Close Menu
  • Last News
    • Cities
    • Climate
    • Energy
    • Impact
    • Markets
    • Opinions
    • Policy
    • Reports
    • Research
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Trending
Illustration of a dairy farm using digesters to reduce methane emissions. Image generated by AI.
Dairy Methane Miracle: These Digesters Deliver 80% Emissions Drop and Turn Manure Into Massive Renewable Energy Wins
Illustration of a platinum-free hydrogen electrolysis system developed by South Korean scientists. Image generated by AI.
Platinum-Free Hydrogen Revolution: This Korean System Stuns Scientists With Its Efficiency, Cost Savings, and Industrial Disruption Potential
Illustration of 12-year-old Jackson Oswalt achieving nuclear fusion in his bedroom. Image generated by AI.
FBI Raids Family Home After 12-Year-Old Conducts Dangerous Scientific Experiment That Triggers Federal-Level Alarm
Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Sustainability Times
Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
Subscribe
  • Featured
  • Cities
    Illustration of Downtown Residences skyscraper in Dubai's Business Bay area. Image generated by AI.

    “Tallest Home in the Sky”: Dubai’s 1,500-Foot Residential Tower Set to Shatter Records and Completely Transform the Urban Skyline

    June 14, 2025 at 4:11 PM
    Illustration of Egypt's ambitious Jirian urban development project featuring an artificial Nile canal. Image generated by AI.

    “Egypt’s Visionary Project Unveiled”: Skyscrapers Rising Amidst the Desert and Beside the Pyramids as Revolutionary New City Takes Shape

    June 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM
    Illustration of Saudi Arabia's futuristic Line project stretching across the desert. Image generated by AI.

    “Saudi Mega-Skyscraper Turns Deadly”: This 105-Mile Structure Threatens to Annihilate Migratory Birds on a Catastrophic Scale

    June 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
    Illustration of Archer Aviation's Midnight eVTOL air taxi flying over Los Angeles during the 2028 Olympics. Image generated by AI.

    Flying Over LA Gridlock: These American Air Taxis Promise a Spectacular Debut During the 2028 Olympic Games

    May 20, 2025 at 4:07 PM
    Illustration of the sinking urban landscape affecting major U.S. cities due to groundwater depletion (AI-generated, unrealistic). Credit: Ideogram.

    “America’s Cities Are Sinking Fast”: 28 Urban Giants Like New York and Houston Are Quietly Crumbling Beneath Our Feet

    May 13, 2025 at 7:00 AM
  • Climate
    Illustration of a revolutionary plastic dissolving in ocean water. Image generated by AI.

    “This Plastic Melts in the Ocean”: Japanese Scientists Reveal a Radical Material That Could Finally End the Global Pollution Crisis

    June 15, 2025 at 6:08 PM
    Illustration of the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems. Image generated by AI.

    “Ocean Acidification Is a Time Bomb”: This Silent Threat Is Accelerating Extinction and Pushing Earth Toward an Irreversible Collapse

    June 15, 2025 at 6:45 AM
    Illustration of rising global CO2 emissions and their impact on climate change. Image generated by AI.

    “Global CO₂ Emissions Surge Out of Control”: This Alarming Spike Signals a Dangerous New Phase in the Climate Crisis

    June 12, 2025 at 10:11 AM
    Illustration of the colossal landslide in Greenland's Dickson Fjord triggering a mega-tsunami. Image generated by AI.

    “Unprecedented Natural Disaster Strikes”: A 650-Foot Mega-Tsunami Sends Seismic Waves Circling the Globe

    June 11, 2025 at 6:07 PM
    Illustration of the destabilizing effects of climate change on glaciers. Image generated by AI.

    “40% of Glaciers Vanishing Anyway”: This Chilling Climate Shock Exposes the Irreversible Collapse Already Underway

    June 9, 2025 at 6:49 AM
  • Energy
    Illustration of a dairy farm using digesters to reduce methane emissions. Image generated by AI.

    Dairy Methane Miracle: These Digesters Deliver 80% Emissions Drop and Turn Manure Into Massive Renewable Energy Wins

    June 18, 2025 at 6:45 AM
    Illustration of a platinum-free hydrogen electrolysis system developed by South Korean scientists. Image generated by AI.

    Platinum-Free Hydrogen Revolution: This Korean System Stuns Scientists With Its Efficiency, Cost Savings, and Industrial Disruption Potential

    June 18, 2025 at 5:56 AM
    Illustration of 12-year-old Jackson Oswalt achieving nuclear fusion in his bedroom. Image generated by AI.

    FBI Raids Family Home After 12-Year-Old Conducts Dangerous Scientific Experiment That Triggers Federal-Level Alarm

    June 17, 2025 at 6:10 PM
    Illustration of researchers at the University of Kentucky developing materials for nuclear fusion reactors. Image generated by AI.

    “Indestructible Reactors Are Now Possible”: This Shocking University Discovery Could Redefine the Future of Nuclear Safety

    June 17, 2025 at 4:52 PM
    Illustration of hydrogen fuel cells powering a construction site. Image generated by AI.

    Europe Stuns the World as $134 Billion Hydrogen Project Turns Into Earth’s Largest Construction Site, Surprising the U.S.

    June 17, 2025 at 3:45 PM
  • Impact
    Illustration of Creme Puff, the world's oldest cat, enjoying a unique lifestyle. Image generated by AI.

    “World’s Oldest Cat Drank Red Wine”: This Bizarre Feline Habit Stuns Vets and Redefines Everything We Thought About Animal Longevity

    June 15, 2025 at 6:11 AM
    Illustration of Builder.ai revealing its reliance on manual labor behind a facade of AI innovation. Image generated by AI.

    Shocking Revelation in Tech Industry: A 1.5 Billion Dollar ‘Fake AI’ Exposed With 700 Real-Time Coders Operating From India

    June 11, 2025 at 3:45 PM
    Illustration of the shift from GPS to atomic clocks in aviation safety. Image generated by AI.

    End of GPS Era: The Secret Rise of Atomic Clocks Signals a Military-Grade Revolution in Global Positioning and National Security

    June 10, 2025 at 7:47 AM
    Illustration of Jeff Bezos' megayacht Koru anchored offshore due to docking restrictions in Monaco. Image generated by AI.

    “Bezos Denied at Monaco”: The $500 Million Megayacht Forced Offshore as Billionaire Arrives by Dinghy in Stunning Humiliation

    June 7, 2025 at 6:46 AM
    Illustration of U.S. soldiers using augmented reality gear in a battlefield scenario. Image generated by AI.

    “Meta Is Redefining Warfare”: U.S. Army Adopts AR-AI Headset That Turns Soldiers Into Real-Time Combat Intelligence Hubs

    June 6, 2025 at 4:59 PM
  • Markets
    Illustration of a colossal 55 billion-ton iron ore deposit discovery in Western Australia. Image generated by AI.

    Worldwide Panic as Monumental Geological Find Disrupts Global Trade and Triggers Market Turmoil on Every Continent

    June 4, 2025 at 4:53 PM

    Most sources of protein in the US contain vast quantities of microplastics

    January 11, 2024 at 5:47 AM

    Banking on change: How your accounts have climate impact

    December 26, 2023 at 7:13 PM

    Sparxell’s glitter is golden with nature-based color, design

    December 19, 2023 at 9:29 PM

    Lab-grown coffee tastes pretty darn good, scientists say

    December 12, 2023 at 10:42 PM
  • Opinions

    Smoke, Mirrors, and Smears: Inside the Campaign Against Gaurav Srivastava (Review)

    May 14, 2025 at 10:45 AM

    Nathan Law and the High Cost of Dissent: A Review of Targeted, Episode 3

    May 13, 2025 at 9:46 AM

    From charts to conversations: a real review of Hint App, The Pattern, and TimePassages

    May 13, 2025 at 5:12 AM

    Where Time Touches Light: Yefan Liu and the Future of Cultural Design

    April 18, 2025 at 3:39 AM
    “Ancient Predator Resurfaces: The Terrifying Epicyon, Massive Canid Beast With Bone-Crushing Jaws, Shakes Experts to Their Core”

    “He’s Back From Extinction”: The Gigantic Epicyon Returns With Bone-Crushing Jaws That Terrified Prehistoric America

    April 16, 2025 at 7:53 AM
  • Policy
    Illustration of China's newly unveiled underground military command center near Beijing. Image generated by AI.

    “We Cannot Ignore This Threat”: China’s 1,000-Acre Military Megabase Revealed by Satellite Triggers US Intelligence Emergency

    June 8, 2025 at 5:53 PM
    Illustration of a Russian satellite maneuvering near a U.S. government satellite in space. Image generated by AI.

    “Russia’s Orbital Weapon Moves In”: US Military Reacts Urgently as Armed Satellite Approaches Critical American Asset in Alarming Encounter

    June 8, 2025 at 7:14 AM
    Illustration of China's expanding aircraft carrier fleet reshaping global naval dynamics. Image generated by AI.

    “U.S. Navy on High Alert”: China’s Fleet of 6 Supercarriers Triggers Global Tensions and Redefines Sea Power Balance

    June 4, 2025 at 5:45 PM
    Illustration of SpinLaunch's centrifugal launch system deploying microsatellites into low-Earth orbit. Image generated by AI.

    “Hypersonic Madness in Orbit”: US Company Launches Pancake Probes at Relentless Speed, Triggering Chinese Military Alarm

    June 3, 2025 at 3:49 PM
    Illustration of the AURA-E drone revolutionizing rural logistics in Australia. Image generated by AI.

    Unprecedented Aerial Gamble: This New Australian Drone Can Travel 310 Miles Carrying 110 Pounds Across Remote Outback

    June 2, 2025 at 7:53 AM
  • Reports
    Illustration of the SABRE South Collaboration’s experimental setup for detecting dark matter in the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    “Scientists Stunned by Mysterious Light”: Bold Experiment Uses 4-Inch Glowing Crystal Core to Unveil Secrets of Elusive Dark Matter

    May 5, 2025 at 6:05 AM
    Illustration of a precision laser being fired from Earth to a satellite orbiting the Moon during daylight (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    China Hits the Moon With a Laser: First Daylight Lunar Reflection in History Stuns Scientists and Ignites Global Space Race

    May 4, 2025 at 5:09 PM
    Illustration of the SR-72 hypersonic jet soaring through the sky (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    “China Stunned by US Jet”: SR-72 Hypersonic Aircraft to Fly at Over Mach 5 in 2025, Triggering Shock and Panic in Beijing

    May 4, 2025 at 6:03 AM
    Illustration of China's expansive underground military command center near Beijing (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    China Unveils Its Military Mega-Project: Satellite Images Reveal Construction of the Largest Military Hub on Earth Spanning Over 1,000 Acres

    May 3, 2025 at 6:54 AM
    Illustration of China's new amphibious anti-tank missile system on the ZTD-05 vehicle (AI-generated, non-realistic illustration). Credit: Ideogram.

    “China Unleashes Amphibious Beast”: This Armored Truck-Turned-Tank Can Now Hunt Enemy Targets Across Rivers and Swamps

    May 2, 2025 at 5:52 AM
  • Research
    Illustration of a vast reservoir of water hidden beneath the Earth's mantle. Image generated by AI.

    “An Entire Ocean Lies Beneath Us”: Scientists Reveal Massive Hidden Sea Deep Below Earth’s Crust That Changes Everything

    June 17, 2025 at 10:03 AM
    Illustration of the South Atlantic Anomaly impacting space technology. Image generated by AI.

    “Earth’s Core Is Acting Up”: NASA Links Planet-Wide Disturbance to Mysterious Energy Surge Emerging From Deep Within the Mantle

    June 16, 2025 at 6:01 AM
    Illustration of humpback whales creating bubble rings as a form of communication. Image generated by AI.

    “Whales Are Talking to Us”: These Majestic Giants Are Creating New Communication Methods That Could Transform Human-Animal Interaction

    June 15, 2025 at 5:13 PM
    Illustration of a newly discovered super-Earth, Kepler-725c, within its star's habitable zone. Image generated by AI.

    “Super-Earth Could Host Life”: Stunning New Planet Found in Habitable Zone Ignites Hopes of a Second Earth Beyond Our Solar System

    June 15, 2025 at 3:52 PM
    Illustration of an underwater volcano revealing thousands of giant Pacific white skate eggs. Image generated by AI.

    “Thousands of Eggs Discovered Alive”: Underwater Volcano Reveals Massive Alien-Like Cluster That Leaves Marine Biologists Speechless

    June 15, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Sustainability Times

Nature’s fury or our hubris: Why was Cyclone Amphan so destructive?

Eirwen WilliamsEirwen WilliamsJune 23, 2020 at 12:05 PM0
Share Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Email Copy Link
Follow Us
Google News
(photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Share
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Copy Link

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a disaster for millions of us. Imagine, though, how bad things would be if in the midst of this pandemic we were also hit by one of the deadliest storms in recorded history with wind speeds up to 190km/h and a storm surge of more than 5 meters high.

You wouldn’t need to imagine that if you were a resident of eastern India on May 20 because this is precisely what happened when Cyclone Amphan came barreling down from the Bay of Bengal. It was among the deadliest cyclones in the region in a century, leaving nearly 90 people dead and more than 10 million homeless.

Amphan originated as a low-pressure area around 300km east of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Moving northeastward, the cyclone left its trail in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan. West Bengal, the epicenter of the cyclone’s landfall, suffered the worst damage. While a detailed report on the total damage made by Amphan is yet to be published, an initial investigation estimates nearly $13 billion in damages to the state.

Amphan affected nearly 70% of the people in West Bengal, but the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, faced the most catastrophic destruction. The Sundarbans is a cluster of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal and is the largest mangrove forest in the world.

This is the land of Bon Bibi and Dokkhin Rai. Bon Bibi, or the Lady of the Forest, personifies the mangroves while Dokkhin Rai, her brother in local mythology, is the fearsome Bengal tiger. Most of the locals eke out a living appeasing the two.

Unfortunately for them, a third deadly force lies at their footstep, the heaving Bay of Bengal, one of the most agitated water body on the planet. Time and again it has sent horrible destruction hurtling down over the people of Sundarbans in the form of severe cyclonic storms. Amphan, too, brought grave misfortune to most of the four million residents of the Sundarbans.

One was Amina Bibi, a local woman in Kalikapur, who was notified by district officials ahead of the storm to move to the nearest school building on the day of the storm. “We never saw something like this before; everything is finished now! What are we supposed to do now! We don’t have our land left! What will we eat from tomorrow!” she lamented.

Khurshid Chowdhury from Gosaba was another victim. He had promised his grandson that he would buy him a boat se he could join in their family business of fishing. His family owns only a small of land for cultivating rice, but that land is now under 2 meters of seawater and is currently unusable for agriculture.

The Sundarbans is one of the least developed regions in West Bengal, inhabited by some of the most impoverished communities in India. Farming and fishing are the two means of livelihood here. The average elevation of the Sundarbans is 2 meters above mean sea level. This puts the area under threat from inundation and wetland loss.

Soil erosion and rising sea level have forced many locals to relocate in every 20 to 25 years for the last few decades. In addition to this, these climate refugees are suffering from an increase in soil salinity and damage to their farmlands after every flooding incident. A cyclone like Amphan pushes the resilience of the community further to the edge, leaving the lives, homes and resources of thousands of people at risk.

The Sundarbans are home to the majestic Bengal tiger. (photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The particularly disastrous effect of Amphan was caused by the twin factors of high intensity and the destruction of the coastal protective barrier. The Bay of Bengal is known to have a high potential for cyclogenesis with a frequency of 4-5 cyclones annually.

But the last few years have seen a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclones. It is now widely accepted that climate change plays a major role in affecting these two important parameters, which in turn increase the risks to lives and livelihoods.

Many scholars have studied the relationship between climate change and tropical cyclones and arrived at the conclusion that climate change is playing an important role in boosting the frequency of tropical cyclones. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mentioned in a report on Ocean and Cryosphere that “[t]here is emerging evidence for an increase in annual global proportion of Category 4 or 5 tropical cyclones in recent decades.”

The report further states that “[r]ising mean sea levels will contribute to higher extreme sea levels associated with tropical cyclones (very high confidence). Coastal hazards will be exacerbated by an increase in the average intensity, magnitude of storm surge and precipitation rates of tropical cyclones”.

Another reason for the severity of the devastation inflicted by Cyclone Amphan has been the destruction of the mangrove forests, which have acted as natural barriers for the coastal areas of the Sundarbans. In recent years many of these mangroves have lost out to development. This has left the area unprotected to the open sea and from the impacts of cyclones.

Despite the importance of the mangroves in protecting coastal areas from cyclonic surges, the Indian government has failed to protect them. Several attempts have been made to do so, but flawed restorative initiatives have done more harm than good to mangroves. Mangrove forests are home to rich biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services. Yet at the current rate of deforestation the mangroves in the Sundarbans will go extinct in this century.

Did you like it? 4.4/5 (28)

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Climate Change
Follow on Google News Follow on X (Twitter)
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp Email Copy Link
Previous ArticleManila’s search for energy security
Next Article Nanoplastics can accumulate even in the tissues of plants
Eirwen Williams
  • X (Twitter)

Eirwen Williams is a New York-based journalist at Sustainability Times, covering science, climate policy, sustainable innovation, and environmental justice. A graduate of NYU’s Journalism Institute, he explores how cities adapt to a warming world. With a focus on people-powered change, his stories spotlight the intersection of activism, policy, and green technology. Contact : [email protected]

Keep Reading
Illustration of a revolutionary plastic dissolving in ocean water. Image generated by AI.

“This Plastic Melts in the Ocean”: Japanese Scientists Reveal a Radical Material That Could Finally End the Global Pollution Crisis

Illustration of the effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems. Image generated by AI.

“Ocean Acidification Is a Time Bomb”: This Silent Threat Is Accelerating Extinction and Pushing Earth Toward an Irreversible Collapse

Illustration of rising global CO2 emissions and their impact on climate change. Image generated by AI.

“Global CO₂ Emissions Surge Out of Control”: This Alarming Spike Signals a Dangerous New Phase in the Climate Crisis

Add A Comment

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Trending
Illustration of a dairy farm using digesters to reduce methane emissions. Image generated by AI.
Dairy Methane Miracle: These Digesters Deliver 80% Emissions Drop and Turn Manure Into Massive Renewable Energy Wins
Illustration of a platinum-free hydrogen electrolysis system developed by South Korean scientists. Image generated by AI.
Platinum-Free Hydrogen Revolution: This Korean System Stuns Scientists With Its Efficiency, Cost Savings, and Industrial Disruption Potential
Illustration of 12-year-old Jackson Oswalt achieving nuclear fusion in his bedroom. Image generated by AI.
FBI Raids Family Home After 12-Year-Old Conducts Dangerous Scientific Experiment That Triggers Federal-Level Alarm
News by category
  • Featured
  • Cities
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Impact
  • Markets
  • Opinions
  • Policy
  • Reports
  • Research
Information
  • About Us
  • Meet the Team
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Legal Mentions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

News, investigations, and analysis — our top stories every morning to start your day right.

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
© Sustainability-Times.com. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.