
If 2024 was the "biggest" year of democracy-nearly half of the world population elected governments in 64 countries the New Year will be that of fulfilling the promises made.
This is no mean task, and 2025 will therefore stand out as a pivotal year for the planet. The world is caught in a polycrisis I that has never been experienced earlier, and is in a bind over how to navigate through it. From economy, ecology and geopolitics to the emergence of new governance ideology, 2025 will be a test case. But, nature's revenge-in response to the brutal and incessant anthropogenic ravages-has reached a crescendo, threatening humans' very existence.
The planet is in a "critical condition", as scientists diagnose. In 2024, the Earth marked its 10th consecutive warmest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. It is also the first year to cross the warming threshold of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial period. More than three-fourths of the Earth's land has become permanently drier in the three decades leading up to 2020, compared to the previous 30-year period (1961-90), according to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. In the last half-a-century, 12,000 disasters struck as a result of extreme weather, climate and water-related events, killing over 2 million humans, says the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of Down To Earth.
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This story is from the January 16, 2025 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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THE CIRCULARITY ARGUMENT
A circular economy can help India achieve its developmental aspirations while following the low-carbon pathway. It will also help address the challenges of waste management, pollution and overexploitation of natural resources. Industries are already innovating to reuse high-volume wastes and have shown that the transition can usher in both environmental and financial windfalls

Banking on flawed drug voluntary licences
The Medicines Patent Pool is pushing for more VLs, but its bad deal with Novartis on a cancer drug shows the pitfalls

Lasting solutions
For the first time, the UN has recognised the role of indigenous communities in tackling aridity. A repository of traditional knowledge India has the wherewithal to lead the way

IMD at 150
India's journey into modern weather forecasting took a decisive turn 150 years ago with the establishment of India Meteorological Department during the British rule. The agency has come a long way since then, shaping the way the country predicts and responds to its diverse climate challenges

Every drop counts
In drought-prone Marathwada region, 14 villages have managed to counter water shortage by budgeting the resource

Threat to survival
Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam faces ecological challenges as railway electrification and hydrocarbon exploration endanger its fragile biodiversity

'Migration is going to be a battlefield'
AMITAV GHOSH is one of the foremost chroniclers of our times. His literary sojourn includes writings on topics that range from languages to climate change to human lives. His latest book, Wild Fictions, brings some of his works on these issues under one title. In a conversation with RAJAT GHAI, Ghosh shares his views on the future of human movement. Excerpts:

Face of future
California wildfires confirm forest fires are intensifying in a hotter world, emitting substantial amounts of greenhouse gases and reinforcing global warming

Friends of the forest
Residents of 30 villages in Uttarakhand establish a model for public participation in saving forests from wildfires

Climate-crazy playbook
Just hours after his second (and final) term began on January 20, US President Donald Trump unleashed 46 presidential actions. Several of these are centred on the US' climate commitments, energy transition, migration and trade policies, and are likely to have negative global implications