Floods kill more than 100 people in India, Nepal

Climate Focus

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

Devastating heavy rains have killed more than 100 people in parts of India and Nepal, as Northern China braces for typhoon-like gales this weekend.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of multiple weather hazards this week, with heatwave conditions in the west and thunderstorms in the eastern and central region although the torrential rain associated with the monsoon usually starts in June.

At least 82 people have died in rain-related incidents in Bihar over the last two days, the eastern state's disaster management department said.

In India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, authorities said 18 people had died due to lightning and storm-related incidents.

In neighbouring Nepal, lightning strikes and heavy rain killed at least eight people, National Disaster Authority officials said.

Intense heatwaves in the summer months of the recent past have killed several people in India.

Meanwhile, northern China is bracing for typhoon-like gales this weekend, with Beijing postponing major sporting events, closing parks, suspending dozens of train services and warning its 22 million residents against non-essential travel. Dozens of flights were cancelled.

Strong winds carrying sand and dust from Mongolia are normal at this time of the year, but climate change has made weather events more extreme. Beijing issued its first orange gale alert in 10 years for this weekend, the second-highest of four tiers.

Heavy snow is expected to blanket parts of the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia as well as northeast China, while southern China could be hit by the most intense hailstorms so far this year.

In keeping with China, the nation has pledged emergency humanitarian assistance of 1 billion yuan ($137 million) to earthquake-stricken Myanmar, its embassy in the southeast Asian nation said.

The March 28 quake of magnitude 7.7 was one of Myanmar's strongest in a century, killing 3,645, as it toppled buildings, flattened communities and deprived many of food, water and shelter.

The funds would provide urgently needed food, medicines and prefabricated homes, as well as pay for medical, epidemic prevention and disaster assessment expert groups, the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

What started as two fires near Uiseong town in South Korea over March 22 to 24, soon spread overnight leaving a trail of death and destruction. Days later, the wildfire was contained but the damage was done, with scores dead and thousands of hectares burned.

Experts have said the spread of the Uiseong fire was extremely unusual in terms of scale and speed, while climate change is expected to make wildfires more frequent and deadly globally. Click here for the Reuters graphic explainer on how the fire spread.

Kim Min-seog, 54, bows in front of a burnt grave of his family in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Yeongyang, South Korea. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

Residents of razed neighbourhoods in Altadena, California, have been reeling from one of the nation's worst wildfires. Now, piles of burnt rubble still sit idle while clean-up crews work to get rid of the debris. In response to widespread concerns about harmful contaminants in smoke, ash, and debris, Los Angeles County Public Health is offering free blood-testing for lead at sites near wildfire burn zones in Altadena and Pacific Palisades.

Electronics giants are urging India's environment officials to abandon new rules that require them to pay significantly more to recycle air conditioners, refrigerators, TVs and other appliances, court papers and lobbying letters show.

Johnson Controls-Hitachi, Japan's Daikin, India's Havells and Tata Group's Voltas are suing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration in New Delhi over the measures they say will heighten compliance woes and unsettle businesses. Click here for the full Reuters report.

The U.S. Interior Department said it will no longer require its Bureau of Land Management to prepare an environmental impact statement, or EIS, for about 3,244 oil and gas leases that had been the target of litigation by environmental groups. The move aligns with President Donald Trump's efforts to ramp up more fossil fuel use.

Europe experienced its warmest March since records began, as climate change continues to push temperatures to unprecedented levels, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Globally, last month was the planet's second-warmest March on record – exceeded only by March in 2024, said C3S.

In Bolivia's rural region of Beni, vast grasslands where cows once grazed have been submerged under floodwater, forcing cattle and cowboys to wade through the water  to reach small patches of higher ground. Click here or the image for the full Reuters video.

The power industry is struggling with a question that will determine the course of billions of dollars in investment: how to meet the rising energy demand?

A Reuters survey of 13 major U.S. electric utility earnings transcripts found nearly half have received inquiries from data center companies for volumes of power that would exceed their peak demand or existing generation capacity –  that's everything they supply to homes and businesses – a metric that reflects the sheer size of oncoming data center needs.

If utilities underestimate the demand, they risk an unstable electrical grid with a higher chance of blackouts for their customers. If they overbuild, consumer ratepayers could end up with the tab.

Click here for the full Reuters story.

European Union countries are expected to add 89 gigawatts of new renewable energy capacity this year, including 70GW of solar and 19GW of wind, according to Commission projections shared with Reuters. That would be a record high for annual deployment of both wind and solar. The EU installed 65.5GW of new solar in 2024 and 12.9GW of wind capacity.

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