances and reported today by the Telegraph Herald/AP and ScienceDaily, found the steepest losses in tropical rivers between 20S and 20N, including rivers in India. The authors said climate warming explained 62.7% of the decline and heatwaves contributed 22.7%.
Why it matters
Lower river oxygen threatens fish and freshwater ecosystems, and the study points to tropical basins as the highest-priority risk zone.
Sources & driving stories
TELEGRAPH HERALD
Telegraph Herald coverageSCIENCEDAILY
ScienceDaily coverageIvanpah solar-thermal exit remains blocked
California regulators rejected without prejudice a deal that would have ended PG&E’s power contracts for Ivanpah Units 1 and 3, leaving the 392 MW Mojave solar-thermal plant in limbo. PG&E’s January 2025 filing sought to stop deliveries from those 259 MW of capacity starting in 2026, even though the contracts were originally scheduled to run to 2039. The rejection kept reliability and stranded-cost questions open rather than allowing an early shutdown.
Why it matters
It shows how legacy clean-energy projects can become difficult to unwind as grid conditions and economics change.
Sources & driving stories
OKDIARIO · Adrian Villellas
OkDiario coverageWorth noting
WORTH NOTING
Solar panel prices may rise
Euronews reports China is removing a 9% VAT export rebate on solar products and trimming battery incentives, which could lift PV costs.
WORTH NOTING
El Niño may intensify heat extremes
Inside Climate News says developing El Niño conditions could worsen heatwaves, droughts and floods on top of already elevated warming.
WORTH NOTING
Coal exhaust converted into fertilizer
South China Morning Post reports a China project capturing flue-gas carbon and sulfur dioxide and turning them into fertilizer, a notable carbon-utilization experiment.
Still unclear
OPEN QUESTION
Can Karachi expand heat relief fast enough?
The current heatwave is already driving hospital surges and worsening pressure on water and electricity supplies.
OPEN QUESTION
Will Ivanpah get an approved exit plan?
Regulators rejected the contract termination deal without prejudice, leaving the plant’s retirement timing unresolved.